Page 9 of Festive

So that is what I am going to do.

Be her friend because the closer I am to her, the better an eye I can keep on her.

CHAPTER THREE

SIX

Two Weeks Later

The club has been busy with business and trying to get everything running through the holiday season. With an unusual cold snap in our Houston winter, we’re having trouble with our distribution channels because of sleet and other problems on the road, requiring more inventive ways to move our product, Snow White.

But we are finding other options.

Sea shipping.

We know the NOLA guys use ships down the Mississippi, so we’re getting some help with our shit.

With all the chaos regarding our product, we haven’t had time to take in the holiday spirit, but today, I’ve told the club to put aside time to decorate the clubhouse.

I’ve got to think about the kids over the festive season, and even think through the chaos of shipments being caught in storms.

Amber has come into her own these last two weeks. The kids adore her, and though she seems to have formed quite a savior’s bond attachment to me, she is also connecting with everyone else, which is a relief.

Amber stands with the kids decorating the tree as I lean against the kitchen’s doorframe, watching Rebel and the other old ladies cooking up a storm. Their laughter and chatter mixed with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger swirl in the air. The smell is intoxicating, wrapping itself around the room like a cozy blanket, filling every corner with warmth. The ovens are humming, the countertops covered in flour, as they worktogether—hands dusted in sugar, cookies taking shape under their skilled fingers. There’s a real sense of holiday magic in the atmosphere, the kind of magic that can only be created in a home that is lived in and loved.

In a clubhouse like Defiance.

I can’t help but smile as I watch them, the familiar purr of the kitchen like a lullaby. There’s something about this time of year that hits me deep in my chest—something nostalgic, something comforting. The kids are running wild, their energy infectious, their laughter bouncing off the walls as they chase each other through the clubhouse. Their little feet pound down the hall, their voices rising in excitement. It’s like a rush of life pulsing through the area, filling it with that electric joy only the holidays can bring.

And then there’s Christmas morning—the chaos, the noise, the absolute fucking epicness of it all.

When the main room is packed to the brim with presents, wrapped in different colors and sizes, spilling over the floor, stacked high on the tables, the kids’ eyes light up as they tear into their gifts, the room charged with excitement. It’s not just the presents—it’s the laughter, the shouting, the festiveness of the morning—that makes it unforgettable. Watching their faces light up, seeing the joy in their eyes, it’s worth everything. It’s those moments that make the holiday season so damn special. Something I look forward to every year.

The fact I get to do this here, with my family, with my brother—it’s simply the best time of year.

“Hey, Pres… you wanna put the star on the tree?” Amber calls out, breaking me from my racing thoughts.

I glance over, seeing Kenna pout, and I smile at my daughter. “No… that’s Kenna’s job,” I reply, stepping over to the table where Wraith and Zero are working on paperwork.

Amber instantly sinks into herself. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.C’mon, Kenna, let’s show your dad how pretty this tree can be, huh?” she asks, instantly making Kenna beam in happiness once again.

“Daddy, watch,” Kenna calls out as Amber lifts her high. I make sure to focus all my attention on my eldest daughter and watch the moment that only comes around once a year—sometimes you need to stop and take in the small things.

Kenna places the star on top of the tree, and I start clapping. “Yeah. That’s my firefly!”

Kenna giggles, and Amber places her gently back on the floor. “I did it, Daddy.”

“Yeah, you did. And it looks beautiful, too, baby girl,” I tell her, then take a seat next to my big brother.

Kenna puffs out her chest with pride, then runs off to play with her cousins. The moment seemingly over before it began.

Zero chuckles under his breath, nudging me with his shoulder. “That kid’s gonna have you eating out the palm of her hand when she’s a teen. You know that, right?”

Snorting out a laugh, I roll my eyes in response as Amber walks over to me, her hips swaying probably a little more than necessary, so I turn to the paperwork on the table in front of me.

“Pres?” her soft voice chimes.

Glancing back up, her eyelashes bat, and I answer, “Yeah?”

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