Christmas with the Kings (The Kings of Guardian)

by Kris Michaels

  "Well, actually it was for..."

  "My wedding." Dani stood in the door of the kitchen. "We've decided on a formal affair in a lovely Tuscan vineyard, and when I told Ember, she worried that Joseph wouldn't feel comfortable, so she bought him a tailor-made suit, shoes, and cufflinks for Christmas. We were going to tell you at dinner tonight. We have three dates we are looking at in June so we can crunch calendars."

  "Right!" Ember twirled to Amanda.

  Jade swallowed down her looming panic. She was going to fucking hug the stuffings out of Dani. The woman just saved her ass and looked casual as fuck when she did it.

  Amanda cocked her head and her gaze swept from woman to woman. "Oh, well, hopefully, it doesn't ruin the surprise." She turned and grabbed the crockpot full of apple cider. "Would one of you please bring those cups in?"

  Jade watched the door swing shut behind her mom and deflated. "Fuck, that was close," she whispered as she snuck to the door and peeked down the hall.

  "Dani, you saved our asses!" Ember gave the woman a high five.

  "It wasn't a lie. We are having a formal wedding in a Tuscan vineyard. I just added two and two together. What was going on that I had to rescue you?"

  "Girl, it’s a disaster." Jade retrieved the tie from silverware drawer where Em had shoved it when Amanda surprised them. "This is the color of the bridesmaids dresses.”

  "Oh, dear God in heaven. That is atrocious." Dani placed her hand on her chest and cringed.

  "What are we going to do?" Ember rolled up the tie and shoved it in her jeans pocket.

  "The first thing I'm going to do is find something stronger than cider. Then we need to find a way to get over to Jasmine's. My dress is supposed to arrive today. If it looks anything like that tie, I'll… hell, barf for one, then who the fuck knows."

  "What does she have planned for this afternoon?" Jade asked as she opened the door and peeked down the hall.

  "Movie time for the kids. She's got princess and superhero movies." Ember followed her out the door.

  Jade crooked her finger at Dani, "You're part of this, too."

  "You know I've never had a sister. If this is what it is like, I'm not sure I was missing anything. What about the cups your mom wants?"

  Jade laughed. "Fuck you. Not like you didn't know I was bossy. She'll send one of the kids in for them if we don't bring them." They tiptoed into Frank's study, and Jade shut the double doors. She made her way to the long bar and smiled. "Ahhh… the good hooch." Jade lifted a crystal decanter and waved it in the air. "Three?"

  "Screw it. I'm in." Em sat down on the barstool.

  Dani glanced at her watch and lifted an eyebrow. “It’s only a little past noon.”

  Ember pulled out the tie and waved it at her.

  The woman blanched. "Yeah, make it a double."

  "My kind of sisters-in-law." Jade poured the amber liquid into the tumblers and downed hers first, promptly pouring herself another. "Okay, so we need us three, Tori, Faith and Jewell over at Jasmine’s this afternoon during movie time. Em, see if Keelee can run interference for us?

  "I'll ask, but we will need backup. What about Nic and Justin?" She waggled her finger between Jade and Dani.

  "I can tell Justin what we are doing. He'll stick around and help your mom. He likes kids." Dani downed her drink and gasped. "Shit, I thought you said that was the good stuff."

  Jade laughed and splashed more into Dani's glass. "Nah, girl, I said I needed something stronger and that this was the good hooch. Frank and I like the throat burning stuff.” She glanced over at a small table with ornate bottles. "That's the good stuff. It would be lost on me." She lifted her glass of cheap whiskey and toasted her sisters-in-law. "Here's to enough alcohol to circumvent that shit-stain of a color."

  Ember raised her glass. "I hate to tell you, but there isn't enough alcohol in the world for that."

  "You look beautiful." Jasmine had never seen her sister look so happy. The white dress she'd chosen was perfect for her. Lace sleeves and neckline to a fitted silk bodice and a pencil skirt. A bright red sash tied in a bow at the back. "Beautiful."

  Everyone else breathed relieved sighs and compliments when Jade entered the room. She made her way to the full-length mirror and smiled at the reflection. "So, one problem down." She spun and looked at the wall of what they'd affectionately started calling diarrhea green material.

  "I found out what happened.” Jewell lifted the tablet from her seat. “You told us the number was JB78K5. The color you wanted was JV78K5." She tapped the screen and brought up a color chart. "Right?"

  Jade took the pad and nodded. "Yeah, but what are we going to do about," She waved her arm at the visual assault to everyone's senses. "That."

  Tori passed the bottle of single malt they'd commandeered from Chad's stash. Jasmine held out her glass for a refill as it passed by.

  "Burn them in effigy?" Em's comment started a round of laughter.

  "Did everyone bring a dress to wear to church for Christmas services?" Tori asked when the giggles subsided.

  Jasmine watched as everyone nodded. "Then I say we wear our own dresses, let the guys where the suits they brought. It will be casual, but the idea is getting you two married and making beautiful memories, not..."

  "Shit-stained ones." Jade finished her sentence, sending everyone into a fit of laughter again.

  "Right, that." Tori acknowledged.

  "Perfect. That problem is solved." Jasmine lifted off the couch. "Jade, go change out of that, so it doesn't get dirty or wrinkled."

  Jade downed her alcohol. "I will, in a minute. First, we need to figure out how to get Mom to the church tomorrow afternoon."

  "I've got that one covered." Jasmine raised her hand. She tiptoed through the women sitting on the floor to her desk. She grabbed an envelope and pulled out an elegant white card.

  "I did this online. Tonight before dinner, I'm going to deliver it to everyone staying at the ranch during the holidays. I figured you wouldn't mind the extended family coming to the wedding." She handed it to Jade.

  "You are cordially invited to an event honoring Christmas, love, and joy, hosted by the King Family." Jade read the words and paused. "It has the time, date and location." She closed the card and hugged Jasmine tightly. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome. It also says Christmas casual for the dress." Jasmine sat on her desk and swung her legs.

  "Oh my God, that is perfect. We can give one to Frank and Amanda at dinner. That will explain the mystery she no doubt has picked up on." Tori smiled from ear to ear. "Jasmine, we really miss you at Guardian. Are you sure we couldn't lure you back?"

  "Never in a million years." Jasmine loved her new life as mother, wife, and chief of Chad's security when he toured. His touring was rare and controlled, with limited venues and only during the summer so when Chloe started school they'd all be home.

  "Okay, so we have fixed the Vogue vomit issue. Who is decorating the church in the morning?" Jasmine watched as Jade spun around looking for… oh, the alcohol decanter. She shook her head. "I can't. We have all the kids and the husbands coming here tomorrow morning. Amanda thought wearing them out would help take the edge off the Christmas Eve excitement. We are going to give prizes out and have hot cocoa."

  "What time?" Faith asked from the couch where she'd been sitting quietly.

  "Nine, so we will be done in time to get everyone back, cleaned up, and ready for the ceremony at noon." Jasmine knew sledding for an hour to an hour and a half would wear out the kids, and the men, too.

  "Oh, God, please do not let my fiancé break his ass before we get married." Jade extended her tumbler to Dani who'd ended up with the bottle.

  Ember threw one of the barf colored ties towards Faith. The woman laughed and ducked out of the way. Jasmine noted the amount of alcohol remaining in the tumbler Faith held in her hand. She hadn't touched it. Interesting. She lifted her eyebrows at Faith who blushed and glanced away. Bingo. Instead of calling her out on it, Jasmine asked, "How
many do we need at the church to decorate? It is just flowers on the pews, our bouquets, and the altarpiece, right? I think Keelee, Sky, and Lyric are getting the food, drinks and wedding cake ready to move before they head to the church for the event."

  "Wait, who's Lyric?" Jade pounced on the new name. "Does she know about the secret? Seriously, guys, who doesn't know what's happening tomorrow?"

  The women exchanged looks. Ember shrugged, "Amanda and Frank don't know. Oh, and Aunt Betty."

  "Reece doesn't." Faith added quietly.

  Jade pointed at Faith while she took another drink of liquor. When she finished, she said, "That's a good thing. Love that little boy to death, but he doesn't keep secrets well."

  "Truth." Tori laughed, "My boys don't know either. They are too primed for Christmas to wonder what's going on with the adults."

  "Right." Jade nodded. Her face pulled, and she glanced at Jasmine. "Again, who is Lyric?"

  "Isaac's woman." Jewell glanced up at Jade.

  "Who the fuck is Isaac?" Jade glanced at Tori. The woman stood up and whispered in Jade's ear. Jade blinked, leaned away from Tori and asked, "Really?"

  "Yes." Tori acknowledged.

  "Oh. Well, shit. Okay. I'd like to meet that woman."

  Jewell levered herself off the floor. "I suggest we have a Christmas Day bonfire with these." She fluffed one of the taffeta dresses as she passed by. "They are butt ugly."

  "I don't care what happens to them." Jade shook her head. "Right, now back to the plan. Flowers tomorrow morning. Who?"

  "Tori and I can do it." Em looked at her sister-in-law for confirmation.

  Tori nodded. "No problem. Jacob will be busy with the boys. I can take Tristan with us if he doesn't want to sled."

  "Joey can watch Tristan and Blake." Jasmine chuckled at the way Em offered her husband up without consulting him. Joseph would do anything for Ember, so it was a safe bet she didn't need to ask if the man had other plans.

  "Okay. Then what we need is everyone in the wedding party to be at the church by eleven. We can do some quick pictures and then I'll hide out until everyone arrives." Jade's hand ran down the lace of one sleeve. She looked up and gazed around the room. A radiant smile split her face. "Y'all, I'm getting married tomorrow. How fucking unbelievable is that shit!"

  Chapter 11

  "Is it done?" Keelee looked behind Sky to the counter. Three round cakes sat partially iced on the marble. Nope, the cake didn't look done to her.

  "Not quite. Thank goodness Amanda invited Kadey to movie time with Lizzy. I thought you were supposed to be there to help?" Sky walked back over to the counter.

  Keelee followed her. "I was, but half of them are asleep, the other half are engrossed in the movie, so I told Amanda I was popping home for a few minutes to set up for the Christmas cookie decorations we're doing with them when they finish the movies. I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed and that you'll be there to help me control the chaos."

  "I'm finishing up now. Kaeden can't go to the wedding, he has someone on assignment and needs to be close by in case they call in, so he volunteered to take the cakes, food, and alcohol over to the big house while we are at the ceremony."

  "We'll stack the layers there?" Keelee swiped her finger through some of the royal icing remaining in the bowl. She licked the white confection off her finger. "Damn, that's good."

  "Thanks. Here you can do me a favor and spin the cake as I pipe." Sky forced the icing down in the bag and started piping. "That's good, just that speed."

  Keelee slowly turned the wheel, marveling at Sky's steady hand. "I think we may actually pull off this surprise." Keelee waited while Sky repositioned with a new frosting bag and a different tip.

  "I'm doing a crisscross design on this layer and using the silver sugar balls at the intersecting lines." Sky motioned to the largest round cake. "That one is getting edged top and bottom and roses on the surface of the tier and then smaller amounts of flowers on the other two, topped with a traditional bride and groom piece. I hope it turns out."

  "Have you done the flowers?" Keelee looked around the kitchen but didn't see anything.

  Sky laughed and nodded. "Go look at the top shelf." She nodded toward the cupboard that normally held coffee cups. Keelee ambled over and opened the door. “Oh, they are beautiful." Red and white roses with green leaves sat drying on a sheet of parchment paper. "When did you do these?"

  "Last night after Kadey and Lizzy went to sleep. The little sneak almost caught me, but thankfully Kaeden intercepted her before she could come into the kitchen. Remind me not to make a super-secret wedding cake again, will you?" Sky put down the piping bag and grabbed a small container. "Here, you can do this. See, take one ball and place it at the intersection where the frosting crisscrosses." She demonstrated on two before she handed the small plastic jar to Keelee.

  Keelee washed her hands quickly before she shook out several silver beads into the palm of her hand and started working. "She's going to love this. I know you don't know her, but Jade is an awesome lady. She says whatever is on her mind and has no filter." Keelee laughed, "Her brothers are afraid of her."

  Sky laughed and changed bags with other tips as she worked. "Sounds like an awesome lady. She's Jasmine's twin?"

  "Yeah, but they aren't identical and personality wise, they are complete opposites, although both of them are, or were, personal security officers." Keelee finished pushing the last silver pearl into the icing and leaned back.

  "That's a pretty tough career isn't it?" Sky stuck her tongue between her lips and frowned as she made a different edging on the top layer of cake.

  "Yeah, not wilting flowers, those King ladies." Keelee swiped another finger full of frosting. "Speaking of non-wilted flowers, where is Lyric?"

  Sky chuckled but kept her attention focused on the piping she was doing. "She found out this morning Isaac is coming back tomorrow. She's been cooking all day. Aunt Betty has been down at that little cottage with her. They were having a great time when I called earlier."

  "Are you all done with the party food?" Keelee stretched and glanced around the pristine kitchen.

  "We are. I'm using the kitchen in the dining facility as a holding space." Sky finished her edging and stood, stretching her back. "Done. Tomorrow when we get back to the ranch, I'll bring over the flowers and stack the cake there. I've already placed the support system so it won't fall. The columns in between the layers are surrounded with the flowers so I can raise each tier."

  "It's beautiful. Thank you for doing this."

  "Thank you for trusting me. I had fun, but I'll admit I'll be glad when this wedding is over."

  Keelee laughed and slid down from her stool. "Girl, I think that is the understatement of the holiday season."

  Frank watched the men laughing. Brothers, relations, or just family by choice, the men in this room were some of the best people he'd ever met. He was proud to call each one son. There were two missing. Dixon and Chief. He didn't figure either was happy about their location right about now. Those two men were meant to be here on the ranch. Obligations and assignments had kept them from coming home.

  "So, where's the ball and chain?" Jacob grabbed Drake around the neck as he asked.

  Drake pushed him off and then flipped him off. "Jillian is working. She had an idea she wanted to get down. She'll be here for dinner." Drake threw a glance at Frank. "She set the alarm, so she won't be late."

  Frank raised his tumbler of holiday spirits at his boy. "So, when are you going to tell me what's going on?"

  Frank's words stilled the entire room. Nervous glances, a cleared throat, and a mumbled dammit, confirmed his suspicions. At one point, to a person, everyone looked toward Nic. He studied Jade's boyfriend. "Tell me you did not get her pregnant."

  Jacob slapped Zane and murmured, "That is exactly what I said. Of course, I got the stink-eye for saying it."

  Nic's face flamed redder than a hot poker. He shook his head. "No sir, we're not pregnant. That is som
ething that Jade is firm about. She loves her nieces and nephews, but..."

  "She doesn't want to be a mom," Jared interjected. He sat on the couch. Christian's hand touched Jared's shoulder. Frank loaded that movement into his brain to unpack later.

  Frank grunted and started rocking his chair. He leaned back and took a sip of the good stuff. "Didn't answer my question."

  The men cast long glances at each other. Jason cleared his throat–again. "Sir, we were sworn to secrecy. If we say anything, it could ruin a surprise that everyone has worked pretty damn hard to make happen."

  "But all of you know it." Frank watched as all the heads in the room went north and south.

  Drake shook his head and glanced at the men in the room. "I'm not involved in whatever is going around. I've been too damn busy." He glanced at Frank after he spoke.

  "Hmmm… never figured a wedding needed to be kept secret." He watched every face blank in surprise.

  "How–" Nic sputtered as he pushed himself to the front of the couch.

  Frank held up a hand. "Gabriel called and wanted to know if we had enough rooms for him and his family tonight. He's going to stand with you, right?" He looked at Nic. The man nodded his head.

  Justin shifted. "Does Mom know?"

  Frank shook his head. "I asked him to make sure Anna didn't tell Amanda."

  Nic let out a lungful of air. "Thank you, sir."

  "You’re welcome." He pushed his chair again, starting the glide. "So, I reckon tonight after dinner we need to have a bachelor party."

  Jacob let out a whoop of laughter. "Damn straight. Doc, can we use the clinic?"

  Jared groaned and folded into the couch. "Not the clinic. That was the worst fucking hangover of my entire life."

  "Yeah, but only because you drank yourself into a coma of self-denial." Jason winked at Christian who blushed the color of a fire hydrant.

  "The clinic is open. Stag night it is." Doc glanced at Frank. "You and Gabriel are coming, right?"