Scrooged by the Biker

by McKenna Rogue

“Maybe you should skip the dance and go find him and demand an answer. Maybe it’s not at all what you think.”

  “I don’t know. We wouldn’t have slept together last night if I hadn’t been so pushy. I don’t think he thinks he’s good enough for me.”

  “Then don’t give up on him yet.” Elena’s voice startled me; it was almost like a plea.

  I blinked at her. What had this poor woman been through? I knew she gave up a baby, but I didn’t know much more than that.

  Tru sighed. “Sometimes, you don’t know you can really have something just because you want it.”

  “And she would know.” Brayden shook her head. “I swear this town was created by Hallmark. Except for me. There’s no handsome stranger who wants the crazy dog lady.”

  “Your bite is worse than your bark,” I said teasingly.

  She stuck her tongue out at me.

  We all laughed.

  “Let’s just finish getting ready. The ball will take my mind off any Hallmark romance.”

  Brayden rolled her eyes and cocked her hip, setting her hand there. “You ever watched one of those movies? This ball is going to do nothing but bring out the romance of the world.”

  “Great, then the three of us will just hate on Tru and Brian while they dance and get all gross and smushy,” I said.

  Tru harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I am not going to be your Hallmark movie for the night.”

  “Oh, I think you are,” Brayden said smiling.

  “You’re all getting coal for Christmas.”

  “Like we didn’t already know that,” I retorted.

  We went back to getting ready. Tru leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Give it a chance, I bet he comes around. He’d be stupid not to.”

  5

  Charlie

  The hospital was just as decorated as the rest of the town. Sometimes I wondered if the Davenport line had some sort of deal with a bunch of elves that decorated for every ridiculous holiday that had ever been created.

  I hated this place more than anything. I’d spent too many nights here with my mom having drank too much. And now she was here because she’d tried to kill herself with alcohol and pills.

  Part of me didn’t want to see her at all. What the hell was I supposed to say to her? I was just angry.

  A nurse pointed me toward her room and informed me she was on suicide watch and she would have to remain at the hospital for at least twenty-four hours.

  When I rounded the corner, Pastor Williams was sitting in the chair outside my mom’s room.

  Just fucking great.

  He stood when he saw me.

  What was it about a parent being sick that made you feel five years old all over again?

  “Charlie, how are you?” He stuck out his hand.

  I shook it reluctantly. I didn’t want to see him after leaving Ginger like a giant asshole. What I couldn’t admit to myself was I wanted her to come with me. I wanted her to hold my hand and tell me it was all going to be okay.

  “I’m good, sir. Thank you. How are you?”

  He eyed me curiously. “I was here when she came in this morning. I don’t mean to bombard you. I just know you don’t have a whole lot of family left in town.”

  “I appreciate you thinking of me,” I said.

  I glanced at the hospital room. I didn’t want to go inside.

  “You want me to come with you?” he asked.

  I glanced over at him. “All these years, you’ve never once treated me like the fuck-up I am. I know you’re a pastor, but are you seriously this good of a person?” I raked my hand through my hair. “I guess I’m being a real asshole.”

  Pastor Williams just smiled. “I used to be a real asshole myself, Charlie. I did a bunch of stuff I wasn’t proud of. I’ve made a list of mistakes. Even after becoming a pastor. The thing I never forgot was that I made those mistakes and being a man of God doesn’t suddenly make me more than. If anything, it’s humbling. What I’ve learned is that God gives you chances, he gives you time to ask for forgiveness, to work your stuff out. I make mistakes all the time. And with everything you’ve been dealt, I don’t see you making a lot of mistakes. You stand by your family, even when they don’t deserve it. You served your country. You run a business. Charlie, you’ve grown up into a very good man. Why would I treat you with anything else than kindness?” His hand tightened on my shoulder. “Why wouldn’t I want someone like you to be with my daughter?”

  My eyes widened and I went from being a five-year-old to a sixteen-year-old whose mom just found his box of condoms. “Uh…”

  “Relax, Charlie. My daughter is a grown woman and she can make her own choices and mistakes. Not that I think you’re a mistake. But I see how you walk around this place, with your head low, like you have shame. You should hold your head up, son. Hold your head up.”

  He moved to stand behind me. “Let’s go see your mom.”

  She looked so small. My mom had always been a petite waif of a woman. Cigarettes and alcohol had always been her preference over food. Her blonde hair was greasy and looked extra yellow next her ashen face.

  Having Pastor Williams stand behind me gave me more strength than I really felt like I had. I wanted to run from the room.

  “Mr. Mason?”

  I turned around to find Colton Black standing behind me. I only knew him in passing, because of his ridiculous Halloween stunts every year.

  “Uh, hi.”

  “I’m Colton Black. I’m a psychologist. The hospital is low on staff with the holidays and the flu hitting late this year. They brought me in on your mom’s case this morning. Mind if we get some coffee and talk?”

  I glanced at Pastor Williams.

  “You go on, son. I’ll stay with Stacey.”

  I gave him a nod and followed Colton. We walked in silence to the cafeteria. Colton pointed at a table and went and grabbed a couple of coffees.

  “Mr. Mason.”

  “Charlie, please. This all feels way too personal for you to be so formal, Mr. Black.”

  “Then call me ‘Colton’.” He perfected his coffee and then looked up at me. “I usually work with kids,” he started, “so stop me if I start forgetting you’re an adult.”

  I chuckled. “No problem. Though, right now, I don’t particularly feel like an adult.”

  “I can understand that. My girlfriend passed out not too long ago and it sent me back to being a kid. I completely acted in a panic. That’s the fun of trauma.”

  I could see why Colton was good at this. He was completely disarming.

  “Your mom has had a drinking problem for a while?”

  “Not too long. Just my whole life.”

  Colton nodded. “She have any traumas?”

  “Shit parents. My aunt told me she was sexually abused as a kid. I don’t know much.”

  We talked for nearly an hour while I gave Colton as much information as I could. I didn’t want her to be hurting or lose her way. I wanted her to find her way out of whatever darkness she was in.

  “Look, I don’t mean to sound…but if you ever want to talk for yourself, I’m discreet.”

  “No shame in therapy, Colton.” I smiled.

  “No, there isn’t, but most people don’t feel that way.”

  “Do you have a card or something?”

  “I do.” He pulled one out of his wallet and handed it to me.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’ve pegged some stuff about me already, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s a woman I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with for a long time. Don’t feel particularly good enough for her. I keep pushing her away even though she’s pursued me. I know I’m going to lose her if I keep doing what I’m doing. What’s wrong with me?”

  Colton smiled. “Nothing is wrong with you. Given your history, you don’t trust people to stay in your life and you feel responsible for the ones who are sick even if it has n
othing to do with you. My guess is you’re afraid she’ll leave you and you’re afraid she’ll get sick too. And you also might be afraid that everything will be better with her. Fear of success is just as real as fear of failure. You don’t seem the type to give yourself a break. But this woman would probably like to help you shoulder your responsibilities and be someone you can talk to. And she probably wants the same from you. She like you?”

  “Yeah, she does.”

  “Then don’t let her go.” Colton clapped me on the back.

  “How much do I owe you for that? I feel like that was like at least a year of therapy right there.”

  Colton laughed. “The first one is free. Trust me, it’s not all that easy. And just because you know you’re afraid, doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for you to stop pushing her away.”

  “This is job security for you, isn’t it, man?”

  “Charlie, you’re going to be just fine.”

  I spent a chunk of the day sitting with my mom. She woke up eventually. She cried through an apology and I held her hand and handed her tissues. It took everything I had not to cry right along with her.

  I told her I thought she should start going to therapy and that I would go with her at first if she wanted me to. She was hesitant, but I told her I was going to go too. Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference. Maybe it would.

  As the afternoon waned toward evening, Pastor Williams appeared in the doorway again, carrying a garment bag.

  “Pastor Williams!” My mom tried to sit up better and she smoothed over her disaster mop of hair, trying to look presentable.

  “Forgive me barging in here, Stacey, but Charlie has somewhere he needs to be. I thought I would sit here with you for a little while.”

  “It’s Christmas Eve,” she replied. “Surely you have better things you could be doing.”

  “Nonsense. My wife is going with a bunch of her friends to the Christmas Ball. They’re in charge of everything. I was told I would just get in the way. She’s saving me a dance later tonight. You’d be doing me a favor.”

  Mom smiled. “Well if you insist. Where do you have to be?” she asked me.

  That was a good question.

  “He’s got a date waiting for him at the Christmas Ball,” he said pointedly.

  He gestured for me to follow him out into the hall.

  “I love you, Mom.” I kissed her forehead.

  “You’ll tell me all about it later?”

  “Yeah, but you have to be here later.”

  She nodded emphatically. “I will be, honey. I promise.”

  I breezed through the threshold and Pastor Williams smacked me with the garment bag. “Go home. Shower. Put this on. Figure out a gift for my baby girl and go to the damn Christmas Ball and make my daughter happy.”

  “Pastor Williams…”

  “I think you can call me Paul. And maybe someday I’ll let you call me Dad.”

  I blinked at him.

  “You think I’m so stupid that I haven’t noticed the way you and my daughter look at each other? You think I wouldn’t want her to be happy? I’m not delusional man, Charlie. I have my own very beautiful wife and someday I’ll tell you how I almost lost her. You know the pain and suffering we deal with in this world. And your pain and suffering isn’t done. It’s never going to be done. That doesn’t mean you don’t get happiness and good times too. My daughter…”

  “Is amazing.”

  He grinned. “Good. You’re not as stupid as you look.”

  “I love her.”

  “I know, son.”

  “Thank you.”

  He rolled his eyes. “For the love of all that is holy, get out of here already. Your mom is going to be fine.”

  I met his gaze. “You will too, sir, I’m sure of it.”

  “We’ll leave that to Christmas future.”

  My palms were sweating, and for the seventh time that day I felt like I was a kid again, going to my first dance to ask the girl I liked out. It was ridiculous and after the way I ran out on her this morning, I had no hope she’d actually take me back.

  I didn’t even want to know why Pastor Williams…Paul…knew where I needed to be.

  The event center was dressed to the nines in Christmas everything. There was holly, garland, wreaths made of tinsel, pine, and ribbons, and lights and ornaments. All that was missing was Jimmy Stewart and the Muppets.

  Christmas music wafted through the air. If I was ever going to believe in magic, this would be the night.

  I scanned the crowd of gowns and tuxedoes. I made my way through them, searching for Ginger. She had to be here somewhere.

  And then I spotted her in a gaggle of girls all dolled up and beautiful watching the other couples dance.

  She was fucking gorgeous in her Christmas tree green dress. It was modest, her cleavage covered by a high neckline and long sleeves. The gown dusted the floor with featherlight touches as she moved. The dress cinched at her waist with a belt, and the skirt flowed out from her hips. But when she moved again, I noticed the slit and caught a peek of her leg. Her long dark, almost auburn hair was pulled up into an elaborate do. I wanted nothing more than to completely ruffle her.

  I wanted to wake up with her in the morning again, every morning.

  I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the worst outcome.

  She spotted me coming when I was halfway to her.

  Her friend, Tru bumped her with her elbow when she spotted me too.

  “Good evening, Ladies, you all look beautiful.”

  Tru was already ushering the women away toward the food and punch. “You better make it good,” she muttered to me.

  “I plan to,” I said.

  I waited until Ginger and I were alone.

  I’d been practicing a hundred ways to apologize and make it right.

  But what came out was, “I’m sorry and I love you.”

  Ginger stared at me.

  “The hospital called me while you were in the bathroom. My mom nearly overdosed on alcohol and pills last night.”

  Ginger’s eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. “Is she okay?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what the future is going to bring for her.” I told her about Colton and her father. “What I do know is I wanted to ask you to come with me this morning. But I didn’t feel like I had a right. I didn’t want to bring you into my crazy life.”

  “Charlie….”

  “I keep fighting my feelings for you. For a lot of reasons. But I don’t want to do that. And I really don’t want to lose you. I think your dad might kill me if I do.”

  She laughed, tears welling in her eyes. “He’d have to get in line.”

  “No doubt.” I rubbed the back of my neck feeling too hot and unsure. “What are you thinking?”

  Her eyes raked over me. “I think you clean up nice. And I think you should kiss me now because I love you too.”

  I didn’t know who moved first, but it didn’t matter. We were in each other’s arms. I kissed her hard, while trying to keep in mind we were in public.

  “Stay with me tonight? In my proper bed this time.” I asked.

  She grinned. “Stay with me always?”

  “Gingersnap, Santa’s wild reindeer couldn’t keep me away.”

  Want more?

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  Dear Reader,

  We hope Scrooged by the Biker revved your engines for a very merry holiday season!

  Charlie and Ginger tugged at our heartstrings as we were writing this story, because they’d both fallen victim to their own beliefs about how the town, and society saw them, even though they were both so much more than that. It’s something that we both struggle with on a daily basis, trying to fit in, to not rock the boat or stand out too much, while simultaneously wanting to break out of the mold and stand up to just be the bold, beautiful, curvy women we are.

  With the Ghosts of Christmas Past looming around every corner, we know how hard the holiday season can be on anyone, especially if your situation doesn’t look exactly like a happily ever after in a Hallmark movie would lead you to believe it should be. But Christmas Present and Christmas Future are just around the corner, ready to brighten your holiday spirit and give you hope for the years to come.

  If you’d like to see how Charlie and Ginger spend their Christmas Future, click here for an exclusive bonus epilogue!