by C. M. Owens
He shakes his head, obviously disagreeing. “Dude, they hounded me about Brin, and I’m nowhere nearly as popular as you. I got out in front of it and brought her up in that article they did on my garage. You remember how they tore into Ash? And how they ripped into Raya that one time. I still don’t know why they let go of Raya so soon.”
A secretive smile crosses my lips. I have a feeling Ray Capperton had something to do with that. I can imagine an entire newsroom shutting down and the monitors doing something crazy with veiled threats loaded.
Deciding to shift the subject, I look down at Brin.
“She looks sweet when she sleeps,” I joke, pointing to the tiny devil in his arms.
He laughs lightly, his fingers never pausing as he continues to rub her back.
“Yeah. I’m about to carry her to bed, even though it’s barely seven. You going to stick around for a while?”
“I’m taking Angel out.”
He nods, and then he carefully stands, cradling Brin against him like she’s the most precious thing in the world. I feel like a bitch smiling when he kisses her forehead and moves toward a bedroom.
“Crazy, huh?” Keith’s voice close to my side almost makes me flinch. Where the hell did he come from? Fucking creeper.
“Rye in a relationship? Nah. It’s a good fit for him,” I say dismissively.
He’d better not say a word about Erica in front of Angel.
Keith snorts as though he finds something funny. “I meant him with that girl. She’s a six or a seven, tops. Rye is used to being with dimes.”
My fists clench. “Brin is pretty damn great. Don’t be a shallow dick. Besides, the way you see someone changes the better you get to know them. And in Rye’s eyes, Brin’s a fifteen on a scale of one to ten.”
He looks at me like I’m talking crazy, but I ignore him as I wait a little more impatiently.
“You picking your daughter up or something?”
I nod. “Taking her out.”
“Man, I saw pictures of her mom. She’s hot, but Erica is way hotter. I can’t believe you divorced her.”
My teeth grind, and I turn to narrow my eyes on him. “As I said, looks change when you get to know someone. You honestly don’t want to know how I view Erica. And you’d be really fucking stupid to say one more word about Allie.”
His eyebrows go up in confusion, and he takes a wary step back. Christ, I’m losing my mind.
“Chill, dude. Just making conversation. Shit.”
I swallow hard before looking back toward the door, just as Angel walks into view, looking stunning in a white dress. And wearing a tiara.
“I get to be a snow princess,” she announces, and I can’t help but smile.
“Let’s go, Snow Princess.”
***
WREN
“Mom has a secret boyfriend,” Angel announces, slurping a spaghetti noodle into her mouth.
That has me admittedly shifting uncomfortably in my chair. The hell? She can’t possibly know.
“Oh?” I ask, trying not to sound as desperately intrigued as I am. “How do you know?”
She lifts her eyes to reveal her adorably serious gaze, looking all too royal in the tiara she insisted on wearing. “I heard her and Aunt Bella talking about it. They both have secret boyfriends.”
Allie needs to remember that Angel loves to eavesdrop. I can’t help but wonder if Bella was teasing her about it while Allie and Angel were on the phone.
“And what’s her secret boyfriend’s name?” I pry, curious just how much she knows.
“Bob,” she says, going back to her noodles.
My brow furrows in confusion. “Bob? You sure?”
She nods. “Yep. I heard her say his name. Aunt Bella is dating a Bob, too.”
Now that has me utterly confused. “What do they say about… Bob?”
I take a bite of my food, chewing slowly as she answers. “Usually one just tells the other not to bother them because they have a date with their Bob.”
Suddenly, I’m coughing on my bite because I realize what the hell is going on. It takes several strangled attempts to take a sip of water and dislodge the fish that is stuck in my throat. Several curious eyes glance over to our table to inspect the odd disruption, and I have to fight really damn hard not to laugh.
Bob. B.O.B.—battery operated boyfriend. Oh, I’m so going to give Allie hell for this one.
I gulp my water heavily, needing to try and rid myself completely of the strangling fit, when Angel adds, “I wonder if they’re dating the same Bob.”
My mouthful of water sputters and spews, and the more I try to hold it back, the louder and more obnoxious my hacking fit becomes. I know I’m as red as the marinara sauce on her plate, and I’m half coughing, half laughing without any control.
Definitely giving her immortal hell. Yep.
Angel eyes me, curious obviously, but I try to show some composure. “Why don’t you date Mommy?”
This time, I shift uncomfortably for an entirely different reason.
“Can we talk about this when we’re not in a crowded restaurant?” I ask her.
She thinks about it, looking around to see everyone still staring after my stupid display. “Sure.” She shrugs, slurping another noodle into her mouth. That white dress will be ruined, and I can’t help but smile.
“Since we’re going on daddy-daughter dates,” she says around a mouthful, “does that mean I can start calling you Daddy? Like Carrie does with Dane?”
My smile falls, and my chest almost collapses. She stares expectantly, and I barely manage to get the words to form.
“If you want to,” I say, though the words are barely a whisper. A beautiful smile blooms and she returns to her noodles.
“I do,” she says, still smiling.
Ah, fuck. I really hope I don’t cry.
Chapter 26
ALLIE
Someone knocking at the door draws my attention, and I curse whoever it is very loudly, dragging my ass off the sofa grudgingly. The hospital has been hell this week since they pulled me out of my normal duties to cover for the bitches who called in and stole my vacation.
The knock sounds out again, and I jerk the door open, scowling, but my eyes widen when I see a smiling Wren. It’s almost embarrassing when I feel the urge to throw myself in his arms, but then Angel pops out from behind him, smiling twice as big, and she launches herself at me.
“Mommy!”
Wren winks as tears fill my eyes, and I cling to my daughter like I can’t let go. Never again will I attempt to go this long without her. I feel like I can finally breathe again.
“Mom is impatient, so Angel had already gotten all of her presents from her and the rest of my family because she couldn’t wait to see Angel’s face. So, I decided it only made sense for her to come home so she’d have something to open on Christmas morning,” Wren says, acting as though he didn’t just give me the biggest present there’s ever been.
Angel continues squeezing me, and I continue holding her. Until she finally wiggles free.
“I need to put on my new pajamas,” she says, taking a backpack from Wren and running toward her room. “And Daddy is staying for our Christmas Eve stuff. He promised.”
My heart stumbles when I hear the new endearment roll off her tongue like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She runs to her room, shutting the door. The loud pipes squeak in the bathroom as Bella shuts off the shower, and that’s the only sound I can hear for a few, long seconds.
Finally, I turn to face Wren, who is smiling hugely. “She started calling me that after our daddy-daughter date.”
He clears his throat, and I move closer. I swear he just ripped the rug out from under me and shoved me into a hole. This is Wonderland, and it does exist. Or maybe I’m just the Mad Hatter and this is all a delusion.
Before I can launch myself at him, Bella’s cursing finds my ears, and my eyes widen as she walks in with nothing but a towel on. Her hair is wet and dripping, a
nd she’s oblivious to Wren as she hobbles into the living room, dead on her feet and exhausted like me.
“My legs are not functioning worth a damn. I feel like a fucking cowboy has been riding me for nine hours straight. I hate work right now.”
Her eyes snap to us when Wren clears his throat very loudly, and she squeals while jumping and awkwardly covering her towel-clad chest.
“I swear I’m buying a bell to put around your damn neck so that you can’t keep sneaking up on me like that!”
“Angel is here, too,” I say, cocking an eyebrow, and Bella’s eyes widen before she slaps a hand over her mouth.
“Do you think she heard what I said?” she whispers, still keeping her hand in front of her mouth like she can hide her past words.
“Probably.”
Bella groans while running back toward her room, and Wren laughs. But I’m not laughing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the guy that has rocked my world. After a quick glance at Angel’s door, I push Wren outside.
He looks down at me curiously, a frown marring his features, until I shove him against the wall. Then he just looks confused. Until I grab his neck and jerk him down, slamming my lips against his.
He smiles against my lips, but then it vanishes when I moan into his mouth. His tongue parts my lips, and he hungrily kisses me back, seeking, searching, possessing. He spins me until I’m the one that thuds against the wall, but the kiss never breaks.
We’re a mess of savage hands, tongues, groans, moans and pleading words by the time he finally breaks the kiss. His forehead rests against mine as I pant, trying to suck air into my lungs.
His gaze is heated, flaring with as much need as I feel. But this is where it starts getting complicated.
“What was that about?” he asks, and I can’t stop the stupid smile that spreads over my face.
Angel is home for Christmas. He brought her to me because he cares that much about me. About her. About us.
“I just needed that,” I whisper, afraid of speaking too loudly for fear that it might break the spell.
He smiles again, then leans down to nip my lips just barely with the graze of his teeth—the bottom lip first, then the top.
“I’m glad you needed it.”
My hand slides up his chest, and I start worrying about how wrong or right this could all go. But I’m ready to find out.
“What do we do?” he asks.
It takes me a second to realize he’s talking about now instead of about us.
“Cookie baking, reindeer food assembling, storytelling, and a few other things. You up for a long night?”
He grins before winking. “You’re perfectly aware that I can go all night.”
I can’t help but laugh before tugging him back inside. Angel is sorting through the DVDs. Bella is in the floor—fully clothed with her hair still wet—and she arches an eyebrow at me while pausing her toenail polish painting. Since Angel’s head is turned, I flip off Bella, and she winks at Wren.
Christmas Eve with Wren. I could get used to this.
“Can I give you your present before we get started?” I ask him, smiling when he looks surprised.
“You got me a present?” His grin transforms his face, making him all too tempting.
“Yeah. It’s this way. It’s something from Angel and me.”
“I agreed to it, too,” Bella calls from the living room, prompting Wren to laugh.
Angel skips into the kitchen, her grin wide as Wren picks her up and places her on the counter. I hand him the wrapped file, and he opens it, looking a little confused.
“What’s this?” he asks, but then his breath catches in his throat and his grip on the files gets tighter.
“It’s the papers to get my name changed to Prize,” Angel happily announces. “Mommy said she can’t change her name, but that I’m supposed to have your name. I like Prize. Is it okay with you?” she asks innocently.
Wren’s eyes water, and he clears his throat several times, attempting to speak, but he can’t seem to manage to get any words out. Finally he gets a choked, “Yes,” out, but he never moves his eyes away from the blank documents.
I guess he also sees the birth certificate information. Angel doesn’t need to know that his name isn’t on there. But that’s part of the present—getting his name on there. I just don’t know all the legal stuff, and he has a lawyer on hand who can probably supply all the answers.
Don’t cry, Allie.
I’ve never wanted to be Thrash. Thrash is the name of the family that abandoned me. Angel deserves a name that is proud to accept her and show her love. One that has meaning.
“I thought you might want to have your lawyers look at it,” I explain, letting him know why it’s blank. “And some of the stuff needs your signature and definitely your lawyer,” I say, referring to the birth certificate.
He nods, and then he clears his throat again before hugging Angel to him. “Thank you,” he says, his voice hoarse and strained.
She beams up at him before hopping off the counter, and she goes to tell Bella the good news—as if she wasn’t listening in. Wren stares at the documents for a minute longer, then he sets them down and grabs me, pulling me toward the door.
Bella’s eyebrows hit her hairline as we pass through, and Wren doesn’t say a word as he pulls me outside. My back slams the wall of the house, and Wren pins me there with one hand in my hair and one on my waist, before he pushes against me.
I start to speak just as his lips crush mine, and then I’m suddenly melting again, pulling him closer, and praying Bella keeps Angel inside. Wren’s tongue is greedy, his hands are insistent, and his kiss is just shy of painful, almost desperate, as though he’s using me as an outlet to curb his emotions. And I’m a willing and eager receptacle.
He finally breaks the kiss, and this time he’s panting just as hard as I am. But I’m also throbbing, aching, and in need of more than a hot make-out session outside.
“What was that for?” I whisper softly, still trying to catch my breath.
One side of his mouth tilts in a grin before he says, “I just needed that.”
***
WREN
Angel wraps her arms around me, hugging me goodnight after hours of preparing for Santa’s arrival. A short, pink Christmas tree is proudly displayed and awaiting the gifts… Yeah. I’m definitely surrounded by women—a freaking pink Christmas tree. But I’ve never even put up a tree. Next year I will.
I release Angel, then find that awkward moment where Allie is fidgeting nervously, looking at me like she wants to kiss me but knows we can’t. My lips tighten, and I tell her goodnight—grudgingly. We do hug very awkwardly, and it leads to uneasy laughter shared between us.
She nods, and I head to my car, already feeling my good mood drop. I’ll be going home to a big, empty house with no Christmas tree. No Santa. No Allie. No Angel.
The files to get Angel’s name changed are in my hand, and I stare at the manila envelope that holds them. Just a few months. That’s how long it’s been since the dynamic duo crash landed in my life, and that’s when I finally started doing more than existing. That’s when I finally started feeling.
I’ve had empathy. I’ve worried about my friends. I love and care about my friends and my mother. Fuck Billy—but I care about the rest of my family. Well, Keith can kiss my damn ass. He’s a cocksucker.
But Allie and Angel… It’s a whole other level of feeling.
Tossing my present gently into the passenger seat of my car, I stare at the house. Angel’s light goes off, which means Allie just tucked her in. She’s probably kissing her goodnight.
“Fuck this.”
I get back out, quietly shut my door, and jog around to the side of the house where Allie’s room is. I start to knock on the glass, but she’s moving inside of her room, shutting the door, and her shirt comes off immediately.
Like a fucking pervert, I stand and watch. But why the hell am I watching? I want to be touching.
&
nbsp; Tap. Tap. Tap.
The quiet rapping draws her attention, and she jumps when she sees me. It takes her a second to realize it’s me, and she slowly uncovers her bra-covered chest as she makes her way toward the window with questioning, confused, beautiful green eyes.
“Wren?” she prompts, opening the window.
I don’t give her time to question me before I grip the edge and pull myself up. She moves back as I haul myself through the window and drop… and keep dropping. Fuck.
A grunt falls through my lips as I land on the bedroom floor, and it takes a second to breathe again. Son of a bitch, that shit hurts. It always looks so much cooler in the movies—and smoother.
Then I hear the light laughter, and my eyes move up to meet Allie’s that are teeming with humor.
“Out of practice?” she asks, far too amused as I struggle to get up, ignoring the painful breaths as I try to regain badass points.
“I’ve never actually had to climb through a girl’s bedroom window before.”
As I walk toward her, she keeps a small smile playing on her lips while she cocks her head to the side.
“Why is that?” she asks in a flirty tone.
My cockiest grin kicks up as I pull her to me. She leans her head back so that her eyes meet mine.
“Because I’m Wren Prize.”
Her smile grows as a hint of blush crawls up her cheeks, and she wraps her arms around my neck without protest.
“What are you doing in my bedroom, Wren Prize?”
I lean down, kissing just the corner of her mouth, before walking her backwards toward the bed. “Getting hard,” I crassly answer, enjoying the way her eyes grow big and her mouth falls open.