Finally he went to the bathroom door, one door down from their bedroom, and tried the handle. He smiled when he found it unlocked just like he’d thought. Natalie was in the shower already, her wedding dress draped over a towel rack next to the double his and hers vanity. Vince had had the shower installed shortly after he’d bought the house. It was a smaller replica of the shower in the hotel they’d stayed in. It had multiple shower heads and glass walls encasing it. Vince stripped out of his suit and padded barefoot to the shower. The bathroom was filled with steam from her favored really hot showers. He pulled open the shower door and watched her. His Mate, now his wife, was standing under the hot water with her eyes closed. She was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever laid eyes on. Vince stood there, watching her, in awe of the fact that she was actually his.
Natalie opened her eyes and stepped out from under the shower head, blinking the water from her eyes. She smiled at him, her eyes filled with love and devotion. “What are you waiting for?” she asked.
“Just watching you. Realizing for the hundredth time today just how truly lucky I am,” he replied, his own eyes filled with love.
She held her hand out to him. “Come on, husband. Come take your place.”
Vince’s breath caught. He knew exactly what she meant. He’d just voiced it moments earlier. But he wanted to tease her a little more. “And where exactly would that be?” he asked.
Natalie smiled at him. “Right here,” she answered. “Your place is here,” she said, placing her hand on her heart.
“And yours is right here,” he replied, placing his own hand on his heart.
Natalie held her hand out to him, and he took it, joining her in their shower. Vince took a deep breath, a settling breath, a satisfied breath as his Mate pressed her body against his, holding him close. He’d finally found his place, right here in her arms.
Epilogue
Christmas — a year later.
Kaid knelt in the grass and checked the extension cord connections one more time. Satisfied that they were secure and the blow-up dragon with the Santa hat wouldn’t collapse again, he dusted his knee off, brushed his hands on his pants and headed back to the porch. He opened the door and walked into the living room, filled to overflowing with gifts and packages. The Grinch was playing on the television on repeat, and Barron launched himself at his Daddy.
“Dad-dee!”
Kaid caught him in mid-air. “Hey, buddy! You still watching the Grinch?”
Barron nodded and pointed out of the window toward the elaborate Christmas decorations Delilah had insisted on.
“Yeah, Santa Dragon’s just fine. He just got sleepy and needed a nap. If he takes another nap, I’ll go back out and wake him up again. Deal?”
Barron nodded and squirmed for Kaid to put him down. As soon as his chubby little sock-covered feet hit the floor, he high-tailed it to the window to clap his hands and babble at the once again standing Santa Dragon. He was convinced the Dragon was as real as he was.
Delilah strolled into the living room, licking the end of a spatula covered in cream cheese frosting. “Did you fix it, my Bear? You know Barron thinks Santa Dragon is sick when he deflates,” she said, taking long licks of frosting from the spatula.
“I did. He is once again standing proudly. Just like something else is, watching you lick that spatula,” Kaid finished on a growl.
“Eww, gross! Can’t ya’ll save that stuff for the bedroom, when nobody else is around to hear it?” Maverik commented, coming in from the kitchen with Hellen on his hip, Havoc on his shoulders gripping his Daddy’s mohawk for security, and a lawn and leaf sized bag of presents tossed over his shoulder. Both twins were stunningly beautiful. They had deep, almost mahogany colored auburn hair. Their eyes had maintained their deep golden color outlined with a thin line of dark blue, and their features made them look like little cherubs.
“I am sure your ears have heard much worse, and your lips have been the speaker,” Delilah told him.
Maverik grinned, handing Jobe the bag of gifts and Hellen to Delilah.
Jobe took the bag over to the tree and started unloading it. The gifts were spread out at least four feet from the tree with everyone bringing gifts to place there in the last couple of days.
Maverik reached up to get Havoc off his shoulders, and the little boy dug his fists in. “Hey! Let go, boy!” Maverik said, tickling his son’s legs. Maverik moved his hands higher to grip Havoc’s hands and remove them from his hair, and Havoc snapped at him, his little teeth making clacking sounds.
“Damnit, what’d I tell you about biting?” Maverik asked, a proud grin on his face.
“Only bite if they really deserve it and you really mean it!” Remi shouted, running in to join the fun.
“That’s right! You hear him, Havoc? Do not bite the Daddy!” Then he looked at Remi. “Where’s your Mama, boy?”
“She’s cooking. Papa said I could come over and watched me cross the yard,” Remi answered. He looked up at Havoc. “Did you bite your Daddy? Mine would have bit me back. He’s done that before, but not too hard.”
Havoc giggled, snapped at Maverik again and swung his boot-covered feet.
“Stop, boy! Your sister ain’t biting nobody,” Maverik commented, watching Hellen share Delilah’s frosting covered spatula.
“Surely there wasn’t that much frosting left over from decorating that cake,” Maverik said.
“I didn’t decorate a cake. I just wanted frosting,” Delilah answered, her eyebrow raised, daring him to comment.
“Come along, Hellen, we will see if we can find something to smear the frosting on,” Delilah said, kissing Hellen’s cheek as she turned to go back in the kitchen.
“Knock, knock!” Amos called, opening the door and stepping back to allow Joanne to enter before him.
“Merry Christmas!” Joanne called. “I’ve brought goodies!” she said.
“And gifts for everyone,” Amos added, his arms filled with gift bags, each one holding a book — even the kids’ bags. Delilah’s gift was special. Kaid had asked Joanne to find a book on anesthesiology. Joanne had also bought several about pain response in the body and the reactions to several different drugs used in surgery. They were both excited to see her response when she opened their gifts.
“You brought ‘em?” Kaid asked.
“I did. She’ll be so excited,” Joanne answered.
Kaid grinned and hugged her. “Thank you, Joanne.” Then he turned to Amos. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Me, too, son. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Family, you know?” Amos answered, hugging Kaid affectionately.
“Oh, my! I can’t wait to hug all my babies,” Joanne said.
“Here you go. Barron’s ready for a hug,” Kaid said, sweeping him up and handing him to Joanne.
“My goodness! Aren’t you a big boy. I think you’ve grown since I saw you last,” Joanne said. “How’s his Bear and his fire getting along?” Joanne asked.
“Better. It’ll take time for him to learn to control it. I’m not sure he’s not the first Bear born with Dragon flames. If he’s not the first, he’s certainly one of few.” Kaid said, looking at his son affectionately. Then Kaid chuckled, “Goldy made him mad the other day. He’d gotten into the pantry and was sitting in the middle of a cloud of powdered confectioners sugar. Just going to to town, eating handfuls and licking his fingers. Goldy found him and scolded him and took away his sugar. When Goldy turned around to put what was left of the five pound bag of sugar on the table before picking up Barron and cleaning him up, Barron snarled at him and blew a flame at his butt. Singed his favorite pair of coveralls,” Kaid said, losing his voice in a fit of laughter.
Everybody laughed, even Remi snickered.
“Well, that’ll teach him to turn his back on the future alpha of this clan, won’t it?” Amos asked, laughing along with them.
Barron was a very big baby. Chubby and thick with multiple rolls of baby fat circling him. He was also a beautiful
baby with his father’s sandy blonde hair and his constantly flashing eyes. They were gold when he was calm, but irritate him and they slipped into the violet and ice blue of his mother’s Dragon. There they’d flash between the violet and blue until he calmed down. He was tall, too. He was going to be a big man. He looked at the lady holding him and immediately associated her with his Mama’s favorite place to snack. “Pie?” he asked, looking hopefully at Joanne and holding his hand out.
Kaid laughed. “He’s just like his Mama. He loves his pie.”
Joanne giggled. “I brought plenty,” she assured Barron.
The front door opened, and Bane stepped into the doorway to hold the screen door open. Janie was holding Daisy’s hand and hurrying through the door and out of the cold, sleety weather. Soon as she crossed the threshhold, Bane entered carrying Brandt in one arm on his hip with blankets wrapped around him — his thick, wavy, dark lock of hair curling and flipping over his forehead much like Elvis’s did and his dark eyes peeking out of the blankets.
“Well, look what we have here! It’s my sunshine and her baby brother!” Maverik said, using one hand to steady Havoc on his shoulders as he semi-leaned over to accept a hug from Daisy.
“And what are we?” Bane asked. “We’re here, too.”
“Yeah, I see ya,” Maverik answered teasingly, placing a kiss on Janie’s cheek as she hugged him hello.
Bane handed Brandt to Janie. “I’ll be right back, gonna get those dishes out of the truck,” he told her, kissing the tip of her nose. Brandt was mesmerized with the lights twinkling on the tree. “You see the lights? It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Janie asked Brandt while she bounced him and turned so he could get a better view of the tree
“You want some help?” Kaid asked.
“No, thank you. I got it, it’s not that much,” Bane answered. He opened the door to go out and ended up greeting Bam and Everly who were entering.
“Merry Christmas!” Bam’s deep, rich voice boomed out.
“And to you,” Bane answered, hugging first Everly, then Bam tight. “Gotta get a few more things out of the car.” He stood aside and held the door while Everly, cuddling Analise close to her chest beneath her coat, and Bam following with armloads of baby gear, hurried inside.
“You need help? I can drop these…” Bam said.
“Nope, make yourself comfortable,” Bane answered.
Everly looked around the room and decided that the best place for the babies was across the room where Janie and Maverik stood. “Right there, Bam. Where Janie is.”
“Okay, my Ever,” the always good-natured Bam replied, smiling happily as he dropped his armload of baby gear and started setting up. First he spread out a very fluffy, very soft blanket, then he topped it with a quilt. He reached for what looked like a tent bag and took out some hard plastic pieces and started putting them together, placing them around the perimeter of the pallet he’d made.
“What are you doing?” Maverik asked him.
“Making a baby safe playpen,” Bam answered.
“Looks like doggie gates.”
Bam stood back and looked at his creation once he’d finished. He nodded and laughed. “Yeah, kinda does. Hope it can withstand our crew, they’re a little more active than puppies.” Bam turned around and didn’t see Everly. “Ever? It’s ready, baby!”
Everly came back in from the kitchen carrying Analise. “Thank you, Bramley.”
Bam blushed at her calling him by his full name. He loved when she did that.
“You want to sit and play?” she asked Analise. Everly sat Analise in the middle of the play area they’d basically fenced off. Once Analise was settled, Everly took her coat and her hat off of her, which made her head full of thick, wild, red curls go crazy with static electricity.
Bane walked back through the living room with his arms loaded down with two different casserole dishes and a huge platter of brightly decorated Christmas cookies wrapped in plastic wrap.
“You want a Christmas cookie, sweetheart?” Bam asked his daughter.
Analise turned her huge green eyes on her Papa, and they lit up while she nodded her head, sending her curls bouncing.
Bam rushed to intercept Bane. “Hold up, ‘Lise wants a cookie.”
Bane paused so Bam could grab a cookie. Bane chuckled when Bam started to grab handfuls. “Just take the platter,” he laughed.
Bam smiled and took the platter from him, placing it on the coffee table before picking a few and taking them over to Analise so she could choose which one she wanted. Bam smiled when she chose the angel shaped cookie with the yellow hair, silver wings, and white and blue frosted dress. He’d been pretty sure that one would be her choice. Then, he offered the rest to the other kids in the room. Barron took two of them and ran around the room, shouting and waving his cookies in the air as he ate them. Havoc only took one, but happily munched his cookie while sitting on his Daddy’s shoulders and dropped crumbs in Maverik’s hair.
“You gonna stay up there all night?” Bam asked Havoc.
Havoc grinned a green-frosting stained smile at Bam and nodded while taking another bite of his Christmas-tree shaped and decorated cookie.
“You gonna have to come down to open presents later,” Bam said.
Havoc thought about it, and his gaze darted over to the tree that no one could get close to because of all the presents around it. Then he dug his free hand into Maverik’s mohawk again, causing Maverik to wince.
“That’s alright. He don’t get down now, I’m not letting him down later to open presents. I’ll just let Hellen have all his presents,” Maverik said matter-of-factly.
Havoc looked down at the top of his Daddy's head, then up at the tree again. Then he started to slide off Maverik’s shoulders, his arms held out to his Uncle Bam.
Bam took Havoc in his arms and snuggled him, and patted his little miniature mohawk styled head before setting him on his feet. Most days, Havoc took the hair gel to his mom to have her smooth his gorgeous auburn hair into a peak on top of his head like his Daddy's. Havoc walked over to the playpen Analise sat in and sticking his cookie in his mouth to hold it, promptly climbed right over the enclosure Bam had made and took a seat next to Analise.
Analise was a very petite, very dainty little girl. She had huge green eyes and a head full of red curls. Much like her inner Fox, she was shy and didn’t trust a lot of people. Havoc, however, she trusted completely. It had been that way since she was born. All the clan would be together having dinner or just relaxing. She’d get upset at something as simple as a tummy ache and Havoc would scoot and crawl his way over to her. Just having him near would calm her. She loved all her cousins, but the bond she shared with Havoc was special.
Havoc held out his cookie to offer her a bite. Analise leaned over and took a nibble. Havoc watched her for a minute before he returned his attention to the presents under the tree and went back to munching on his cookie.
Bane came back in from the kitchen, having helped get all the food Janie brought situated, and went straight to Janie and Brandt. Daisy was standing beside Bam, a cookie in her hand as she watched everything going on around her.
“Bant have a cookie?” she asked Bam.
“I don’t know if he can have one,” Bam said, looking to Janie.
“Let’s give him one of his teething biscuits. That way it will last a little while as he chews it, okay?” Janie said.
Daisy went right to Brandt’s diaper bag and took the box of teething biscuits out. She took them to her Mama who then opened them, took one out and gave her back the box. Janie handed Brandt the biscuit; he started gnawing on it happily as he gazed at the tree. She could have laid him on the pallet in the play area with the other kids, and he’d have been fine for a little while. But he was a very quiet child. He was more content to spend time alone or just with Daisy than with a big group of his cousins. He’d be okay for a bit, amused even, then he’d had enough and wanted to be alone again. So she took a seat and held him in her lap ins
tead.
Remi took the cookie that Bam handed him and went over to take a seat beside Brandt and Janie. “Hi, little dude,” he said, as the self-appointed oldest of the cousins.
Brandt looked up at Remi and smiled at him. “Hey! He likes me, he smiled at me,” Remi announced.
“It’s because you’re quiet when you talk to him. He likes it best when there’s not a whole lot of people giving him attention at one time,” Janie explained.
“He likes the quiet?” Remi asked.
“Yes, he does,” Bane confirmed.
“Just like you when you were little,” Bam said to Bane.
Bane looked at Bam. “Yes, I didn’t think about it, but I guess I kinda did.”
“We both did,” Bam said, smiling as he watched Remi quietly pointing out the different ornaments on the tree to Brandt, who seemed to be listening intently as he gnawed his teething biscuit.
“Daddy!” Hellen called, running down the hall toward the living room.
“I’m here!” Maverik answered, going toward her voice.
“Mama?” she asked.
“Mama’s coming, baby. She’s gonna call me when she’s ready.”
“Mama!” Hellen insisted.
“She’s taking a bath and relaxing, baby-girl. Give Mama a break. She’ll be here in a little bit,” Maverik said, watching Hellen go over to the coffee table, choose a cookie and climb into the play pen with Havoc and Analise.
On seeing Hellen climbing into the play pen with herself and Havoc, Analise gave a little squeal of happiness. Hellen slid down the inside of the ‘barriers’ supposedly keeping the kids in place and took a seat beside Analise.
“Valerie’s taking her time?” Kaid asked Maverik.
“Part of my Christmas present to her. Put in a jacuzzi tub. She’s laid back with a glass of wine luxuriatin’ in the bubbles. I grabbed the kids and presents and told her to let me know when she’s headed over.”
Vince's Place Page 28