With no sign of Ben getting out of bed, Aaron decided to string the lights on the tree.
He’d just plugged the last strand of bubble lights into the extension lead and switched it on—thinking he should have tested all the lights beforehand—when Ben emerged all sleep-tousled and unshaven from the hallway.
“Starting without me?” he croaked.
Aaron leapt to his feet and accepted a hug from his man, explaining that he had planned to wait until Ben was present so they could decorate the tree together. “But how come there’s a gift under the tree already?”
Ben shrugged. “Santa?”
“His calendar’s a bit off. And what’s with the weird gift tag?”
Ben shrugged again.
Aaron put the matter out of his mind and concentrated on decorating the tree. After hanging what felt like miles of garland, Ben ope
