Page 16 of Selah's Wish

“Where are the kids?” I ask, not worried about their whereabouts, just curious.

“With Dragon and Laney. They’re snuggled in their cabin with them. When I left, they had hot chocolate in hand and were laying in front of their fake indoor fireplace. There were talks of animated holiday movies, popcorn, and making a gingerbread house.”

“Lucky man,” I say, referring to Dragon. Unlike me, he bows down when it comes to this holiday shit and has accepted it as a way of life that thankfully, only rolls around once a year.

“One day, Butcher, you're gonna tell me why Christmas bothers you so much,” she insists. And one day I will, maybe today, but for now, the mountainous roads are calling my name.

“One day,” I parrot, lifting her up in my arms and marching through the snow toward the shed that houses my motorcycle. We won’t be going for a long ride, I don’t know these roads well enough in the wintertime to avoid black ice, but the fact that they’ve been sanded helps ease my concern.

“It’s beautiful,” Selah says, admiring the view. We found a nice layout with a spectacular backdrop and stopped to take in the sights. Hands roamed which led to other things, and now, we’rebutt ass naked with a blanket I had stored in my saddlebag wrapped around us as we watch the snow drift from the sky.

It’s chilly, but our body heat is helping us keep warm. I bury my head in the nape of her neck and decide now’s the time to give her a piece of me she’s been longing for.

“When I was ten, Dad got laid off. Things were tight, and we came close to starving. Whereas in the Christmas pasts, we had a buttload of presents under the tree, the lack of gifts that year is not what ruined it for us. It was the tears that settled in my mom’s eyes that stayed there for the entire day, and the desolated look in my dad’s saying he felt like a failure. They didn’t have the heart to play carols in the background and dance to them like they always did, instead, they tiptoed around one another. The three of us could care less that we got underwear and socks for presents and our stockings were basically bare, consisting of apples, oranges, and a bottle of water. We only wanted them to be happy. The tension between them was like a powder keg waiting to be detonated. That’s when their relationship went from loving to tolerable. It broke a part of us when it came to celebrating the holidays that we never recovered from.”

“Oh, Butcher. I’m sorry,” Selah whispers. “That must’ve been traumatic for you as a kid. Did they stay together after that?”

Digging my nose deeper into her neck, I answer, “They stayed together until the day they died. They took their marital vows seriously. They didn’t cheat on one another, they just never healed from the disappointment and the financial struggle. They never danced around the house, they didn’t cook supper together, they didn’t go out on dates, they simply existed in the same house.”

“So Christmas brings you nothing but sad memories,” she concludes.

Shame swamps me as I tell her, “I get twitchy when the holiday season approaches. Always watching and waiting for the shoe to drop. I fear that the day will come that somehow, I'll let you and the kids down. It's always in the back of my mind because if it could happen to my parents, it could happen to us. To me. I can’t lose y’all, Selah.”

“We’re not going anywhere, Butcher. We may not have said vows in front of a preacher, but you have me and the kids for better or worse. Thick and thin, biker man, we’ll be a family. If the time comes when Christmas resembles the one you experienced, we’ll still dance and celebrate. Together. Money keeps the lights on, but it doesn’t keep the house warm. I’m sorry your folks let something as mundane as money separate them, but I grew up in a way where that’s not something that’ll keep me from loving you. Money is just paper, love is everlasting. I’d take you over financial security any day of the week.”

“Fuck. I love you, woman,” I say, kissing her shoulder.

“And I love you more than words can say,” she rebuts, leaning back into my chest. “You can’t get rid of me, Butcher. You’re stuck with me and my love until the end of time.”

“Best Christmas present I could ask for, Lah.”

“And you’ll get it every year from here to eternity. My love for you is infinite, Butcher. I’ll even gift wrap it for you if you ever forget.”

“Yes. That means I can unwrap it underneath the tree,” I tease, moving her head sideways with my fingers, plastering my lips to hers.

This is the day where I start learning how to love Christmas again. With her guidance and perseverance, there’s no room for failure.

THIRTEEN

Selah

“It’s been confirmed,”I announce to the top tier men of the Imperial Knights, who are sitting around a circular table in the common room. It’s been a week since I told them that my man at the post office was going to do some digging, and he came through for us in a big way.

“Now that Kemp has been confirmed, we just have to figure out a way to have someone get into the Cedar Creek box,” Dragon states.

“Done,” I tell them with an ear splitting smile on my face. “My guy, Ambrose, has a brother, Antonio, who works at the Cedar Creek facility, and they sent me snapshots with the proof needed that my assumptions were right.”

“Now that those documents have been revealed and we know their location, it’s time to get your sister away from that piece of shit and bring her here,” Brick declares. “I’ve had a hard time knowing an innocent woman has been playing the red herringrole and putting herself at risk while having hands put on her in the meantime.”

“And take him down once she’s been secured,” Butcher adamantly demands.

“That’s the end game,” Wrecker declares. “Selah, any luck finding out who’s in his back pocket?”

“Yep, and I have definitive proof that’ll take them down alongside him,” I declare.

“Is leaking that information to the town’s chief high enough, or do we need to go higher up on the chain?” RiffRaff inquires. “I have no problems whatsoever walking into the station and personally delivering it to him. But if he’s not on the up and up, I’m not handing jack shit to him.”

“I’m still on the fence about him,” I admit.

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