Wheeling them in a fast circle, she had to close her eyes to stop the dizziness but curled into his big body and giggle-laughed along with him.
The chair jerked to a halt when he used his feet as a brake. “Oh my god! Wait. I forgot the best part. Brody asked for a modification so when his device goes off the image will start with an empty sleigh on the ground. Like a time delay. After a minute, Santa will climb aboard and you saw what happens next. The sleigh will rise and shoot off.”
Wondering what Brody was up to, she asked, “Why the delay?”
An amused chuckle rumbled up from his chest. “Babe, for real, his theater background is a side to our dog master that we really need to check out.” His spirited emphasis when he said really was typical Justice snark. “The dude would have been way helpful when we made Stephanie’s birthday video.”
She cracked up thinking about the hilarious mini-film they did. On their extended honeymoon and far from Arizona when Stephanie’s fiftieth birthday celebration took place, they broke out their newly discovered husband and wife comedic chops for a wickedly funny birthday movie facilitated by one of Alex’s military buddies. The same guy who was doing the new Justice promotional and training videos.
“Anyway, Brody has a crazy plan that I have to admit is damn impressive. So you know how their back yard butts up against that big tract of land behind the house?”
She nodded and created a visual in her mind’s eye.
“Well, he plans to dress up like Santa. Heather and Bella will catch Santa sneaking away after dropping off presents. They’ll go out to the patio in time to see the old guy jump the wall in the backyard and scramble toward the waiting sleigh.”
“Holy shit,” she muttered.
“I told him to make sure George stays inside unless he wants the dog to ruin the whole thing! Think about it. Imagine any of Brody’s pups catching him skulking about dressed like a cartoon character. Canine insanity would ensue.”
Meghan grabbed his face with both hands. When he looked at her she swore she felt her eyes sparkling with love and happiness. So many emotions were firing off inside her that she didn’t know which one to acknowledge first.
“Our babies are blessed to have you for a daddy.”
His hand moved to the back of her head as she pressed gentle kisses on and around his mouth. She liked holding his face so she toyed with one ear and used the other hand to push her fingers into his thick hair.
After a minute of non-kissing kissing she raised her head and gazed into his eyes. He placed his big hand on her tummy.
“After the war, I viewed life in pretty stark terms.”
Well aware of the challenges he faced during those early years, she nodded her understanding.
“I really did think all I’d ever do was make amends, atone for every horrible fucked up thing that happened.” He shrugged the darkness away. “But then you happened.”
She tugged on his hair and shook him a little, offering a shy smile and a warm sigh.
“You saved my soul, Meghan, and in you I found the redemption I didn’t know I needed. These babies are part of that.”
“You have to stop being so amazing or we’ll never get anything done.”
His answering smirk made her forget why she came looking for him in the first place.
“Such a demanding wife,” he teased. Her mouth smothered his last word when she dove onto his lips as tremors of desire shook her senses.
As usual their kisses turned aggressively greedy. His tongue explored and claimed every corner of her hungry mouth. How had she lived before without this?
“It’s late. Is Tori gone for the day?” she gasped between drugging kisses that threatened her control.
“Shit,” he growled into her mouth. Fisting a handful of her hair, he tugged until their lips were forced apart. “No. She ran to the business center but she’ll be back.”
With getting his belt undone her number one priority, her hands didn’t give a shit about the warning in his voice when he growled her name. She leaned in and licked the base of his throat then flickered her tongue up his neck and across his stubble covered chin.
“I hope you have a plan b in mind, husband, because your wife,” she purred close to his ear, “needs some cock.” Wiggling on his lap she made it very clear with her ass what she meant.
He stood up so fast she scrambled to her feet and clutched his arms for balance.
“Your wish is my command, Mrs. Marquez. If cock is what my Irish Fuck Goddess needs, then goddammit, cock is what she shall have.”
She audaciously palmed his growing bulge. “Hmm. In that case, can Thunder Cock come out and play?”
With a hearty laugh, he swatted her butt and gave her a little shove toward the door. “The studio it is then. I’ve got a new drum track recorded. How about I put it in the sound system and we let Thunder Cock put on a show.”
Was it weird that her insides heated up and melted straight into her panties? Tapping her chin as if she was thinking, Meghan teased him playfully. “Is it okay if I say hello to Mr Thunder with a kiss?”
Grabbing a handful of her ass, he pulled her firmly up against his rock hard body.
“A hello kiss would be very nice. Lots of tongue and plenty of spit.”
“I’m horny all the time,” she sighed melodramatically.
“And I want to fuck you all the time.”
They grinned at each other.
“If it ain’t broke?” she giggled.
“Then don’t fix it,” he answered.
“Give me a head start, okay? And leave Tori something to keep her busy so she doesn’t go looking for us. I came to see if you wanted to take a walk but a Thunder massage sounds like more fun. I wanna grab a few things.”
Alex chuckled and patted her belly. “Gotta get in our kinky acrobatics while we can before your sexy bump gets in the way.”
“Oh sweetie,” she snickered. “A big belly will have no effect on a dick massage. Remember that time at Cam and Lacey’s when we were all in the theater room and…”
He kissed her words away and then released her with a lovely swat on her bottom.
“Yes I remember and you, madam, have extremely naughty hands.”
“Poor you,” she chirped happily. “Meet you in the studio in ten,” she said and dashed off.
BELLA WAS ROLLING on the floor with George, her animated giggles filled the house with the sound of joy.
Brody watched from the kitchen and felt his whole body fill with warmth and a sense of real contentment.
“Daddy! Look,” Bella hollered.
Poor George. Somehow she’d managed to get a pair of reindeer antlers on the squirming pooch. He’d taken her gift shopping at the mall where they happened upon a kiosk selling holiday crap for pets. The antlers joined a Christmas collar hung with a silver bell and a stocking crammed with dog toys and treats.
Snatching a dishtowel off the stove handle, he wiped his hands, grabbed the bowl of popcorn he’d made them and headed for the big sectional sofa. Setting the heavy stoneware popcorn bowl on the coffee table, he quickly scanned the downstairs to see if they were alone. Heather had gone upstairs some time ago to shower. She’d reappear in time for Bella’s nighttime routine but for now it looked like it was just him and his daughter.
“Honey, come here,”
Bella got up from the floor and scrambled around the corner of the spaceship size sofa with the dog fast on her heels. Launching into his arms, Brody hugged her tight before seating her close to him. Scooping a plastic cup into the popcorn, he handed it off to her, made one for himself and then relaxed against the sofa back.
“You want to practice for Christmas morning again?” he asked.
Bella glanced around. She was a great one for keeping conversations personal and private. Whispering with intense gravity she assured him her part in the special plan they made for Christmas morning was in the bag. Not only was she ready and confident, Brody could see how completely invested she was
emotionally. This wasn’t holiday fun and games for her any more than it was for him.
The only questions his sassy kid asked had been about semantics and titles. Could she start calling Heather ‘Mommy’ right away, or did she have to wait? Brody hoped the love he had for Heather would help little Bella be open to matters of the heart when she was older. It’s a tough thing for one so young to know that her biological parents weren’t even friends. He didn’t want her to be scarred by Tracey’s motherless behavior and totally selfish instincts. Bella’s eagerness to cast Heather in the role of mom gave him more than a little confidence that in the long run everything would work out.
He was thinking the universe worked in interesting ways when Bella munched a handful of popcorn and asked, “After we have a wedding, can we get a baby too?”
Brody almost aspirated a popcorn chunk. Thinking it adorable that she said we about his and Heather’s wedding, he wasn’t prepared for the follow-up we question. She didn’t wait for an answer. Not Bella, nope. She was already making plans.
“Babies are cool. Did you know Dylan can kick a ball? Aunt Lacey says he likes round things. Cheerios are round,” she added matter-of-factly as though the simple statement explained everything.
With a darting glance in his direction, she giggled and tossed a piece of popcorn to the dog who, of course, caught it in mid-air.
“Did we find Dylan a puppy yet?”
Okay. The all-inclusive we she kept using was fucking adorable. Matching her serious tone, he munched some popcorn, shook his head and said, “No.”
“What about Finn, Daddy? He needs a puppy real bad.”
Oh hell yeah the stupid fucknut needed a puppy and he knew just which one would suit the arrogant Irishman. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d found the perfect dog for Mr Finn O’Brien and as soon as Christmas was in the rearview, he was going to cement the deal.
“We’ll talk puppy adoption after Christmas, okay honey? Right now, let’s concentrate on giving Team Jensen a bangin’ holiday.” He paused a second and silently prayed for wisdom before plowing ahead.
“You know, it’s not too late to make a wish list for Santa. I’d help. We could write it together.”
Every previous attempt to create a tenuous connection of Santa acceptance through a wish list had been crushed in the red desert dirt. He wasn’t expecting her to back down so he was completely surprised when his daughter had an immediate comeback that wasn’t entirely negative.
“Mrs Gunderson let us draw happy pictures that we put in a special stocking. Then we mailed it to the North Pole.”
Brody searched his memory. Who was Mrs Gunderson? Oh, right. She’s Bella’s art teacher. The one who wore colorful scarves all the time.
“What did you draw?”
A six year old’s shrug was sometimes more explanation than a thousand words. “Family.”
He’d seen Bella’s family pictures before. One was hanging on the refrigerator right now. There were a lot of people in Bella’s depiction. Family as a concept was his daughter’s happy place. He smiled. Shit. She didn’t know it yet but his Bella was showing all the signs of being for Junior Justice what Alex was for the grown-ups. Dylan and Daniel lit up like the thirteen-foot Christmas tree in the foyer whenever they saw her. Regarding them from day one more as brothers than Family Justice cousins, she doted on both boys with real affection. Her rebel ringleader sassy-tude was going to shake things up in the years ahead—a thought that gave him enormous pleasure.
Glad that she hadn’t been belligerent about the cultural Santa references at school, he pondered this infinitesimal shift in her outlook. It was tough as balls trying to pull off their first Christmas as a family when Santa’s cheerful face was literally framed in a wild west wanted poster.
Whatever brass balls he imagined the war helped him develop withered and hung limp in the face of his kid’s adamant distrust of the whole red suit thing.
It took a fucking lot to make Santa the bad guy.
The sound of Heather moving around upstairs in the family loft drifted from above and let him know this one-on-one was drawing to an end. He had one last Santa challenge to toss in her path tonight and he was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to bat this one aside very easily.
“By the way, sweetie. You need to make some cookies for Christmas Eve.”
“Sugar cookies? With red and green sprinkles?”
He had her. Brody knew telling Bella she had cookies to make for Christmas Eve would be something she couldn’t blow off. Being a badass in the kitchen was one of her many adorable quirks.
“Whatever you want,” he explained. With a sly drawl he went in for the takedown. “Whatever you think Santa would like. Pops sent me the ceramic plate my parents used to set out cookies on Christmas Eve. I thought we’d make a new tradition and keep the plate just for that. Santa’s cookies.”
In the ensuing quiet he heard the sound of munching popcorn and his kid’s brain working overtime. How would she respond to his bold challenge? Nerves actually fluttered in his gut as he waited for her reply.
If he thought a woman’s mind was mysterious, there had to be better ways to explain how a female child’s brain functioned because holy fuckballs did she ever impress him with her reaction.
“Amy can’t drink milk so she leaves out a bottled water.” Brody laughed when she shuddered and scrunched her nose with foodie outrage. “Ew. Water and cookies sounds yucky so can we leave chocolate milk? I like chocolate milk with cookies.”
And that, he thought with an inner snicker, is how a six year old hops over a barrier, sticks the landing and moves the fuck on. If only adults could be so resilient.
Brody’s senses came online and revved up. Heather was coming. His nose found her before his eyes. She always smelled like heaven after a shower from the creams and lotions she lavished on her skin. His mouth watered thinking about how soft and smooth she was. His dick surged and he frowned. Sometimes he struggled with embarrassment when lascivious reactions happened when his daughter was around.
“Hey,” Heather exclaimed when she got closer. “What was the noise earlier? Was there someone at the door?”
Brody and Bella looked at each other. He plastered a confused expression on his face and shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything. What about you?”
Bella reacted as they knew she would. “Was there a knock or a doorbell?”
“I heard nothing,” he told Heather with a winking smile.
“Well,” she scoffed. “You both need your hearing checked because there was definitely someone outside. Brody,” she added with mock concern. “Maybe you better go check and make sure everything is alright.”
“Take Georgie,” Bella demanded when he stood up. The idea of the goofy mutt getting all big and bad in a guard dog kind of way made him chuckle.
Dutifully heading to their front door with the requisite amount of tough guy saber rattling expected of a man defending his castle and women-folk, he made a Tony award winning performance of flinging open the two wide panels and shouting “Ah ha!” while George barked at the air.
“Nothing,” he yelled back at his two girls. “I’ll go check the driveway.”
Marching outside with daddy swagger he made some noise, moved the trashcans and kicked the garage door for good measure. George ran in circles around him because that’s what he did.
When an appropriate amount of time passed—enough to secure the perimeter—he plucked the big green envelope off the front seat of Heather’s car, locked the door and psyched himself up for the most important performance of his whole life.
Rolling his shoulders and head, he flexed every muscle, did a few toe touches and stomped his feet. “Boo-yah!”
There was nothing left now but to go for it. Project Red Suit was in motion.
Feeling like she was wearing a 1960’s Haight-Ashbury tablecloth instead of the chic caftan she fell for late one night while channel surfing to a stop on a home shopping show, Heather flounced gaily arou
nd the room fueled by the unstoppable belief that she, Brody and their co-conspirators were about to pull off an Ocean’s Eleven style gambit worthy of Family Justice legend.
Swiftly clearing away the popcorn mess her two kids made, she got Bella’s help real quick to put away a pile of crayons left on the kitchen island.
“What’s taking Daddy so long?”
“Oh, you know him,” she teased the little girl. “He’s probably making Georgie walk the boundary.”
Brody’s arrival on cue was everything a holiday charade needed. As George ran at his side and barked for no reason, the two rushed into the house, slamming the two wide front doors and hurrying toward them. In his hand, Brody waved a large vibrant green envelope.
“Um, girls?” he playacted with absolute perfection.
She and Bella stopped and stared.
“I found this by the mailbox.” He carefully laid the big envelope on the kitchen table. “Oh, and this was looped on top.”
Handing over a large candy cane sparkling with a glittery sugar coating and tied with a satin ribbon, Heather’s eyes misted at the expression of childlike astonishment etched on Bella’s sweet face.
“For me?” she asked with breathless wonder.
Totally the wrong time to have this thought but she figured a good stiff drink was going to happen later. Either that or she was going to have a crybaby-fest because watching Bella’s innocent reaction was worlds beyond deeply moving.
“I’ve never seen such a beautiful candy cane,” Heather exclaimed. Marveling at the amazing hand made confection Stephanie found on Etsy, she caught Brody’s smiling nod of praise. She did good!
Treating the fancy Christmas cane with the careful reverence one would bestow on a priceless Faberge egg, Bella placed it gently on the table and then sidled up to her father to stare open mouthed at the bright green envelope.
On her tip-toes, she levered upward and bent over the table. With a shocked gasp she cried, “That’s my name,” and pointed to the address.
Dear Bella: A Family Justice Novella Page 7