Page 185 of His Boys to Protect

Skylar went still, then let out a quiet chuckle as he shook his head. “Okay. Fine.”

Charlie silently watched them throughout the exchange, glancing from one to the other. “Hhnn?”

“Hey, little mouse,” Ward murmured. “Everything's okay.”

We move?Charlie asked.

Instead of answering, Ward looked at Skylar.

And Skylar laughed. “Yes. We're moving.”

Ward grinned.

Charlie bounced and squeaked.Yes! Yes! New house! New house!

“There'll be a lot to do,” Ward reminded him, “but it can be done. If we all work really hard, we can be here to celebrate Christmas.”

Charlie gasped. Christmas! They'd need to get a tree! And decorations! He looked all around, bouncing in place as he imagined it. Everything would be so pretty! They could put up lights and stockings and all sorts of other things.

“Can we really do it?” Skylar asked. “Get married and be here by Christmas?”

“If you want it,” Ward said.

Skylar swallowed hard. “I do. Oh fuck. I really do. I don't wanna wait.”

“Then we'll make it happen,” Ward said, grabbing their hands. “We'll pick a date for the wedding–”

“Christmas Day,” Skylar gushed. “No! Christmas Eve. That way, we can all wake up together on Christmas, married.”

Ward got teary-eyed. “Christmas Eve,” he murmured, nodding. “Charlie? That sound okay with you?”

Charlie didn't have to think about it. He eagerly agreed, then pointed at the far corner of the living room.Need tree!

Ward laughed. “Okay. We'll get a tree. So we're doing this? All of it?”

Skylar nodded, and Charlie joined him.

“Okay,” Ward said with a grin. “Let's make it happen.”

They locked up the house, got into the truck, and headed back to Living in Zin. When they got there, Charlie stood back and watched as Ward talked to John. After a few minutes, the two men smiled and shook hands. Charlie gasped, bouncing with excitement. They could move in! He couldn't wait!

But there was so much to do. They were going to need a list. Ward didn't have much furniture, so Charlie was prettysure they could empty out his apartment over the weekend. Or, at least, the important things. The bed and the coffee machine, for sure. But then Charlie would have to go back to his parents' house and figure out how to pack his stuff so it could be moved, too.

And then Christmas! Charlie wanted a tree so much. They could pick it together and decorate!

As for the wedding, they spent the rest of the day discussing plans. They wouldn't be able to legally marry. Not all three of them. But they could still have a ceremony. A part of Charlie wanted to do it all correctly, with suits and cake and music and flowers, but it sounded so overwhelming. Skylar said he didn't care about any of that, so long as they could make promises to each other. And Ward had already done the big wedding, even if it had never come to fruition. So they decided to keep things simple. Quiet. Just them, dressed comfortably, with whatever friends as could come to witness it.

But Charlie knew a wedding was important. It meant forever. It meant promises to stick together, no matter what happened.

He wanted those promises to be done the right way. Wanted to show Ward and Skylar that he understood just how serious this was. Commitment. Lifelong vows. All of it.

Charlie thought about that all weekend while they emptied Ward's apartment. Even his brother, along with the rest of Dakota's men, had dropped everything to help them. With all the extra hands, it got done so quickly! They still had to unpack the boxes and arrange the furniture, but Charlie couldn't wait for all that. He had to snag this moment while he had the chance, while he and Dakota could sneak aside where nobody could see or hear them.

Help, he signed.

“Help?”

Charlie nodded, then quickly signed what he needed.

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