Chapter 11
Ophelia
We were both stalled in what we were about to do when Soraya yelling from the living room, “Monnie? Daddy? Papa Noel came! Papa Noel came!” I moaned when I heard Soraya calling out from the living room.
Saint chuckled, then winked down at me, “We will continue this later.”
And with that, he pressed a kiss on the top of my nose, then he jack-knifed off the bed.
Lifting up so my head was cradled in my hand, I watched his back muscles work as he pulled on a pair of buffalo plaid pajama bottoms I had gotten for no reason at all.
And yes, I got myself a pair as well as Soraya.
That man, that man, didn’t hesitate to put them on with a smile on his face.
Still lying there as he moved to the bathroom, I thought about a few things.
How not once, not once has he ever gotten mad when Soraya needed me when we were in the middle of starting something. He didn’t take it out on her, and he didn’t take it out on me.
The saying, just wait until the honeymoon phase is over, and you will see their true colors, well... for the first time in my life, I think they got it wrong.
It should be, don’t hold your breath for the honeymoon phase to be over because, girl, you got lucky.
And with that, I smiled, and when I did, Saint came out of the bathroom, stopped, and stared at me.
When he didn’t move, I smiled and asked, “What?”
He started moving then, but towards the bed, placing a fist in it and lowering his big body until his face was inches from my own.
Then he said, “Dreamt of the moment when I would find my one and only. Dreamt about seein’ her hair all over my pillow, her soft body between my sheets. And seein’ that smile I know good and goddamned well I put on her face, fuckin’ priceless. And honey, that’s what you are to me. Goddamned priceless. You rolled into town, and never, fuckin’ never have I dreamt of anythin’ better than you.”
And with that, he winked, then straightened and headed out of the room.
Leaving me in a pile of ooey gooey-ness. Damn that man.
Would it be wrong to tell my daughter to go back to bed for at least two hours so I could show Saint my appreciation for his words?
Seeing as it was Christmas morning, I thought it might be.
There was nothing that was going to wipe the smile off my face today, freaking nothing.
Not even the mess I knew they were about to make when I heard, “Princess, the rule is that your mom and I must have coffee, and you must have hot cocoa with marshmallows. Then we must make homemade cinnamon rolls, fill our bellies, and then we get to open presents. Okay?”
Soraya nodded, “Okay, Daddy.”
I knew my man was smiling from ear to ear.
After I got my matching pajama bottoms on, used the bathroom, and stood at the end of the hallway looking into the kitchen, I knew I was right.
My man was all smiles while he and Soraya made cinnamon rolls.
Little tufts of flour were on her cheeks and on Saint’s.
Soraya looked up then and said, “Monnie! We’re making cinnamon rolls.”
“I see that pumpkin’ head. Looks like you're doing a great job.”
She giggled, then nodded, “Daddy said that the messier they are, the better.”
I started walking over there toward them, looked at the mess they had made, smiled, and then whispered, “Worth it.” And when I did, I caught Saint’s eyes.
He winked and said, “Preach.”
Once the cinnamon rolls were in the oven, I tried to help clean up but got shooed away by Saint while saying, “It’s our mess. Go sit.”
Shaking my head, I held up my hands and then moved to a bar stool.
They got the mess cleaned up, and then Saint made coffee and hot cocoa.
My mug was in my hand, sitting with Soraya while she was sipping on her hot cocoa.
And when she lowered her own little mug, I smiled and winked at her, “You’ve finally got a mustache like your daddy.”
She smiled huge, then she shouted, “Daddy! Monnie said I finally have a mustache like you.”
He stopped loading wood in the fireplace to turn his head, squint his eyes so he could see, and smiled, “I see it, princess. Looks wicked on you.”
After we had our drinks and ate the cinnamon rolls, it was time to open presents.
I squatted down in front of Soraya and said, “Okay, what’s the rule when we receive presents?”
She grinned, then said, “We have to be thankful for everything we receive and remember that Christmas isn’t about the presents. It’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus.”
I nodded, “Good pumpkin’ head. Are you ready?”
She vigorously nodded, and then I said, “Okay. In three. Two....... One.” And then, like a shot, she took off toward the Christmas tree.
I stood up and smiled at her jaw gaping open when she saw what Santa had left her.
When I felt eyes on me, I looked up at Saint and tilted my head.
He had a furrowed brow.
Reaching up, I smoothed my fingers over it and asked, “What is it?”
He shook his head, then ran his hand through his hair, wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me into his chest.
“Watchin’ you. Wonderin’ how in the fuckin’ hell I was lucky enough to have the fuckin’ honor to call you mine. And to say that I have a daughter.” How he made my heart melt all the time, I would never know. But what I did know, and that was that I wouldn’t change a single thing about him.
Therefore, I told him as such, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you, Benjamin. You’re everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. The world can be a mean place. And maybe it was the man above’s plan to keep all the awesomeness that is in you bottled up, to protect it. Until the world is ready for an amount of goodness this world has never seen.”
I watched as he processed my words, and I knew the moment he had.
Because his free hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and he slammed his lips down on mine for a kiss that was so hot, I was really sad that Soraya was in the room.
His tongue teased mine; my fingers curled into his bicep.
And then... my toes curled.
When we both moaned, he pulled his head back slightly and whispered, “Need you to stand there for a moment until I can calm down.”
I glanced down, and then I giggled, I couldn’t help it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
I giggled even harder, winked, and then ducked out of his arms, all the while, he growled.
When I opened the door, I felt my jaw drop.
Nuke stood there with Grey, Kettle, Jasper, Jury, Merlin, and Agatha, “What are y’all doing here?”
Nuke winked at me, “Soraya is the first kid in the Soulless Outlaw’s family. Felt like this was where we all needed to be.”
It took a moment for me to be able to breathe again at his words.
And I didn’t breathe again until I felt that warm arm that belonged to the amazing man at my back wrap itself around my waist and whisper in my ear, “Breathe, Mama.”
A long inhale followed by an exhale blew out of my lungs.
I shook my head as I backed away with Saint and smiled huge, “Then please, come in.”
One by one, they walked in. Bags and boxes in their hands.
And then, when they sat them down by the tree, they all filed back out of the house, I looked up at Saint and asked, “Where are they going?”
He winked down at me, “If I know them, they brought more shit.”
And he was right.
By the time they were all done, I knew I counted each of the brothers making four trips.
When we both walked back into the living room, I tilted my head cause there should have been wrapping paper on the floor, I asked her, “You haven’t opened anything yet?”
She shook her head, “No, I wanted to open them with you and Daddy.”
At her sweet words, I whispered, “Be still my heart.”
I felt Saint’s arms squeeze around my waist, and he whispered, “Preach, mama.”