Chapter Eight.
Oakley
I lay in bed, snuggled up warmly as I stared out of the window. It was Christmas morning, and I experienced a mixture of emotions, mainly relief warring with sadness. I didn’t have to face my parents and their cold, stuck-up version of the holidays. The day wouldn’t be regimented with barely any joy to be had. And thank God I wasn’t married to Bronson. No doubt he’d have expected me to play the little woman.
My sadness was because I’d no idea where Aspen and Archer were. I could only hope they were safe and having some sort of Christmas. There was no doubt my parents and Reverend Jeffery were behind Aspen’s disappearance.
Aspen and I had spoken two days before she disappeared. She had told me they were forcing her to marry Bronson so they could get control of her inheritance and Archer’s. She said they were constantly watched by either the family or one of the church attendees. Aspen also told me that Reverend Jeffrey and Bronson intended to send Archer away. They didn’t want a ‘defective kid’—their words, not mine.
Sure, Archer was autistic, but he wasn’t fucking defective. Archer was low on the spectrum, but his autism was obvious. He hated crowds of people he didn’t know and would avoid eye contact, even with Aspen and me. Archer loved a routine, and Aspen ensured he stuck to his.
He was also obsessed with motorbikes. Archer did have trouble understanding body language and verbal and nonverbal cues. He also struggled to understand complex emotion. He did recognise basic emotions, happy, sad, hurt, etc. Luckily, Archer didn’t throw a tantrum or act violently when he got anxious or his routine was disrupted, but he would shut down.
Aspen and I had long ago learned to handle Archer. His symptoms were minor, and not extreme, and he loved the park or playing with toys. If he was in a crowd surrounded by people he knew, Archer could cope; he just couldn’t deal with being around strangers.
In an anomaly to autism, Archer was sociable. He loved meeting new people, but only one or two at a time. Archer could also communicate very clearly and had no qualms stating his needs and wants.
A single tear trickled down my cheek, and I wiped it off. Wherever they were, I hoped they knew I was coming for them. I’d not stop until I found them. I sniffed as more tears fell and wiped them away as there was a knock on my door.
Harley entered and stared before hurrying to my bed. He sat on it and pulled me into his arms… and the dam broke.
Nobody apart from Grandad, Aspen, and Archer had ever cared. Not even my parents—as they’d been concerned about climbing the social ladder and being at the top.
“Everything’s okay,” Harley soothed.
“No, it’s not. But it will be,” I sobbed.
Harley hauled me onto his lap and wrapped me up in his arms. “Oakley, I know nearly everything. I had a PI look into you,” Harley admitted, and that stopped my tears.
I dried my eyes and leaned back, eyeing him suspiciously. “What do you know?”
Harley explained pretty much everything and added, “Hawthorne is searching for Aspen and Archer now.”
Hope blazed through me. “He is?”
“Yeah. Oakley, I’ve got a bad feeling they’re locked away somewhere. Hawthorne will find them,” Harley said adamantly.
“Jodie recommended him.”
“He’s a friend of the family. Dylan Hawthorne won’t stop until he has them. The issue we might have is getting them out. If your mom and dad had them committed or something… we could be facing legal issues,” Harley stated.
Despite a small sense of betrayal, I understood why Harley had checked me out. I would have done the same thing given the resources. That feeling faded, though, as he spoke, and a grin crossed my face.
“Mr Hawthorne only needs to locate them. I have Aspen and Archer’s power of attorney once I either turned twenty-five or got married. Hello, I’m married!The problem I’ve had is locating them. I have the legal documents. If I walk into a facility, nobody can stop me removing them. Unless the state put them away. And there’d be no reason to,” I explained.
“Then we’ll find them and bring them home. Could Aspen have run away with Archer to escape the forced marriage?” Harley asked.
“No. Aspen would have left a message. My cousin knows I would worry. I’ve torn Mom and Dad’s home apart, looking for a clue as to where she is. There’s nothing, but I’m certain they have them.”
“Not for long. Your parents need to pay for their crimes,” Harley growled out.
“They will. The house they live in is Grandad’s. The will bequeathed that to us. They’ve been trying to make us sign it over, but again, we wouldn’t. The only language they understand is money.”
“Then, when you claim what is rightfully yours, you’ll hit them where it hurts,” Harley said with a grin.
I got the impression that Harley was looking forward to sticking it to my parents.
“Feel better now?” he asked.
“Kinda, I just hope they are having a good Christmas, but I doubt it. Something tells me they’re alone and miserable,” I whispered.
“When we find them, we’ll ensure they have a Christmas. We can make Christmas any day we wish. Honey, I’m going to fetch breakfast, and then we’ll unwrap presents,” Harley said.
As he left, I thanked God I’d asked Jodie to pick up some gifts for Harley. I’d not bought for everyone. There’d been too little time. Harley returned after a few minutes, dumped an armful of gifts under the Christmas tree in my room, and disappeared again. He came back twenty minutes later with two covered plates of food and two mugs of hot chocolate.
“Fuck, it’s crazy down there,” Harley said as he kicked the door shut.
“The kids?” I asked, wondering how Christmas worked.
“Yeah.”
“How does it work? Does everyone gather near the large tree?
“No. Each room or cabin has a tree. The parents put the presents under that. Because there’s so many people buying gifts, each family open them in their rooms. We get breakfast early because Christmas dinner is always at one sharp. The kids spend the morning tearing through the gifts, and then it’s dinner.
“After dinner, we head into the drawing room where we give out the Santa presents. The kids unwrap them, and then we all chill out. We have snowball fights or go sledging, whatever, really. Christmas tea is at six on the dot, and afterwards, we sing carols or watch a movie together. Everybody stays because on Boxing Day, we have the Christmas party where everyone is invited. That’s formal wear as well.”
“I don’t have a dress,” I said and bit my lip. Talk about assuming I was invited.
Harley chuckled.
“See what Santa has brought you,” he teased as he slid a second tray out from under the one he’d carried. He lifted the domes off the plates and revealed a full English breakfast. Harley put one plate onto the second tray with a glass of orange juice and a hot chocolate. After handing it to me, Harley uncovered his own plate and sat on the bed.
“Happy Christmas, Oakley. My gift will be to make sure you get everything you wish.”
“Happy Christmas, Harley, I hope your dreams and wishes come true,” I replied.
“Tuck in, there’re presents downstairs,” Harley said, doing just that.
◆◆◆
Forty minutes later, after showering and dressing quickly, Harley carried the presents to the upstairs long gallery before collecting me.
I was unacquainted with the long gallery and was somewhat surprised to discover a long room that ran the length of the Hall. Paintings and tapestries hung on the wall and the enormous windows had shutters on them. A massive Christmas tree stood at one end, almost disappearing under the presents.
All the Michaelsons had gathered in there.
“Damn!” I muttered in shock.
“There’re a lot of us,” Harley replied, laughing and wheeling me in. He settled me near the tree as Drake sat on the floor and started handing gifts out.
An hour later, there was an explosion, and everyone froze.
“It’s Christmas!” Phoe hissed.
A second explosion boomed.
Phoe leapt to her feet and headed for a pair of shutters. Viscously yanking them open, she threw open a set of double doors revealing a balcony. Jodie and Serenity dashed over, Jodie pushing me there as the adult men rushed downstairs.
“Shit! Exploding turkeys!” Jodie shrieked as a fryer exploded below us, and a turkey flew in the air, splattering everywhere. I gaped as the brothers appeared from different exits, all carrying guns.
“Duck!” Serenity squealed as another fryer blew up.
“Boom!” Dante bellowed from where he watched from a window.
“Move away from those windows!” Phoe hissed. “A turkey might come through one!”
I couldn’t disagree, as all of a sudden, fryers exploded simultaneously. The booms made me think I was in a war zone. Arguing began downstairs, and Phoe backed away.
“Back to the presents!” she growled out, and nobody argued, although amusement hung in the air.
Harley called out from below, “Don’t worry, Mom—”
“The prospects have got it covered,” Phoe finished grimly.
“Yup,” he agreed.
For the next few hours, chaos ruled as everyone opened their gifts. I was shocked to receive presents from the older Michaelsons. Harley also bought me some gifts, and there was a beautiful ballgown from Phoe and Drake. Harley had bought me some diamond jewellery to wear with it, too, and I gaped in shock.
“Oh, Harley, I can’t accept this!” I exclaimed.
“Sure you can,” he replied dismissively. That took care of that argument.
“The dress is stunning,” I said to Phoe.
“I love buying gowns like that. It’s nice to have more daughters to buy for,” Phoe said, beaming at Molly, Demi, and me. “And I can’t wait to shop for little girl dresses when I get a granddaughter!”
“Mom!” Carmine and Tye exclaimed together. Harley merely rolled his eyes.
“You’re not exactly subtle,” Drake informed Phoe, who shrugged.
“I want grandchildren, and I don’t care who knows,” Phoe replied.
The older children not in a relationship snickered.
◆◆◆
Dinner, despite the exploding turkeys, had been wonderful. Caterers had made plenty for everyone, and there wasn’t a fried turkey in sight.
We were waiting for dessert now, which Axel had arranged. Harley explained that, in a nod to Phoe and her five English children, they always had Christmas pudding and a chocolate yule log. More traditional American desserts would be served with tea.
The puddings were placed on the tables, and Axel was giving everyone instructions. On the count of three, everybody struck a match and set the pudding on fire.
“Fuck!” Harley shouted and dived at me as three-foot flames shot upwards. Within mere seconds, chaos descended as old ladies rushed for their kids, and the sprinklers came on.
“You ain’t meant to burn our home down!” Drake yelled at Axel, who stood in the middle of the soaking wet chaos, confused. Harley had swept me up in his arms and carried me to the exit leading into the library.
“Axel, how much whiskey did you put on them?” Phoe asked, remarkably calm.
I didn’t know how she did it; I was freaking the hell out. I’d latched firmly onto Harley, and he grinned at my panic.
“Might have guessed Axel would fuck up,” Harley murmured.
Women and children dashed past us, soaking wet.
“Half a bottle per pudding,” Axel replied, sounding miserable.
“Half a bottle?” Sin gasped, glancing at Phoe.
“Half a bottle?” Phoe repeated, staring at Axel. “You’re only meant to put a couple of tablespoons on each.”
“Huh?” Axel muttered. “Well, that was a waste of whiskey!”
Phoe began to giggle before laughing hysterically. The old ladies joined in.
I shook my head at the sheer craziness of the entire day.
“Let’s go get you dry,” Harley said as Phoe gave instructions to the caterers. As we walked away, we heard Phoe call out loudly.
“Let’s make it a pyjama party,” she declared, and the kids all cheered. “There’s a movie that Liz, security, and the prospects have made this Christmas. It’s called a Raging Merry Christmas. Basically, it is all the screw-ups the adults made! We will meet in the drawing room to watch it. It should be fun.”
“We’ll open more presents first!” Eddie stated.
“Of course, then we’ll watch the film,” Drake replied.
Harley began laughing, while the brothers looked sheepish.
◆◆◆
My stomach hurt from giggling so much.
The Santa gifts had been opened, and the kids had tidied up the mess, and we’d just finished the movie. Despite how frightening and horrific it was, it was also hysterical. I finally got to see the penguin porn and reindeer orgy and the rest of the gang bang the older Hellions had committed. It was literally one disaster after another.
As it went on, the brothers began ribbing each other as they watched the disasters evolve. The old ladies and Hellions were in hysterics. The younger kids were more interested in playing with their toys.
For the first time, a powerful sense of family overwhelmed me, and I envied Harley. After Christmas tea, alcohol flowed freely as some brothers took up instruments and a sing song happened.
Harley loved this, I could see it in his eyes and smile. He was completely happy. As I looked around, despite the drama, these people had a strong sense of family and love. I envied them. Archer only had Aspen and me to give him that.
It was pointless wishing Aspen and I had Christmases like this. We hadn’t. Grandad had tried to spend the day with us, but he didn’t fit into my parents’ idea of class.
Aspen’s parents had died when she was eighteen, and by then she was pregnant with Archer. Archer’s dad left when he realised Aspen was knocked up, and she couldn’t care less. Aspen had moved in with Grandad.
At the time, I’d been thirteen. Aspen had experienced five Christmases with Grandad before he passed. Lucky girl. Then Aspen disappeared with Archer, and I’d been hunting for them ever since.
Harley squeezed me, and I smiled, but it felt forced. My joy had subsided a little. Once I found Aspen and Archer, we’d build something like this. Harley was showing me the way to create a family, and I would. Me, Aspen, and Archer, our own unit.
Harley
I sensed Oakley’s mood change, and her eyes held a distant sadness. It wasn’t hard to guess that she was thinking of Aspen and Archer. I made a mental note to speak to Hawthorne tomorrow and see if there was another update. Oakley deserved to have her family around, and I would find Aspen and Archer.
Carmine’s—no, Shutout’s—phone rang, and he frowned and got up to answer it in private. He returned with a scowl on his face that meant he’d had bad news.
“Everything okay?” I murmured.
“Yeah,” Shutout muttered, and then he looked at me, and a light lit in his eyes. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
“No problem,” I replied.
“Thanks, bro,” Shutout said as he took a seat.
Molly snuggled into him and peered upwards. Carmine… damn it! It was hard to get used to calling him Shutout.
Shutout smiled down at her, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom watching.
Mom’s gaze flitted to Ice and Demi. Her face softened, and then she gazed at me and Oakley with hope in her eyes.
I shook my head, and Mom made a face. She didn’t believe me, and she was right not to.
Oakley was fast wriggling her way under my skin. My greatest desire was Oakley’s happiness. Her life was a shitshow, through no fault of her own.
Well, moving forward, I’d be taking care of any issues, and if Oakley’s family came, they better be ready. I was a prospect in Rage, and Oakley was my wife. Add to that, I was a Michaelson. Once we claimed a woman, we’d kill to keep her.
If Reverend Jeffrey or that asshole Bronson got anywhere near Oakley, they needed to bring an army. Oakley was mine.
Phoe
“Did you see Harley?” I demanded as Drake undressed.
“Babe, let the kids fall in love without meddling.” Drake sighed.
“No! I’m still waiting for Micah,” I refuted.
“Micah hasn’t met the one yet.”
“Why not? Tye, Carmine, and Harley have. I need grandchildren,” I argued as I creamed my face.
“Pushing them too hard might make them run in the other direction.”
“Do you think so?” I gasped, horrified, as I contemplated his words.
Drake sighed and, standing, padded over naked as I sat at my vanity table. Before I could argue, Drake snagged me around the waist and carried me over to bed. He dropped me on it, climbed between my legs, and pinned me down.
This looked promising.
“Phoe, let the kids find their own path,” Drake said, kissing me.
“A helping hand doesn’t hurt.”
Drake kissed me again, making me dizzy. “Leave them alone!”
“Drake…” I whined, not sure what I was complaining about. There was a very hard cock pressing on me, and it needed love and attention.
“Your word, Phoe,” Drake murmured against my lips as he ground against me. Heat swept over my body, and I raised my hips up to meet him.
“On what?” I asked, thoroughly bamboozled.
“Say yes, baby,” Drake demanded, ripping my negligee down the middle and taking a nipple in his mouth.
“Oohhh, yes,” I breathed and forgot what I was agreeing to.