Thorne pulled his phone from his pocket and held up a finger, silently asking Riley to wait. He tapped the screen and brought it to his ear. “Lauren, please cancel my meetings for the afternoon…Yes, I know he’ll be pissed. Send Jack.”

Riley continued to listen to the one-sided conversation.

“Right, that’s a terrible idea. Send Sandra…Something vital’s come up…No, I’m fine…Really, very fine…I’ll stop by around five, so you can brief me on anything then. Don’t disturb me for the next few hours unless the building is burning down.”

Riley stared at him when he ended the call. Had he really just cancelled an afternoon of meetings?

“I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

“For you, I’ll always say yes. You’re the one who taught me that some things matter more than business. A lot of things, actually, but people I care about in particular.”

Riley smiled. “Come on, let’s go.”

MARC HAD THE DVD cued up when they arrived. “Hey, Thorne.”

“Hello, Marc.” Thorne’s voice was formal, reserved. How did Thorne feel about Marc being there? Was he wondering if Marc and Riley… But Riley had sworn there’d been no one, and Thorne wouldn’t doubt him, would he?

Riley and Thorne settled on the couch, and Marc sprawled in a comfy chair, legs flung over one of the arms. He spent as much time watching them as he did the TV. And the look on his face said he thought they were the cutest fucking thing he’d ever seen.

Riley finally threw a pillow at him. “Pay attention. Hermey’s about to do his pig impression. It’s your favorite part.”

Thorne laughed. “His acting skills are unparalleled.”

Marc’s mouth fell open, and Riley turned to Thorne.

Thorne arched a brow. “Did you seriously think I never watched this?”

“I figured you’d seen it as a kid, but not that you’d have a favorite part.”

Thorne shrugged. “I like Christmas.”

“You like working,” Marc said.

Thorne smiled and glanced at Riley. “Not as much now.”

Riley wrapped an arm around Thorne and snuggled closer. Thorne sighed, relaxing against him. Riley knew then that he wasn’t going to let Thorne go. He assumed Thorne would spend Christmas Day with his family, and Riley had promised to have dinner at Susan’s on Christmas Eve, but he wanted to spend at least part of the holiday with Thorne, watching cartoons, eating too much and… Could he really wait five more days to be inside Thorne again?

Yes, because he wasn’t going to rush things. He needed Thorne, but that need was deeper than lust, deeper than anything he’d felt before. Thorne had screwed up, but Riley still loved him. It was the season of forgiveness, and he was ready.