Page 66 of Santa's Pucking Hat Trick

Wes added, “We couldn’t have won without you either. Even though you weren’t there.”

Sawyer nodded, his gaze never leaving mine. “It sounds cheesy, but it’s just true. Michael whipped us into shape after we bombed the first period because we were all so useless without you.”

Affection flowed through me at the thought. “So I have my twin to thank for the caroling show?”

“No way,” Roman said. “That was my idea.”

I laughed again, the tears finally starting to subside, when my thoughts started to un-jumble enough for me to ask the question they’d already answered. I needed the words, the reassurance of hearing them say it.

“Do you really mean it?” I asked, stepping closer to them, further into the yard. “About…aboutourbaby?”

“Of course we do,” Sawyer said. “We don’t give a damn about biology, Rach. That kid is yours, so it’s all of ours. Besides,” he said, almost shy as he ducked his head, then looked back up at me with his eyes glistening. “I always wanted to be a dad. I just never thought I’d get to, after my divorce. You’re making my dream come true, sweetheart. And that’s only one of the many reasons why I love you.”

Oh, my poor soft, pregnant heart. I threw myself into Sawyer’s arms, hugging him tightly for a long, weepy moment. When I pulled back, Roman was looking at me, smiling crookedly.

“I love you too, you know. Never thought I’d actually say that to a woman, or that I’d want to settle down long enough to fall for one. I sure as hell never thought I’d be stoked about having a baby. But you were the key to all of it, Rachel, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I love you too,” I whispered, but before I could throw myself into his arms too, Wes stepped forward.

“You know I love you, Rachel,” he told me softly. “I’ve loved you since we were kids, and now…Christ, you made me lovemyself.”

That sentiment had me practically sobbing again. The guys all surrounded me, gently laughing as they enveloped me in their warmth. I hadn’t noticed until now that I was freezing, standing out here in the cold. And just as the thought hit me, the first snowflakes started to fall.

We ended up inside the guest house, each of my three men not wanting me to freeze outside. Their protectiveness came out about the baby too. When we were safe and warm in my bedroom, they stripped off my cardigan and my T-shirt, leaving my belly exposed.

One by one, each of them came to kiss the mound, showing me and our baby how much they loved us. Last was Sawyer, hisauburn hair shining in the moonlight that filled the room, his silent tears starting to fall.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I whispered to each of my three men. They said it back each time, starting to show me with their bodies just how true it was as we basked in the glow of the moonlight and snow, hands exploring, clothes coming off. “I love you,” I repeated, unable to say anything else as they brought me pleasure like they had so many times before. Making love to me on the plush bed, on Christmas Eve—this was the only gift I wanted. “God, I love you all so much.”

I’d say it again, and again, and again by the time the night was through.

EPILOGUE: RACHEL

ONE CHRISTMAS LATER

I felt like I hadn’t experienced the true magic of the holidays since I was a child and learned Santa wasn’t real. But this year, there was twice the joy, twice the feeling of childlike wonder, as I watched my own son find that holiday spirit for the first time. Through my baby boy’s eyes, I felt it all again—better even, with his fathers and the rest of our family by my side.

“Careful, Theo,” I said to my almost toddler as he tore through the wrapping paper on one of his presents. It was clear to me what was inside the package, and it was a bit unwieldy for his little hands. “We wouldn’t want to break one of Gigi’s knickknacks just yet. You’ll have plenty of time to get in all kinds of trouble when you’re older.”

“And when it’s not Christmas,” Roman agreed, coming up behind the sofa where Theo and I sat and handing me a fresh mug of cocoa. The mini marshmallows on top were arranged in a shape that was suspiciously phallic, and I shot him a scolding look even as I couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“My grandson would never get in trouble in my house,” my mom, who preferred her grandma nickname these days, piped up.

“What, did you waste all of your discipline skills on the two of us?” Michael asked with an incredulous laugh. He looked at me, his bright grin matching my own. “No fair.”

“I’m sure she’ll be just as much of a pushover with your kids whenever they come along,” I reassured him with a wink. I noticed that Violet ducked her gaze away, and Michael squeezed her closer to him with the arm he had hooked around her waist. They’d already told me their big news, but I was anxious for them to let the rest of the family in on the secret today. I started to try and get Michael’s attention, hoping we could tap into our childhood twin telepathy so I could nag him to quit stalling and tell them about the baby,but then Theo was giggling and waving his new child-sized hockey stick in the air and I got distracted as Wes swooped in to keep him from knocking over the array of festive mugs on the coffee table.

“Whoa,” Mrs. Robbins laughed, scooping up her mug of cocoa to keep it out of the crossfire. “Careful, buddy! Granny’s cocoa has a little something extra in it, and I don’t think Gigi will appreciate the whiskey smell all over her nice carpet.”

My mom exchanged a faux-scandalized look with my mother-in-law, and the two friends laughed. Wes and his mother had fit right in with our family just like they had all those years ago, and I was grateful to call all of these people mine.

“Hey, let him play! My nephew is gonna need to practice if he’s gonna be the next big Santas’ star,” Michael boasted. “We’ve gotta get started on his hat tricks ASAP.”

Wes and Sawyer were both helping our son with his new present, guiding his chubby little fists to grip the stick in the correct way. Sawyer let out a snort.

“Give the kid some time to figure out whathelikes before you indoctrinate him, Mike. Maybe he’ll wanna be an astronaut.”

“Weallgot him the hockey stuff, dude,” Roman rebutted. “You were stoked as hell when you found a stick in his size. Don’t act like you’re not hoping he’ll follow in his dads’ footsteps too.”

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