Pawliday Love

6. Mischief Managed

CHAPTER SIX

MISCHIEF MANAGED

FRANKIE

O ne minute I was having the best dream, and the next, I was jolted awake by a smack to the nose and a loud noise. I blinked, disoriented, as I tried to figure out what just happened. There was no culprit in sight, but I had a sneaking suspicion that an orange fluff-butt was involved.

As I sat up, the events of last night came rushing back, like a cold bucket of water dumped on my head. The fight. The tears. The overwhelming sense of trying so hard and still feeling like it wasn’t enough. The way Sebastian had looked at me, like he wanted to fix it but didn’t know how.

A pang of guilt hit me. It wasn’t entirely fair of me, was it? I knew Christmas wasn’t his thing. He hadn’t grown up with the holidays, and expecting him to just get it like it was second nature might’ve been a little unreasonable. But still, could he at least try?

I sighed, rubbing my temples, and then wrinkled my nose at a foul, burnt smell wafting through the air.

“What the hell is that?”

I definitely had to get up and investigate what Remmy was up to. And I needed to clean up my yule-tide assault on the house before anyone else woke up.

I eventually made my way out to the hall, the smell growing stronger as I approached the main area. I sighed, bracing myself for whatever disaster awaited. What I found instead stopped me in my tracks.

The living room was transformed.

For starters, the tree was upright, which was already a win considering how much I fought with it the day before. It still had a slight tilt, but I liked it. Ornaments hung from almost every branch, most uneven and clumped together. The bottom fourth of the tree was empty, probably to keep out of Joey’s reach—or maybe Gremlin’s.

Underneath the tree were gifts wrapped in mismatched paper: some festive, some with “Happy Birthday” balloons, and even a couple of wedding-themed ones. Lopsided bows and tangled ribbons were on each of the presents.

Four new stockings hung from the wall—one for each of us, including the paw-print one for Remmy. They were slightly crooked but still charming.

The kitchen, however, was a complete war zone.

Cookie tins, various utensils, a rolling pin, and bowls were scattered across every surface. Flour dusted the counters, with tiny paw prints trailing through it. A plate of burnt cookies sat next to a plate of slightly better-looking ones. The icing was a mess, but they still seemed edible—mostly.

A soft meow had me looking back into the living room.

Sebastian was sprawled on the couch, out cold, looking like he’d fought a Christmas war and lost. Tinsel hung over one shoulder, a bow was stuck in his hair, and an ornament dangled precariously from his sleeve. His face had a smudge of flour—or maybe powdered sugar—and he was snoring softly.

A pang of guilt hit me. He did all of this. For us. I looked him over, wondering how I managed to get such a perfect man. But I had to stifle a laugh, biting my lip as I took in the sight.

Curled on Sebe’s chest, looking entirely too pleased with himself, was Remmy. One of his green eyes flicked open as I stepped closer, glinting with mischief. His tail flicked lazily, a silent acknowledgment of my presence, before he let out a long, contented purr. He stretched, giving Sebastian’s chest one last knead with his claws before hopping up on the back of the couch and trotted toward me.

“Morning, troublemaker,” I said softly to Rem as he brushed against my outstretched hand. “Did you help Dad with all this?” He gave a satisfied, “Mrow” before he jumped back onto Sebe and darted off to the tree. Sebastian stirred then, letting out a groggy groan as he shifted. His eyes blinked open, unfocused at first.

“Gremlin, I swear I’m going to skin you alive and—” he noticed me then, blinking up at me. He looked like a kid who’d been caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

“Frankie,” he rasped, his voice thick with sleep. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I responded. I looked around the room again. “Did you do all this?” His gaze followed mine, and he winced slightly as he sat up. The tinsel slid off his shoulder and onto the floor.

“I, uh, I tried.”

The guilt I’d been ignoring all morning hit me square in the chest. I’d gone nuclear last night, frustrated over something that, in the grand scheme of things, didn’t matter as much as I made it seem. He wasn’t a holiday person, but he hadn’t exactly been given a chance to be. And now? Now he’d clearly tried.

“You did more than try,” I said, letting a small smile slip through. “It looks great, Sebe.”

“Yeah?” He looked doubtful, his hand coming up to run through his hair. He stopped, removing the bow. His cheeks flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what you would’ve done.”

I glanced around the room again, taking in the sight.

“It’s perfect,” I said honestly. Relief washed over his face, softening his features. I walked around the couch until I was standing in front of him. At this height, we were eye to eye. I brushed the powder off his face and removed the dangling ornament, smiling the whole time. His eyes never left mine.

“I wanted to make it better. To fix it,” he said quietly. “I know I don’t really get this stuff, but I know it’s important to you. I’m sorry, Frankie. I don’t want to screw this up anymore. For you. For Joey.”

My chest tightened, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak.

“You didn’t screw it up,” I assured him, reaching down to brush a strand of tinsel from his hair. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I know this isn’t your thing, but you’re trying, and that means more to me than anything else.” I leaned down and kissed him.

The kiss quickly became deeper, more passionate. Sebastian’s hands found the small of my back pulling me closer until I had no choice but to straddle him.

And then— thunk .

Both of our heads snapped toward the tree just in time to see an ornament fall and roll across the floor.

There was Remmy, perched on a branch with his paw raised, ready to swat another one.

“Gremlin!” I called. “Don’t you dare!” He let out a low, offended meow, his eyes narrowing at me like I’d insulted his honor.

“Don’t talk back to your mother,” Sebastian said sternly, pointing at the cat. I whipped around to gape at him.

“Excuse me, what ?”

“What?” he asked, looking defensive.

“All those times you gave me shit for talking to the cat, and here you are having a full-on argument with him!”

“He wore me down, okay?” Sebastian shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he’s a mastermind, and all this chaos is part of his plan to slowly drive you insane. I just haven’t figured out why yet.” I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. “What?! It’s true!”

“I know it is!” I said between laughs. “But hearing you say it is so much better.” Sebastian’s mock-annoyed expression softened into a grin.

“You think it’s funny, huh?” he teased, his voice dipping low as he tugged me closer.

“Absolutely,” I shot back, though my breath hitched as his hands slid up my sides.

“Is this funny,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine. A moan slipped from my throat.

“Not at all.”

“Good.”

The teasing was gone as the kiss deepened, Sebe’s fingers tangling in my hair. Heat flared between us, his touch igniting every nerve. He pulled me closer until I was practically molded to him, my knees pressing into the couch on either side of his hips. I rocked against his growing hardness, pulling a moan from him.

“Frances,” he breathed, his voice husky as his lips moved to my jaw, trailing fire down my neck. I tilted my head, giving him better access, my hands sliding over his shoulders, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping me steady.

It was too much and not enough all at once. My heart thundered in my chest as his hands found my waist, his grip firm and possessive.

“Mrow!” Crash!

We pulled away from each other in time to see Remmy had jumped from the branch he’d been on. He had successfully batted the other ornament down, however, his tail had gotten wrapped in the garland. The entire strand slid off the tree, dragging three ornaments with it.

“Gremlin!” We both said, scrambling to get up and chase after the orange gremlin. He went every which way, zigzagging under the furniture.

Finally, the garland unraveled freeing Remmy. Completely unbothered, he hopped onto the back of the couch, curling up.

“You’re lucky you’re cute, Gremlin,” Sebe said as he looked down at the cat and scratched the top of his head. Remmy purred in response.

I shook my head, picking up the mess my firstborn created.

“You were saying something about masterminds and chaos?” I teased. But there was no answer.

I set the ornaments and tinsel back in place and turned to find Sebastian watching me. His expression was caught somewhere between amusement and admiration, the fire from earlier still smoldering in his eyes.

“What?” I asked through a chuckle.

“Just admiring the view.” His voice was smooth and silky, and it made my insides flutter. I rolled my eyes as a smile grew on my face. Then, like a predator hunting his prey, he closed the distance between us. I backed up instinctively, but there was nowhere to go.

My ass bumped up against the couch cushions, trapping me in place as he prowled forward. Remmy let out a loud meow. I looked at him for a moment, then back up to Sebe.

“You wanna take this to the bedroom before King Gremlin can interrupt again?”

Sebastian’s eyes flicked behind me for a moment, a wicked grin forming on his face. He wrapped his arms around my waist, hoisting me up off the ground. I yelped in surprise, clinging to him tightly as he practically ran us to the bedroom.

Sebe shut and locked the door before carrying me over to the bed. He tossed me on the mattress, climbing on top of me a heartbeat later. Our lips met as he hovered over me, one of his legs nudging between mine.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

“Mrow?!”

“Ignore it,” Sebe groaned, continuing. His lips captured mine in another kiss that was far from innocent. His hands slid down to my hips, pulling me flush against him. My heart pounded in my chest as the rest of the world faded away, the only sounds in the room the muffled scratching and our unsteady breaths.

I did my best to focus on my fiancé, but the sound of Remmy hitting the door handle had me pulling away yet again, bursting into laughter.

“You think he’ll keep that up the whole time?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.

“Probably,” Sebastian sighed. “He’s relentless.” As if hearing us, the noise on the other side of the door stopped.

“Did he give up?”

“I hope so.” Sebe leaned down, pressing a kiss to my jaw and then my neck. “If he gives us five minutes of peace, I’ll consider it a Christmas miracle.”

“Only five minutes?” I raised a brow.

“Shut up,” he laughed, his lips finding mine again.

A loud crash came from the living room, followed by the unmistakable sound of something shattering. Sebastian let out a heavy sigh, his forehead resting on mine.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” he said. I couldn’t help but chuckle, even as he started to move away. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, pulling him closer.

“The chaos can wait,” I whispered.

Chaos or not, this was home, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.