Chapter 10 #2
The view was spectacular—endless mountains stretching toward the horizon, pine trees heavy with snow, the kind of pristine wilderness that made you feel like the last people on earth.
But beautiful as it was, it wasn't what made this place special. What made it special was the people inside, the family we'd built from blood and bullets, and a love that most people would never understand.
"Coming in, Romeo?" Jax called from the doorway.
"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, taking one last look at the winter wonderland around us. "Just savoring the moment."
"Plenty more moments where that came from," Connor said as I finally headed inside. "We've got decades of this ahead of us."
Decades of this. Decades of them.
The idea of decades with Isla, years of watching her make snow angels, argue with me about pine needles, and look at me like I hung the moon... that sounded like heaven.
The living room had transformed into a perfect Christmas sanctuary as evening settled over the mountains. Snow fell in gentle curtains beyond the windows, each flake catching the Christmas lights that twinkled from every surface.
The fire crackled merrily in the stone hearth, casting dancing shadows across the rustic wooden beams and filling the air with the comforting scent of burning cedar.
Soft holiday music drifted around, something instrumental and peaceful that wrapped around us like a warm embrace.
The scent of pine from the towering Christmas tree mingled with lingering traces of cinnamon and vanilla from our earlier baking adventures, creating an atmosphere so perfectly festive it felt like the chaos actually receded.
The girls had claimed the oversized sofa, all three of them bundled together under a mountain of soft blankets and wearing their coziest pajamas.
Isla sat in the middle, her silky pajamas making her look like an angel against the deep cushions, while Sierra and Estelle flanked her on either side in their own festive sleepwear.
"I can't believe Kevin didn’t tell his parents,” Sierra was saying, gesturing at the projector screen where credits were rolling. “There were robbers in their house!”
“I would kill them,” Estelle replied with a shake of her head. “Leo better tell me everything if he has an adventure remotely like this.”
"Eight-year-old Leo will be too busy being crowded by Avery,” Isla said with a grin. “She’s literally announced to her friends that he is her dinosaur expert.
Their laughter bubbled up like champagne, light and effervescent.
I watched from the kitchen doorway where I'd been putting the finishing touches on our surprise, feeling that familiar warmth spread through my chest at the sight of them so relaxed and happy.
Connor and Jax appeared beside me in the hallway, both adjusting their black ski masks and checking the small wrapped gift boxes in our hands.
We'd recoordinated this surprise since the girls interrupted us with their whole lingerie adventure last night.
Now we were three shirtless men in red Santa pants that hung low on our hips, matching Santa hats perched at rakish angles, and the ski masks that added an air of dangerous mystery to our holiday ensemble.
"Ready?" I asked quietly, my own gift box warm in my palm.
"Ready," Connor confirmed, his voice slightly muffled.
"Time to give our girls their warm-up gifts,” Jax added with that confident energy I could practically feel radiating off him.
We stepped into the living room in perfect formation, three figures emerging from the shadows like festive phantoms.
Our bare chests gleamed in the firelight, tattoos shifting with the shadows. The red velvet pants clung to our hips, while our Santa hats swayed slightly with each confident step.
But it was the ski masks that completed the look—black fabric that transformed us from boyfriends into mysterious, sexy Santas with questionable intentions.
The girls looked up from their movie marathon, and I watched their expressions shift through a delicious spectrum of emotions.
Curiosity melted into recognition, which bloomed into delighted shock, before settling into that particular hungry appreciation that made our blood sing.
"Oh my god," Sierra breathed, her blanket slipping from their shoulders as she sat up straighter. "You didn't."
"Are you kidding me right now?" Estelle added, her eyes dancing between laughter and pure appreciation as she took in our ridiculous yet effective costumes.
Isla’s mouth fell open in surprise before curving into a grin that could have powered the entire cabin. "You three are absolutely insane."
"Insanely sexy," I corrected with a wink, noting how their eyes immediately zeroed in on the wrapped boxes we carried.
"Wait, are those...?" Estelle started, pointing at the gifts.
"Presents!" Sierra squealed, bouncing slightly on the couch. "You brought us presents!"
“Can we open them?” Isla asked, her voice breathy with excitement as her gaze flickered between my face, my abs, and the mysterious box in my hands.
"Patience, angel," I said, stepping forward to place the gift in her trembling fingers. "All will be revealed."
Connor and Jax distributed their own boxes, and I could practically feel the anticipation of all three girls as they examined the elegant wrapping.
"On three?" Sierra suggested, already staring at her ribbon with barely contained excitement.
"One," Estelle counted, her own fingers fumbling with the crimson satin.
"Two," Isla whispered, her eyes locked on mine with trust and wonder.
"Three!"
The paper fell away in unison, revealing identical jersey-style shirts in soft, comfortable fabric. But it wasn't until they held them up that the true surprise became clear—each jersey bore our ring names across the back in bold white lettering.
But below… had our last names in smaller writing.
Sierra's was black and read “KILLER - Graves.” Estelle's was gold and read “LION - Easton.”
And Isla's...
“CATALYST…”
“Hills,” she whispered, her voice breaking slightly as she held up the blue jersey with shaking hands. "Adrian, it says Hills."
The tears that had been threatening finally spilled over, tracking down her cheeks as she pressed the jersey to her chest like it was made of precious silk rather than soft cotton.
"Because that's who I am now," I murmured, pulling off my ski mask so she could see the raw emotion on my face. "I'm not the broken kid with no real name. I'm Adrian Hills, and I belong to you just as much as you belong to me."
“My name,” she breathed, wonder and love shining in her tear-bright eyes.
"I took everything that makes you, you," I added softly, stepping closer until I could cup her face in my hands. "Your love, your light, your strength, your name. All of it. Because before you, I was lost. But now... now I have love worth fighting for."
She slipped the jersey over her silk pajama top without hesitation, the soft fabric draping perfectly over her curves. The sight of her wearing “CATALYST” across her back—my name, our name—made possessive affection roar to life in my chest.
She was mine, and now the whole world knew it.
The other girls were having their own emotional moments, Sierra practically vibrating with joy as she pulled on her “KILLER” jersey while Connor watched with that soft expression he reserved only for her.
Estelle was already wearing hers, doing a little spin to show off “LION” written across her back while Jax looked like he might actually tear up behind his mask.
"This is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me," Isla said, her voice thick with emotion as she looked down at the jersey that proclaimed our unity to the world.
"It's just the beginning, angel," I promised, pulling her into my arms for a kiss that tasted like tears and Christmas magic. "We have the rest of our lives to give each other beautiful things."
We were a family after all, in every way that mattered.
Hours later, when the living room had settled into comfortable quiet and the others had drifted off to their own romantic moments, I took Isla's hand and led her upstairs to our room for one last night together.
Our bedroom was bathed in moonlight that streamed through the frost-covered windows, painting everything in silver and shadow. The jersey she wore, our jersey, seemed to glow in the ethereal light, and I felt my breath catch at the sight of her.
"Do you know what this means to me?" I asked, closing the door behind us and turning to face her fully.
She stepped closer, her hands finding my chest, fingers splaying across the warm, naked skin. "Tell me."
I covered her hands with mine, feeling the steady rhythm of my heartbeat beneath our joined palms. "Growing up, I never thought I'd have a family name worth wearing. Never thought I'd find someone who'd want to share theirs with me."
Her eyes shimmered with emotion. "Adrian..."
"You know what I came from," I continued, my voice rough with old pain and new hope. "You know the darkness I carry. But you looked at all of that and decided I was worth your name."
She rose up on her toes, her lips finding mine in a kiss that was soft and sweet and absolutely devastating. "You were always worth it," she whispered against my mouth. "Always."
The kiss deepened, her lips parting under mine as my tongue swept inside to taste her. She was warm and sweet, with just a hint of the hot chocolate we'd shared earlier, and I felt myself getting lost in the sensation of her mouth moving against mine.
My hands found her waist, fingers sliding beneath the hem of her jersey and pajamas to touch bare skin. She was impossibly soft, her flesh warming under my palms as I traced the delicate curve of her waist. Every touch drew soft sighs from her throat that made my dick come to life.
"I love you," I breathed against her lips, the words carrying years of gratitude and wonder.
“I love you too,” she whispered back, her hands tangling in my hair to pull me down for another kiss.