32. Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Two
Athena
W atching Paxton smile for the first time in five days has been the highlight of my Christmas Day. Can’t say I’ve ever really celebrated it but I also can’t deny it’s been amazing. Sabrina and Darlene made dinner for everyone before disappearing back to their house to be with Vanessa, who still refuses to go anywhere until Shade has been found.
The whole meal was a lot, but Bear hasn’t left my side, making sure to touch me in some way at all times because he knows it makes me feel safe. Paxton is currently playing pool with Grinder, Boner, and Kincaid, and I watch with a smile of my own as I cuddle further into Bear’s lap on one of the couches. There’s a tense atmosphere that isn’t usually here, but I know that’s because they’re all on edge, feeling guilty for allowing themselves this day. They’re good at hiding it, though, doing their best to laugh and joke around.
“Would you like your Christmas present?” I don’t turn and look at Bear as I speak because I’m nervous. With everything going on, I haven’t started my new job at the coffee shop yet. Lucy said I could begin in the new year, but I don’t exactly have any money to buy him a gift until then.
“You have a gift for me?” His breath against my ear is soft, warm.
Nodding I slide off his lap and hold out a hand for him. “Come with me?”
Bear’s brows rise all the way, but he doesn’t hesitate in taking my hand and standing. I check Paxton is still okay over at the pool table before leading Bear out of the clubhouse room and toward the large kitchen.
“Not where I thought we were going, but I’m game.”
“Patience.” I’m actually enjoying this. His excitement for his surprise is catching. “Wait there.” I position him by the center island and hold my finger up at him.
Opening the refrigerator, I hold my breath before pulling out the dessert Mac helped Paxton and me bake yesterday afternoon.
“Apparently, you told Mac your mama used to bake this for Christmas so I… I dunno. I know it’s not the same or—”
“Baby Girl, I love that you did this.” He doesn’t wait for me to come to him, no, he strides toward me with purpose and the brightest grin. Taking the sweet potato pie from my hands, he carefully places it on the kitchen counter before lifting me and turning to sit me on the center island.
The intense gaze we share lasts a lifetime, yet it’s not long enough, our noses and foreheads millimeters apart. My lips part on a breath and my whole body tingles in anticipation of what he’s going to do next.
“Thank you.” Comfortable between my legs, he warms my cheeks with his large palms and kisses me, gently sliding his tongue between my lips to meet mine. I relax into him, my hands stroking up his black, long-sleeve T-shirt and across his hard, tight chest and his soft groan lights my insides.
His thumbs caress my cheeks, our tongues dancing to a tune only we know, but the sound of footsteps makes us both pause. I realize where we are and what we were possibly going to do in here, and suddenly shame fills me. What if someone had caught us?
“Can I Goldilocks to doing stuff in here please?” My words are a whisper. I’m embarrassed, but I trust Bear with everything that I am so I know I can be honest.
“Baby Girl, you never need to ask me if you can use your safeword. It’s yours. For you to use whenever and wherever you want to. Okay?” He’s frowning, but not because he’s angry with me. I know most of his frowns, I think, and this is more of a he’s angry with my past thing. He’s currently picturing himself murdering Master in several different ways.
“Okay. Thank you.” I smile and lean up to kiss him again. “Do you wanna try the pie?”
“Let’s take it home. We’ll share it with Paxton while we all watch the movie. Has he told you which one he chose? Because he told me it’s a surprise.” Taking my hand, Bear picks up the sweet potato pie and we head back toward the bar room.
“Kid’s shit at pool, but he’s a quick learner so he’ll be on par with us soon enough.” Boner ruffles Paxton’s hair playfully.
“Maybe I was just pool sharking ya, and next time I’ll take all your money.”
“Not until you’re sixteen, Kid. We don’t take money from children.” Boner winks and Paxton scrunches his nose up, narrowing his eyes before sticking out his tongue. “Exactly.” This time, Paxton laughs with the others.
He’s just another person these club members have taken in, without question, and are now treating as one of their own. If I knew people like this existed, I would’ve tried to escape years ago.
“Wanna head back and watch that movie?” Bear holds out an arm for Paxton, who immediately buries himself into his side with a hug. He’s not afraid to show his affection and I love that the cruel life he’s lived so far hasn’t dampened that.
“Yup. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but ‘Thena definitely hasn’t. It was my mom’s favorite.” His bottom lip wobbles a little when he finishes speaking but he takes a deep breath and controls it. I wish he didn’t feel like he had to, though.
Bear and I have discussed whether he’s gonna need a therapist, but I wanna see what Paxton thinks because it should be his decision. However, that conversation can wait until tomorrow because his happiness today has been like seeing Paxton from before.
“Catch ya later, little shit.”
“Call you tomorrow, Bear.”
“Let me know how the sweet potato pie goes down.”
There is a chorus of goodbyes before we leave the bar room and head to the front door of the building. We’re using the truck because, while Bear’s motorcycle is pretty big, there isn’t room for three people.
“Do you think I could learn to ride a motorcycle sometime?” The idea just came to me, and it feels like a great one for so many reasons. The first being that Bear wouldn’t feel the need to use the truck quite so often.
“Sure thing, Baby Girl. We’ll start in the new year.” He doesn’t even question it. I thought I’d have to explain myself.
I huff a laugh and he squeezes my fingers gently between his large ones.
“Can I learn too?” Paxton runs up behind us after insisting he could carry the rest of his gifts from the club members himself —Bear had already put most of them in the truck earlier this afternoon.
“You know you can. But we stay off the roads because I’m not getting arrested for putting a twelve year old on a motorcycle.”
Bear opens the passenger door for me and helps me inside before leaning across me to clip in the seat belt. After making sure Paxton has the rest of his gifts in the back safely, he then climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. It’s already warm in here, as if the truck has been running for a while already.
“Had Jonesy make it toasty in here before we left.” Winking, Bear answers the unspoken thought in my mind. He really does think of everything when it comes to our comfort.
The journey home is peaceful, Christmas decorations and lights lining the dark streets, and the whole time, Bear holds my hand in his, squeezing gently every time Paxton points out another display.
“What the fuck?”
I’m suddenly alert when Bear curses and the truck stops abruptly outside his house.
“Stay here.” He’s out of the truck in seconds and striding purposefully toward the two figures by his front door.
Before I have time to really worry or start to panic, I see him throw his keys at the visitors as he turns back toward us.
“It’s Ophelia and Jarrett.” Bear leans across and unclips my seat belt, then holds a hand out to help me out of the truck. “They have something to talk to you about.” He’s scowling as he shrugs, like he’s unhappy about not knowing what they have to say.
“Do we like them?” Paxton’s voice from the back seat before he clambers out of the truck makes me smile.
“Yeah, Son, we do. They’re good folks.” Bear leads the way toward the now-open front door.
“Okay.” Paxton grabs a few of his gift bags and follows.
Inside, Ophelia and Jarrett have made themselves comfortable on the stools at the kitchen island.
“Nice haul, little dude.” Jarrett nods approvingly.
“There’s more in the truck if you wanna help.” Paxton has taken Bear’s word that these are good people without question, and I’m in awe at how trusting he is.
Although, when it comes to Bear, I’m exactly the same. He just has this whole aura about him that makes him, well, everything.
“I’ll help. Jarrett’s the one with the news.” Ophelia jumps off the stool with a wink in Jarrett’s direction and follows Paxton back out to the truck.
“Cheers for that, Kitten.” Jarrett rolls his eyes and looks straight at me. “I have some shitty news and some better news, depending on how you take it.”
I have subconsciously made my way over to stand in front of Bear, who easily wraps his arms around me like a security blanket. There’s a vibration through his chest, a low grumble showing his annoyance at the situation, but he’s letting me deal with it, all the while making sure I know he has my back.
“Okay. Shitty news first then. That’s the way it works, isn’t it?” I shrug, unsure what he’s about to say because what could he possibly have to tell me?
“So we’ve been digging into where your mum was kept and we found her, but she died about five years ago.”
My heart soars and drops within the space of a few seconds, the hope of seeing Mom again quickly doused.
“We found your dad though.”
Oh, wow. I never gave my father’s identity a thought, and I’m not sure I really want to know. I always imagined it was one of the men Mom’s owner forced on her, and those were not nice people.
“He’s dead too.”
Okay. My eyes feel like they’re about to pop out of my head as I try to process all the information Jarrett’s giving me, and it doesn’t feel like he’s finished yet.
“I killed him about seven months ago. And here’s the kicker… he was my dad too.”
He lifts his lips up into a tight smile at the same time his shoulders lift, as if he has no idea how I’m going to react and he’s waiting for me to blow up.
But I’m not. Instead, a strong feeling of something I can’t really explain creeps up and makes tears spring to my eyes.
“So you’re my brother? I have a brother?”
He nods, relaxing his shoulders as his grin widens.
“Yeah. And I have a little sis. Is that okay?”
“Oh my gods, yes!” I turn in Bear’s arms and beam up at him. “I have a big brother!”
“It seems you do, yeah, Baby Girl.” He kisses my forehead before I turn back around to face… my brother.
“Best Christmas ever.” It doesn’t matter that this is the first Christmas I’ve ever truly had, it will go down forever as the best.
“I’ll agree to that.” Paxton comes back into the kitchen with his arms full of gifts.
“Can they stay to watch the film with us?” I ask Bear, because I’ve been looking forward to it all day, but I can’t bring myself to let my new brother leave just yet. Or my new sister-in-law.
“This is as much your house as it is mine, you don’t need to ask my permission to do anything, Baby Girl.”
“Seems I won’t need to worry about the whole big brother speech and making sure your intentions with my lil sis are good.” Jarrett chuckles as Bear huffs a laugh.
“You could try, man.”
“No need to size up your dicks, I’m sure they’re both huge. So I take it the news went down okay?” Ophelia settles herself on Jarrett’s lap after putting down the gifts she carried.
“It’s a lot, still kinda processing, but would you guys wanna stay and watch the Christmas movie Paxton picked out for this evening with us? We have snacks.”
“I’m not sharing the sweet potato pie…” Bear’s low whisper in my ear makes me chuckle, but I nod, silently letting him know I’m good with that.
An hour later, and the Grinch is on his tirade to ruin Christmas. Paxton is sitting in one of the armchairs and Jarrett and Ophelia are on the opposite side of the couch to me and Bear. There’s a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table with our empty hot chocolate mugs, the main lights are dimmed, and the Christmas lights are glowing bright on the Christmas tree in the corner.
Bear’s phone starts vibrating next to him and he hesitates in answering it before picking it up.
“This better be good.”
Pausing, he listens to whoever is on the other end of the call before his whole body tenses.
“Fuck.”