Page 24 of Hacker Christmas

Daisy and I both let out a chuckle, and we spent the rest of the night making love. Life could not have gotten any better.

12

Daisy

The warm cup of hot chocolate felt good in my cold hands. Two days had passed since I’d heard James’s voice and saw Aaron knock him on his ass. It was the best and worst night of my life. Having to relive a part of my past sucked, but the night I spent with Aaron and Neal would hold a place in my heart.

I shifted on the designer couch I’d had my ass plastered to for the last two hours as I watched my men come down the mountain. Annabella decided at the last minute to join us in Denver for Christmas. She never spoke about her past or her soon-to-be husband, and the tabloids had never talked about her family. If she wanted to discuss it, I would listen.

The morning before we left, she came to Aaron’s house. I asked if she wanted to fly to Denver and spend the holidays with us. She immediately said no because she didn’t want to intrude on our Christmas. That was when Aaron let out a secret he had been harboring. On Christmas Day, everyone planned to fly in and spend the rest of the week with us.

I couldn’t wait for Annabella to meet Jessica, Bridget, and Sophie. I heard Aaron talk about his love of skiing, and I knew Neal had never been before. I told them to go. They didn’t want to leave me alone, so when Annabella said she would stay with me while they skied, Aaron and Neal both worked fast to get ready.

I would’ve loved to have gone with them, but I didn’t want to chance a fall. I’d already dealt with enough stress. The ski resorta mile from Aaron’s house was breathtaking. Aaron had built his cabin on the mountain that Neal and Aaron skied down. He told me it was a private ski resort, and the owners had given him a plot of land when he bought into it.

I’d seen money when I lived out in Hollywood, and his place wasn’t a cabin, even though that’s what he called it. When I thought of a cabin, I pictured a one-bedroom log home with a fireplace. His cabin was a six-thousand-square-foot home decked out with all the latest gadgets. The back deck had a hot tub with a view of the valley between the mountains.

If the members didn’t want to build a house, they stayed at the state-of-the-art ski lodge that overlooked the mountain trails, and Annabella and I had been in the lodge since the men went out to ski. We sat in front of a warm fire and watched out the window.

Powdery snowflakes fell and made it feel like Christmas. In the corner, a ten-foot Christmas tree was decked out in gold and silver ornaments. It made me think about the tree at our penthouse. I couldn’t wait to decorate the tree with my men and kids.Kids—I still can’t believe I’m pregnant with twins.

Without realizing it, I rubbed my flat stomach.

“Are you excited for the twins?”

“I’m so excited. We still have so much to figure out in our relationship before the twins come. I hope we can sit down and figure everything out after the holidays. I don’t know if we’ll get married. Whose name do I put on the birth certificate? And how the hell can I stop Aaron from buying every toy he sees online? I’m scared to see what the penthouse will look like when we get back.”

That morning, I caught him ordering a set of blankets on Amazon. Neal wasn’t helping either—every time he saw something online, he would show it to Aaron, and then Aaron would buy it. Aaron and Neal’s Amazon shopping habit was worse than mine.

“At least they want to help. Some men don’t care what happens when a woman gets pregnant.” Annabella shook her head.

“I love that they want to help, but it’s sometimes a little much with those two. But I love them more than anything. Tell me about your soon-to-be husband.”

Annabella pulled the fuzzy white blanket off the side of the couch and draped it over her body. “I don’t even know where to start.”

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. “The beginning would be the best place.”

Annabella took a long sip of her wine. Since she wasn’t pregnant, she’d ordered a bottle of white wine for herself. “Nate needs me to marry him to help get control of his father’s company. I’ve known him for years. He was there for me when I was younger and dealing with my deadbeat mom. When he asked if I would help, I agreed. There is nothing between Nate and me—he swings for the other team. So I’m doing him a favor.”

“Loaning someone money is a favor. Marrying someone so they can acquire a company is next level. There has to be another way. Let me ask my boss, Brock.”

“I appreciate your concern, but you won’t change my mind. Now, let’s talk about the feast we’re going to cook tomorrow for Christmas. Growing up, I had this one foster family that celebrated Christmas with a big dinner, then everyone sat around the tree and opened gifts. It was the best year of my life.”

Like Aaron, I was excited for Christmas this year. I couldn’t wait. I took the last swig of my hot chocolate. I couldn’t believe I drank it that fast, but it was delicious and even had mini marshmallows. “Aaron wanted to have the meal tomorrow catered, but I stopped him. I think between all of us, we can figure out what to cook. I looked in his fridge, and someone already stocked it with everything we need. We don’t need a chef. It will be more fun to cook together.”

I hoped it would be fun and that we wouldn’t end up needing to order pizza because we burned the food. I gazed out the window and watched as the snow came down more heavily. The visibility had decreased. In the corner, a large TV played the weather channel, and a woman was talking about a blizzard on its way toward Denver. I hoped our friends from Ft. Lauderdale would still make it in tomorrow, but if not, I knew the four of us would have fun.

“I agree with the no chef. We got this. It’s not as if Aaron doesn’t have connections. If need be, someone will come to bail us out, and we won’t go hungry.” She shook her head. “Those men would never let you go hungry. I’m still surprised Aaron is letting you cook. He’sscared everything you do will hurt the babies.”

We’d had a long conversation about that two nights before. I wanted my dom, but he worried the babies could get hurt. The three of us came to an understanding. If I thought something would hurt the babies, I would say a safe word. Everything outside the bedroom was purely up to me—I knew what I could and couldn’t do safely. “I think Aaron and Neal worry. They’ll get better.”

Her lips curled into a slight smile. “Those men worship the ground you walk on. They might act like they’re lightening up, but they will find a way to make sure you are okay at all times. Damn, I had given up on men until I saw the way Neal and Aaron treat you.”

I leaned forward and set the mug on the table. “This is why you shouldn’t marry Nate. You will find someone. If you would let me help, I have the perfect man for you. He might not be the sexiest guy in the world, but he would worship the ground you walk on, and that is the most important thing. And he would never be after your money.”

“I know looks aren’t important. I dated a handsome man, and it was the worst mistake of my life. I need to do this for Nate. I owe him,” she said with a sigh, as though the words she spoke were a howl. “When the commitment is over with Nate, I might take you up on your offer.”

I couldn’t hold back my grin. “I won’t bring it up again.” It didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to set her up without knowing. Since I’d met Aaron and Neal, I’d wanted everyone to be happy.

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