Jack shook his head and went to stand next to Fitz, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. He kissed Fitz’s cheek, and Fitz seemed to relax a little. Just then, the door to the main room opened and shut.

  “That’s probably them now,” Jack said, rubbing Fitz’s arm.

  Jack was half right.

  King blew into the kitchen, bringing a flurry of snow and winter chill. His face was red from the cold, but the worry in his eyes alerted everyone.

  “I can’t find Leo.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Where the heck could he be?

  As soon as King told them he couldn’t find Leo, Ace and the rest of the crew bundled up and headed out, splitting into two groups, and taking the SUVs down to town. It had started snowing when they left, and it was really coming down by the time they’d parked.

  They quickly devised a plan and split into pairs. Ace and King would check the woods surrounding the tree farm in case Leo tried to return and got lost, while Colton, Jack, and Fitz rechecked the reindeer farm in case Leo had doubled back. Mason and Lucky headed to the Ice Castle. Red, Joker, Gio, and Chip would go down the main street checking every building.

  “I shouldn’t have let him go off alone,” Ace said, sighing heavily and shoving his gloved hands in his pockets. The snow crunched beneath their boots, and the icy wind whipped at their faces. Damn, it was cold. He sure hoped wherever Leo was that he was warm.

  “It’s not your fault,” King assured him.

  “I know. But still. It’s Leo.” It wasn’t that Leo couldn’t take care of himself. It was more that sometimes he wasn’t aware he had to.

  “I know.”

  “I understand why he does what he does, but, man, I wish he wouldn’t scare the shit out of us like this.”

  “He must be really worried about something,” King said. “You know he only does this when it’s something big, but why wouldn’t he tell me if that’s the case?”

  There had to be a reason. Leo never kept anything from King. It just wasn’t logical for him. Leo often got lost in his head, yet he always snapped out of it in his own time. But getting lost in his head and wandering off without realizing it? That was reserved for incredibly stressful situations, like when he’d been forced to work on a top-secret government project, fearing that at any moment, they’d take him from his family and make him disappear.

  King had made damn sure that didn’t happen. It was how they’d met. King’s job was to look after Leo and keep him safe. He’d been doing it ever since. King needed someone to protect, and Leo needed to be protected. It was how they were made. But Leo also kept King on his toes and showed him he was worthy of love. King showed Leo that he was perfect just the way he was. And that there was more to life than computers.

  King rechecked his phone and sighed. “Still nothing.”

  There was plenty of lighting around the tree farm, but the farther out they went, the less there was. Ace hated the thought of Leo being out here despite his resourcefulness. The weather alone posed a threat.

  King’s phone buzzed, and he quickly checked it. “Gio says Merry saw Leo earlier this afternoon in the café. He had a glass of milk and a fish-shaped gingerbread cookie.” He smiled and shook his head. “Him and his fish-shaped snacks.”

  “Does Merry know where he went after?”

  King shook his head. “No.” Another text came through, and King paused. “He was at the ornament shop this afternoon.” More texts followed. “It looks like he’s been to several shops throughout the day. Why wouldn’t he have checked in?” Another buzz, and King frowned. “Colton says Leo was at the reindeer farm earlier but left a little over two hours ago. He didn’t say where he was going.”

  “Damn. You don’t think he would have wandered out here, do you?” Ace pulled the flashlight from his pocket and turned it on as they headed toward the woods where they’d been earlier. Considering the gap in the trees where they’d planted the tiny sapling, it wasn’t hard to find.

  “He might have come back here because it’s where you and the fellas had been when he left, but I don’t think he would have ventured into the woods. He would have known you had no reason to go in there.”

  It was all about logic for Leo. “True.”

  “Leo,” King called out. He shone his flashlight around them. There was no movement, no sound, nothing.

  They focused their beams on the ground, but even if someone had been out here, the freshly fallen snow would have covered any tracks by now. Everything Leo did had logic to it—a specific reason—so they had to think like Leo.

  Ace hummed. “Okay, so he had a snack because he got hungry, then went around town visiting shops for whatever reason. He might have come back here, seen we were gone. So where would he have gone after?”

  They put away their flashlights and headed back to the tree farm.

  “Logically, he would have gone home, but he would have needed a ride,” King replied.

  “The Ice Castle,” Ace said. “He would have looked for one of us, and his best bet would have been the Ice Castle since we’ve been in and out of there since we arrived at Winterhaven.”

  They quickly made their way to the Ice Castle, though neither of them stated the obvious. Lucky and Mason would have bumped into Leo by now since they were sent to check the Ice Castle.

  Lucky and Mason were still inside when they got there, looking around.

  “Any luck?” Ace asked, meeting up with them.

  “No,” Lucky replied, shaking his head.

  “We checked every room,” Mason added. “It’s a big building, but there’s no sign of him.” He wrapped an arm around Lucky.

  “Ace, estoy preocupado.”

  “I’m worried, too, primo,” Ace replied quietly.

  They all reconvened at the Ice Castle. No one had seen Leo.

  King ran a hand through his hair when Colton’s phone rang. He picked up, and the visible sigh of relief said they’d found Leo.

  “Thank you so much, Clara. I will.” Colton hung up and put a hand on his chest. “Clara says her husband just got home. Leo had asked him for a ride back to the cabin.”

  Joker gaped at him. “What? When?”

  “Two hours ago.”

  Everyone stared at him.

  Lucky put a hand up. “Are you saying that he has been at home this whole time that we have been looking for him?”

  “Wait a second,” Jack said. “Two hours ago, we were all in the cabin. Even King.”

  King frowned. “He wasn’t in our room. It was the first place I looked.”

  “But we didn’t check the rest of the house,” Fitz replied with a sigh. “We just assumed he was still out here.”

  “Because no one saw him enter the house,” Joker said. “And some of us were in the main living room. He did not walk through that door. The dogs would have lost their furry minds.”

  King turned and headed for the door. “Let’s get back and figure this out.”

  They all hurried down the main street to the SUVs, got in, and returned to the cabin. As soon as he’d parked, King was out of the vehicle and sprinting inside, everyone else on his heels. The house was silent. The dogs had been asleep by the fireplace before they darted over, tails wagging. Leo was nowhere to be seen. Then again, it was a huge house.

  “Everyone split up,” King said. “Colt, Ace, Gio, Joker, Fitz, and I will take the downstairs. Everyone else checks upstairs.”

  They split up and started searching every room in the house. Ace had finished checking the main office when he thought he heard something. King had just turned the corner, and Ace put a hand up.

  “You hear that?”

  King frowned. “Sounds like….” His eyes went wide, and he spun around. They ran to the room at the end of the hall, and King opened the door, hurrying in. He stopped so suddenly that Ace almost slammed into him. Catching himself just in time, he grabbed King’s arm and peered around him.

  Leo was on the floor of the movie room, curled up under a big fluffy blanket and fast asleep, one of his favorite Marvel movies playing quietly in the background. The floor was littered with comfy pillows he’d arranged around him like a little nest. Ace knew he’d fallen asleep watching the movie because he was still wearing his glasses.

  “You just melted into a puddle of goo, didn’t you?” Ace whispered, knowing whatever King had felt until that moment vanished, replaced with so much love and affection that he practically choked on it. Ace shot a quick text off to the others.

  King carefully maneuvered his way around the dozens of pillows. He moved one to the side and sat.

  “Sweetheart?”

  Leo let out a sigh and turned over. He gradually opened his eyes, blinking away some of his grogginess. When he realized King was there, he smiled wide, sat up, and scrambled to straddle King’s lap. He wrapped himself around King and buried his face in King’s neck, making King chuckle.

  “Hey,” King said softly. “We were worried about you.”

  Leo sat back. “Why?”

  “Because we couldn’t find you.”

  Leo blinked at him. “But I was right here.”

  “We never saw you come in.”

  “Oh. I didn’t come in through the front.” Leo worried his bottom lip. “I peopled a lot today, and I knew everyone was home, so I came in through the mudroom. I thought I would decompress before going downstairs, and I was going to text you, but I guess I fell asleep.” He looked up at Ace and everyone else who’d materialized behind him. “I’m sorry if I worried everyone.”

  Before anyone could respond, Fitz stepped forward and spoke up. “It sounds like you had quite the day. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be downstairs. Red made his delicious Southern comfort food.” He turned and ushered everyone out of the room. As soon as they were out, he closed the door behind him.

  “Why didn’t you tell him we went all over town looking for him?” Lucky asked. “He worried us to death, not answering our texts and calls.”

  “He’ll see that when he checks his phone.” Fitz crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow at Lucky. “And we won’t mention any of it, Eduardo, because Leo feels bad enough. He knows he worried us. We don’t need to drill home how bad. What would it accomplish? Nothing. Do you want to make him feel bad?”

  Lucky shook his head. “No, of course not.”

  “Okay then. What matters is that he’s safe and well.” Fitz headed downstairs, and the rest of them followed.

  Fitz was right. What was the point of making Leo feel terrible? None of them wanted that. It wasn’t like he’d done it intentionally.

  “Whatever he’s up to, it must be important,” Colton said. “For him to have gone off alone to talk with that many people.”

  Peopleing was not a Leo skill set, which was perfectly fine because they had Fitz, Ace, Colton, Gio, and Mason for that. Their jobs required them to talk to people all the time. But Ace agreed with Colton.

  “Whatever it is, it has to involve King.”

  Downstairs, Ace helped Colton set the table in the large dining room next to the kitchen. Joker, Fitz, and Gio fed the dogs, and by the time dinner was on the table, Leo and King had joined them. Leo’s cheeks were flushed, and his hoodie was on inside out. Ace wanted to say something so badly, but he restrained himself. He deserved a medal for not teasing King. Or at least an extra piece of cornbread.

  They sat around the table, King at the head and Leo to his right. Usually, they were unfiltered and loud, but everyone was kind of worn out. They also knew Leo was feeling overstimulated, so everyone instinctively kept the volume down.

  “Did you get to see the reindeer?” Fitz asked Leo.

  “I did,” Leo said excitedly. “I knew they were big, but I hadn’t expected them to be that big. Did you know both male and female reindeer grow antlers? And their noses are designed to warm the air before they breathe it into their lungs. I learned so much about them today.”

  King kissed Leo’s cheek. “It sounds like you had a good time.”

  “I did.” Leo side-eyed King. “You didn’t follow me, did you?”

  King arched an eyebrow at him. “Baby, I didn’t know where you were most of the day.” He moved his gaze to Ace and narrowed his eyes. “I assumed you were with Ace.”

  He was never going to live this down. It would forever be known as “The time Ace lost the Boyfriends.” He could see it now. Damn it. It was the quinceañera boots all over again. He’d been on leave and hadn’t had time to get dress shoes for his cousin’s quinceañera party, so he’d worn his combat boots with his suit. His family had never and would never let him forget it.

  “I’m sorry I left,” Leo told Ace. “Did you find any squirrels?”

  Everyone moved their eyes to Ace before bursting into laughter.

  “You’re all a bunch of assholes,” Ace grumbled, shoving a giant piece of cornbread in his mouth.

  “What?” Leo asked, looking around the room. “Did I miss something?”

  Fitz leaned into Leo, his smile wicked. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  Of course, he would. By tonight, Leo would know everything that happened to the last detail. How Fitz knew, considering he hadn’t been there, was a testament to his family’s gossiping abilities. Next to Ace, Colton’s shoulders shook.

  “Oh my god, you’re laughing!”

  Colton shook his head. He picked up the cornbread basket and held it out to Ace. “Would you like another piece of cornbread, love?”

  Ace snatched one. “Yes, obviously. It will help soothe the feelings of betrayal you have planted in my heart.”

  “You mean like the sapling you planted earlier?” Joker said, deadpan. “You know, after your squirrel attack.”

  And it began.

  CHAPTER NINE

  What a day.

  Colton closed his laptop and placed it on the nightstand. How could he be both exhausted and not tired at the same time? Either way, he was very pleased with all he’d accomplished today despite their little adventures.

  “Ooh, you have that, ‘I finally ticked everything off my to-do list’ look,” Ace teased, getting under the covers beside him. His husband knew him too well. Colton did love a good to-do list, especially when he got to cross off everything. It had been nonstop since they’d arrived, but it was worth it.

  “I just received the last confirmation email. Shipments have started to go out, and I emailed all the tracking numbers to Clara. Supplies should start arriving as early as tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s great news!” Ace kissed Colton’s cheek. “You are amazing. Did you know that? My husband is awesome.”

  Colton chuckled and shook his head. “I’m happy that I could help the residents of Winterhaven. I also wanted to give my family a memorable Christmas.”

  “Well, you’ve done both,” Ace replied. “And it’s not even Christmas yet. Then again, you are an overachiever. I mean, you married me.”

  Colton laughed and threw his arm around Ace, pulling him against his chest. He kissed Ace’s temple. “Best decision ever.”

  Ace turned and straddled Colton’s lap. He slid his arms around Colton’s neck and kissed him. “You know, I was thinking.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Hey!”

  Colton laughed. He placed his hands on Ace’s hips. “Tell me what you were thinking.”

  “I was thinking that maybe we should take more time off together.”

  “Yeah?”

  “We talk about it all the time, how we should take more time off, take more vacations, that we work too much, and then next thing you know, another year has passed, and we haven’t taken a vacation. We suck at taking time off.”

  His husband wasn’t wrong. Although they made the most of their days off, sometimes their schedules didn’t match up, leaving little to no time for them some weeks. Neither of them worked 9-to-5 jobs, their schedules always changing depending on what they were dealing with. It had been that way since they got together. Then there was all the traveling, Colton to meet with clients or potential clients, Ace to train or as part of a security detail.

  “You know,” Colton said, deciding to share something he’d been pondering for a while now. “I’ve been thinking that maybe it was time to promote Joshua to COO.”

  Ace stared at him. “Really?”

  “He’s been working with me for years now, and you know how exceptional he is. I would be lost without him. He’s made so many great changes at the office and improved efficiency by an impressive amount.”

  Joshua wasn’t just an amazing person. He was smart, talented, and fearless. Not only could he handle Colton’s work and personal schedules, but he could wrangle Colton’s family. Joshua could put together the best course of action and execute it in minutes. He knew the names of everyone Colton did business with, as well as their families. Everyone loved him. He also wasn’t afraid of the boardroom or putting his foot down. Joshua might look sweet and innocent, but he was fierce.

  “That’s a fantastic idea. He definitely deserves it,” Ace said. “So, what would that mean for you?”

  “Well, sadly, it would mean having to find a new executive assistant, but I have no doubt Joshua will find me someone skilled. It also means I can turn over some of my responsibilities to Joshua. I’ll have more time to spend with you.” An idea struck him, but he kept it to himself. He’d talk to Clara about it tomorrow.

  Ace’s smile lit up his face. “You know, the fellas and I have been discussing expanding Four Kings Security to Tampa.”

  “Yeah?” Colton knew business at the Miami branch had been booming since they opened, with their revenue topping their St. Augustine branch. That hadn’t surprised Colton. Miami was a much bigger city with more celebrities and, sadly, more crime. The Kings had to double their staff less than a year after opening. Those had been some long, challenging months with Ace away so much, but Colton understood. The launching of a new location, even for a business as established as Four Kings Security, took lots of time and resources, not to mention training.

  “With Miami doing so well and with us having so many jobs in Tampa, it makes sense. Instead of being short-staffed at the home office because we’re sending all our guys out, we can just have a team there. It would mean hiring a lot more staff. It would also mean promoting some of our bodyguards. We already have a few promotions lined up at our main location, so why not relieve some of our workload? We’ve been at this for a long time now, created something amazing and successful. It’s time we stepped back a little, did more overseeing and less field work.” A wicked gleam came into Ace’s hazel-green eyes. “I mean, according to certain people, my bones aren’t what they used to be.”