Page 139 of Patching Over

“How do you want to exchange gifts?” I ask. “I’m good either way.”

“Maybe some of them stay up here for Christmas morning, just us?” she questions.

“I’d like that,” I reply.

“Did you see Rory’s cat, Sassy, when we came upstairs tonight?”

“No, I wasn’t paying attention,” I admit. I was too busy watching the sway of Belle’s hips to notice what anyone else was doing.

“She was up in the tree and sound asleep! I thought Rory was going to have a heart attack,” she says, giggling.

“You about ready for bed, babe?” I ask, more interested in another activity besides watching her wrap.

She smirks at me while nodding. After carefully moving everything off the bed, I watch as she crawls toward me. “Now, what did you have in mind, honey?” she asks, her voice husky with need.

“Let me show you.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Belle

“Best.Day.Ever!” I exclaim, flopping face first onto the bed. Jingles lands right next to me, his arm curling around my waist. My leather-bound waist, I might add, seeing as I have my very own ‘Property of Jingles’ cut covering it right now.

“It was a good day, babe. Not sure your brother appreciated being pummeled with snowballs, but I gotta admit, I laughed my ass off,” he says. “Thank you for my new leathers, Belle.”

“I noticed yours were looking a little on the worn side when we were moving me down here,” I admit. “Tony took me to the Harley store when you were working earlier in the week so I could pick them up.”

“Do you think everyone else had fun?” I ask, my mind specifically on Moira. She never engaged in anything all day long. Hell, even the club girls and prospects got in on the snowman making competition. Rael won, but just barely.

“I think everyone who wanted to enjoy themselves did so,” he carefully replies. I know why; he’s afraid I’ll get mad if he says something against Moira.

The problem is, I’m already angry. At her. There are people who are trafficked and treated far more heinously than she was who manage to move on with their lives. Moira, however, is stuck despite the work that Dragon and Wrecker did on her.

Rolling so I’m facing him, I cup his whisker-roughened cheek in my hand. “I know who you mean, and I’m going to tell you this much, I’m disappointed in her. She’s not even trying, Jingles, and I don’t understand why.”

“I don’t either, babe,” he says, leaning in to kiss me. “So, I know I gave you your cut, but I wanted to ask you something. Well, tell you something, and also ask you something else, that is.”

“What’s that?” I question. “You’ve already given me more than I could’ve ever hoped for, honey.”

“Belle, I love you. Are you willing to be Jingles’ Belle until we draw our last breath?”

As my eyes fill with tears hearing the sincerity in his voice, all I can do is nod because the lump in my throat is too large to say anything. After a few attempts of clearing my throat, I reply, “I love you more, Jingles, and yes, until we draw our last breath.”

The End… for now

EPILOGUE

Moira

“Bad girls who don’t keep quiet get punished.” He may be dead, but Bert’s voice and the threat behind it has kept me from saying a word to anyone.

Even with the help that Dragon and Wrecker gave me.

Even knowing my best friend is growing angry with me.

Even having physically healed from the abuse heaped upon me.

---