“Relax Alex. I’m okay with you and Sophie. The only fatherly advice that I would give is whatever you two decide to do is your business. You’re adults, just make sure you are responsible when you make them.”
“Got it.”
“You’re a great kid Alex.”
“Thanks.” It was a relief to know that he’s okay with what I have planned. I stand up from the chair and shake his hand once more before heading out the door.
Back in the kitchen, it’s easy to tell that my brothers have something to do with the way it looks.
“This place looks like Santa’s workshop. Are you guys his elves?”
“No Mr. Larry we’re Jonah and Colin.”
The kitchen did resemble the North Pole. There was white everywhere. Between the powdered sugar and the flour, it looked like the first snowfall of the season.
“These two are excellent helpers,” Angie smiled and patted each of them on top of their heads.
I take out my phone and snap some pics of the little monsters.
They hop down off of their barstools to grab my hand so I can see what they have baking in the oven.
“Those are our cookies in there,” Colin says.
“Santa is going to be so excited.” Sophie beamed.
When the first batch is finished, the boys are quick to drop more balls of dough on the next sheet. They soon get tired of waiting for the cookies to get done, so they head into the living room with Sophie’s folks in search of cartoons leaving Sophie and me to finish baking and somehow clean up the mess they left.
“I had no idea making cookies with them would get this messy.”
“I could have warned you.” I laugh as we step into the white power.
“Well, I thought it would be fun to let those help measure stuff. We ended up with more flour on the counter and floor than in the bowl. The worst came when the mixer was turned on without the wet ingredients.” She chuckled.
“Haha, I’ll help you clean this up get the vacuum out. Note for next time already have everything measured in bowls and let them add things like the raisins or chocolate chips, nuts that’s how mom always does it. Makes it easier dealing with messes. Funny how at 5 and six they think they can do everything.”
While the last batch of cookies cooled, we cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Sophie helped each of them divide cookies into two containers one for eating and the other marked for Santa only. We get the boys gathered up to head back over to my house for Christmas Eve. “What do you say, boys?”
“Thanks so much again for letting us make cookies at your place.”
“Anytime, it was fun,” Sophie says.
Mom puts them to bed when we get back, and the three of us stay up to finish getting their gifts under the tree.
In the morning the boys bounced down the hall before they ran to my room and opened the door.
“Hurry hurry Santa was here!!” Colin and Jonah are screaming and jumping up and down in the doorway.
“Come on let’s see what Santa brought us.”
The boys are so excited to get their bikes and the remote control bugs from Sophie.
Time for me to open my present from Sophie. I rip open the wrapping paper to find a thin padded envelope. I pull it out, and it’s a DVD. The jacket has a picture of my dad and me from graduation. I immediately start to cry. Her right hand comes up to wipe the wet lines running down my face I move her hand to hold it in mine.
“I remember you saying how you wished you could take all the home movies of you and your dad over the years with you to college. Your mom let me borrow them. I had a friend at school help me to edit the tapes and put it onto a disk so you can always have him with you.”
“Thank you so much for this, I don’t know what to say.”
“Wow Alex not having something to say. Write this date down on the calendar.” Mom teases.
I pull another gift out from under the tree that says to Mom. This gift to her is from everyone including Sophie, but she didn’t want her name included on it. She’s wanted a pic of the three of us for a while now, so Sophie used one of us on the train from the nursery. It’s housed in an engraved silver frame that says Family is the most beautiful thing in the world. She also gets her CD with all the tapes of my dad’s in the garage. When mom opened the small jewelry box, she tears up. She picks the hair up off of her neck, while Sophie clasps it together.
“Thank you so much for this everyone. Thanks for helping the boys Sophie. Well, that’s all the presents.” I know this is hard especially for mom with dad gone. I think we did pretty well our first Christmas without him.
“Alright give Sophie and Alex hugs they have to go.” The boys hugged tightly around my legs and Sophie’s waist.
‘I love you, mom.” I kissed her on the cheek and gave her a big squeeze before heading out.
“I love you too Alex. Now go I’ll see you later.”
6 CHAPTER ALEX
What’s going on here?” I ask Sophie when we get into the room and see the mischevious look on her parent’s faces
“Beats me.” She shrugged
“Hurry up guys there two waffles left and some bacon makes yourselves a plate and come in the room.”
Larry gets boxes out from under the tree and passes one to Sophie who immediately rips through the paper in record time like my brothers do.
“Ohh...I’ve always wanted one of these cross shoulder leather purses. Thanks, guys.”
“Next one is yours too Sophie, here.” This box is a lot bigger, and I look at Larry because I don’t see any envelopes under the tree. She takes the lid off of the big box and inside is another box. She opens that box which contains two envelopes inside. She turns them over, and each of them has our names, Sophie and Alex.
“Ok, guys I guess this is a joint gift.” Angie hands us each an envelope, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s a ticket. My mouth gaped open. A plane ticket to Paris. I look around shocked by their generosity.
“Thank you guys, thank you so much.” Sophie jumps and hugs her folks. I can’t wrap my head around this; Paris is so far away it will require riding on a plane, a passport, and a foreign language.
“We’re going to Paris. You're sneaky Alex.” Sophie says.
“I look up at Larry and Angie who are all smiles. “Alex came up with the idea to send Sophie to Paris for spring break to see Heidi. Then all of us parents started talking, and we decided it would be a great surprise for you all to get to travel together. We’re so proud of all of you.”
“Alex this was your idea? I can’t believe it I don’t know what to say.”
She leans over and kisses me. “Oh God, I can’t wait to tell Heidi.”
“Thank you again for this.” I reach for Larry’s hand to shake, and he pulls me in for a hug.
“You’ll need to get your passport photos done and paperwork sent in before you go back to school.” Larry reminds us. I’m still in complete shock. Paris with Sophie for spring break. This is truly the best Christmas gift ever!
“I’m so psyched about this trip.” “You need to find out from your friend how much we can realistically see while we are there. I want to do as much as possible.” Mike says. “I think I know what you two love birds will be doing in the city of love.” He’s right Paris is known for romance. I need to work on some plans of my own to make this the perfect trip.
“I can’t believe in a little over three months we will be across the pond in Paris France.” I swipe my card to pay for my passport. The cashier hands me the receipt. I can’t wait.
The house if full of life, laughter the way dad said a home should always be. Aunt Kathy and the moms are in the kitchen drinking red wine out of large crystal glasses. Jonah and Colin are outside playing with their toys. One of the many joys of a southern Christmas without snow. The women come over with their lists of all the things they would want to do if they were in Paris. Soon Sophie leaves us merry men f
or the female group in the kitchen.
“Would you like something to eat or drink honey?” Aunt Kathy offered.
“No thank you, I’m still full from dinner.”
“I envy you guys,” Aunt Kathy joking, “Maybe I should go along as a chaperone on this trip.” “Oh stop it, Kathy, if they’re old enough to leave for college they can take a spring break trip together.” Mom says.
“I don’t travel much alone especially after that movie came out about the girl that got kidnapped in Paris,” Kathy said.
“Trust me Kathy I don’t think you need to worry that you’ll be picked up by trafficker’s and sold as a slave.” Mom said with a laugh.
“I’m shocked that my folks were so good about sending me to Paris to see Heidi. My mom flipped when she heard that Heidi was spending a year there without know anyone.” Monte’s mom chokes on her wine. “Why do you think the guys are going along?” she says and looks at us, this comment piques our curiosity. We move our Paris discussion to the kitchen island joining Sophie and the moms.
“When Larry called about travel arrangements he wanted to be sure that they would all be able to travel together. He said he felt better knowing that Sophie had me there looking out for her.” I admit.
They head out, leaving Aunt Kathy, Mom and Sophie work on cleaning up the dinner dishes. I hear the sound of cackling and laughter, so I sneak off to send Heidi a text.
A: Heidi plz call me
I hit send and instantly my phone rang.
“Hey Heidi”
“What’s up?”
“You’re quick. I barely hit the send button.”
“Sophie and I just finished texting. You’re one great boyfriend.”
“I can’t believe we’re all going to be together for spring break.”
“So are you going to protect me from kidnappers too or is Sophie the only one with bodyguards?”
“Funny. I wanted your help with something.”
“Let me guess; you’re calling me tips on fashion and etiquette, so you don’t feel so overwhelmed upon arrival.”
“More like help setting up a perfect night of romance with Sophie and need suggestions.”
“No problem Romeo. Glad you two kids are back together.”
“Me too.”
“Well there is the Eifel Tower, but you don’t want to do that it’s so overdone. DO you know how many times I’ve seen men drop to one knee to the purpose or people stage photos where they are kissing with the tower in the back? Sheesh be original.” I listen to her continued ramblings of what not to do, still needing a winning suggestion.
“You’ve known Sophie longer than I, what would be a fantasy come true?” Thinking back at what I know about her, she needs to feel like a princess.
“You know how Sophie’s always got her head in a book. She’s had a thing for fairy tales all of her life. Sleeping Beauty has always been her favorite...what about Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland Paris.”
“You want me to take her to Disneyland?”
“I know it sounds silly, but Sophie said she always wanted to go when she was like 8.”
“Sorry for sounding stupid, but how Sophie is going to be turning 19; how is taking her to a theme park full of screaming rug rats romantic.”
“Because Disneyland is in Paris. That alone makes it a romantic evening.” She says.
“I think I could see us as one of the fairytale couples.”
“You thinking Beauty and the Beast.” Heidi’s laughs, “Focus... you can laugh at me later, right now I need to work on planning.”
“I’ll text you links to some cool things here that Sophie will like, and we all have to do one of those yellow tour buses. That is the best way to see the sites of the Paris when you are on a time limit.
“Thanks so much for the help Heidi you are a life saver.”
“Ciao” Looks like I have my work cut out for me, I have three months to plan to make Sophie’s dreams come true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Misha Elliott is an old movie watching, wine drinking, book-lover. Once a northerner she now calls the Lone Star state her home. She can’t remember a time when books weren't a part of her life. Writing gives her a reason to talk to the voices in her head. When she isn’t writing you will find her talking about books with friends or at the beach with her toes in the sand.
Joyful Temptations
(The Tempted Series Book 6.5)
Can be read as standalone.
Janine Infante Bosco
DEDICATION
To the Temptresses of Janine’s Land of Temptation
CHAPTER ONE
BLACKIE
I kill the engine of my Harley and stare up at the Y.M.C.A. As a recovering addict I’m a regular in this joint, been attending NA meetings for thirty-eight months straight. I’ve shared my story with anyone who would listen, hoping to shed some light on addiction and how it’s only a lethal disease if you allow it to be. We’ve all got temptations—some are uncontrollable, some are lethal, some will leave us reckless, all of them are usually forbidden and the ones that find me are mostly illicit. But, I turned my temptations around and found the one temptation that saved my sorry ass.
I found Lace.
Little Lacey Parrish, the daughter of Jack Parrish—president of the Satan’s Knights MC. Jack chose me to be his vice president, his brother, his goddamn best friend and what did I do? I took his innocent little girl and made her mine.
It wasn’t planned and if I’m being honest, I was just as blindsided as Jack. I never thought the one who’d save me from the hell I was livin’ would be Lace but she stormed into the Satan’s Knights clubhouse with those sad eyes of hers and stole what was left of my soul.
I was swimming or maybe I was drowning in a sea of grief, desperate for retribution over my wife’s death and living off a bottle of whiskey and a needle full of heroin. I wanted to die but resolved living was my penance for the sins I committed throughout my life.
Selfishly, I fed off her light, too absorbed in my sorrow to see hers hidden within the depths of her dark eyes. She handed me her innocence, gave the devil a glimpse of heaven and we became Leather and Lace.
She resurrected the man I thought died a long time ago, the man I used to be before everything turned to shit. She showed me I still had more life to live, more pages to turn, and I discovered I wanted to fill those pages with her.
She made me want to be better.
She made me want to become worthy of her love.
She made me want to live.
She made me want to be the man who could help her fight her demons the way she’s helped me with mine.
Lacey is bi-polar and together we wake up each day and struggle with the things that plague us. For the most part Lithium helps stabilize her and silences her maker—that bitch of a mind that often betrays her and feeds her bullshit. When she’s struggling there is no meeting to save her from falling off the wagon, there is only me and I do whatever I can to make sure we get through the day. I dance with her; I hold her close and I whisper the truth she is desperately seeking.
We make it through and continue to fill those pages with a story full of hope and love. I’m no knight in shining armor. I’m not a good man. I’ve sinned more than most and these hands of mine have seen the blood of many. I’ll always be a recovering addict and there will be days when I want a bottle of whiskey or a quick hit more than I want my next breath. But there is one thing that will always make me better and that’s my love for Lace. I’ll always fight for her and me because there isn’t a drug on this planet that brings me the high like having her brings me.
I dismount from my bike, drawing in a deep breath as I bring my hand over my chest and feel the box nestled in the inside of my jacket pocket. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day. I can’t even tell you how many nights I’ve laid in bed with her in my arms and the urge to blurt out the question I’ve been hanging on
to threaten to escape my mouth.
I’m ready for the next chapter. I’ve been ready, but she needed to get there and I wasn’t about to rush her. She needed to finish school and get her career started. She did that. My girl graduated with honors, got a job helping others like myself beat down their demons and she became their angel just like she’s been mine.
Now there ain’t nothing standing in the way of making Lacey mine. I might not be the man Jack hoped his daughter would marry, but he’s given me his blessing. Long ago he gave me her life, made it mine to protect and now he’s given me the green light to take that life and not only protect it but share it.
I’ve done this before and back then I wasn’t a good husband. I wasn’t nearly everything Christine deserved but if losing her taught me anything it’s cherishing the life and love we are given while it’s still yours to cherish.
I’m older, wiser and ready to be a good husband. Hell, I’m ready for anything she’s willing to give me.
I pull open the doors to the Y.M.C.A. and make my way down the stairs to the basement where the NA meetings are usually held. I pause when I hear her sweet voice; the sound vibrates through my body and touches my bones. Goddamn girl.
“Who wants to begin today?” she asks the group as I step into the room and lean against the doorway. Shoving my hands into the front pockets of my jeans I stand there for a moment taking her in, silently willing her to look my way and give me that smile that soothes my soul.
“I’d like to,” I call out, watching as her surprised eyes dart to mine.
Girl, I’ve got another surprise for you.
I smile as I push off the wall and stride towards the circle of people, pulling out one of the empty chairs. My eyes don’t leave hers and I watch as she averts her gaze down to the chair I’ve pulled out but don’t sit in.
“My name is Dominic Petra, or Blackie to some,” I begin, winking at her when she lifts her narrowed eyes back to me. “And I’m a recovering addict.” I pause, glancing around the room at people just like myself. The only difference between me and them is the torment in my eyes has faded and that’s because of the woman I’m about to ask to be my wife. “I have been sober and clean for thirty-eight months.”
Christmas in the City II Page 21