“C’mon,” she put the wrapped gift in his hand. “Don’t break my heart. You know I loved this when you two were little.”
“Yeah,” Drew blew out a breath. “When we were little.”
Liam felt as if he were missing an important part of the equation, but he was willing to ride this out. If Denise felt like this was something they needed to do as a family, he would stand behind her. “What’s in here?” he shook it, trying to figure it out for himself.
She flashed him a sweet smile. “Why don’t you open it and find out? In fact, we can open ours together.”
Mandy tore into hers with gusto as did Denise. Liam took his cue from Drew and opened the wrapping at a much slower pace. Drew grumbled as he got into the package and it took everything Liam had to not to sneak a glance over at the boy he’d come to think of as his son.
When he got into the box and removed the tissue paper, he lifted up what was inside. “What the fuck?” he choked out, seeing a pair of flannel pajamas… with feet.
“Aren’t they awesome?” Mandy grinned as she held hers up. She and Denise were standing side by side, with matching grins on their faces.
He and Drew exchanged a look of horror with one another. He was thankful to have someone in the house who obviously had his back in this situation. Liam was torn. Did he lie and act like these were the best things in the world to make Denise and Mandy happy? Or did he keep his man card and agree with Drew that these things were hideous?
“You only have to wear them for one picture,” Denise was saying.
“A picture? You want this in a physical copy so that I can never forget I wore flannel footie pjs?”
She bit her lip. “It’s tradition. We always used to open our pajamas, take a family picture, and watch A Christmas Story,” she pushed her hair back from her face. “We don’t have to though, if this isn’t your thing.”
She’d looked so excited and he’d basically killed it for her. It was time to teach Drew what being a man was really about sometimes. “No. We’ll do it, won’t we Drew?”
Drew shot him a glare. “For the women in our lives, we sometimes make sacrifices,” he explained, muttering through his teeth and shooting back a glare of his own.
“Sure Dad, we’ll do it,” he answered through equally gritted teeth.
It wasn’t the resounding Yes she’d wanted to hear but dammit, at least they were doing something as a family.
Chapter Nineteen
Denise’s heart was as full as it had been in years, maybe even decades, as she watched the three people she loved most in life argue about the pajamas she’d gotten them. She’d bought the flannels on a whim, and she’d known Drew and Liam would have something to say about it, but she’d wanted a piece of her former life back. And more importantly, she’d wanted to share that piece of her life with the man she loved.
Loving Liam wasn’t something she’d planned on, wasn’t even something she’d thought was on her radar. And in the beginning in hadn’t been. She’d been a single mom just trying to make it by when he’d stormed into her life on the back of a Harley. Thinking back a few months to her birthday, it amazed her how far she’d come in such a short amount of time.
“We’ll take the picture,” Liam’s loud voice reverberated off the walls of the living room. “Then… if any of us want to, we’ll change before we watch the movie. Is that a good compromise?” he asked as he blue eyes bore into hers.
If anyone had told her when she’d met him that he’d be willing to meet her halfway on so many things, she would have said they were crazy. He had turned out to be the best and scariest thing that had ever happened to her.
“We’ll meet back here in five,” she said loud enough that the kids could hear, grabbed her camera off the table and went about setting it up on a tripod.
Grumbling, Drew made his way up the stairs while Mandy admonished him for not wanting to be a part of their family tradition.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Liam as she finished setting the tripod up. “I don’t think he would have agreed to it if you hadn’t. I sometimes forget how much he’s grown up in the last few months. Things I took for granted when he was my little boy, I can’t count on anymore.”
“Babe,” Liam walked over, putting his arms around her waist. “He’s all about what’s cool to do and trust me when I say flannel footies are not the coolest thing in the world. As he gets older though, he’ll realize you do what you have to for the woman you love, and hopefully she’ll pay you back with favors in the bedroom.”
He laughed as he ducked the hand that tried to smack him.
“Don’t even joke about that! He’s thirteen, I’m fully aware that he’s probably already doing things I never thought of at that age,” she buried her head in his chest, enjoying the way his hands swept down her back, calming the emotions that flooded through her.
It was a lot to take in. Not just the fact her kids were growing up, but literally where they all were right now. Just a few months ago, they’d been hurting for food.
Now they lived in a beautiful home with a screened-in back porch (her new favorite place to sit and watch the world go by), they weren’t worried about having gas to go to town, food wasn’t luxury, and she didn’t have to worry about the money she spent. Drew got shoes practically every month because that’s how fast his feet grew, and Mandy had hair accessories and makeup to play with. They were happier than they’d ever been, and it was still enough to take her breath away sometimes.
“C’mon, let’s run upstairs and change so we can get this over with,” Liam held his hand out to her and she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up through her.
She’d never seen him so eager to take a picture in his life.
An hour later, they were all on the couches in the living room, popcorn and various cookies strewn between them, watching A Christmas Story. They guys were in comfortable clothes but the girls were staying strong in their pajamas.
“Did you get a gun for Christmas when you were a kid, Dad?” Drew asked from where he sat next to Mandy.
Liam lay on the opposite couch, his head in Denise’s lap as she scratched his scalp. He’d been paying less attention to the movie and more attention the way she was lulling him into a relaxed, almost sleepy state. Bringing himself back to the present, he saw the part of the movie where the main character opened up his BB gun.
“One year I did, and while I didn’t shoot my eye out, it probably wasn’t the best gift for me,” he chuckled thinking back to how he’d almost killed a squirrel, and then in his fear he’d almost shot Roni. “I got spooked and almost shot Roni. After that, it got taken away. I didn’t get another gun for a very long time.”
They were all quiet as they continued watching the movie, and out of nowhere a thought hit him. “Do you want one? Is that why you’re asking?”
Drew glanced over at his parents and nodded almost imperceptivity. “Dalton’s brother got one and he took us out shooting the other day.”
“He took you out shooting?” Denise shrieked. No one had asked her permission.
“Relax mom, he didn’t let us hold the gun or anything, but it looked fun,” he shrugged.
Liam exhaled a deep breath. “Let me and your mom talk about it, we’ll see what we decide together. But promise me you won’t go shooting without permission from either of us. That wasn’t cool of Deacon to do that, and I’ll be having a talk with him about respecting boundaries when it comes to you and Dalton.”
Drew looked like he wanted to argue, but Mandy piped up from where she sat. “We always said we wanted a dad… getting in trouble comes with the territory. I’m waiting to get grounded,” she grinned.
“You’re weird,” Drew threw a piece of popcorn at her. “Nobody wants to get grounded.”
“Maybe I do,” she argued. “You don’t know my life.”
Liam chuckled as he listened to the brother and sister argue. They reminded him so much of him and Roni it was scary. Almost like being transport
ed back twenty years.
“Be nice to each other,” Denise admonished. “If she wants to be grounded,” she laughed. “Let her be grounded. Some of us have weird goals for our lives, let her have what she wants.”
“See,” Mandy stuck her tongue out at him. “At least we have a normal life now,” she whispered.
It brought all of them back to a somber place where they remembered how it had been when they’d first come to meet each other. Now though, their lives were entwined together in a way that all of them knew they’d never let go.
“When are they going to stop arguing?” Denise asked as she and Liam cleaned up the living room and kitchen, after the twins had gone to bed. “I thought once they stopped sharing toys it would get easier. Guess I was wrong.”
“Dead wrong,” Liam walked over, pushing her hair back from her face. “Roni and I were just getting started when we were their age. We still have cars to get through and oh my God, wait until one of them gets a boyfriend or girlfriend. Like a serious one. There’s nothing that puts siblings at war better than that, especially if one of them doesn’t like that boyfriend or girlfriend for their twin.”
“Sounds like you speak from experience,” she looped her arms around his neck.
“Roni dated some real douchebags back in high school. Even friends of mine.”
Her eyes widened. “But I’d figure with them being your friends, you’d be okay with that.”
“I did, but there’s just something about the douchebag that’s dating your sister. It didn’t work out well for them,” he finished mysteriously.
She wondered if he meant any of them in particular, but decided to not push. Sometimes when she pushed, he closed off, and since they were still in the getting to know you phase of their relationship, she didn’t want to press her luck.
“So thanks for telling me everything I have to look forward to,” she laughed.
“Hey, I’ll be right here with you every step of the way. It’s not like I’m disappearing. These kids call me Dad, and that means something to me.”
And that’s why she loved him so much it hurt. It did mean something to him. While the man who’d actually fathered them wanted nothing to do with her or them, Liam did. He made time for all of them, no matter what he had going on in his life. There was nothing more important than what they, as a family needed.
“C’mon, let’s get to bed,” she jerked her head towards their upstairs bedroom. “Regardless of how old they are, on Christmas morning they still get up at the crack of dawn.”
“That’ll be new, I usually spend my holiday by myself until I meet up with guys from the club.”
Denise grabbed his hand, leading him up the stairs as they turned off lights as they went. “Welcome to life with a family.”
Chapter Twenty
Upstairs, with the door to their bedroom shut and locked against the outside world, they were all alone. Liam watched as Denise pulled off her flannel footies, which she’d proudly worn through the movie, even though she probably had to be burning up.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t be sleeping in those,” he shot her a grin as he lifted his t-shirt over his torso.
“With the sexy grin you just threw me, I have a feeling you’re hoping I won’t be wearing anything at all when I go to bed.”
How did she know everything he was thinking, everything he was feeling, all the time? “You kinda, sorta, read my mind.”
She threw hear head back, her dark tresses sweeping over the curve of her spine. “Let me let you in on a little secret.”
He wanted to know all of her secrets, didn’t matter what they were, and didn’t matter how she thought they’d made her look in his eyes. He wanted to know everything about her. “Please enlighten me,” he pushed his hands to the pajama pants he wore, working to untie the string at his abdomen.
“When I bought those pajamas, I bought you your Christmas gift as well. I figured I’d let you open it tonight,” her eyelids grew heavy. “After all, you’ve been such a good boy.”
He’d have to be deaf, dumb, and stupid to miss the sexual innuendo she was throwing his way, and by the way his cock started to lengthen in his pants, his body was on-fucking-board with whatever she wanted to do. “When do I get to see this present?” he asked, because he was damn sure ready to open it. Hell, it felt like he’d been ready to open it for most of his life.
“If you give me a few minutes, I’m all yours,” she blew him a kiss as she walked towards the bathroom.
When the door clicked, he blew out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. Damn, but the way she’d blossomed into the woman she was now was amazing. When he’d first met her, she’d been beautiful but dowdy and unsure of herself, thanks to a horrible relationship with the twins’ father. Liam had taken the time to coax her out of the horrible insecurities she had and now she’d bloomed into a gorgeous woman, completely in tune with her body, and completely down for anything he wanted to try.
If he’d molded her from wax, he wouldn’t have been able to get a better finished product. Fuck, he was sweating. She heated his blood up faster than any woman he’d ever known. Hell, he didn’t even know what she’d be wearing when she opened the door and revealed herself to him, but it was enough to make his hands fucking shake as he pushed his hair back from his face. There had never been another woman who’d affected him like this, and it was as intoxicating as any drug ever made.
As he made a circle of the bedroom, he pictured what she looked like in the bathroom, tried to conjure up what she’d bought him. They’d played around with lingerie a time or two, but it hadn’t been enough for him to figure out what she actually liked. She was a clean slate, and his mind went in a thousand different directions.
Was it a teddy? Was it a baby doll dress and some cute as hell boy shorts? Did she wear a bra and a thong? A garter belt? Better yet, did she forego the bra altogether and get a g-string and pasties? The possibilities were fucking endless and his mind was running wild.
When he heard a sound on the other side of the door, he was at full attention, both figuratively and physically. Running his palm down his stomach, he adjusted his erection, hoping not to make it look as lewd as he felt it did. He loved everything about her, but above all she turned him on more than anyone else he’d ever met in his life.
“Are you ready?” her voice was unsure, but he could also hear a tone in it that said she wouldn’t back down, even if she was a little scared.
“Been ready since the day I met you. C’mon out and give me my Christmas present.”
He hoped he hadn’t sounded as desperate as he felt in this moment, but he couldn’t help how excited he was. This was the best Christmas gift he was ever going to get, he knew it without a doubt.
He held his breath as he watched the doorknob turn, and he waited for what felt like forever as she completely opened the door, revealing her body to him.
“Damn,” he whispered hoarsely, his hand going directly to the cock that had jumped as he’d gotten a good look at her.
“You like it?” she asked, a small smile on her face.
“Fucking love it,” he was over to her side of the room in three strides. “Turn around for me.”
His eyes devoured her, his idea of what she’d look like was nowhere near how she really looked. How she looked in the flesh was even better. A barely there bra covered her full breasts, a barely there thong was framed by garters dangling from her hips, and holding up very sheer stockings. She’d put on a little weight the last month or so and the extra curves accentuated everything about her figure. He was pretty sure he was drooling as she turned around, sticking her ass out at him slightly.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered over her shoulder.
“So,” he breathed, his voice deep and husky to his own ears. “When do I get to unwrap my gift?”
She stepped forward so they touched, and grabbed his hand, positioning his fingers at the front clasp of her bra. “Right now.”
De
nise shook as she felt Liam’s fingers on her skin. All her life she’d heard of these elusive people, had read happily ever afters in romance novels, but she’d never believed she’d have that one person who knew her better than she knew herself. In her mind, in her experience, those things didn’t happen to her.
The man standing in front of her right now with the hottest look on his face, molten desire in his eyes, and a hungry moan coming from his throat, that man had obliterated every insecurity and every defensive wall she’d put up around her heart. He’d done it by being exactly who he said he was, loving her for the woman she’d become, and treating her kids like his very own. She’d never in a million years expected to meet someone like him, and she thanked her lucky stars every day that she had.
His eyes flashed with a heat she’d never seen as his finger flicked the front clasp of the bra she wore. Cool air hit her heated flesh and her legs gave way slightly. His arms encircled her waist, holding her up against the onslaught of sensations that were bombarding her.
Using her hands, she put them on his shoulders and flexed her fingers against his muscles, digging her nails into the skin. Maneuvering them closer to the wall, he pressed her up against it, inserting his thigh in between her legs to help hold her steady.
“If you could ask me for one thing, for your present,” she whispered against his ear. “What would it be?”
She could see his brain working, could positively see his mind churning. Denise was sure he played any number of sexy scenarios through his head. A part of her worried what he would ask of her, the other part was so fucking excited and aroused, she wanted to do anything he’d ask of her.
His fingers tangled in her hair, the strong fingers pulling slightly on the ends. In response, her nipples tightened against him, and she felt an answering tug where her crotch was covered with expensive silk. She loved the roughness of him, loved he could ask it of her, give it to her, and still tell her he loved her as he plowed into her body. She’d never been with anyone like him before, and the intensity with which he took her always stole her breath away.
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