“Grab another one.” Teddy gestured behind them at the bank of slightly damp shopping carts.
“How many carts do you need?” Nick shook his head. But Teddy just laughed—Nick had no clue what he was in for, agreeing to this.
“Realistically?” Teddy grabbed one more cart and shoved it in Nick’s direction. “Two for each of us, and I still might need to make another trip.”
The welcome-to-December chill from outside seeped into the cart storage area of the large chain toy store he’d dragged Nick to. To be fair, Nick had probably been subtly angling for a booty call when he’d texted Teddy to see if he had evening plans. It had been a few days since Teddy had driven Nick back to his truck, and while they’d texted back and forth and talked on the phone, they hadn’t actually hooked up in person again.
Teddy was all in favor of seeing Nick, but he also had a stack of giving tree wishes to match with cash donations that had come in to the center. And Nick had a date with the Lego aisle, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Proving his point, Nick had readily agreed to the plan to meet in Watertown so that he could get the gifts he’d grabbed tags for and so Teddy could handle his large list.
“You’re going to need my truck for all this. I’ll just plan on following you back,” Nick said matter-of-factly.
“Is that you volunteering to sleep over?” Teddy asked, voice low as he shook out his list, which he’d organized by area of the store. He headed toward the stuffed animals right near the entrance. “I’m not turning that down, but I’ll probably be okay even if you can’t—I switched cars with my dad, so I’ve got plenty of cargo room.”
“I have work tomorrow, but if you don’t mind me waking up early…” Whispering, Nick rubbed the back of his neck. He’d clearly come right from the base and was still in his uniform. And hello, army porn. Nick’s massive frame filled out the camo jacket and pants in ways that made Teddy’s blood heat. Patches on his upper arm designated both his rank and his service in the military police. And if there was something cuter than a big military man in uniform in the middle of the teddy bear aisle, Teddy had yet to find it.
“I don’t mind you getting up early. We’ll check the forecast while we eat dinner, make sure the early morning ice won’t be too bad.” He gave Nick what he hoped was a warm smile. They’d already made plans to eat at a steakhouse known for its large portions and mile-high cheesecake after they shopped, just like a real date. Or okay, it was a real date, and they genuinely were seeing each other now, but Nick’s leaving loomed large over them, made it harder than he would have thought to enjoy their flirty texts and meaningful looks and made each in-person encounter like this feel like a gift.
“Okay.” The look Nick gave him made heated promises that had Teddy walking a little faster through the aisles. Waking up with Nick was fast becoming one of his favorite things. Saturday, he’d totally been guilty of using sex again to get Nick to sleep in as late as possible, trying to stave off taking him back to get his truck. He’d been worried that picking up the truck would be the end of things for them, but he’d been pleasantly surprised when Nick had texted that evening, which led to a long phone conversation both Saturday and Sunday before it was back to work for them both.
Mainly, Nick seemed concerned about how Teddy was dealing in the aftermath of the holdup, but even if the conversations started on that note, they ended up talking about everything from cereal choices to favorite fictional detectives to board games. And truth was that Teddy was far less rattled with Nick to talk to.
The holiday prep for the center was also a good distraction, as he was too busy to really dwell on how scared he’d been in those long, endless moments when Nick had grappled with Dave.
“Would you look at that?” Nick stopped in front of a display of that year’s “it” toy—a robotic kitten wired to interact with a video game. “You’d think there’s enough real kittens needing homes…”
“Yes, and you should get one.”
“Me?” Nick’s eyes went wide. “I’m going to be on a boat most of the time. I don’t know what I’d do with a kitten. I was more saying for kids, you know? Whatever happened to real pets?”
“Not sure, but I’ve got three of these on the list.” He hefted them into his cart. Teddy knew precisely what Nick would do with a kitten, and he had to mentally restrain himself, stamp down the fantasy of Nick with a cat, maybe two, being all adorable and cuddly and fake-firm and Teddy right there watching.
“Accessory packs?” Nick gestured at a nearby display.
“Budget,” Teddy reminded him.
Nick made a frustrated noise and then put three accessory boxes in his own cart. “Add it to my tab.”
“Sure thing, Santa.” Man, it would be so damn easy to fall for this guy with his big arms and even bigger heart. “So, speaking of the Santa gig, you coming to the town pageant on the tenth? Usually Santa makes an appearance…”
“I’ll check my duty roster, but I think I can make it. I’ll remember to pack extra clothes this time.” He gave Teddy a wink that did dangerous things to his insides. “Oh hey, there’s the Lego section.”
“You know I’m going to make you buy something for you, right?”
“When am I going to put something together?” Nick dug his own list out of a pocket and proceeded to scan the shelves.
“Tonight. After dinner. Before we…retire.” He wasn’t about to go making filthy suggestions in a toy store, but he tried to put all sorts of ideas in his eyes and tone. “I’ll even help. Just something small and fun.”
Nick’s eyes and fingers lingered on a model of an old-fashioned snow-covered train depot.
“There you go.” Teddy plucked it off the shelf and added it to Nick’s cart. “Then you can add other village parts over the years, make it a tradition…” He trailed off as he realized he wouldn’t be there to see Nick add train tracks and other pieces, wouldn’t even be around long enough for this model to gather dust.
“Not sure about that.” Nick’s eyes took on a far-off cast, but he didn’t remove the box. “Maybe you can keep it after we build it.”
“Maybe.” Teddy’s chest tightened. That might be worse, having it in with his own holiday things, a yearly reminder of the guy who might have been something special, of the feelings that kept coming even as Teddy tried to guard against them. But hell if he’d turn the model down, just as he wasn’t going to turn down more time with Nick. He’d enjoy every moment, every brick, every kiss and long, lingering look, and every little souvenir of what was turning out to be the most bittersweet month of his life.