As he glanced at Gavin and Erin, he felt—as he always did—that spark of hope that it would be the two of them living here with him. And while there was no indication that would ever work out, Oliver was nothing if not an optimist. He got that personality trait from his father, Sean, who’d gotten it from Pop Pop.
Erin perched on the arm of Gavin’s recliner, the two of them sipping eggnog and watching the family continue to jostle for a position around the tree as they added ornament after ornament—each of them containing some memory or story of years gone by—until they reached the final four.
Padraig carefully held up the box that contained the special ornaments, and he took off the lid.
“Hang on,” Sunnie said, grabbing her phone. “I promised Pop Pop we’d FaceTime him when we got to this part.”
Their elderly grandfather now lived with Sunnie’s parents, Riley and Aaron. They’d added an “in-law” style suite to their house when Pop Pop’s knees got too bad to continually make the trek up and down the stairs that led from the pub to this apartment.
“Hey, Pop Pop. What do you think?” Sunnie asked as she held the phone up to show him the tree as Colm plugged in the lights.
“Oh my. What a bonny tree. I think that might be the best one we’ve ever had,” Pop Pop said.
Oliver and Gavin shared a grin. Pop Pop said the exact same thing every year.
“We’ve got Grandma Sunday’s ornaments here.” Sunnie turned her phone to show him the box, which Padraig had placed on the coffee table.
Pop Pop referred to them as the “family’s treasure,” as if they were a band of pirates and this was their buried booty. Oliver doubted there was anyone in the family who couldn’t recite the story of how Pop Pop and Sunday had been so poor during their first Christmas in America that they hadn’t even been able to afford ornaments for their Charlie Brown-style tree.
According to Pop Pop, Sunday had found a box of lightbulbs, which she’d painted with bright, festive, colorful holiday scenes. Somehow, every single one of those glass ornaments had survived countless decades—which was no small miracle, considering how rowdy the Collins boys could get—and they were always the last ornaments to be placed on the tree.
Sunnie held the phone as Colm, Finn, Padraig, and Oliver each took one from the box.
When Oliver’s dad lived here with his siblings, the honor of hanging the ornaments belonged to Sunday, and then, after her passing, Pop Pop. However, since then, the cousins had begun to take turns because Pop Pop refused to take the ornaments with him when he moved out, insisting that they belonged in Sunday’s home.
This year was Oliver’s turn, but as his gaze landed on Gavin, who gave him a thumbs-up and a wink that didn’t hide the fact he was as touched as the others in this room by the annual tradition, he decided to add someone new to the rotation.
Oliver held out the ornament he held. “Your turn this year, Gavin.”
Gavin appeared surprised as he looked at Colm, Padraig, and Finn.
“Get up here, cuz,” Padraig said, gesturing for Gavin to join them.
Gavin stepped next to Oliver, not bothering to hide his surprise…and gratitude. “You sure?”
Oliver handed him the ornament. “Don’t drop it,” he joked, though the huskiness of his voice lessened the effect.
“Thanks,” he said, low enough Oliver was certain he was the only one to hear it.
Oliver wondered how long it would take for Gavin to believe he truly was a part of this family. He’d lived amongst them for nine years now, but even after all that time, the memories of his mother and the trauma caused by her physical and mental abuse still cast a wide shadow over his life.
Oliver lightly hip-bumped him and smiled. “You belong here, brother.”
“Okay, you guys ready?” Sunnie held the phone up so Pop Pop could watch as each of them placed the ornaments on the tree. They’d purposely kept a section front and center clear of ornaments so that these would stand out. One by one, they added them to the tree, and as they did so, Sunnie led them in a round of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Oliver could hear Pop Pop’s voice bellowing out the words through the phone.
Once all the ornaments were in place, they stood back to admire their work.
“Best tree yet,” he heard Pop Pop say before bidding them all good night.
After that, the rest of the family began to leave until it was just Gavin, Oliver, and Erin left in the apartment. She topped up each of their mugs with the last of the eggnog, and the three of them sat together watching the tree lights flicker.
Oliver and Erin cuddled on the couch as Gavin reclaimed his spot in the recliner. Oliver wondered how many nights in the past year the three of them had been right here, just like this. He’d started dating Erin shortly before Friendsgiving last year, their relationship becoming more serious shortly after the holidays.
“I thought Zach was coming to Friendsgiving tonight,” Erin said, glancing at Gavin.
Gavin never seemed at a loss to find guys to date, but none of them lasted long.
“No. That’s over. Guy was too over-the-top dramatic. Sort of wore me out.”
Erin laughed softly even as she rolled her eyes. “You’re too picky.”
“Naw. All the good gay guys have already been snatched up.”
Oliver felt Gavin’s eyes on him as he spoke. Erin didn’t miss the look either.
“You could always come to the dark side and find yourself a girlfriend like me,” Oliver joked.
“Do it. Do it,” Erin chanted, deepening her voice, as if she were some Disney villain luring the hero to evil.
Gavin waved them off. “Gay. Not bi. Remember?”
Oliver sighed and looked away for a moment, wishing he could find some way to move
