a Beautiful Christmas

by Ember-Raine Winters

  “Why the sudden change?” Tara asked.

  “We all had a rough night and have been on edge for a couple days with the bag going missing for real and all of us trying to keep up our pretenses. The wedding coming up has been stressing me out, and after last night’s fiasco, I just thought we could use a little relaxation.”

  “I wondered about the bag,” Kenzie interjected. “Trey accused me of taking it last night, but I distinctly remember putting it back that night and then running like a coward.”

  “Are you guys okay now?” I asked her.

  “I guess, he seems off though.”

  “I’m sure he’s just a little hurt and embarrassed.” Kaylee smiled reassuringly.

  “Yeah, that’s probably it.” She sighed. “So what are we doing after this?”

  “I thought maybe we would go have lunch and then do a little shopping. Griffin said he wanted us all to go have dinner together at the steak house in the hotel. The reviews are amazing.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Tara said and her stomach growled.

  “You do realize we booked a couple more treatments before lunch, right?” I asked with a giggle and she glared at me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  TWITCH

  They finally let us go home early on Saturday. I called the guys to let them know that Tasha and James were both doing well. I was bone tired, though. I’d been letting Tasha sleep as much as possible, which meant I was waking up with James whenever she was asleep.

  As my new little family walked to the elevators of our building, I noticed Justin and Johnny walking out with Mac’s old duffle bag. “Where are you two headed?”

  “Mac called me and asked me to bring the kid and the bag to Vegas.”

  “Can I see the bag?” I asked and he promptly handed it over. Tasha gasped as I opened it and I cursed. “What the hell is this?”

  “Shit, Mac took the bag? Why? And why is he having you bring it to him now?” Tasha ever the police detective interrogated Justin.

  “I don’t know, I’m just following orders.” Justin shrugged.

  I couldn’t keep him there, so I let them be on their way. Something about this was niggling at the back of my mind, like I knew something wasn’t right but the harder I thought about it the further it slipped away.

  “Come on, darlin’, let’s get the little man up to bed.” At the moment, the others needed to deal with their shit, and I needed to be with my family..

  TASHA

  I let Twitch and James sleep and made a phone call. Something wasn’t right about this whole thing.

  “Tasha, how’s the baby doing?” Keller asked.

  “He’s absolutely perfect.” I sighed happily.

  “I have a feeling you didn’t call to update me on James.”

  “I’m assuming they called you when the bag went missing for real? Do you have any leads on it?” I asked all business.

  “Off the record. I’ll deny I ever said this.”

  “You got it.” I smiled at his reluctance.

  He told me everything. Mac had said the ring was for Marcy and that he had sent Justin to pick it up because he was proposing to Marcy in Vegas instead of at Christmas like he had planned. I sat there slack jawed as I listened and found myself getting angry at both Mac and Trey for the distress they had put my sister through.

  “Those assholes,” I yelled without meaning to. Twitch came running into the room looking for the threat that wasn’t there and I flinched in apology.

  “What’s going on?” he asked tiredly.

  “Thanks for the info, Keller. I gotta go.”

  “Sure thing, glad I could help,” he said warily, obviously realizing that shit was probably about to hit the fan with the new knowledge I’d just learned.

  “What’s going on, Tasha?” Twitch walked over to the couch and sat himself down. He lifted my feet and put them across his lap as I relayed everything I had just heard. The longer I spoke, the whiter his face got.

  “Shit, Mac’s about to do something monumentally stupid.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked getting angry, he’d think proposing to Marcy was stupid.

  “No, not like that, darlin’” he said chuckling. “I want the two of them together just as much as everyone else. Hell, it’s been me, Griff, and Trey dealing with his moody ass all these years that Pix was being stupid. But, you’ve got it backwards… He’s about to give Pix the wrong ring.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  KAYLEE

  Keeping the girls busy was getting to be harder than I anticipated. They were all a little too perceptive, and I was running out of ideas.

  “I think we should find something for little James. Don’t you?” I said as we walked through the rows off shops in the hotel.

  “Sounds good.” Tara smiled. She looked at me warily but didn’t comment on my strange behavior. She of all people knew how much I hated shopping, having to practically drag me out of the house to go.

  “Kay, what’s going on?” Marcy turned and looked at me suspiciously just as I watched Mac walk out of a nearby flower shop.

  “Oh, this looks like a fun store. Let’s go in here.” I grabbed Marcy’s arm and pulled her into the shop. They all were staring at me like I had grown a second head. I realized a second later what all the strange looks were about when I noticed the shop I’d dragged them in. Real smooth Kaylee!

  It was a comic book shop. If this charade didn’t end soon, I was going to blow the entire plan.

  “Leanne has been really into comic book characters lately,” I lied. “I thought I would see if they had a cute Wonder Woman hoodie or something. You know how popular that movie is now.”

  “Yeah, you know what? I think I’ll see if there’s anything for Johnny in here too.” Marcy agreed, but she was still looking at me strangely.

  I walked over to a rack that faced the flower shop and looked out. Thank God he’s gone! I sighed with relief not even realizing Tara was standing behind me.

  “Spill it. What’s going on?”

  “I gotta keep Marcy busy for a few more hours,” I whispered to her.

  “Why?”

  I looked around to make sure Marcy wasn’t watching us. “Mac’s planning on proposing to her tonight.”

  Recognition lit in Tara’s eyes and she smiled. “Okay, we got this.”

  She smiled devilishly and rubbed her hands together. I almost felt bad for letting her in on it, but Tara was persuasive and she could help get the job done.

  GRIFFIN

  I was down at the casino with the guys when my phone started to ring. Looking down, I noticed Twitch calling and smiled. Maybe he had an idea where the missing bag went. Nodding to the guys, I walked away from the craps table and answered my phone.

  “Griffin, we have a problem,” he said by way of greeting.

  “What’s going on?” This whole thing was getting more complicated by the minute. I groaned when he told me the story.

  “Marcy’s ring is in the safe at GTT. How does Mac not know this? He works there too. He has the code to get in.”

  “I don’t know, brother, but he’s about to propose with the wrong ring.” Twitch chuckled and I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Kaylee was in so much trouble for starting this whole mess.

  “I got Kelly bringing Marcy’s actual ring, but she tried calling Justin and he must not have service because he’s not answering his phone. By the time she gets there it could be too late,” Twitch told me.

  “I have an idea. Have Kelly send me the picture of Justin that we have in his personnel file. I made a new friend last night who may be able to help.”

  “Sure thing, bro. I gotta get back to the family, but I’ll catch ya later.”

  “Enjoy them. Talk to you later,” I said and hung up.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  KENZIE

  I’m going to kill Tara!

  We had a few hours to kill
before dinner, so Tara made us all go to the Bass ProShop with her.

  “I promised Billy I would get some ammo for his hunting rifle,” she said a little too innocently.

  Between her and Kaylee, I had a feeling they were trying to keep us busy so we wouldn’t find something out. I really hoped it wasn’t about me. I had just warmed up to the idea of Trey proposing to me and I didn’t think I could handle it happening so soon.

  The store she took us to was huge and I found myself smiling as I made my way to the hunting knives. Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t kill Tara. I kind of liked guns and big knives. They were second only to bombs and grenades.

  “Do you get the feeling they aren’t telling us something?” Marcy whispered as she walked next to me.

  “They are definitely up to something,” I agreed.

  “Do you think it has to do with Trey or Mac?” She asked looking over the knives with me. Marcy having been in the military was a girl in this group that could appreciate the finer things in life. “I could have sworn I saw him coming out of a florist before Kaylee dragged us into that comic book store earlier.”

  “Hmmm, I did see a big guy, but I was too distracted by how weird Kaylee was acting.” The more I thought about it the more convinced I was that it had been Mac. I had only seen him for a split second, but all these guys stood out in a crowd.

  I knew one thing for sure. The guys had something planned and Kaylee and Tara were in on it.

  TREY

  Ever since that phone call, Griff had been acting weird. I didn’t know what his problem was, but something wasn’t right. We played craps for another hour and Griffin kept checking for something on his phone.

  “What is wrong with you, bro?” I asked after he checked his phone for what seemed like the hundredth time.

  “Nothing,” he said distracted.

  “You’re awfully nervous over nothin’” Buck replied.

  Mac had gone MIA. I had no idea what was up with that guy lately. “I’m waiting for a call from Eric.”

  “The bouncer from the club last night?”

  “He’s actually the hotel manager, but he still heads up security. He likes working security more than the stuffy office job.” Griffin rolled the dice, continuing the game.

  “Seven!” Everyone cheered and he rolled again.

  “Why are you waiting for a call from him?”

  “Why so many questions? I got it under control,” he grumbled.

  “Aww.” Everyone at the table groaned and I noticed the two he just rolled. He kept rolling for a good five more minutes before he crapped out and left the table. Looking over at Bubba and Buck, I put up one finger signaling that I would be right back and followed Griffin to the security desk.

  “I’ve got him in holding, but the kid is in my office playing video games,” Eric said to Griffin and I balked.

  “What kid? Who’s here?” Griffin flinched and turned around. Sighing, he told me what happened.

  “Shit. That idiot. Of course I wouldn’t put Marcy’s ring in my trunk.”

  Griffin just gave me an exasperated look. He didn’t need to say I was an idiot and actually did put Kenzie’s in the trunk.

  I already knew that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  MARCY

  We were walking by the security desk when I heard Trey shouting at Griffin. I turned to look and Kaylee cursed loudly.

  “You dumbass! What the hell, Trey?”

  “What the fuck’s going on?” I asked to no one in particular.

  “Griffin!” I heard a female voice yell and run over. “I sped the whole way here, I’m not too late am I? He didn’t give her the wrong ring?” Kelly worried her lip in her mouth.

  “Give who the wrong what?” Kenzie looked just as confused as I was, and Tara rolled her eyes. I’m sure she was enjoying the show.

  “Shit,” Trey yelled and the security guard from the night before just watched us all with amusement.

  “Is it okay to let the guy out of lock-up now?” he asked laughing.

  “Who do you have in lock-up?” Kaylee asked in horror.

  “Justin,” Griffin replied sheepishly.

  “What? Why?” she yelled. “Yes, Eric please get him out of lock-up.” Kaylee smacked Griffin on the arm.

  I was still wondering what the hell was going on when Mac walked up followed by Bubba and Buck.

  MAC

  “What the hell is going on here?” I asked as I walked into the middle of the chaos.

  “It’s just a big misunderstanding.” Kaylee smiled at me and tried to drag Marcy away.

  “Uh, uh. I need to know what Trey was yelling about my ring.” Marcy eyed me.

  “Shit,” Trey cursed. “Sorry bro.”

  “Can we take this someplace else? We’re starting to draw a crowd,” Griffin said warily.

  “Not until you get Justin out of lock-up.” Kaylee glared at him.

  “Why is Justin in lock-up and where the hell is Johnny?” I boomed.

  Marcy looked at me in horror, clearly not understanding why I was talking about our son being in Vegas, but Eric came over and put a hand on my shoulder. “The kid’s in my office playing video games.”

  I relaxed marginally but Marcy glared. “What the hell is going on here, Mac?”

  “I’ll go get your friend and the kid.” Eric looked a little uncomfortable and walked away.

  “Who wants to start first?” Marcy put her hands on her hips glared at us.

  “Let’s wait until we get up to the room, please?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  GRIFFIN

  The circus in the hotel lobby died down when Eric came back with Johnny and Justin. I was glad for it. The whole thing was one giant clusterfuck. I couldn’t believe it was all going down like this.

  We got back up to the room and everyone took a seat on the large L shaped couches. Marcy and Kenzie had their arms crossed over their chests, glaring at Mac and Trey.

  “Spill it,” Marcy growled. “Why is my son in Vegas in the hotel managers’ office when he is supposed to be at home?”

  “That’s my fault.” Mac sighed rubbing his forehead. “I needed Justin to bring something to me and I wanted Johnny here.”

  “What did you need that was so important?”

  He grabbed the bag from Justin and Kelly, and Trey and I yelled, “No!” as we lunged for him.

  “It’s okay guys. I figured it out.” Mac looked sheepish. “Sorry, Barbie. I should have told you it wasn’t yours, but I didn’t know if you would tell Pix who it really belonged to.”

  “What? You mean…,” she trailed off.

  “Mac, you’ve got it all wrong.” Trey grumbled.

  Trey pulled Mac aside and whispered in his ear, explaining that the ring in the bag really was Kenzie’s and not Marcy’s. It was almost funny watching his facial expressions change as he looked over at Kelly. “Shit.”

  “Yeah shit. It’s a good thing Tasha and Twitch saw Justin and Johnny leaving or this would have been a disaster.”

  “Still confused over here,” Marcy chimed in.

  “Sorry Pix, can you give me a little time? I promise it will be worth it,” Mac begged.

  “Fine, I know you have some big plan and I won’t ruin it.”

  “Good, great. We have some more shopping to do.” Tara grinned. “You wanna come, Kelly?”

  “Sure, sounds like fun, I just need to have a chat with idiot number two,” she said pointing a thumb over at Mac laughing.

  KAYLEE

  I breathed a sigh of relief when Marcy agreed to wait for an explanation. I was starting to see what had happened and as messed up as the whole situation was; it was hilarious at the same time.

  Tara still looked confused, but she got the general idea. We left not long after the group dispersed.

  “I need a fucking drink,” Kenzie grumbled.

  “Ditto.” Kelly laughed. “That was some confusing crap back
there; you girls really know how to stir up trouble.”

  “How is this our fault?” Marcy asked and Kelly realized her slip-up a minute too late. She flinched.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  TREY

  After the girls left for more shopping, the guys all sat on the couches with a bottle of Jack. We all had nerves that we needed to calm. The bag was back and safe, but there was still one thing left to do.

  “Do you have everything planned?” I asked Mac.

  “Pretty much. I just hope Kaylee and Tara can keep Marcy busy until then.” Mac scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “There’s still one thing I don’t get,” Buck added thoughtfully. “Why did you think Marcy’s ring was in that bag?”

  “I gave it to Trey to hold on to. I thought he was just keeping up pretenses when it got lost.”

  “Maybe you should have asked me, and I would have told you that I put it in the safe at GTT and we could have avoided this whole mess,” I sighed. “You think Marcy has any idea what’s really going on?”

  “She’s smarter than I am by a mile, and uh she heard us talking about a ring, so yeah, I’m sure she’s got a clue. I just hope she doesn’t try to ruin the surprise.” Mac closed his eyes in frustration.

  “Mom hates surprises.” Johnny looked over at his father a second later.

  “Yeah, but this is a good one.” Mac ruffled his hair.

  Someone knocked on the door and I got up to get it. Eric was standing there with two of his security guys.

  “Hey Eric, what’s going on?”

  “I got some disturbing news. Where’s your girl?”

  “They’re out shopping. What’s this about?”

  “He made bail.”

  KENZIE

  Tara found this awesome little lingerie shop inside the hotel. After we spent two hours there shopping, we headed to the bar. My hackles were up and I needed a drink to calm my nerves.