Chapter 25 #2
The groans were immediate and predictable, but the kids complied. They knew the drill—Christmas morning with the dads, Christmas afternoon and evening with the extended family.
I helped Finn pack up his overnight bag, making sure he had everything he needed.
Caleb was taking him to Gabriel's parents' house, which still felt surreal.
Six months ago, I'd been alone with my son, running from a past I couldn't escape.
Now I had a whole network of people I trusted to care for him.
"Be good," I told Finn, crouching down to his level.
"Listen to Caleb and Mr. and Mrs. Torres.”
"I will, Dad." He threw his arms around my neck, squeezing tight. "Love you."
"Love you too, buddy."
I watched him leave with Caleb, tracking their movement until the car disappeared around the corner. The house felt quieter without the kids, emptier, but not in a bad way.
Now it was just us. The seven of us.
"Alright," Aria said, clapping her hands together. "Gift exchange time."
"We already did gifts," Ethan pointed out.
"Those were for the kids. These are for you guys." She gestured to a pile of presents I hadn't noticed before, tucked away in the corner. "I thought it would be nice if you all exchanged gifts with each other. Get to know each other better."
The guys exchanged glances, and I could see the mix of surprise and pleasure on their faces. It was a good idea—thoughtful in a way that was pure Aria.
"I'll go first," Gabriel said, moving to the pile. He pulled out several packages, distributing them to Ethan. "Here."
Ethan tore into them with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning, and his face lit up as he revealed the contents. Boxing gear—shorts, gloves, shoes, hand tape, a mouthguard kit, a robe, and a heavy bag.
"Holy shit," Ethan breathed. "This is... Gabriel, this is too much."
"You've been talking about getting back into it," Gabriel said with a shrug. "Figured I'd help. You can come to the gym with me tomorrow, break them in."
"Hell yes." Ethan was already pulling on the gloves, testing the fit. "These are perfect."
The gift exchange continued, each present revealing something about both the giver and the receiver.
Ethan gave Gabriel a new pair of gloves, an ATV paint job, new tyres, a shadow box with one of his awards, a replacement Bluetooth speaker, and tickets to some monster truck show.
Gabriel's face actually softened at the shadow box, his fingers tracing the frame.
"Thanks, man," he said quietly.
Liam received a leather office chair, a locking filing cabinet, a silver desktop organiser, a solar-powered clock, and a wireless mouse—all practical, all thoughtful. But it was Gabriel's gift that nearly broke him: a retro handheld video game, the kind he must have mentioned playing as a kid.
Liam stared at it for a long moment, his jaw working. "I... thank you. Really."
Julian got hunting gear—a jacket, a rifle, ammunition, blankets and pillows for his lodge, a special game licence, and matching hat, gloves, and boots. He looked genuinely touched, running his hand over the rifle with reverence.
"This is incredible," he said. "I don't even know what to say."
Noah received three identical sets of architecture grid paper, sketching pencils, a drafting table, and a gift certificate for interior detailing for his Mustang. He laughed at the grid paper, shaking his head.
"You guys know me too well."
Then it was my turn.
I hadn't expected anything. After everything that had come out—the truth about my identity, about Eva, about my past—I figured I'd be lucky if they still wanted me around, let alone bought me Christmas presents.
But they had.
Gabriel handed me a book on martial arts, the pages marked with sticky notes. "Thought you might appreciate this. Some of the techniques are similar to what you probably learned in the SEALs."
Julian gave me a college fund starter for Finn, a check that made my throat close up. "Every kid deserves a shot at education," he said simply.
Liam and Ethan had gone in together on a surround sound system for my house. "For movie nights," Liam explained. "Figured Finn would appreciate it."
Noah handed me an envelope, and when I opened it, I found season tickets for the Texas Rangers. Five of them. "For all of us," he said. "Thought it might be nice to have something to look forward to."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't find the words to express what this meant—that they'd accepted me, forgiven me, included me despite everything.
Then Aria handed me her gift.
It was wrapped carefully, precisely, and when I peeled back the paper, I found a set of handmade glassware. Whiskey glasses, beautifully crafted, with words etched into the sides.
On one side: Adam.
On the other: Ronan.
"Both and," she said softly. "Not either or. You're both people, and both of them matter."
I set the glasses down carefully before I dropped them, my hands suddenly unsteady. "Aria..."
"You don't have to say anything," she said, but I shook my head.
"Thank you. All of you. I don't... I don't deserve this."
"Yes, you do," Gabriel said firmly. "You're one of us. That's not changing."
The others nodded, and I had to look away before I completely lost my composure. I'd been trained to maintain control under any circumstances, but this—this unconditional acceptance, this family—was testing every limit I had.
"Okay," Aria said, her voice bright. "Now me."
"Finally," Liam said with a grin. "We've been waiting all day."
She opened Gabriel's gift first—a promise to redecorate her apartment, complete with a dramatic "goodbye to IKEA chairs" declaration that made everyone laugh.
Noah's gift was next, and when she saw the car keys, her jaw dropped. "You bought me a car?"
"Not the Kid Cruiser," he assured her. "Your own car. You need reliable transportation."
Ethan's gift made her cry—her name added to the title of his lodge. "You're family," he said simply. "This makes it official."
Julian was sending her and her mother to Hawaii, a trip she'd apparently mentioned wanting to take for years. Liam had bought fifty-one percent of the shares in her favourite restaurant, meaning she could eat there free whenever she wanted.
She was laughing and crying at the same time, overwhelmed by the generosity, and I knew exactly how she felt.
Then it was my turn.
I'd agonised over this gift for weeks, wanting it to be perfect, wanting it to show her what she meant to me—to all of us. I'd enlisted help, called in favours, and spent more money than I probably should have.
But seeing her face when I brought out the puppy made it all worth it.
The Shiba Inu was tan and fluffy, small enough to fit in my hands, and he immediately started licking Aria's face when I placed him in her arms.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "Ronan, he's perfect."
"Look at his collar," I said.
She fumbled with it, her hands shaking slightly, and then she found the ring.
The room went silent.
I'd had it custom-made—a sterling silver band with a bright white diamond on top, surrounded by six coloured stones. Garnet, emerald, turquoise, opal, sapphire, amethyst. Each one representing one of us.
"Aria," I started, but Liam stepped forward, taking the ring from her trembling fingers.
"You are the bright jewel in our life," he said, his voice steady and sure. "Each of these stones represents one of us, but you—you're the diamond. The one that holds us all together, that makes us whole."
"We want you to be ours forever," Noah added. "And for us to be yours."
"Will you marry us?" Gabriel asked.
Aria looked around at all of us, tears streaming down her face, the puppy still squirming in her arms. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, of course, yes."
Liam slipped the ring onto her finger, and the fit was perfect. Of course it was. I'd measured three times to be sure.
She kissed each of us in turn, the puppy protesting the squishing, and when she got to me, I held her close and let myself feel it—the joy, the relief, the overwhelming gratitude that I'd been given this second chance.
"I love you," she whispered against my lips.
"I love you too," I said back. "All of you."
It was true. I loved these men like brothers, loved this woman like she was the air I breathed, loved this chaotic, unconventional family we'd built together.
This was my unit now. My team. My home.
And I was never letting it go.
Eventually, I took the puppy—who still needed a name—out to the heated garage where I'd set up a kennel, toys, food, and water. He'd be comfortable out here, safe and warm.
His mum was going to be busy for a while.
When I came back inside, Gabriel was already leading the way upstairs, stripping off his shirt as he went. The others followed, and Aria looked at me with heat in her eyes.
"Coming?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
We made love that night with a tenderness that surprised me, given how intense things usually got between us. But this felt different—like a promise, like a beginning, like everything I'd been searching for without knowing it.
Outside, snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in white. Inside, wrapped up in Aria and my brothers, I was finally, completely home.
Merry Christmas to me.