Page 34 of Deck the Halls with Cowboys
“All the sides have been prepped, the cookies are baked, presents are wrapped, and the tree is up,” Harmony confirmed, going through the mental checklist.
“The only thing left to do is hope that no one kills anybody,” Val said with a sigh.
“Hey.” I grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “This is going so well.”
“I just want everything to be perfect.”
“I’m having a great time,” Harm added.
“Agreed,” Abbie tacked on.
I gave Val’s hand a secondary squeeze. “Mags and I set Santa’s gifts in the laundry room so you and Denver can setthem out whenever.”
All our eyes flicked to Abbie, our silent question louder than the cowboys had been bickering earlier. “Beau didn’t fuck me in the laundry room,” she hissed.
“Yeah, but where did he because he said—”
“He didn’t—no,” she huffed, holding up her hands. “We had a semi-intense make-out session in the dining room during his senior year, but John Langston nearly caught us, and we had to run out the back door. There was no sex.”
Valerie looked relieved. “Thank God.”
“What’s that look for, Val?” I asked, laughing softly. “Don’t want anyone getting down in your house?”
“Not in the laundry room. That’s…um…Denver and I….” She trailed off, her cheeks growing red.
Abbie waved her hand. “Say no more.”
“What time did you want us up tomorrow?” Harmony asked.
Val waved her free hand. “It’s Christmas. We aren’t on a strict schedule.”
“It’s best if you give us a time, or Beau will sleep until noon,” Abbie suggested.
The hair on the back of my neck rose then and I looked over my shoulder to find Mags leaning against the wall, watching me. “You ladies done? Can I take my woman to bed now?” he grumbled.
“What if we say no?” Harm challenged with a smile.
He ticked his head to the side, his dark eyes sparkling. “Are you going to keep her from me?” My cheeks heated, suddenly very aware of the fat diamond ring on my finger. “That wouldn’t end up well for you, Red,” he said, his lip twitching.
“Merry Christmas Eve, babes,” I whispered as I backed away from the group, letting go of my best friend’s hand. “Love you,” I mouthed.
They returned the sentiment as Mags’s rough, warm hand wrapped around mine and he led me to the right side of the basement. He opened the bedroom door for me and put his hand on my lower back, ushering me inside as he whispered, “Gonna eat that cunt before Santa gets here.”
Chapter Nine
Denver
I leaned down to unplug the tree as Valerie straightened the couch pillows behind me, but I paused. Everyone had turned in for the night. NJ was passed out in her crib and Caleb had been snoring under his mountain of blankets for at least an hour now. I turned, watching my woman for a moment. Most of her life, she’d been taking care of everyone around her, putting herself last in every situation. From the moment I saw her, I had this burning desire to take care of her, to make sure she never wanted for anything else in this life. I set about doing just that, giving her my name, our daughter, my son, my heart, and even my tainted soul. All of it was hers, and somehow, she’d managed to bring light and love into every aspect of my life. She turned this empty house into a home, bringing happiness back to Hallow Ranch.
She was the reasonwe’d survived.
She was doing all of this for me, to heal a broken part of me that I didn’t care about.
My enchantresscared.
Because she loved me,all of me, completely.
“Baby,” I called softly, watching her bend and fluff the last pillow, “you’ve done enough.”
