Dani saved my glass of wine before it spilled everywhere, and I hugged Daisy back.
“Are you helping Mummy wrap?”
“She’s helping me,” she corrected, then whispered in my ear, “I wish she’d just let me do it, though.”
I chuckled and Dani rolled her eyes.
“Auntie Kim says she’s a control freak.”
“I’m a positive outcome enthusiast,” Dani corrected.
“Oh, right,” Daisy said. “I forgot that’s what we were going with.”
“Punk,” Dani joked, and Daisy giggled.
Booker and Dani’s oldest, Cash, walked into the room, looking every bit the biker badass he was growing up to be. “A bunch of us are gonna watch a movie, Daisy. You wanna come?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
“Thanks for all your help, honey,” Dani said, and Daisy grinned.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“I’ve got about twenty-five more gifts to wrap. The list is here,” she said, pushing it toward me. “Names and what they should get...just match the present to the kid, wrap, and label. Easy, peasy.”
I grinned, and we worked in tandem while we waited for the rest of the club to arrive. By the time the neighborhood kids filed in, the great room was chock full of bikers, lawmen, and civilians, all eagerly awaiting “Santa.”
“Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas,” Warthog bellowed as he strolled into the room. He looked great as Santa and I leaned against Hatch who had his arm firmly around me.
The kids let out an excited yell and started clapping while Warthog sat in the big red chair by the tree.
I had to bury my face in Hatch’s shoulder when Devon and Doozer walked in dressed as elves, complete with bells on their elf shoes, the whole shebang. Holy cow, they looked adorable in their tights, but they were so obviously not happy about it, although, they did try to smile.
“How did that happen?” I asked my husband.
“They lost a bet.”
“Why do I feel like the bet was rigged?”
“Shh, Sunshine, you’re missing the fun.”
I chuckled, focusing back on the festivities.
“Have you met my elves?” Warthog asked. “Jingles and Tingles are here to help me hand out presents, does that sound good?”
The kids yelled their excitement and Poppy snapped photos, earning her a few glares from her husband.
“Lookin’ good, Tingles,” Hatch called, and our nephew shot him a look that spoke volumes.
“Sleep with one eye open, old man,” he retorted.
I bit back another laugh and grinned at Poppy. Knowing my daughter like I did, I could see she was trying really hard not to laugh hysterically.
“Right, who’s first?” Warthog asked. “Tingles, you gonna pick a present?”
Devon forced a smile and grabbed the box closest to him. “Tamaya.”
“That’s me!” a girl about ten-years-old exclaimed and rushed for Warthog.
The next four hours were spent laughing, gifting, and watching this hardened group of bikers show generosity to their community. Our community. I couldn’t have been more proud of the wonderful clan of people I’d been invited into. It had been almost fifteen years and I still felt blessed beyond measure.
“Let’s get home so I can unwrap you,” Hatch whispered, kissing me gently.
I grinned. “Make it slow.”
“I can do that,” he said, and took me home.
I couldn’t wait to see what promises the new year held for all of us.
Hatch
New Year’s Eve...
“Here,” I said casually, tossing a wrapped package to my son, who was lying on his bed listening to music.
“What’s this?” he asked, pulling out his earbuds.
“What does it look like, numb nuts? It’s a present.”
“But Christmas is over.”
“Yeah, well I know Santa personally.”
“You know Warthog,” Flash replied dryly.
“From what I understand, that guy can make anyone, including reindeer, fly,” I said. “That reminds me. Never eat any brownies, cookies, or gummy anything from him. You understand?”
“Got it, Dad.”
“Good, now open your present.”
Flash tore through the wrapping paper and opened the plain white shirt box that contained his gift.
“Dad, I think you may have wrapped up the wrong package,” Flash said, looking at the contents of the box. “There’s no present in here. Just a stack of legal papers or something.”
“Why don’t you read the papers? Jesus, no wonder you’re flunking out of school.”
Flash shot me his best shitty teenager look and then focused on the papers in front of him. I watched as his eyes darted around the page and then back to me. A look of excitement washing over his face.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” Flash asked.
“Yup. Sadie’s aunt has agreed to foster Madison until the state can best figure out where to place her long term.”
Sadie Carsen was married to Ryder, a local bar owner, and he’d become an unofficial member of the Dogs. Sadie was an ex-nun and her aunt was not only a registered foster parent, she was the Mother Superior of the Beaverton abbey.
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Uncle Booker was able to get a family court judge to expedite the order, and by tonight she’ll be out of that house and away from her train wreck of a mom.”
“What about her stepdad?”
“Turns out, the club had history with this guy and he’s a real piece of work. I’ve had eyes on him since the minute you told me what was going on, and he’s never getting near Madison again. I called Jaxon at the FBI and he’s gonna investigate her stepdad’s web-cam operation. We’re gonna make sure this guy is stopped and can’t hurt anyone else.”
Flash looked stunned. “Wow.”
“Trust me, Madison will be well setup and safe with Sadie’s aunt.”
“But she lives in Beaverton, doesn’t she? What about school?”
“The club’s got that covered, too. I’ve assigned a rotation of guards that will drive her to and from school, as well as keep an eye on her from a distance, until we get her situation worked out permanently.”
Flash dropped the papers on the bed and hugged me super tight, like he did when he was little. My middle child and I had always had a special bond. Maybe because he was my first son, or maybe it was because I saw myself in him so clearly. Either way, he was growing up fast and I savored this moment with him as I knew it may be a while until we had another like it.
“Thanks, Dad. I don’t know what to say.”
“The only thing you have to say is that you’ll come to me right away the next time you, or any of your friends, has a problem. You understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Earlier you said something about my time being divided between my family and my club, but that’s not true at all, son. You and your brother and sister, and your mama are my family, but so is the club. And they’re your family too. A family that loves you and will always protect you and the ones you love.”
“I guess I was afraid that you’d be disappointed that me and my friends aren’t perfect.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed about, and never have to be afraid to come to me about anything. The stuff Madison is dealing with is more than either of you can or should handle. Hell, it’s more than I can handle alone.”
“But you’re the President of the club. Doesn’t that mean you’re qualified to do everything and make whatever decisions you want?”
I smiled. “It’s the exact opposite, buddy. Being the president means depending on the people around me all the time. A great leader knows how to rely on the talents of their teammates, and a great man or woman always puts the needs of others before their own. Your mother and I have taught you this since you were little, but it’s only now that you’re a little older that some of these lessons will start to make sense.�
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“I promise I’ll come to you right away next time.”
“You’re a good man for looking out for your friend. Now your job is to let Uncle Jaxon do his, and let me do mine. We’re gonna make sure Madison is okay, and you’re gonna work on smoothing things over with Tate.”
“She’s still pretty pissed,” Flash said.
“She’s only pissed because she’s hurt, and she’s only hurt because...”
“I hurt her.”
“By?”
“Not listening to her advice and minimizing what she was going through in this situation.”
I grinned. “See, I knew you had the answers, now go over to her house and tell her.”
“What if she doesn’t want to talk?”
“I’ve found women tend to find time in their schedules for us to grovel and beg for forgiveness. Besides,” I added with a smile. “Until the stroke of midnight, it’s still the Christmas season.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Flash said, and true to his name, was out the door like a shot.
I walked out and joined Maisie, who was already relaxing on the couch with a flute of Champagne.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to wait until midnight to drink that shit?” I asked.
“I’ve been abandoned, so I started early.”
“Abandoned is being a bit dramatic isn’t it?”
“Jamie’s sleeping over at Jeff’s house, you’ve been MIA, and I think I just heard Flash leave through the garage door.”
“He’s going to talk to Tate,” I said.
“Did you give him the court papers?”
I nodded. “He seemed relieved. I think the poor guy was carrying the weight of this on his shoulders.”
“Sounds like his father,” Maisie said.
“I’ve heard he’s a handsome devil,” I said with a wink.
“He’s a demon in the sack, that’s for sure,” she replied.
“The house is empty, and you’re already boozed up, so how about we go upstairs and watch the ball drop a little early?”
“Hold up there, Seacrest, no tea-bagging allowed.”
I laughed, taking Maisie’s glass from her, and setting it on the table. Then, I picked her up, slung her over my shoulder, and carried her to the bedroom. I had a feeling this was going to be a big year, and thought it best to start things off with a proper bang.
2020 Piper Davenport
Copyright © 2020 by Piper Davenport
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Rocky Mountain Christmas is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Mouse
There’s only one gift I want this Christmas, but the closer I get to Kennedy, the more she pushes me away. I’ll do whatever it takes to get onto her nice list, even if it means riding my bike all the way to the North Pole and strong-arming Santa myself.
Kennedy
I have two choices. Open myself up to a man who has the power to shatter me. Or run and protect my heart once and for all. The problem is, a murderous Douglas Fir gets in the way of my perfectly planned escape.
Is it a sign, or merely a roadblock on the path to finding true love?
And does a scrooge like me, even deserve to find herself under the mistletoe this Christmas?
Kennedy
Savannah, Georgia
“Seth, stop,” I begged.
“Bitch, I told you there were going to be consequences if you didn’t do what you were told.”
I whimpered, my arm tied tightly to the headboard of his bed, the zip tie cutting off circulation to my wrist. My other arm was free... for the moment, but it was only so I could use it to do Seth’s bidding.
I don’t know how I fucking got here. He was a monster, and yet, I went back. God, what the hell was I doing?
Seth leaned over me, but then his face morphed into another.
Longish hair swept back, full beard and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen that crinkled in the corner when he smiled.
The face of the man I loved.
“No,” I breathed out on a gasp. This isn’t right. He’d never hurt me.
His face contorted into something evil, and he growled, “You will yield, Lace.”
I screamed, sitting up and settling my hand to my chest as I tried to catch my breath. It was a dream. Just a dream.
Crap, I needed to get a grip.
No, what I needed to do was get rid of the dirty little rat who had infested my life. I shook my head.
Flopping back onto my pillows, I rubbed my tired eyes, and glanced at the alarm clock. Four a.m. I had to get up in three hours for work. I could do this. I just needed to close my eyes and let sleep take me away, falling into another, more pleasant dream.
“Why do you call me Lace?” I asked. Mouse occasionally called me ‘Lacey’ as well, but I could never get a read on why.
He had just delivered an outstanding orgasm and I was feeling generous. That generosity manifested itself in the form of a very short cuddling session before the next go-round. He was weird like that, wanting to talk after sex. I’d rather just get to gettin’, and then leave, but since we were at my place, I was stuck, and he took advantage of that fact.
“Seriously, you grew up with the name Kennedy, and you don’t know?” he challenged, running his hand over my hip.
“What does Lace have to do with Kennedy?”
“The Secret Service call-sign for JFK was Lancer and Jackie was given the name ‘Lace.’”
“How the hell could you possibly know that?”
He grinned. “Summer just after fifth grade, I visited my grandparents on Tybee Island. It was supposed to be a summer of hiking, fishing, and boating, but I ended up getting mono from Lisa Gormon the first week, and spent the rest of the summer in bed. The only thing my grandparents had to distract me were an outdated set of Encyclopedia Britannica and a three-volume set on the US presidents. I learned more that summer about US presidents than anyone should ever know.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Quiz me.”
I woke again with a start and glanced at the clock. Four-thirty. I realized I’d never quizzed him. Probably because I didn’t care. Instead, I’d kissed my way down his body and blown him, rewarded with him coming in my mouth, then because he was a mighty wee mouse, he’d recovered in record time and fucked me all over again. My nether regions tingled from the memory and I sighed, pulling the covers back over me, trying to tuck myself back in.
At five, I gave myself another pep talk.
At five-fifteen, I calculated my sleep time again, rolling to my other side, convinced a total of six hours of sleep was plenty.
At five-thirty, I rolled again, and prayed for just a few more minutes.
At five-forty-five, I got up to pee, climbing back into bed.
At six a.m., I gave up.
After making my bed, I headed into the shower feeling the weight of exhaustion covering me. I hadn’t slept uninterrupted in months and it was beginning to show. I was snappy, emotional, occasionally irrational, and paranoid.
Totally out of character for me.
I was pretty even keeled, but since one of my best friends had died of cancer, I couldn’t seem to pull myself together. On top of that shit show, I willingly fucked a man who’d rocked me to my core and ultimately scared the shit out of me.
Because I’d sworn off men after Seth—clearly I was a
horrible judge of character and couldn’t trust myself any longer to make rational decisions when it came to my heart. But this one had wormed his way deeper. He’d wormed his way into my soul and now I ached for him.
Declan ‘Mouse’ Schneider.
Maybe it was just my vagina that ached for him, but that was enough to make me go back for seconds. And thirds. And twelfths.
But I was done. We were done. We’d had a great run, and now we were over.
At least that’s what I’d told him as I filled him in on my decision, the whole time sobbing in his arms. Jesus, I was pathetic, but I was resigned. Or I had been. The problem was, that conversation was months ago and he was just as determined to get me back in his bed.
So, we were now at an impasse.
And I was starting to fold.
My other bestie, Remington, had fallen for a biker by the name of Finch, marrying him and moving to Portland, Oregon. After Michelle died, we were both kind of a mess, but she’d had Finch who’d introduced me to Mouse, and Mouse gave me some much-needed distraction from my grief.
He’d also introduced me to a world I never thought I’d like. Case in point, girls’ night out with the Dogs of Fire Club ladies a few months ago. Even though Remington was back in Portland, the women had adopted me as one of their own, which meant I had an awesome girl posse, but it also came with strings attached.
Those strings were in the form of one very intense and gorgeous biker.
As I stood under the hot water, my mind wandered to one of our more intense arguments...
“You promise there are no hidden cameras in the club,” Olivia said, gripping Doc’s cut and staring up at him.
Doc was the club’s president and he’d married Olivia not long ago, although, they’d been together for years.
“I have no fuckin’ idea if there are hidden cameras in the club, baby,” Doc said. “I don’t own it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Who do you have on the inside reporting information back to you?”
“You have a vivid imagination.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss her quickly. “Go have fun, baby.”
The Davenport Christmas Chronicles Page 14