Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
MELANIE
As I sit on my white sofa, a mug of cocoa warming my hands, I watch the three of them tackle the massive fir tree in the corner of the living room, and it’s a sight I never want to avert my eyes from.
“Enzo, Mama said don’t put all the gold ones in one spot,” Slater grumbles, his ears twitching back toward his brother. “It looks unbalanced.”
“But baby likes the gold ones!” Enzo whimpers, ears perking forward, and his tail is a blur of motion, occasionally thumping against the tree skirt. He’s already managed to get a strand of blinking LEDs wrapped around it, but he’s so focused he doesn’t seem to notice or mind.
All while Yamir is currently crouched low, his dark brow furrowed in concentration as he tries to hook a tiny wooden reindeer onto a sturdy branch. I have to hold back a chuckle as I watch his large, clawed fingers handle the delicate ornament with such gentleness.
When he finally gets it, his eyes light up, and he looks over to me, pointing.
“Mama, look!” Yamir grins, glancing over his shoulder, but as soon as he moves, it falls to the floor, and his shoulders sag, making me throw my head back laughing. They are so damn cute.
“I love it, Yamir,” I whisper, wiping my eyes, a smile still tugging at my lips.
When Yamir reaches down to grab the ornament, Enzo’s lit-up tail sweeps it across the floor, making Yamir glare at him while Enzo grins mischievously.
“Oops,” he chuckles, adding more gold to the tree while Slater laughs.
Apparently, that’s all it takes for the decorating mission to turn into a wrestling match.
They shift halfway, claws out, ears pinned back as they growl and roll over each other.
The tree shakes dangerously as Enzo’s tail thwacks a low-hanging branch, sending a shower of pine needles onto the floor, making me laugh at their antics.
I watch them wrestle for a bit before Slater manages to pin both of his brothers down, his heavy weight silencing their giggles for a split second before all of them look over to me.
“Come here, love,” Slater calls out as he holds out his hand. “It’s time for our star to put the star on the tree.”
I set my cocoa down and walk over. They all stand, surrounding me.
Each of them grasps me by the waist and hoists me up until I’m level with the very top of the tree, where I place the glowing star on the highest branch, and as I do, I feel three sets of hands steadying me before they lower me back down, but they don’t let go.
They stay close, their tails lashing gently behind them, their ears soft and relaxed while we all stare at the beautiful white tree packed with honestly… all the gifts are for me pretty much like every year but this year they went overboard.
“It’s perfect,” I sigh, looking at the twinkling lights.
“Not more perfect than you,” Enzo whispers in my ear, making me look out at them. Seriously, how is this my life right now?
I stand in my silk bonnet and my plush, oversized red Mrs. Claus robe, looking crazy as fuck compared to their towering, shirtless frames. But even though I know I look ridiculous, the way they’re looking at me, you’d think I was wearing a diamond crown.
Slater is the first to move, stepping in close to tuck a loose coil back under the edge of my bonnet before he cups my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone with agonizing tenderness.
“He’s right, love, you look so beautiful like this,” he tells me, his tail giving a soft, rhythmic thump against the floor. “All warm and soft. Ours.”
Yamir sinks to his knees in front of me and wraps his thick arms around my waist, burying his face in the soft fleece of my robe. I can feel the low, steady rumble of a purr vibrating against my stomach, and I rub his head, smiling at how his ears are relaxed, draped softly to the sides.
“Sweetheart, we could stay right here… like this with you forever,” he mumbles into the fabric.
Enzo steps behind me, and his heat radiates against my back as he wraps his arms over the top of mine, pulling me flush against his chest. He rests his chin on top of my head, his heavy tail curling around me and his brothers.
“You make us just want to forget everything,” Enzo hums, and I blink, tears almost stinging my eyes, and my chest aching.
“You guys make it seem like there are a lot of things you want to forget,” I tell them. They go still and look to each other before holding me tight.
“No, it’s just we never want to be away from you, love. You mean everything to us,” Yamir grumbles.
“More than everything,” Slater sighs, and I can’t lie and say I don’t want to ask why, but I don’t want to step out of this moment.
I take a deep breath, letting the scent of the pine needles, expensive cologne, and that faint, underlying hint of something wild settle deep into my lungs.
I reach down, burying my fingers in Yamir’s thick hair and scratching the base of his ears.
He lets out a heavy, vibrating sigh that I feel all the way in my pussy.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper, content even though the air is a little heavy… like they’re holding onto a secret that’s weighing them down. “Whatever is on your minds... just let go of all that and be here with me. In this moment…”
Enzo nuzzles the back of my neck, his nose cold but his breath scorching against my skin. “We were going to take you out…” he murmurs, his voice a soft hum.
“We wanted to show you off since you always look so beautiful, but by The Source, I think we’d rather just lock you up and keep you to ourselves.
” Slater tilts my head back and licks my lips.
I figure we’re about to head to the bed, but they all pull away from me, and I feel Yamir sweep me off my feet before one of them covers my eyes, and the other takes my hand as we move.
“Uhm… wh-what are you doing? Where are you going?” I giggle nervously, unsure what’s happening, but when I feel them stop and the hands on my eyes are pulled away, I gasp, heart-stopping, throat-dry when I see… it’s beautiful…
“Surprise, Mama,” they say in unison, eyes glowing with pride, and I blink back tears when I see they’ve transformed the deck into a winter wonderland.
It looks immaculate with thick, snow-white plush rugs covering the entire lounge area.
In the center, a huge outdoor fireplace is roaring, the orange flames dancing against the crisp night air.
“We got the movies,” Yamir whispers as I’m lowered gently onto a literal mountain of white faux-fur cushions and blankets.
It’s so soft that it’s like I’m floating on a cloud.
Directly in front of us, a massive projector screen comes down, already glowing with the title “Mama’s Merry Movie Night. ” I love it!
“We got the snacks,” Slater smiles.
“And we have you,” Enzo mutters. “In our opinion, we have everything we need, so will you stay in with us for the night?”
I swallow, blinking back tears, looking out at the bowls of caramel and butter popcorn, plates piled high with gingerbread men, peppermint bark, and even a fountain of hot cocoa, topped with a mountain of marshmallows that warms my face instantly.
There’s even cookies. On the seat, they have matching pajamas for all of us, and I choke out a laugh when I even see they custom-made me a bonnet to match.
“What do you say, love? We have everything lined up and ready,” Yamir speaks and kisses my cheek.
I look at the three of them, my heart swelling so big it feels like it’s going to burst. They’ve thought of everything. There are even little bowls of chocolate-covered pretzels and candy canes scattered around the nest they built for me.
“You did all this for me?” I whisper, going over, running my hands over my pajamas, overwhelmed with emotion.
Slater settles behind me, his massive frame acting like a heated backrest, his tail curling up on my leg,
“We’d bring the entire world to your feet if you asked, sweetheart.”
“You’re so dramatic,” I chuckle, but Enzo turns my face to him.
“Mama, there is nothing dramatic about what he said. It’s true. We adore you, and your happiness is all we think about.”
“I love you guys,” I murmur, my eyes fixed on them.
“We love you more,” Slater rumbles, his chin resting on top of my bonnet.
“Now shhh,” Enzo hushes and plucks the pajamas off as Yamir undoes my robe.
For a second, I think we’re about to do something nasty before the movie, but, sadly, nope.
All of them simply dress me, then take me to the middle of the setup near the goodies, cuddle up next to me, and we all just watch movies.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so loved. I rub their fur and snuggle in next to them, sighing with a big smile. I might not be the heroine in a book, but none of that matters because I have them.