Page 36 of Claiming the Shifter's Heart

“Whiskey? I have a bottle of Bite somewhere around here,” Michael asked, and Kris nodded.

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Ooh, and how about music?” Samantha said, she winked at Della then used her cell phone to connect to one of the several wireless speakers in the room.

“Uh, what the heck is this?” Kris murmured as the sounds of opera came streaming through.

“It’s Puccini! The music of love,” Samantha said, mouth open and grin on her face.

“Well, for some, it might be. But here, let me see that,” Kris said, and took her offered phone.

Smiling as he perused the selection, he hit play and turned to Della as a familiar tune began. She gasped, her cheeks turned pink as her gaze raced to all the adults in the room.

“You told him!” Della accused Samantha, who was shaking her head and giggling so hard she actually snorted.

“Told who what?” Michael asked, returning to the room with a bottle ofHoliday Bite, the red label, and four squat glasses. “Oh my fuck, is this Rick Astley? I love this song!”

Della and Samantha both stopped their play fighting and stood stunned as Kris and Michael started belting outTogether Foreverat the top of their lungs.

“Someone make it stop!” Maya shouted, grinning from her position in the doorway.

Della noticed the teenager was recording both idiot males on her smartphone. Would serve them right if she used it later on as blackmail.

“That’s not Christmas music, Dad! This is,” Sean said.

Her sweet little boy smirked mischievously as he took Samantha’s phone and played his favorite carol,I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

Later that night, as they tucked the kids in bed, Kris stopped by Sean’s bed last. But the little boy wasn’t sleeping yet.

“Dad?” he asked, and Kris’ heart squeezed like it did every time he called him that. “What’s up, Buddy?”

“I’m worried about Janie.”

“What are you worried about?” he asked, aware of his mate standing behind him.

“I used both our letters to Santa to ask for a dad for Christmas. Now I think she’ll be sad if there are no gifts under the tree,” he whispered and clutched his hands together.

“Hey, don’t you worry about that. I’m one of Santa’s helpers, remember? And I promised you a good Christmas.”

“Okay! Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy!”

Kris guided a worried-looking Della out of the room, and she shook her head.

“Kris, you shouldn’t have said that to him. I was only able to get them a few things this year with the move and all,” she said frantically now as she thought about how disappointed Sean was going to be in the morning.

“Do you trust me, mate?” Kris asked, pulling her down the hall.

“Yeah, but—oh my God!I didn’t even notice when we walked in. But when, how did you do this?” she asked, covering her gasp as he pulled on a dark blanket that had been hiding a pile of presents beneath their cookie decorated tree.

“When you sent me out to the store twice. Oh, and there’s something there for you too, Mama,” he said, biting his lip and pointing to the tiny box on top.

“Kristoff,” she whispered, sounding breathless and sexy as hell.

“You claimed my heart the second I saw you. It took a while, but I’ve given you my bite. Now, I want to give you my name,” he said, dropping to his knees and opening the box.

“Oh, Kris.”

“Is it a yes, Sweet Girl? Will you marry me?”

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