Chapter 3
LIAM STOOD in the door of the RV, so angry his whole body vibrated. “We won’t have a Christmas? Mom, you promised!” He whirled and was gone before his parents could react.
“Aw, crap. I’m sorry.” Sean’s expression turned hang dog. “I didn’t realize he was standing there.”
By the time Mac got to the door, with Hannah close on his heels, Liam was already ducking into the woods at the edge of the campsite. Cody stood frozen in place, his eyes wide and scared, as he squeezed Micah’s hand to keep the little boy from crying. He turned to the adults.
“No Christmas?” His voice quivered as his bottom lip trembled.
Micah let out a wail, which brought his parents barreling through Hannah and Mac. Sean and Annie followed close behind.
“What the hell? What did you promise, Hannah?” Mac’s lips pressed into a tight line.
She scrubbed her hands through her hair. “He was worried about Christmas, Mac.”
“And?”
Hannah’s fingers curled against her palms as she fought down her temper. “And, while the holiday has tended to be a little loose for us because of our jobs, this year, he decided it was important.”
“So you promised him?” Exasperated, Mac turned away to hunt down his son. He paused when Hannah’s hand grabbed his biceps.
“No. I promised him I would try. There is a difference, Mac.”
“Mommy, does that mean Santa won’t find us?” Cody stared up at Annie, his gaze darting between her and Sean.
Annie looked helpless and Sean wanted to kick himself for ever opening his mouth. “Charlie foxtrot,” he muttered. “It’ll be okay, little man.”
Liz cradled Micah in her arms and leaned against Michael. “I know you have to do this, but yeah, I sort of feel the same way.”
Picking up a rock, Hannah hurled it against the nearest tree. She muttered curse words, aware of big little ears and little big eyes watching her every move. After counting to a hundred, for the second time, she inhaled deeply, held her breath then exhaled in one long gust. Turning to face the crowd now gathered outside the RV, she slid into her role of commanding officer like a chameleon changing colors.
“It will be okay, Cody. Santa is full of magic and he knows where all the good little boys and girls are sleeping on Christmas Eve. At the rate Liam is going, he’s liable to get coal and switches in his stocking.”
Cody’s eyes widened so much Hannah could see the whites all the way around his pupils.
She closed her eyes briefly then opened them and tried again. “Santa will find us no matter where we are, Cody. And there will be a tree and presents and Christmas dinner.”
“You bet, Cody.” Jacey stepped over to side with Hannah. “I’ll make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we’ll figure out turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.”
“Olives? I like olives.”
Annie rubbed her son’s shoulder. “Absolutely olives, Cody. The pitted kind and I won’t even fuss if you eat them off the tips of your fingers.”
“There’s not much time to plan this, Hannah.” Jacey whispered, eyes on the kids. “But we’ll manage.”
Before Hannah could reply, Mac emerged from the tree line dragging a struggling Liam beside him. Liam’s cheeks were flushed bright red and his eyes—so like his father’s—glittered with anger. Enough so that when Mac jerked him to a halt, the boy raised his chin, ready to fight some more. His dad squeezed his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I scared you, Cody.” Some of Liam’s anger leeched out when he saw Micah’s tear-streaked face. He dug the toe of his boot in the dirt and hung his head. “Sorry, everyone.”
Hannah paced the distance between them. She refused to meet Mac’s glare, focusing entirely on Liam. “Hey, buddy. When we talked, I didn’t know that something would come up.”
Liam refused to look at her. “I know. Dad said. Can I go now?”
She started to correct his grammar but realized Mac still gripped the boy’s shoulder. It wasn’t a question of may , but most definitely one of can because until his dad let go, the kid wasn’t going anywhere. Hannah glanced at Mac and he loosened his fingers.
“You have extra chores tonight, son.”
“Yessir.” Liam trudged into the RV, leaving everyone else standing around looking slightly uncomfortable.
Mac waited until the door closed then motioned for the men to follow him. They went without question and the wives shuffled closer together.
“We’ll figure it out,” Jacey asserted again, very conscious of little ears.
Isabelle flashed a brilliant smile. “Christmas in Cajun country is a sight to behold. The kids won’t miss out on the celebration.” She winked at Cody. “We light big bonfires so Papa Noel can find us.”
“Papa Noel?”
“That’s what we call Santa Claus down here.”
Cody blinked, his eyes as wide as a little owl’s. “Does he ride an allamagator, Miz Izzy?”
“Well, there is a story ’bout Papa Noel visitin’ all the bayou boys an’ girls in a pirogue pulled by alligators.” Izzy’s eyes twinkled as the boy’s eyes widened even more.
“The allamagators don’t eat all the presents?”
“No, cher . Papa Noel has them very well trained.”
The boy turned pleading eyes to his mother. “Can we build a big fire so Papa Noel can find us?”
Annie was caught. She wanted to give in to her son’s request, but the idea of drawing attention to their location made her nervous.
“We’ll go see Grand-mère Fontaine’s bonfire and eat at her house. Papa Noel knows his way there. Okay?”
Happy now, Cody nodded. “Can I go tell Liam, Miz Hannah?” His expression turned thoughtful. “I don’t want him to be mad or sad or anything. I feel bad ’cause I got him in trouble.”
Hannah, who’d been gazing speculatively toward the RV, glanced down at the boy. “How did you get him into trouble?”
Cody dug his toe in the dirt, hands shoved deep into his pockets. It was such a boy thing to do Hannah almost smiled.
After a deep breath, Cody said, “Uhm…’cause I started talkin’ ’bout Christmas and how Momma always had a tree and we made decorations and stuff. Even when she was workin’ so hard, Santa always found me on Christmas Eve and I woke up to my stockin’ full of oranges and candy and marbles and cool stuff. He even left me a pocketknife once!” He glanced up. “Didn’t y’all celebrate? Liam sounded like maybe you didn’t so I wanted him to have a real Christmas.”
Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, Hannah simply nodded and waved Cody toward the RV. He reached up to take Micah from Liz then retreated inside.
“Well, fuck.” Hannah combed fingers through her hair, regret throbbing through her veins. “I suck as a mother. We always made a big deal of his birthday, but Christmas? Mac was gone. Or I was. That’s the way it seemed anyway.” She heaved out a breath. “We celebrated, but a tree and stuff were always sort of…”
Liz stepped into the breach as Hannah’s voice trailed off. “So-called experts say mothering is instinctive. It’s not. At least not beyond the feeding and care of babies. All the extra stuff? Michael and I are scared to death.” She glanced over to Sally who jostled the happy baby Grace Marie on her hip. “We do the best we can, Hannah.”
Annie shoulder bumped the older woman. “Exactly, Hannah. God knows I messed up plenty of times with Cody. His DNA donor was an absolute loser and I had no family to count on. I just made it up as I went along.” She rubbed her belly. “When it happens for us, Sean and I are going to do it right this time.”
Jacey’s cool blue gaze swept across them all. “None of us did anything very conventional, and for some of us, family was an unknown concept. But you know what? We’ve made our own family and we continue to define it every day.” Her mouth curled into a full smile. “Sisters. Amy was the closest thing to one I had and now I have a whole passel of you!” She opened her arms for a group hug and the women broke into laughter and assurances.
Inside the RV, Liam stared through the window, a solemn sentry watching the bonding ceremony going on outside. His skin itched and as he ran his tongue over his teeth, he nicked it on a sharpening canine. Breathing deeply, with measured inhalations, he forced his emotions away. What the hell would he do if his first change arrived and his dad wasn’t there to help? It had almost happened before, and he’d been terrified. Only Rudy had kept him human. But it was getting harder. His wolf wanted out.