a Beautiful Christmas

by Ember-Raine Winters

  “What happened?” Marcy asked, looking up from her place on my chest. I looked down at her and ran my hand over, knowing she was really mine. It had taken us so long to get to this point in our lives, it was shocking to me we were actually here. I had my boy, I had my girl, and now we had another child on the way. There was nothing sweeter than my life at this exact moment.

  “Trey was a moron,” I began telling her what I knew, “and left the boys’ Christmas presents in the trunk of his car. They were stolen and we have to go track them down.”

  She shifted on the bed a little, allowing me a glimpse of her swollen belly. “How are you going to do that? And why would he leave the presents in the car?”

  “I guess we have to go to a grocery store and look at some surveillance cameras?” I shook my head. “Why they think this qualifies as a manhunt is beyond me.”

  She shook her head at me, chuckling quietly. “You know what toy they had right?”

  “Nothing that can’t be replaced.” Because, seriously, it is a toy, for fuck’s sake.

  “Wrong. Trey was hiding the hottest toy on the market… Dumbass, I guess thought they’d be safest in his trunk. It’s damn near impossible to get one of those before Christmas, especially now.”

  “Shit,” I cursed. Those kids had been through so much, they deserved to get every damn thing they wanted on Christmas. “Well, I guess I’m going on a manhunt.”

  I kissed the side of her head and hoisted myself out of bed to get dressed, grumbling the whole time. When I saw Trey, I was gonna kick his ass for being so stupid.

  MARCY

  As soon as Mac left, I dug around the bed looking for my phone. I needed to call and make sure Tasha was careful when she broke into Trey’s trunk at the grocery store that morning.

  Whoever had the brilliant idea to send a nine-month pregnant woman to pull off a pretend robbery, was not the brightest. But, she was the only one available at the time, so we didn’t have much choice in the matter.

  Finally, I found the phone on the floor next to the bed and dialed Tasha, nervous that some camera somewhere caught her taking the toys out of his trunk.

  “Hey Marcy, what’s up?”

  “When you did the ‘thing’ this morning, did you look for security cameras?”

  “Are you serious? Of course I did. You realize I’m a cop, right? Even though I’m pregnant as shit at the moment, I’m smarter than that. Why?”

  “Trey found out that the stuff’s gone, and they checked the cameras and didn’t see anything. They may be checking the grocery store next.”

  “Stop freaking out. Kenzie parked in Egypt. Far away from any possible cameras, and there was no one around when I opened the trunk. They won’t figure it out anytime soon.” She evil-giggled.

  “You’re demented.”

  “Not demented, pregnant, just like you.”

  “Speaking of… how many days overdue are you now?”

  “Five,” she grumbled.

  “Damn, the doctors won’t induce you?”

  “No,” she groaned. “I’m not in any danger, so they want to let it happen naturally. Can I tell you how much I hate that word at the moment?”

  “You know… I read that sex can speed up the process,” I teased.

  “Ha! Tell that to Twitch. He refuses to touch me until the baby’s born. Something about his dick poking the baby in the head. Complete nonsense.”

  I laughed, I couldn’t help it. Guys we’re so clueless sometimes. Even now, when she was so close to giving birth there was no way he could hurt the baby.

  “That’s ridiculous. I thought he read all the baby books?”

  “He did, but he’s still freaked out,” she grumbled. “He’s treating me like I’m made of glass.”

  “I’ll get dressed and we can go on a long walk. They say that helps get things going too.”

  “Thank you, I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, maybe they will help things a long.”

  “Or, we can come up with a plan to smack some sense into that idiot fiancé of yours.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  TWITCH

  When I got the call about Trey’s presents getting stolen, I kept wondering why it was such a big deal. The kids’ toys, even the hard to find ones, could be replaced. I had a feeling in my gut that this was bigger than some toy.

  I was thankful for something to do, though. Tasha was getting antsy. Her pregnancy hormones were worse than ever, and I was running out of excuses not to have sex with her.

  I know, I know, what man wouldn’t want to have sex with her? She was gorgeous and she had become even more beautiful since she started growing round carrying my child. It was a miracle we never thought we would be blessed with, and I looked at her in awe every day. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fuck her. I had to get out of bed every night and jerk myself off just to be able to sleep next to her lush body, but I was scared. It takes a lot for a veteran of the Special Forces to admit to being scared, so I knew that it was terror I felt not wanting to hurt that little miracle inside her. It didn’t matter what the books or the doctor said, I wouldn’t do it.

  Those were the thoughts that ran through my head in a loop when Kenzie answered the door. “Hey Barbie, where’s the big dumb idiot?”

  She laughed and pointed down the hallway. “I told him something like this would happen.”

  “Was anything else stolen?” I asked.

  “No. The only thing in the trunk was the bag with the toys, why?”

  “It just doesn’t feel right,” I said as I walked down the hall.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, and I filed away her nervousness for later contemplation.

  “Why not just chalk it up to a loss and go find another toy? There’s more to this, I’m thinking.”

  “What more could there possibly be?”

  I opened the door to Trey’s bat cave. “I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.” I liked to call it that because no normal residence had that much surveillance equipment in it. “What’s up, Idiot?” I grinned at my friend, who was sitting, staring at the screen in front of him.

  “Shut up asshole,” he replied without even glancing up, the strain was evident in the set of his shoulders. He was freaking out.

  “Spill it, what the hell else was taken?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit,” I said eyeing him. “You look like Tasha did when she thought her engagement ring went down the bathroom drain.”

  He flinched when I said engagement ring and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You stupid motherfucker, you didn’t?”

  “God, I hate your gut sometimes,” he grumbled and I laughed even harder.

  I heard the snick of the door opening. Mac had just walked in and was looking between us in confusion. I was wheezing I was laughing so hard. “He… hid… Barbie’s… ring…” I broke off in a coughing fit and finally Mac’s eyes lit with recognition and he shook his head at Trey with a look of disgust.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? We all have safes that you could have used. Why on earth would you hide something like that in your trunk?”

  “I didn’t want anyone to know, okay? I didn’t want to jinx it.” He looked at us with dread, and I instantly stopped laughing. I actually felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

  Trey had proposed to Shelby twice and gotten shot down brutally both times. I could totally understand his hesitation, but Barbie loved him. We all felt it, and if any one doubted, the way she held vigil at Trey’s bedside until Griffin and I dragged her skinny ass out of there, confirmed it. Thinking about it more, it was easy to understand Trey’s hesitancy; Barbie was a wild card. You never knew how she would react. She could very well get spooked by something so permanent, then bolt again.

  “Shit,” Mac cursed. “Sorry man. I didn’t even think of that.”

  “I know,” he sighed. “What the hell am I gonna do?”

  “We’re going to f
ind that ring and you’re gonna man up. You might need to keep handcuffs handy though.” I grinned and he threw a paperclip at me.

  “You’re not funny, brother,” he scolded while Griffin and Mac snickered behind their hands.

  “Okay let’s get to the grocery store and start combing the area. Someone had to have seen something,” Griffin said once he got ahold of himself.

  We all got up and walked outside. As annoyed as I was by the fact that Trey didn’t trust us and did something so unbelievably stupid, I had to admit that it felt good to be chasing down criminals again.

  TASHA

  Waddling to the door, I opened it to find Marcy and Kaylee, who was pushing a stroller with little Nat tucked in with blankets. “You ready to go for a walk and try to get that baby out of you?”

  “You have no idea.” I put a protective hand over my belly and grabbed a light jacket.

  We walked to the nearby park and sat on the bench by the sandbox. Kaylee got Nat out of the stroller and gave her a shovel so she could play in the sand and then came over and sat next to me. “I can’t wait until all our babies can play together.”

  “Whoa, how about we get them out before we start planning play dates.” Marcy laughed.

  “Seriously, it’ll be awhile before they can all play together,” I agreed.

  “I know, but it’s so exciting. Leanne and Lance didn’t have that when they were growing up. I’m starting to think that Billy and Tara are never gonna have kids… and Kenzie? I think she’s still getting used to the idea of relationships. It’ll be awhile before she even thinks about having a kid. I’m so glad that Nat is gonna have other kids to grow up with.”

  “True. I was lucky that I ran into Casey and we hit it off—well, you know, once I realized that my boyfriend hadn’t been cheating on me with her.” It was good that Marcy was able to laugh at herself now. The guilt she’d had about that point in her life almost crushed the future she now held with Mac.

  We changed the subject after that. Dwelling on the past wasn’t something we did anymore. We all knew how short life could be after everything that had happened.

  “So, have you tried any of the home remedies to get that baby out?” Kay asked me.

  “No, not really,” I huffed, putting my arms across the top of my enormous belly. “Twitch is being an idiot. He keeps saying that we need to just let it happen naturally. The baby will come out when she’s ready. Blah, blah, blah.”

  “You know, that’s just dumb,” Kaylee replied.

  “Yeah what’s even worse is the way he’s been treating me, like I’m gonna break.”

  “Griffin tried that crap with me after they took Barnes down, but I wasn’t having it. He ‘caught me’ helping myself right before Nat was born.” She giggled at the memory.

  “Wait, I didn’t think it worked like that,” I said curiously.

  “Oh it does. It’s the orgasm itself that stirs things up not the actual penetration. Although, I’m sure it helps the process, along.”

  Smiling brightly, an idea started to form in my head, and I couldn’t wait for Twitch to get home so I could put my devious little plan into action.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  GRIFFIN

  Kenzie showed us where she parked the BMW and I balked. “Why would you park where there were no cameras? What if you had been mugged?”

  She rolled her eyes at me. I knew she was capable, considering she’d saved our asses on more than one occasion, but it still didn’t change the fact that she was a woman and part of the family. The innate need to protect her after everything was just as strong as it was with the others.

  “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, Griff. The parking lot was full there was nowhere else to park.”

  “Fine, let’s go talk to some of the workers and see if anyone saw anything.”

  “As fascinating as this all is,” Kenzie said looking bored. “I’m going to go see if I can track down two more of the little egg things.”

  She kissed Trey on the cheek and finger waved at us as she got into the BMW and took off. I shook my head smiling. “You’re gonna have your hands full with that one, brother.”

  Looking around, I noticed a man sitting under a tree in grungy looking clothes, holding a sign that said “Will work for food.”

  “You guys go ahead. I’m gonna go see if he saw anything,” I said nodding towards the man. Twitch and Mac gave each other exasperated looks and shook their heads.

  “You can’t save everyone, Griff,” Mac warned as they walked to the front of the store.

  Walking up slowly, I called out so I wouldn’t spook him. I hadn’t noticed before but he had an Air Force insignia on his jacket. He looked to be a few years younger than me, and I felt bad that I had missed him before. “Hey man. I wanted to ask you some questions, you mind if I sit?”

  A grunt was my only response so I took that as affirmation and sat down next to him. “How long have you been out here?”

  “What are you, a social worker? I’m fine. Just leave me alone.” His annoyed response wasn’t something that was going to dissuade me.

  “I’m not a social worker. My brother had some stuff stolen from his trunk this morning and I was wondering if you saw anything.”

  “I didn’t break into no car,” he replied angrily.

  “I know that. No vet would be stupid enough to come back to the scene of a crime they committed.” I laughed, hoping to put him at ease. “I was just wondering if you maybe saw who did.”

  “I might have seen a guy in a blue Dodgers cap and sunglasses walk up to your friend’s car and pop the trunk.”

  “Could you describe him?”

  “White guy with red hair and a big belly. He was short for a dude, probably five-foot nine, and he was wearing baggy clothes like he was trying to hide his body. He looked kind of feminine.”

  “Thanks.” I reached in my wallet and pulled a fifty out along with one of my business cards. “I own a building downtown; bunch of vets, like me, live there. Many are just getting back on their feet. If you ever decide to get off the streets, give me a call. Name’s Griffin,” I said holding my hand out to him.

  He looked me over for a few moments then held out his hand to shake. “Thanks, I’m Jared” Taking the card and cash, he said. “Maybe I’ll see ya’ around, Griffin.”

  I had a very good feeling when I got up off the bench.

  KAYLEE

  We were just getting up from our spot at the park when my phone rang. “It’s Kenzie,” I said and answered it. “What’s up?”

  “Something doesn’t feel right about this. There is more to this than some kids’ toys.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked a little confused.

  “They are full-board on this thing, Kay. Questioning witnesses and searching for cameras. If this were just some toys, they wouldn’t be doing that.”

  “You don’t know, Griffin. He has felt monumentally guilty over what happened and has been doing his best to make sure they’re happy. He would do anything for the kids.”

  “Is Tasha with you?” she asked a little warily.

  “Yeah she’s here, what do you need?” I asked as I picked Nat up and put her back in the stroller.

  “Ask her if there was anything else in the bag she got from the trunk, please?”

  I handed Tasha the phone and heard her say, “No, I didn’t look in the bag. I just took it over to Bob’s for safe keeping. Whatever else is in there, if anything, is perfectly safe. Stop stressing, sis. It’s all in fun. He’ll get the stuff back in time for Christmas.”

  Griffin was going to be losing his mind over the loss of those toys, and I couldn’t wait until he got home so I could see it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  TREY

  I walked out of the grocery store more frustrated than I was when I walked in. None of the employees that had been there that morning had seen anything.

  As I walked outside, I looked
around at the strip mall. There had to be something there that would lead us to information on who took the stuff from the car. It only took two passes before I realized how stupid we had been. “Shit, we’re dumb,” I said shaking my head. Directly across the aisle from where Kenzie had said she parked the car was an ATM machine. “I think I know where to look, come on.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mac asked as he followed behind me.

  “Dude, look. There’s an ATM machine right there.” Twitch laughed and clapped him on the back.

  “Oh, yeah. Good eye.”

  We made our way back over to Griffin, who was still talking to the homeless guy. “We might have something,” I said triumphantly. “Come on, let’s hit the bank.”

  I pointed at the ATM machine across the way, and Griff smacked himself on the forehead. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Because you’re not as smart as I am.” I chuckled as he slapped me in the back of the head.

  Walking into the bank, I sidled up to a pretty teller and put on my most charming smile. That smile could usually get me whatever I wanted, but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to work that time. The teller rolled her eyes.

  “What can I do for you gentlemen,” she said dryly.

  “We would like to look at the surveillance tapes from your ATM if it’s possible,” Griffin said before I could even open my mouth.

  “Do you have a warrant? You don’t look like cops.” She eyed all of us suspiciously.

  “No, we are the owners of a security company, maybe you’ve heard of it? GTT security?” I asked hopefully, but the woman shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, but if you don’t have a badge or a warrant, I can’t help you.” She smiled stiffly before walking away.

  “Well, I’ll call Keller.” Twitch sighed.