I was internally boiling, but I couldn’t take it out on a six-year-old. I wanted to take it out on Adam. Oh, how I wanted to because he made me into a liar in front of Garrett. He said he had changed, he had said all those things and promised to accept me for my choices. Alas, here was James saying that word in a voice that echoed like a scream in a deep cave. A lot of eyes fell on me and as much as I wanted to dart out of the house, I chose not to—that, and Garrett had a tight grip on my arm.

“Hello, James. How are you?”
“I’m getting a PlayStation this year.”
“Nice,” I replied as he jumped up and down and then ran back to a small pile of toys in the far corner.
“He’s been asking about that for months,” Adam said as he looked back at James.
“We’ve had six Santas look at us for approval whenever he asked for one,” Karen Anne whispered.
Amelia was busy asking Lena every single question a five-year-old could about pregnancy.
“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Karen Anne announced.
“Let me help you with that,” Mom said with a hint of glee in her voice as she followed Karen Anne.

“I’ll show you to your rooms,” Adam announced to the rest of us and lead us out of the room and back to the staircase.
“How many acres do you have?” Dad asked.
“About 10,000. A lot of it are trees but we hope to one day put a pool and a guest house on some of the land.”
“Very good.”
“Sounds expensive,” Danny commented as he looked at the artwork on the walls.
“It is, but we’re praying for the opportunity and if God says yes, it will be done.”
I wanted to scoff but I didn’t want everyone to see the bitch I felt like at the time.

Adam opened the first door and turned on the lights to a fully furnished room with a large sleigh bed and a huge wardrobe.
“This will be your room, Dad.”
“I am impressed,” Danny said as he pointed at the bed frame. “Hickory?”
“Mahogany,” Adam replied as he led Dad and Danny out of the room and to the room across the hallway. “This will be the room for you and Lena, Dan.” Adam flipped the switch just a bit past the doorframe, and the room was slowly illuminated in a soft to reveal a similar bed. There was a large desk, probably made from an endangered breed of tree, on the side of the room next to a closet door. “The bed can be adjusted if you need it to be firmer or softer.”
“Lena’s going to love that.” Dan replied with a pat to Adam’s arm.

“Nick’s room is at the back, and Garrett is offered to sleep in the room with James or on the couch in the den.” Adam pretty much dead-named me as we walked down the hall.
“Thank you,” Garrett replied as Adam turned the light on to reveal another set of stairs, smaller and cramped, that led upstairs.
I climbed—quite literally—up the steps with Garrett behind me. Danny followed us up while Dad stayed with Adam.
“Karen Anne calls it ‘the tower’, Adam said. I looked back at Garrett, and he nodded.
The stairs stopped in a landing with three doors.
“It’s the one in the right. The bathroom is behind the center door!” Adam called from downstairs.
I opened the door and turned on the light.
“I’m impressed. I’d trade you, but Lena will cuss me out having to climb up here,” Danny commented and walked to the window. “We could act out ‘Rapunzel’ from here. You’ll need to grow your hair out, Nikki.”
The room was like the ones on the second floor, but a little smaller. It too had a wardrobe on the far side and a small desk next to the window.
“There’s an intercom on the wall,” Adam called from the downstairs and the three of us turned to see the controls near the door on the opposite side of the light switch.
“In order to contact the warden,” Danny whispered.
“I could trade with you,” I motioned to Garrett.
“That bed looks way more comfortable than the couch. I’m not going to let you.”
“As much as I wouldn’t care if the two of you stayed up here, but, you know what would happen.”
“Yeah, I replied with a sigh. “Got to keep the peace.”
Garrett nodded. “I’ll go get your suitcase and bag.”
“Thanks,” I replied as he left with Danny, leaving me alone in my Christmas-themed tower prison, to be away from everyone so I didn’t spoil the holiday by being there.
“There you go, Nikki,” I thought to myself, “maybe he just made a mistake with James and Adam.”
And as much as I wanted to believe, it was hard to accept that James called me uncle. There was no reason for James to have ever known me as a male and I didn’t know whether to swear my head off or to cry my eyes out because I knew they would not correct him for the misgender.

There was a loud thud, and I turned to the door to see Garrett carrying two suitcases, my bag and his backpack. He stumbled across the floor with everything, placing the suitcases on the floor and the bag and backpack on the bed.
“I thought it would be best to keep everything in one place.”
“Adam’s not going to go for it.”
“What Adam doesn’t know,” Garrett whispered as he walked over and kissed me on the cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“Kind of used to it with my family,” I replied as I tried to hold back my tears.
“I was thinking, in the morning, we could go look around town, just us.”
“What? And miss out on sight-seeing with the family?”
“Okay, I’ll ask them when they’re leaving in the morning,” Garrett said as he tried to take a step back, but I grabbed his hand.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“About what?”
“Good, keep doing that,” I replied with a slight smile.
“Dinner’s ready.”
“Oh joy. Dinner with the sinners.”
“I’m all up for a little more sinning if you are.”