“Chris, come on! We’re about to open presents!”

Christian looked up from his computer, where he’d just sent off his latest article. No rest for the wicked, even on Christmas Eve, it seemed. He hit ‘sleep’ and shut the laptop, then stood and headed out to the living room.

The snow had already started, and was forecast to continue well into the night, meaning they were all stuck at the cabin until the roads were clear. That would probably be a couple of days. But Christian wasn’t in a rush. The view overlooking the river was breathtaking, and he would trade the mild California weather for a few more days in paradise.

Jonah came up from behind and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his neck. Closing his eyes, Christian leaned into it, every bone in his body relaxed.

“Listen, I know I said I was cool with the two of you dating, but can you please not do that in front of me?” Mason said. He had a present in his lap and a glass of Richard’s secret recipe spiked eggnog in his hand.

“If I had to hear you and your girlfriend having sex the entire time we lived together, I think you can handle seeing your cousin kiss your best friend,” Christian shot back.

Mason blushed. “Fair point.”

“Christian, sweetie, why don’t you come sit over here,” Tina said, patting the space beside her on the couch.

Much to Christian’s surprise, Jonah’s mom had been completely supportive of their relationship from the start. Granted, he shouldn’t have been that surprised, since she had been nice to him even when he was a kid. But it was nice that his boyfriend’s mother treated him like her own son. Especially since his own mother didn’t even treat him like a son.

Walking over, he took his seat and almost immediately, she wrapped her arm around him. “I’m glad you two could make it for Christmas. Jonah told me you were worried you wouldn’t be able to take off until New Year’s.”

“It’s a popular time for everyone to request off, and since I’m the newest hire, I figured I’d be pretty low on the totem pole. But Henry’s been great so far. Super accommodating.”

Just as he’d promised, Franky had introduced Christian to all the right people. Only a month after he’d left InTune, he’d gotten a job at The Pride, LA’s LGBT newspaper. Rather than focusing on the entertainment aspect of things, The Pride covered everything from ending partner abuse in the LGBT community to queer-friendly big businesses. In short, it was everything that he had been looking for.

Deke still gave him some shit about leaving Kentucky, but for the most part, he’d been happy for Christian. A bit confused by how the entire situation had played out, but genuinely pleased that Christian had found someone who cared about him, especially after horrible breakup that had put him so behind on his projects.

“I’m glad to hear that. If anyone tries to pull that senority shit, you just send them my way.”

Christian stifled a laugh. He could just imagine how well that would play out, telling his coworkers or boss that his boyfriend’s mother was going to give them grief over something they’d done. Then again, given that his boyfriend was Jonah McGreggor, that might actually do the trick.

A mug appeared in front of Christian, and he looked up to see Jonah’s dad, Steve. He wasn’t sure what to make of Steve. In the year and a few months he’d been dating Jonah, Christian had had few conversations with Jonah’s dad. The conversations he did have were incredibly short, mostly consisting of Christian speaking while Steve made noncommittal noises. He’d taken it personally at first, until Jonah had explained Steve was a man of very few words, and that he did the same thing to everyone.

“Eggnog?” Steve asked, indicating the cup.

Christian took it. Eggnog had never been his favorite drink—he’d preferred boiled custard—but it was tradition. If he didn’t drink it, Richard would spend the rest of the vacation wondering if he’d made it wrong, and no one wanted to listen to that for nearly a week.

“Okay everyone, we’re going to start the presents,” Annabeth announced, standing in front of the Christmas tree.

There were plenty underneath the tree, and Christian couldn’t contain his childlike excitement. Christmas at his mom’s house had always been a disappointing affair, but the McGreggors had always done everything they could to make him feel better, including getting him gifts. When he was younger, it had been embarrassing, having to rely on other people for presents. But now, he actually felt like family.

A package was pushed into his hands and he ripped open the paper to find a Parker fountain pen and a stack of Moleskine journals. He had to struggle not to let his jaw drop. One Moleskine alone was expensive. Having multiple, plus a Parker pen?

“Steve, Tina, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“Nonsense,” Tina said, patting his knee. “You’re part of the family. And we love buying gifts like this.”

He wanted to argue, but across the room, Jonah shook his head. Instead, he leaned over and wrapped both arms around Tina.

“Thank you,” he said, doing his best to keep the emotion from his voice.

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re welcome. Thank you for making him happy.”

The rest of the presents were distributed, and by the time everything was said and done, Christian had a bottle of thirty-year aged port from Richard and Annabeth and a UK hoodie from Mason, who’d cracked up as Christian opened it. There was nothing from Jonah, but that wasn’t exactly a surprise. They’d both agreed to exchange gifts the next morning.

“Before we break open the booze and I smoke you all at Betrayal at the House on the Hill, I have one more present I need to give out,” Jonah said.

Christian frowned. There was nothing left underneath the tree, and all the gifts they’d brought had already been handed out. Whatever it was, it had to be small.

Pushing off the wall where he’d been leaning, Jonah walked over and knelt in front of Christian, whose heart beat faster. Oh god. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t real. He was going to wake up and it would all be a dream. For all he knew, he was still in California.

“Christian Andrew Miller, you have been such a major part of my life. From being my cousin’s best friend to being the best boyfriend and support I could have ever asked for.” Jonah’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “You keep me sane when everything seems crazy around me, and you’re the voice of reason when I’m this close to killing Aspen. I love you more than I know how to put into words.”

Christian could hardly see through his tears. He blinked, sending them spilling down his cheeks. Jonah would never be able to understand the depth of his feeling at this moment.

“It’s hard to imagine you playing an even bigger role in my life, but I have one in mind. Husband.” He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing the most perfect silver band with a single diamond in the middle. “Will you marry me?”

Launching himself forward, Christian wrapped his arms around Jonah in a painfully-tight hug. He let out a broken sob and nodded into Jonah’s shoulder. “Yes. Oh my god, yes. I’ll marry you.”

Jonah rubbed his back until he felt steady enough to pull away, and when he did, he slipped the ring on Christian’s finger. It looked perfect. Like it was made specifically for him. Which, knowing Jonah, it probably was.

“I love you so much,” Christian said, wiping at his eyes.

He’d spent his entire life wishing he could be with Jonah; that he could be a part of this family for real. And now, it was finally coming true. Sometimes, the romance movies got it right. They really did live happily ever after.