Page 44 of Garr

“Alvin has a wife and children now. He makes sure they’re safe every night,” said Garr.

“I’m dreaming this, aren’t I? None of this is real,” said Jonas.

“It’s all real,” laughed Macie. “You’ll find that everything at Belle Fleur is very special. Especially on Christmas Eve.” She nodded toward Luke, Gaspar, and some of the others surrounding a familiar man in a red suit.

“Whoa, he’s cool looking,” smiled Jonas. “He looks just like Santa Claus. Where did you find him?”

“He’s mine,” smiled Irene, walking by the group. She had a large thermos in one hand and a clear plastic food container in the other, filled with sandwiches and cookies. She walked up to the Santa, kissing his cheek.

“Will you be okay, Pops? There’s a lot of craziness happening out there. We can go with you if you like,” said Gaspar.

“No need,” he smiled. “I have two new helpers this year.” Behind Matthew were his two helpers, and the team smiled at Jonathon and Grip, both wearing dark green velvet elf costumes. Somehow, he’d gotten their warrior, Grip, into an elf costume, and he’d never looked happier.

“Be careful, Grandpa,” said Luke, hugging his grandfather. For a change, he kissed his forehead, and Matthew laughed a deep, guttural laugh.

“So, is he going to be on the boat?” asked Samson.

“No,” smiled Garr. “He won’t be on the boats.”

Samson stared at the scene as the man in the red suit and his very large, very muscular elves followed him. There seemed to be a haze of gold dust behind them. But that couldn’t be real. Could it?

“Alright, now,” said Irene. “Let’s go. We got food inside. We need to get this parade done so Garr and Macie can get married tonight.”

“Wait, you’re in the middle of all of this and you’re about to get married?” frowned Samson.

“I guess we forgot to tell you that,” said Garr. “One of the reasons we went after Brockman was because of the shooting at Canal Mall. Macie was caught in the middle of it, which obviously pissed us off.”

Samson nodded with a pained smile, and Garr gripped his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t realize that this could be painful for you,” said Garr.

“No. No, it’s wonderful to see you both happy. I remember feeling that way. It’s been five years, but I still feel the pain. I buried myself in work to try and forget it all, but nothing actually worked. To be honest, this is the most alive I’ve felt in a long time.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” smiled Garr.

A young woman walked toward them, her silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes smiling at them. She set down bowls of gumbo and plates of cornbread.

“Mama Irene said y’all would be hungry,” she grinned. “Macie, your mama is waiting for you to do a final fitting of your dress at the big house.”

“Thank you, Khloe,” said Garr. “Oh, Khloe, this isJonas Samson. Jonas, this isKhloe Jones. She attended our school and returned to us recently.”

“Your school?” he frowned.

“There’s a school here at Belle Fleur for children who are orphans, most of whom were rescued by these men,” smiled the young woman. “I was seventeen when I was kidnapped to be sold into a trafficking ring. Garr’s father, Wade, was the one who carried me out of there and brought me here. I received medical treatment, counseling, and the best education a girl could have asked for.”

“That’s wonderful. He said you returned. Where were you?” he asked with interest.

“Oh, I’ve been attending medical school. I’ll be joining the medical staff here starting in the new year. I’m a doctor of internal medicine.”

“A doctor,” grinned Jonas. “That’s wonderful. You should feel so proud of yourself.”

“I am, thank you. If you’d like a tour of the grounds later, it’s beautiful all lit up for the holidays.”

“Oh,” he said, looking from her to Garr. Garr nodded at him with a smirk. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d love that.”

“Great. I’ll find you after the parade. Great to meet you, Jonas.”

“Great to meet you,” he said quietly as she walked away. Jonas realized he was the eye of everyone’s attention and turned, grinning at the men.

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