“Don’t be nervous,” Cole whispered, adjusting the Santa hat on Rhett’s head before ringing the doorbell at his parents’ house.

“Easy for you to say,” Rhett hissed out, his arms stacked full of wrapped gift boxes.

“Cole,” his mother greeted warmly, pulling the door open and offering him a hug.

“Mom,” he replied.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Mallory,” Rhett said from behind his shield of gifts.

“Please, dear. Constance,” she reminded him before calling over her shoulder. “Malcom, come help with these boxes.”

Cole’s father appeared, a broad smile across his face, and he helped Rhett inside, pulling the top three boxes from the stack.

“Merry Christmas, boys.”

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Mallory,” Rhett replied.

Cole’s dad shot Rhett a sharp look before leading him into the house. Rhett looked over his shoulder helplessly at Cole, who just smiled and waved him off.

“I have some news, Mom,” Cole whispered to his mother at the same time she said to him, “Your sister has some news.”

Cole rolled his eyes. “I’m sure I know what Kristen has to say.”

He experienced a moment of rage when he thought about how this morning wasn’t just another moment where Kristen would steal his spotlight, but now it was Rhett’s spotlight too. Getting engaged was a big deal and it didn’t deserve anyone's half attention.

“Be nice,” his mother warned, pushing him backward onto one of the loveseats. Cole watched Rhett arrange presents around the tree with his father, then he scanned the room. Kristen and Edward were snuggled together in front of the fire, of course in the center of the room. His parents were on the large sofa that lined a side wall and his grandparents in matching chairs between Cole and his parents.

On the coffee table in the middle of the room sat a spread of breakfast treats, from muffins to pastries, and a small platter of eggs and bacon. Rhett stood from the tree and laughed at something Cole’s father said before turning to join Cole on the couch.

He stopped and pointed down at the table, and Cole nodded. Rhett picked up the carafe of coffee and poured two mugs, one for each of them, then snatched a muffin and returned to Cole.

“This couch is ridiculous,” Rhett whispered as he fell into the cushions.

“I know,” Cole agreed, bringing the mug to his lips and taking a small sip.

“Now that everyone is here,” Kristen announced, “Edward and I have some news.”

“Merry Christmas, Kristen,” Cole interrupted, a bit dryly. “I have some news, too.”

Kristen’s nostrils flared, but years of practiced training of how to act in front of her elders quickly took over and she forced a polite smile.

“Merry Christmas, Cole.” Her eyes shifted to Rhett and scanned him from shoes to hair. “Rhett.”

“Kristen,” Rhett greeted, with what Cole had come to know as Rhett’s phone voice. The one he specifically reserved for dealing with vendors who were jerking him around on pricing or deadlines.

Cole reached for Rhett’s hand and twined their fingers together, pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles.

“Do you mind?” Cole asked politely. Kristen narrowed her eyes at him in the quickest flash, then gestured with her hand.

“Of course not, Cole. It can be a day for good news all around.” She smiled at him and it was so saccharine it made Cole’s teeth hurt.

He looked at Rhett, whose eyes shone like the lights that were wrapped around their tree at home. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about how crazy the past few months had been. From his desperation at the thought of losing the vineyard, to the wild idea he and Rhett hatched at Tubby’s, to now with things between them as real and tangible as the gold bands on their hands.

He smiled at Rhett and squeezed his hand. “I love you.”

“I love you, Mr. Mallory.”

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Kristen bit out icily.

Cole took a deep breath.

“Rhett and I are getting married,” he announced.

Kristen’s face twitched and she managed a congratulatory smile. “That’s amazing news, Cole. I know we were all starting to wonder if it was ever going to happen.”

Cole’s mother laughed and his father relaxed into the couch, like he’d been holding his breath for years and was finally able to let it out.

“That’s wonderful,” Constance said, using her husband’s leg to push herself up from the couch. She closed the space between them and held her arms open. Cole stood, taking Rhett with him, and his mother wrapped her arms around them both.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered into Cole’s ear.

Rhett’s muscles unwound and Cole squeezed his shoulder. His mother pulled back and held her hand out.

“Now let me see the ring.”

Rhett held his hand out awkwardly and Cole’s mother examined the fine gold band around his finger, holding it up to the flickering light from the fireplace and sending an appreciative glance in Cole’s direction.

“That’s lovely,” she announced. “I’m so excited for both of you. Isn’t this exciting, Malcom?”

His father recognized the polite warning in her voice and he stood up, joining them in the center of the room. He shook Cole and Rhett’s hands before leading Constance back to the couch. Cole swallowed and sat back down, trying to focus on Rhett’s broad smile instead of his grandparents’ noticeable silence.

“Thanks, Kris,” Cole told his sister thankfully. “Now what’s your news?”

He placed Rhett’s hand on his knee and covered it with his own, his palms damp with nervous sweat. He already knew what Kristen’s news was, but the longer the silence from the corner of the room went on, the more worried he became.

“It’s much sooner than we’d planned, but Edward and I are pregnant!” Kristen exclaimed, projecting a bright smile across the room to their grandparents. Edward looked...surprisingly miserable, considering he was a newlywed, but he unwrapped himself from Kristen’s entanglement to meet Cole’s father near the table for a hug.

“How lovely,” his mother enthused, “I get a new son and a grandbaby in the same day. It’s my turn to be Nan.”

Cole’s actual Nan huffed an incredulous sound from the chair she was perched in, then reached across and swatted at her husband.

“What?” he asked, as though he hadn’t been present in the room for the two life-changing announcements that his grandchildren had just shared.

“Kristen is pregnant,” she told him, wagging a bony finger toward the fireplace.

“And Cole is getting married,” his mother reminded her softly.

“Right. A baby,” Jacob said, reaching into his jacket pocket.

Cole’s blood turned to ice. He could feel Rhett’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t manage the strength to meet his stare.

Cole watched as his grandfather handed his Nan a thick, white envelope. He knew what it was. He knew what was happening.

This was such a surreal moment, maybe even more so than when he’d realized for the first time that he loved Rhett. His head spun and it was like he wasn’t present in the room; he was just a helpless bystander, about to watch his life unravel before him.

“Cole.” Rhett’s worried voice in his ear wasn’t enough to anchor him in the present.

He watched in carefully controlled horror as his Nan passed the envelope that held his life's work across the room to his sister.

“In light of your recent marriage and now the baby, your grandfather and I have drawn up the paperwork to have Mallory Vineyard transferred into your name.”

From across the room, Constance throttled back a choking sound, and Cole closed his eyes before Kristen’s fingers connected with the proffered envelope.

“Oh, that’s incredibly generous of you, Mrs. Mallory,” Edward said.

Cole heard shuffling around the room, but he remained frozen in place. He was scared if he opened his eyes, the room would literally be upside down. He swallowed back his tears and forced his eyes open.

“Look at me,” Rhett’s voice was low and hushed against his ear.

Cole turned to his fiancé, needing to pull his lips between his teeth to stop himself from breaking down completely when he saw the look of pity and concern on Rhett’s face.

“It’s fine,” Rhett whispered and Cole jerked his head to the side.

“It’s not,” he countered, voice hushed. “I made you promises.”

Cole grabbed for Rhett’s hand, the cool metal of the band around his finger the only thing able to ground Cole in the present.

“All I want is you,” Rhett promised, pressing a soft kiss against the corner of Cole’s mouth before turning his attention to Kristen. “Congratulations, Kristen.”

“Oh, thanks,” she replied, casually, tossing the envelope onto the floor near the fire.

Cole sucked in a breath, and Edward picked up the envelope, tucking it into his jacket.

“Well,” Constance started, taking stock of the room and making a quick retreat to the tree. “That was unexpected.”

She laughed awkwardly and picked up two wrapped boxes. “Let’s open gifts then, shall we?”

Cole’s mother passed around the boxes that had been assembled under the tree, and Cole blindly went through the motions of unwrapping, and thanking, and saying you’re welcome whenever appropriate. He’d never hated his life more than he did at that moment, and he hated that his first Christmas with Rhett had been ruined.

After what Cole hoped had been a satisfactory amount of time, he pushed away from the couch to stand.

“I think it’s time for us to head home,” he said curtly.

Rhett joined him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “You’ve all been so lovely. I appreciate being invited.”

Cole gritted his teeth together, aware that Rhett was trying to save face for him and hating that he even had to.

“Oh, dear, you’re part of the family now,” Constance said, crossing toward them and hugging them separately.

“Cole, I’m sorry,” she whispered into his ear. He believed her, and he patted her back in a conciliatory manner before stepping away without a reply.

He and Rhett gathered up their gifts and were halfway to the door before Edward’s voice echoed down the hallway.

“Cole,” he called.

Cole stopped and inhaled a sharp and shaking breath before turning around to face his brother-in-law.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll have my people get in touch after the new year to discuss a transition plan for the vineyard. Sound good?”

Cole blinked, pivoting on his heel without saying a word. He pulled the front door open, the light of the day surprisingly bright and blinding. He shielded his eyes and followed Rhett to the car.

He drove them in silence back to their house, walking inside and leaving the presents in the trunk. He climbed the stairs to their bedroom, discarding his clothes as he went. By the time he reached the foot of the bed, he was naked, save for his engagement ring.

Rhett came before him, his head angled and he watched Cole with a look of uncertainty.

“I need you, please,” Cole pleaded.

Rhett nodded, stripping down and then walking Cole backward onto the messy bed. They hadn’t bothered to make it this morning. Rhett kicked the comforter out of their way and covered Cole’s neck with kisses, peppering him with praise and promises that Cole didn’t expect him to keep.

Cole offered himself to Rhett, silently, too wrapped up in his own painful need to verbalize what he wanted, what he needed, but he didn’t have to. Rhett took him, slow at first, then fast, before slowing down again. Rhett drove Cole to the edge over, and over, and over, until the only thought left in Cole’s mind was the only thought that mattered.

Rhett.