Page 41 of A Bloody Merry Christmas
Almost immediately, Lucy shot forward to land an exaggerated sloppy kiss on him, too. “Happy birthday, my favorite man ever.”
Dalton grunted. “And what are Sam and I, huh?”
“You twoweremy favorites until Ez came along.” She poked her tongue out. Her dark brown hair was curlier this afternoon, windswept and swaying against her rounded cheeks. The makeup she wore was natural, giving her a beautiful glow,but that could’ve also been because she was clearly excited to see Ezra. I didn’t blame her.
Bee, on the other hand, gave us a brief smile that shouted stressed and I knew exactly what it was about. She’d never liked the idea of going after Ezra’s uncle, especially so soon, but I’d made up my mind. This was our chance, and he deserved to die.
Nevertheless, Bee beamed at Ezra and leaned in to give him a kiss, too, leaving behind bright red lipstick on his cheek, which I wiped off immediately with the cuff of my dress shirt, much to Dalton’s and Lucy’s amusement.
“Jealous, jealous,” Lucy sang.
“Let’s see how jealous he gets now,” Dalton added, swooping in to kiss Ezra on the opposite cheek, holding his own dish close to his chest so he didn’t get food all over Ezra. “Happy birthday, sweet boy.”
A blush bloomed over Ezra’s cheeks and down his neck, and he ducked his chin. “Uh, thanks, but you didn’t have to come.”
“It’s Thanksgivingandyour birthday, you bet your cute ass we did.” Lucy handed Ezra the dish in her hand, covered in aluminum foil, and tossed a thumb over her shoulder. “You take that inside and place it on the table. We’ve got more coming from the cars. We’re going to rock your world and you’re never going to miss another birthday or Thanksgiving again.”
Ezra opened his mouth, but Lucy was already heading back to Bee’s car.
Bee shrugged. “It’s best not to argue with her, E. Trust me. She likes getting her own way.” Despite her concern, her smile was soft and it was obvious that, like Lucy and Dalton, she did care for Ezra, too. And I was grateful because in the short time I’d known him, he’d become mine in more ways than I’d expected. I wanted my family to like him.
“I brought the human cheese, too, so you can taste the difference,” Dalton said.
Ezra rolled his eyes. “Ha ha. Very funny.” He laughed and shook his head, backing away to let them into the house. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Never,” Dalton responded as they both headed to the table with the food they were carrying.
I watched them, warmth swelling in my chest seeing my cousin and boyfriend converse like best friends. My life had taken a turn I hadn’t expected.
Bee cleared her throat, and I glanced at her, head cocked. “Don’t look too lovey-dovey,Samael.”
Uh oh, she’d brought out the big guns by using my full name.
“We need to have a very serious talk about you thinking with your head, not your dick.”
“Bee!” Lucy came back with another dish of food and glowered at her girlfriend. “Not tonight. It’s Ezra’s birthday and Thanksgiving.”
Bee shot her an incredulous look. “So? This is important. We could end up in jail if this goes wrong.”
I signed, “This won’t go bad.”
She snorted. “Did I not say you were thinking with your dick?”
“Can we not do this right now?” I signed and pouted dramatically in a way that always got her to relent, and she glared.
“Stop it.” A few seconds later, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll shelve it for now, but we are going to discuss it tonight.” Then, she swept past me in an imaginary gray cloud of annoyance. She’d come around, she always did.
Lucy winked. “She’s only worried.”
“I know,” I signed.
She grinned as she nodded toward the car. “The turkey’s still in the back seat along with some veggies. The birthday cake isthere for later, too. Be a dear and help me? I’ve been cooking all day.”
I plopped a kiss on her cheek before I swept past her.
Eleanor and Annabella were at the front of Eleanor’s house, both dressed for the cold as snow began to descend on us again. When they saw me, they waved, and I returned the gesture before getting the turkey from the car and making my way back inside.
There was laughter in the kitchen, and I followed the sound, a light and easy sensation filling my chest. Happiness. It was a strange feeling, but I liked it. While I always enjoyed time with my cousins, it was different with Ezra around. He brought a purity but also upped the ante for me. Everything I did from here on out affected him, and I needed to tread carefully.
