Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Then we had smaller gifts too. Much smaller gifts—with a twenty-dollar budget. So our Doms would receive a main gift and a small gift. I’d finished my small gift for Greer, ’cause his military background made it easy for me to get him something fantastic.
“And Shay, you’re done with Kingsley as of today.” Tate made a note next to their names.
“Yes, Sir.” Shay leaned back and finished his soda.
“Oh, call me that again.” Tate’s expression was hidden from me as he turned to Shay, but if it was half as wolfish as the sound of his voice…
Shay chuckled and flipped him off instead.
“By the way, Kit, will someone be Santa at your party?” Noa asked.
“I think so…?” I asked rather than stated. “Colt told me to not stick my brat nose in sadistic affairs.”
In other words, I could only speculate.
“I’d be very surprised if Santa doesn’t show up,” Macklin said. “We have one every year.”
“I didn’t attend last year’s party,” Cam said. “Who was it then?”
“Reese,” Tate said. “Macklin the year before. He, uh…showed up naked.”
I burst out a laugh.
“Hey, I had on boots and a Santa hat,” Macklin replied defensively.
“Oh, that was a dark year,” Cam noted with a shudder.
Macklin groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face, so I was naturally very curious.
Tate had the answer. “Mack’s worst Walker relapse.”
“Last one too,” Macklin was quick to add. “I haven’t seen him since then.”
So, two years? He hadn’t seen his own husband in two years? I knew they’d separated long before then. But they’d yet to actually divorce because Macklin couldn’t be in the same room as Walker.
“It was right before Christmas,” Tate told the rest of us. “He didn’t think we’d notice that he was missing every weekend—and then Ivy and Lucas discovered he’d been going up to Boston every Friday after work for over a month.”
“Mind you, this was my first year at Mclean,” Cam said. “My first couple of months, even. And I showed up at the Christmas party, only to see a drunk, naked Santa telling everyone that love was for idiots.”
“Jesus Christ, can we not go there?” Macklin exclaimed.
“I didn’t return for months,” Cam finished with a smirk.
“So where were you when Walker visited this summer?” Shay asked.
“I went on a last-minute cruise by myself,” Macklin responded. “But you know what? All that is over and done with. I’ve turned over a new leaf. I’ll have you know I’m dating someone fucking amazing.”
Oh really?
“We’ve heard that before, babe,” Tate chuckled.
Macklin shook his head, insistent. “This guy’s different. He’s very similar to me, and yet…not. We know each other’s hang-ups and don’t want more than the other can give.”
Well, that was good. Macklin deserved the best.
“So, who is he?” Corey asked.
Macklin cleared his throat and smirked faintly. “We’ll go public when we’re ready, but it isn’t completely new. It’s been a few months.”
“Are you bringing him to Florida?” I wondered.
I was so looking forward to our vacation. Colt had recruited his business partner and former Air Force colleague, Ty, to House Mclean, and Ty was awesome. He also had a house in South Florida, and in an effort to make new friends, he’d told Colt and Lucas to “invite some people down there” right after Christmas. Aside from my Daddies and me, the Tenley twins were bringing Shay, and Macklin was invited too. And if I remembered correctly, he’d been offered a plus-one.
“I don’t think so,” Macklin replied. “I’ve thought about it, but… I don’t know. We’ll see. I have a few days to decide.” He nodded at me. “When are you guys heading down?”
“On the twenty-eighth,” I replied.
“Same as me, then,” he said. “I thought Lucas said something about y’all visiting Colt’s sister’s family.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s right after. She’s stationed down there.”
Everyone was extra excited because Daddy’s sister was pregnant again after years of trying. IVF for the win. Uncle Colt was adorable around little Nicole, and now there would soon be one more to wrap him around their finger.
“Sorry to interrupt, but should we get back on track?” Cam asked. “I have to pick up Lucian’s dry cleaning in an hour.”
Oh crap—yeah, we’d derailed way too much.
We still had more of our secret plan to discuss!
1
Colt Carter
With ten minutes to spare, I bought a coffee and made my way toward the exit where I was meeting up with Luke. We couldn’t get out of this mall hell a minute too soon.
I’d ticked everyone off my list. I was done. Parents, nieces, my sister and brother-in-law, a few friends, one gift for a Secret Santa brat named Noa, and, most importantly, Luke and Kit.
We had one more present for Kit to prepare, but that would have to wait. We couldn’t very well give him a puppy a few days before our vacation.
I took a sip of my coffee and tried to spot Luke in the sea of tired mothers, impatient fathers, and screaming ankle biters. Holiday tunes from several stores mingled together and added to the headache-inducing cacophony, and I seriously thanked my lucky stars that the only little one Luke and I were interested in was Kit. I adored my niece—Luke’s niece too—but it felt fucking wonderful to be able to hand her back where she belonged at the end of the day.