Page 53 of A Bloody Merry Christmas
“I love you,” I signed, before brushing his bangs away from his face. He was handsome, his skin pale and perfect and fully healed. I didn’t know how anyone, even his uncle, could hurt such a gentle soul.
“I love you more,” he said aloud. He grinned wider and wriggled until he was sitting up on his knees, then threw a leg over my thigh and settled on my lap. He snaked his arms around my neck and kissed me, his mouth melding against mine in a soft dance I’d never get sick of. How was I so bored with kissing and sex before? I’d researched it with Ezra a few days ago and I’d discovered it was called demisexual. It was the first time I’d heard of the term, but it made sense.
“Should we worry about those dickheads you killed?”
I shook my hand side to side to tell him maybe.
“We’ll worry about it if we need to?” he asked, and I winked. He knew the way I worked well in less than a month. There was no use getting worked up about something when we didn’t know what information the cops had. Bee kept her ear to the ground about cases we were involved in, and if she discovered knowledge we needed, she’d give it to us. I trusted my cousin to do her job.
He settled against me again, and I carded my fingers through his hair, laying a kiss on his temple. He sighed, and I closed my eyes to savor the scent of apple from his hair in my nose. Peace was a strange concept, one I’d never known. I’d spent my entirelife looking for the next target, next bad person to take out, and I’d never been able to stop and enjoy life. Until now. Oh, I still wanted to murder rapists and other criminals who deserved the worst kinds of death, but at least I knew I’d come home to this sense of peace after I did.
“Was your boss mad?” he asked.
I waved one hand at him, not willing to let Ezra go so could sign and tell him it’d be fine. I’d never left work like I had yesterday, and when I cited it was an emergency and told them my partner had been in an accident, my boss understood and didn’t ask more questions.
“This is nice.” He cuddled up closer, arm tightening around my waist, and I smiled, humming in agreement.
A knock on the door interrupted our hugging session and Ezra groaned.
“No, go away.”
I laughed as he dragged himself to his feet and went to the door. Familiar voices drifted through to the living room, and I grinned when Eleanor and Annabella came trotting over the threshold, Eleanor’s hands full with a berry pie.
“Sam, you tell your partner he’s too cute for what’s good for him,” Annabella said, swatting at Ezra’s shoulder and making him chuckle. “We’re so glad you’re okay.” Her expression turned more serious and Eleanor nodded sullenly.
“You gave me quite a scare,” Eleanor whispered, as though Gary could still be in the house with us. “What happened to that uncle of yours?”
“It’s fine.” Ezra went over to her and opened his arms, and she threw herself at him with a big hug that reminded me of my grandma’s. “My uncle is known for being an asshole. Sam came to get me and told my uncle off. Last I heard, he left town. He’s always been a drinker and troublemaker.”
Left town was one way of describing it. He certainly had disappeared, but he’d departed from this plane of existence completely. Ezra made sure of that, and in a fine way, if I did say so myself.
“We should have a hand signal to show we need help, like the ones they have for women.” Annabella clapped her hands together, eyes bright and excited. “What’s the sign for help, Sam?”
“You’d need two hands for it,” Ezra answered as he and Eleanor parted ways. He showed them the sign, and I smiled. “It might be easier to just use the viral hand gesture everyone knows.” He held his hand up and bent his thumb against his palm before curling his fingers into a fist. “That’s the one.”
“Yeah, let’s use that.” Annabella stood up taller, proud, and I held in the urge to laugh again as they dragged Ezra into a conversation about “shady characters” around the neighborhood. It was nice to listen to them talk, especially because of how at ease it made Ezra. The worry was lifted, leaving him relaxed and shining like a beacon. If I was lost in the dark, I’d find him immediately.
“You should come over for Christmas lunch,” Ezra said, dragging me out of my thoughts. I blinked, completely missing what led to this invitation.
Eleanor gasped and laid a hand on her bosom. “Are you sure? We don’t want to intrude. It’s always been me and Annabella for Christmas, and I know you have Sam’s family.”
I signed to Ezra. “Tell them I’d love for them to come.”
His grin lit up the room. “Sam would love it.”
The women started talking at the same time in excitement, and Ezra joined them again. All I could do was smile. Everything would work out fine.
EPILOGUE
EZRA
I stared, not quite sure if I wanted to cry or laugh. Probably both.Fuck. I couldn’t cry right now. I wouldn’t, damn it.
“What are you wearing?” I asked, ignoring the trembling in my voice. Those tears were fighters, and they were about to win. Bastards.
Lucy held out her arms and did a little spin, showing off her ugly red sweater with little white reindeer outlines with the words “Chaos Coordinator” printed across the front. It was the same one Sam and I bought when we went to the mall. I hadn’t realized he’d given out the sweaters.
“Do you like?” She winked, throwing a smile over my shoulder at Sam. “We’re doing the big family thing this year. Because that’s what we are, Razzle Dazzle. We’re your family.”
