Page 37 of The Twelve Knots of Christmas
Fine. Nothing would be fuckingfineuntil I saw Mariska again.
Yesterday I had wanted to throw her into my truck and knot her right then and there. Taking Eloise and Mariska’s friend with us to have a fun night was a good plan. Mariska was more relaxed and there was a lot of laughter. Plus the women told me all sorts of things about Mariska that she wouldn’t give up so easily herself.
Giving her a kiss on the forehead had left me as hard as hell, and I had to stop in the darkness of the back roads before I even got back to the farm to jerk off with her luscious scent still fresh on me.
A vehicle turned the corner into the lot, and my heart beat faster to see it was Lucian’s truck. “Finally.”
Jasper downed the rest of his coffee and tossed the cup into a nearby bin. I waved to Lucian, so he could see where we were parked and to hurry his ass up. As they neared, I could see my mom in the middle between Lucian and Mariska. Our gorgeous Omega with… big bows in her hair?
I was at the passenger side door before Lucian even put the truck in park. Mariska stared at me with wide eyes as I opened the door. I grinned, making sure my arms flexed and strained the material of the coat.Yeah, that’s right, honey. Look at how good I look as Father Christmas, and you, my festive hottie, are my Mrs.
Mariska took my offered hand to step out, and fuck, she looked even better than I could have imagined. The dress clung to her beautiful tits which were accentuated by the modest fur collar. The skirt fell to three inches above her knees, and she had on red and white striped leggings with low heeled black boots.No hat, but what I’d thought were big bows was actually her hair. It was fucking perfect.
“You look spectacular, Mrs. Claus.” Damn, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
“Thanks. You can thank Lyla for all her hard work. She kept the secret until I broke into her room to see what was in the box for myself.” Mariska tried to give me a sassy I-can’t-believe-you’re-making-me-wear-this look, but she sucked in her lower lip a little as her gaze wandered down over my chest.
Mom hopped down behind Mariska and shut the door as Lucian got out on the other side. Giving Mariska an encouraging half-hug, Mom grinned. “You look so cute. The kids are going to love you.” She glanced at me. “I explained to her what she needed to do as Mrs. Claus. She has the easy job: hand out gifts and read stories in the reading corner near the tree. It’s Santa and his right-hand man, I mean, elf,” she gestured to Lucian who was dressed in a skintight elf costume. “Who have to run the games after the presents are handed out. That’s when the craziness happens.”
“You mean the fun!” I chuckled, eager to get in there and play Santa with my smoking hot Omega.
“Good luck with that.” Jasper fist bumped Lucian and flashed his famous panty dropping smile at Mariska. “You’re the prettiest Mrs. Claus I’ve ever seen. If you need help with anything, or if you want a break for a drink or a ride on the Mustang, wave me over.” He winked and Mariska blushed as red as her dress. Smirking at his victory, he offered his arm to my mom. “Are you ready, Liz? We’ve got a goal of twenty-five thousand this year. I know a few fellows you could charm into writing checks for at least half that.”
Mom laughed and waved at us as they walked off. I scowled for a second not liking the thought of my mom charming any man, but I knew Jasper was just as protective ofMom as I was, and she was adored by everyone in southern Wisconsin. With the two of them working the donors, I wouldn’t doubt if they doubled their goal this year.
“We’ll be announced in a few minutes. Are you ready for this? If you feel overwhelmed, just let us know.” Lucian took Mariska’s hand in his, rubbing the back of her hand slowly with his thumb. Some of her rigidness eased as she leaned a little toward him.
“I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.” Mariska took in a shaky breath and exhaled slowly, but her stance was tightening again.
I slung an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. She smelled of vanilla and cream, and I wanted to bury my face against her neck to taste her sweetness. Instead I nudged her forward toward the hospital. “You’re going to do great. The kids really look forward to this, and I love seeing the happiness on their faces.”
“You’re not making this any easier.” Mariska gave a nervous laugh as we walked. “I don’t have much experience with kids.”
I arched my brows. “Really? But you’re an Omega.”
Mariska narrowed her eyes. “And?”
On the other side of her, Lucian’s intense gray eyes widened and he gave a slight shake of his head as he mouthed, ‘Don’t.’
It didn’t make sense to me. Mariska was fun and playful, and Omegas had a powerful maternal instinct. “I’m just saying that Omegas are naturally good with kids. It’s what you’re built for.”
Lucian groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Mariska shrugged off my arm and let go of Lucian’s head. She stopped and folded her arms. “Excuse me? We’re just like every other person in the world. Some of us like kids and some ofus don’t.” She lifted her chin, staring me down. All fire and fury. “I chose my career because I don’t want to deal with children. Or smug Alphas who assume Omegas are all the same.”
I’d provoked her, and while I wanted to calm her, her fierceness was making me hard. “You’ll feel differently when you have kids.”
“I’m never having kids!” She snapped and stormed off into the building with her hands balled into fists and her skirts swaying.
Never having kids?
“Bal, you need to apologize and drop it.” Lucian sighed and hurried after her.
Surely she wasn’t serious about never having kids. I’d just pushed her buttons and she said it to push back. Yeah, that was it. Every Omega had that instinct to have babies. It was in their DNA. Just like Alphas wanted to protect them and take care of them in every way.
I followed them into the hospital and toward the auditorium. Christmas music already echoed down the hall from the party. I passed by offices and got smiles and waves from those who spied me in the hall.
After today, Mariska would see that I was right. When we finally mated and had children, she’d fall in love with them and be the best mother ever. I wanted my kids to grow up on the farm just as I did. Happy, healthy, and loving the outdoors.
