“Where the hell did you get that tree?” asked Kaige Davis, affectionately known as Nova for the car he drove and the legendary temper he’d had before his wife and daughter tamed him, as he squinted at the TV in the Hot Rods’ living room.

“My girl chopped it down for us.” James grinned as Devon flexed in her pink plaid shirt. She made the cutest damn lumberjack he’d ever seen. Only a fool would underestimate her, though. She was a fierce pixie and he loved that about her.

“Does that thing even fit in there?” Eli asked, laughing.

“Sure. I mean, mostly.” Kate picked up the laptop and tilted it so the Hot Rods could see the top of the tree. The last foot and a half or so bent and ran at an angle along the roofline. Good thing the ceiling in this place was super high.

The crew had busted out their tallest ladders to decorate the beast, including hanging a star from the rafters in about the right place to make it seem like it was attached, given the diagonal cant of the treetop.

Nathan and Abby had cheered as their dads put the shiny topper in place and wound lights around the highest branches. They’d helped out, putting ornaments on the few low-hanging bits.

The Powertools had cracked up when the kids had refused their offer to lift them up so they could have access to more branches. Instead, Nathan got on his hands and knees and let Abby stand on his back to reach just a little higher on the mammoth tree. Not even four yet, they were essentially a power couple.

Helping his friends raise them had turned out to be an unexpected pleasure. It might not change the world, but at least they were bringing up two tiny humans to think independently, respect others, and value their differences. In a country that suddenly seemed to have tumbled backwards about fifty years when it came to social equality, it was one of the few things that made James feel less apprehensive about their future.

There was always a niggling fear these days, when out in public, that people wouldn’t approve of his relationships and that their ignorance could somehow limit his ability to share a happy life with his family. Or worse, harm them simply because they loved him.

“Hey James, you listening?” Mike asked.

“Huh? Sorry.” He shook his head and concentrated on the people surrounding him. The ones who brought him joy. They were the only ones who truly mattered.

The foreman repeated himself. “I was saying we have a present for the Hot Rods.”

“Oh! Yeah, we do.” He grinned. “Who all is around?”

“Just us,” Alanso said as he gestured to the mechanics and their lovers. “Quinn is watching Ambrose for Kaige and Nola. They’re hanging out at Tom and Ms. Brown’s place with Amber and Gavyn. They’re being kind of sneaky. I think they’re up to something.”

“I think you’re right,” Morgan said. “I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but they asked for a few of my secret recipes…”

“They’re making cookies?” Holden perked up as if he might bolt off the couch, down the stairs and across the lawn to Tom’s house. “Oh shit. Please tell me you gave them lessons on making the brown sugar kind with the gooey bits in the middle.”

Morgan shook her head. “I blabbed enough. You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Trust me. You’ll be occupied for a while after you see what we got you.” Mike grinned wickedly.

Sally clapped and bounced on Eli’s lap. “Ohhh, it sounds dirty. Come on, tell us.”

“We’d rather show you.” James took out his phone and transferred a file to the electronic storage they shared for swapping proposals on garage builds or car restorations for mutual customers. Or the advertisements Powertools ran on the Hot Rods’ show and website.

Despite the distance between them, they’d found a way to profit off combined special projects. Plus, if they had reason to spend a little time in each other’s territory and work to keep them busy there, they always took the chance to hang out together.

“Is it done?” Mike asked James, who nodded.

“Check out that file we just sent.” Joe cracked his knuckles. “Two requests… Delete it off the server before you send it to a customer by accident, and leave this call open while you watch it.”

“Watch what?” Bryce shuffled closer so he could get a good look at the image they were beaming onto their large-screen TV. It was obvious by his widening eyes when the video began to play, even if James hadn’t heard himself singing “Jingle Balls.”

“You made a porno for us?” Nola asked. “Awesome!”

“Well, it was sort of a happy accident, but use what you’ve got, right?” Dave laughed as the Hot Rods began shucking clothes like it was the hottest day of the year.

They hadn’t even made it to the part where the girls came home early before the Powertools were getting off on watching the Hot Rods watch the recording of them getting off, sweeping them all into some infinite erotic loop.

It was going to be a fun night of celebrating, Powertools and Hot Rods style. Hands down the best holiday party he’d ever been to.