Page 100 of Total Shutdown

I burst out laughing and race toward him. We already wished each other a merry Christmas over the phone, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to steal a quick kiss.

I tip my chin up at the ceiling, mistletoe hanging from the roof. “How about a quick?—”

Instantly, I’m wrapped in his big bearlike arms, the safety and comfort of them daring me to fall a little harder for my boyfriend.

“Ewww! Okay, okay, can you stop kissing now? You guys are so uncool and gross sometimes,” Ezra announces, throwing in a gag to accentuate his point.

I spin around to face him, Sawyer’s arms draped over my shoulders. “I guess you won’t want your ‘uncool and gross’ gift then, will you?”

He perks up at that, leaping straight to his feet and setting the microfiber on the wooden dresser at the back of my garage. “No, I definitely want the gift.” He smiles wryly. “Did you guys get me a black CVO?”

I scoff and look up at Sawyer. “No, I got you a present myself. And when you see it, I think you might take back what you said about me being uncool.”

Sawyer hums in agreement, setting a kiss on top of my head. “I think he definitely will, Baby Girl.”

I shrug out from under his arms and head over to the back, pulling a large, flat gift wrapped in blue paper from the top of a storage chest.

Sawyer comes to stand by Ezra. He has zero clue what it is, but clearly has faith in my gift-buying abilities.

I hand it to Ezra, who hesitates for all of half a second before tearing into the tissue paper.

“Oh.” He turns the white box around in his hands, still no clue what I got him.

“Open it up then,” I urge him, way too excited myself.

“Wait.” He pauses when he starts to register what it is. “Is this …”

He slides the sign all the way out and drops the empty box to the floor, frantically pushing back the bubble wrap. “Is this …” he yells.

“It is!” I squeak. “I figured it would look so cool in your bedroom!”

He doesn’t say anything, wrapping his free arm around my waist, holding me tight. I swear my heart inflates until it’s pressing against my rib cage.

“What does it say?” Sawyer asks, taking the sign from Ezra. “BikerBryce.”His voice softens to a whisper. “Collins, this is really sweet of you.”

“Best gift ever,” Ezra confidently confirms, finally releasing his arm and giving me the chance to show him his second gift.

In an attempt to hide it, I deliberately kept myBikerCollinssign off when they arrived. And as I flick it on, a replica of the sign I just gave him also lights up, and Ezra looks from me to the illuminated wall.

“You put me on your wall! Like as a partner?”

I nod and tip my head up to look at them, situated perfectly next to each other in neon blue and red. “I did. Bikers for life.”

* * *

I’m winning at Monopoly,and it’s really fucking awkward.

Alyssa and Dom went bust around an hour ago, and both retreated to the couch to read, which is probably the safest place to be right now because I have two bratty boys sitting opposite me.

“Go to jail! Again?!” Ezra huffs, petulantly throwing his arms out.

I grimace when Sawyer throws a six and lands on Park Place.

“That’s …” I calculate how much he owes.

Mirroring his son, he sits back in his chair, grumbling, “It’s way more than I can afford, is what it is.”

I fight back the urge to laugh. I might be falling hard for this man, but winding him up is still my favorite thing to do. “I do offer competitive mortgage rates, if that’s a viable option for you?”

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