Page 151 of The Renegade Billionaire
Sage runs up the porch steps, opens the door, and shouts, “She’s here.”
The interior of the inn falls dark a second later.
“Come on,” Sage says, waving wildly in my direction.
“Humor him.” Grey stuns me with a magnificent smile.
Not knowing what else to do, I allow Sage to lead me inside. Once he has me where he wants me, he counts to three.
Before I can adjust to the darkness, I’m blinded once again.
Christmas lights are everywhere I look. But it’s the ten-foot Murray cypress tree in the corner that has my heart stutter-stepping on my lungs. The scent of pine and cinnamon carries my imagination to what I always dreamed the holiday could be once I moved in with Pops and Grams. And even then, it was never like this.
Stockings hang on the mantel that’s decorated with snowman nutcrackers and snow globes that light up and spinglitter all around. Each stocking is embroidered with one of our names in gold lettering. There’s one for everyone, even Keela.
I peer down the hall. Every inch of the place has been decorated.
“How? Where did you get all this stuff?”
“Amazon,” Pops calls proudly. I move through the space and find him in the dining room that’s now open to the den.
“Oh my God. It’s all done.”
The intricate crown molding looks brand new. The floors are so shiny they reflect all the colored lights.
“Not all done.” Braxton stands in the doorway. “The first floor is done, but the furniture Elle picked out won’t be here for a couple of weeks.”
The den is packed full of camping mattresses and sleeping bags. A quick count tells me there’s nine of them, and a twin cot is pushed up against one wall.
“What’s going on here?”
“We’re making new memories,” Braxton says.
“It was all his idea.” Elle walks in the door, wearing Keela, with Clover following behind, carrying a bunch of bags.
My lungs feel tight, and my chest flutters as though it’s about to have a panic attack. “What do you mean? What’s happening here?”
“Everyone you care about is here, Madison.” The warmth in Braxton’s tone makes my heartbeat feel heavy against my chest. “Everyone who loves you wants to start a new tradition, create new memories, here with you.”
“We’re all sleeping here? Over there?”
“That’s right,” Cian grumbles. “Instead of sleeping in my king-sized bed, we’re going to cram onto thin little mattresses and wake you all up every two hours when Keela cries.”
Elle swats him in the gut.
He grunts. “And we’re so happy to do it.”
“But why?” My chin wobbles, but I have no hope of controlling it.
“Because from here on out, holidays will mean more than what we’ve lost.” Braxton watches from across the room, and I feel his gaze tracking every inhale I take. “They’ll be a celebration of life and love. Ace wanted me to find happiness in Happiness, Georgia. And I’m going to spend every day making sure those I love experience it too.”
“Aw, mate. Ya love us. How sweet,” Cian teases. “Where’s the eggnog?”
It’s as if that one question puts the party in motion. People move all around me while I’m still trying to catch up.
Elle and Clover set up some sort of folding crib in the den while Grey hands out mugs of eggnog and spiked cider—he’s definitely been imbibing in his creations for some time. Sage finishes hanging the garland that Pops was working on, and I can hear Savvy banging around in the kitchen, so I finally snap out of it and go to help her.
The kitchen…
