Daddy’s Little Christmas

This Christmas, Daddy gives him the one thing he’s never had—acceptance.

My ex had rules. Rules about the part of me that slips soft and small. No pacifiers. No bottles. No little space. No embarrassing habits that would hurt his political career.

So I packed my duffle bag and drove toward a tiny Vermont town founded by two queer men who refused to keep hiding, and built a haven for people who had never truly fit anywhere else. I only meant to stay for two weeks. Heal a little. Breathe again.

Then I walked into Holly & Pine… and met him.

Graeme Whitlock.

He sees me. Not the version I was scolded into being—the real me. He offers structure instead of control, security instead of shame, and care without conditions.

And suddenly, Winterhaven doesn’t feel like a stop on the map.

It feels like home.

I didn’t plan to fall for the man who makes me feel small in the safest way. Keeping him? That might be the bravest Christmas wish I’ve ever dared to make.