The Promise of Snow (3 page)

AJ leaned forward and kissed him again. “Rain check?”

Brandon smiled. “Definitely.” He stood and tried to straighten his pants, but they were hopelessly wrinkled, and he regretted that he hadn’t just worn jeans like he wanted to. He pulled his sweater down and smiled when AJ laughed. “Can I walk you home?”

“I’d like that, yeah.”

They made their way upstairs, and Brandon was relieved to find the house was mostly empty. He could hear his mom in the kitchen cleaning up, and suspected his dad had gone up to their bedroom.

“Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Jacobs,” AJ called as he slipped on his coat, which had been relocated to the arm of the couch as the only guest coat left.

“Of course, dear. We’ll see you later.”

“I’ll be back in a minute, Mom,” Brandon called, deciding to forgo his own coat. The brisk winter air would do him good before he had to face down his parents.

They walked slowly down the full length of the driveway and paused in the middle of the street to look up at the sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, and the night was biting cold.

“Think we’ll have a white Christmas?” AJ asked. “I hope so. It always makes everything seem, I don’t know,
new
. A little bit magical, y’know?”

Brandon wasn’t overly fond of snow as a thing, but couldn’t help but be charmed by the statement. “I think it will.” He linked his arm through AJ’s for warmth, and they made it the rest of the way across the street. “There’s extra magic in the air this year.”

“Well, this is me.” AJ nodded to the door as they stepped up onto his porch. The porch light was off, but the door was framed with white Christmas lights, which would’ve been romantic if it weren’t so freaking cold.

“My nose is going to start running in a minute,” Brandon confessed.

“You’d better get home, then.” AJ rubbed his hands over Brandon’s arms in an attempt to warm him up.

“That would be the smart thing to do.” Brandon leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss. “Pretend there was mistletoe,” he said when he leaned back.

AJ looked pleased and, if Brandon wasn’t mistaken, just a little bit dazed. “I’d invite you in, but—”

“Yeah. Not the best time.” Brandon shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling awkward about how to proceed from there. “So, can I call you sometime?” He smiled when AJ laughed. “Maybe we could do dinner or something.”

“Dinner would be good.” AJ bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then stepped back. “You know where to find me.”

“I do, so, we’ll plan on that. And I’ll maybe see you on Christmas. Mom usually sends a plate of something or other over to Maxine if she’s home.”

“I think we’re having dinner with you guys, actually. Your mom invited us tonight.”

“Okay, then. Well played, Mom,” Brandon acknowledged. “So… awesome.”

“Awesome,” AJ agreed.

“Right. Good night, then.” Brandon laughed. “I really am going now, because I can’t feel my toes, and I think that’s affecting my eloquence.”

“Good night, Brandon.”

Brandon started to turn, then stopped. “One more question. When we were kids, you refused to tell me what your real name was.”

AJ hung his head and looked up at Brandon, his expression a mix of amused and pleading. “Augustus,” he finally said. “Augustus Jerold Peterson. The third.”

“The third? Really?” Brandon asked, doing a poor job of containing his amusement.

“No. I just like to say that as an excuse.”

“Well, then, Augustus Jerold Peterson.” Brandon gave him a tiny bow. “Until next time.”

“Until next time,” AJ agreed, his voice full of incredibly dirty promise. Enough to keep Brandon warm on his short walk back across the street.

He stopped on his parents’ front porch and tipped his head back to look at the sky, resisting the urge to check and see if AJ had gone inside yet. A wisp of a cloud drifted across the moon, and Brandon wondered if he could take that as a sign of snow to come.

It was shaping up to be a magical Christmas, indeed, and a very promising New Year.

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E
LIZAH
J. D
AVIS
has lived in various parts of the United States, but currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying the abundance of coffee readily available there. Once upon a time she had journalistic ambitions, but switched to creative writing after she realized journalism involved too many facts and not enough unicorns. She loves stories of all kinds, but has a particular fondness for romance and fantastical adventures. When she isn’t busy making things up, Elizah enjoys reading, laughing at cats on the Internet, buying girly shoes, and trying to come up with world domination plans that don’t require the donning of pants (her endeavors toward which have thus far been unsuccessful).

Website: http://elizahdavis.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElizahDavis
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Published by

Dreamspinner Press

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Suite 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Promise of Snow

© 2013 Elizah J. Davis.

Cover Art

© 2013 Paul Richmond.

http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-607-6

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

December 2013