EPILOGUE #2
“That’s it, baby,” I growl, feeling my own release building. “Give it to me. Let me feel it.”
Honey shatters beneath me, her pussy clenching around my cock like a vice.
The sight of her coming undone is my undoing. I slam inside her once, twice, and again before emptying myself inside her with a guttural groan.
I stay rooted to the spot, sweat dripping down my face. We stay like this for long heartbeats, both of us refusing to move until we come down from our high.
Pulling out, I roll to my side, taking her with me.
“I love you,” she murmurs sleepily, her head heavy on my shoulder.
“I love you, too,” I whisper back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
A week ago, I was alone in this house, nursing a broken heart over a woman who was never meant to be mine.
Now I’ve got the most beautiful woman in the world asleep in my arms, and two amazing boys upstairs.
Life is fucking perfect.
CHRISTMAS MORNING
“Stay still, for fuck’s sake,” Reign grumbles, trying to adjust the Santa hat on my head. “It’s crooked.”
I swat his hand away. “It’s fine.”
We’re standing in my garage at the ass-crack of dawn, and I’m sweating my balls off in this cheap polyester Santa suit. The beard itches and smells, and the boots are too big for my feet.
But it’ll be worth it to see the looks on the boys’ faces.
“You’re a real pussy, you know that?” Reign snorts, handing me the box with holes poked in the sides. “Remind me why I agreed to this again?”
“Because you’re my brother and you love me,” I deadpan, carefully taking the box. A small whine comes from inside, and I smile beneath the fake beard. “You sure they can’t tell it’s me?”
Reign rolls his eyes. “Yes, Motherfucker. Now get your jolly ass inside before the fuckin’ dog pisses all over the box.”
I flip him off. “Thanks for helping out with this.”
“Yeah, yeah. Merry fucking Christmas.” He waves me off, but I can see the smile he’s trying to hide.
Taking a deep breath, I head toward the house, moving as quietly as a man in a Santa suit can.
Honey knows I’m doing this—sorta. She doesn’t know what I’ve got, just that I’ve got something.
Can’t exactly sneak into the house without the woman of the house knowing you’re doing it. She might freak the fuck out.
I knock on the front door, loud enough to be heard upstairs. The box in my arms shifts slightly as its occupant moves around inside.
“Easy,” I murmur to the box. “Almost there, little guy.”
The door swings open, and there’s Honey, already dressed in the red sweater and jeans she laid out last night. Her eyes sparkle with amusement as she takes in the full Santa getup.
“Well, hello, Santa,” she says, her voice carrying up the stairs. “What a surprise to see you here on Christmas morning!”
I hear the rumble of little feet above us, and I know the boys are on their way down.
“Ho, ho, ho!” I boom in my best Santa voice. “Merry Christmas!”
Tommy and Jackson appear at the top of the stairs, their eyes wide with disbelief. For a second, they just stare, and then Jackson lets out a shriek of excitement.
“SANTA!” he yells, taking the stairs two at a time. Tommy is right behind him, his usual caution thrown to the wind.
“Boys!” Honey says with a huge smile, though she’s trying not to laugh. “Look who came to see you!”
“Hi, Santa,” Tommy says, slightly out of breath.
“Hello there, Tommy and Jackson,” I say, deepening my voice. “Have you boys been good this year?”
They both nod like Bobbleheads.
“Good, good.” I look at Honey and wink. “Hi, bab—Honey.”
She narrows her eyes at my slip, but the smile never leaves her face. “Hello, Santa. What brings you by so early?”
I hold out the box. “I was on my way home when I realized I left one of your presents on my sleigh.”
Both boys are bouncing on their toes, eyes locked on the box in my hands.
“This is for both of you.” I carefully put the box down on the floor. “Go ahead and open it.”
They don’t need to be told twice. They drop to their knees beside the box, tearing at the wrapping paper like little savages. When they get the top off, twin gasps fill the air.
Inside, looking up at them with big brown eyes, is a chocolate Pitbull puppy with a red bow around its neck.
“A PUPPY!” Jackson screams, reaching into the box to scoop up the wiggling ball of fur. “MOM! SANTA brOUGHT US A PUPPY!”
Tommy is speechless, his eyes wide as saucers as he gently pets the puppy’s head. “He’s so soft,” he whispers.
I look over at Honey, who’s shaking her head, but the smile on her face tells me she’s not really upset.
We’d talked about it a few days ago, and while she hadn’t said yes, she hadn’t said no either.
And since she hadn’t made up her mind either way, I decided it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
“What do you say to Santa?” she prompts, stepping closer to get a better look at the puppy.
“THANK YOU, SANTA!” Jackson yells, still holding the squirming puppy against his chest.
“Thank you so much,” Tommy adds, his voice thick with emotion. “This is the best Christmas ever.”
My chest swells with pride. “You’re very welcome, boys. Now, I’d better get going. Mrs. Claus is a real ball buster when I’m late.”
Honey narrows her eyes at me again, but I can see the amusement dancing in them.
“Merry Christmas to all!” I boom, backing toward the door. “And to all a good—” I glance out the window at the sun coming up. “—day!”
Making my exit, I close the door behind me with a final “Ho, ho, ho!” before hauling ass back to the garage. Reign is still inside, leaning against his truck with a smirk on his face.
“How’d it go?” he asks as I strip off the Santa suit.
“Perfect,” I say, grinning like an idiot as I pull the beard off. “You should’ve seen their faces.”
He chuckles, pushing off from the truck. “Glad it worked out. I’m heading back to the clubhouse. Wish the family a Merry Christmas from me.”
“Will do.” I clap him on the shoulder. “Thanks again, brother.”
Once Reign pulls away, I grab the puppy supplies I’d stashed in the garage yesterday and head back inside.
The scene that greets me is exactly what I’d hoped for. The boys are on the floor with the puppy, laughing as it licks their faces, while Honey sits on the couch watching them.
“Dread!” Jackson spots me first, jumping to his feet with the puppy in his arms. “Look what Santa brought us! You missed him!”
“Did I?” I set down the supplies and squat down next to him. “Man, I always miss him. What’d he bring you?”
“A PUPPY!” Jackson thrusts the little pup toward me, and I carefully take it into my arms. The puppy immediately starts licking my chin.
“Wow, that’s pretty cool,” I say, scratching behind its ears. “What are you gonna name him?”
The boys exchange a look. “We want to name him Dread,” Tommy says, his eyes serious.
I blink, genuinely surprised. “You want to name the dog after me?”
Tommy nods. “Yeah. We like you.”
I swallow hard, a lump forming in my throat. “That’s... That’s a real honor, boys,” I finally manage to say. “But maybe we should pick another name for the puppy. Might get confusing having two of us in the house.”
They consider this for a moment.
Jackson’s eyes light up. “How about Bluey?”
“Or Enzo,” Tommy offers with a little shrug.
“Enzo,” I test it out, looking down at the puppy in my arms. “I like that.”
“Me too,” Honey says from the couch. “Enzo it is.”
I set the puppy down, and it immediately does a butt wiggle walk back to the boys, tail wagging a million miles an minute.
Crossing the room, I sit beside Honey, pulling her close against my side. She rests her head on my shoulder, her hand finding mine and giving it a squeeze.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” she whispers.
“Mine too,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
The puppy breaks away from the boys and trots over to us, putting his front paws on my knee and looking up with those big brown eyes.
“Hey there, Enzo,” I say, scratching under his chin. “Welcome to the family, little dude.”
THE END