14. Ivy
Ivy
Morning came too early, as always. I stood at the new coffeemaker, waiting patiently for coffee to brew. The night before had gone as I’d expected. That Caleb had stood by his word and nothing had changed meant more than I could express. And that all four of the men were willing to share me still meant everything.
The elevator door opened, and Hunter walked in. That wasn’t exactly a surprise, considering he had taken Niko and Cam’s siblings with him the night before, leaving the five of us to celebrate my wedding night. What surprised me was the gigantic Christmas tree he and Sergei brought in. Even in my sleep-addled state, there was no way to disguise it.
Christmas was upon us, but we hadn’t thought that far in advance. In fact, other than the Thanksgiving dinner I’d celebrated with the guys, I hadn’t considered any holiday since moving to Clearhaven. I made a mental note to myself to talk to Hunter or Rayne about getting out of the house to buy presents for everyone.
The expressions on Maya’s and Katya’s faces made everything worthwhile. Belle ran in circles around them, wagging her tail and barking loudly. It was funny how, even amid all our chaos, she seemed to fit right in, and it was almost like she was excited by the prospect of decorating for the holidays as well.
In Maya’s arms, she carried several bags filled with tissue paper. Her face lit up as soon as she made eye contact with me. “You’ll never believe what we did this morning!”
She seemed full of joy, and I waited for her to continue. “We went to the Christmas tree farm.”
Sergei seemed excited as well, and a smirk spread across his face. “We did. First, Ethan let me drive Dominic’s car, and then he let me help cut it down. This is the best day ever. I can’t wait to hang out with them more.”
As he continued talking, I tried to hide the alarm on my face. I wasn’t his mother or his sibling, but the fact they let him use an axe concerned me. I wasn’t sure Ethan was someone he should spend more time with.
Luckily, Katya cut in. “Well, first, Ethan took us out for doughnuts and coffee. And then he carried us to a shop where we got to pick out ornaments. They are so cute. I can’t wait for you to see them.”
Belle continued barking, running in circles around the new arrivals. Despite what we had done the night before, I wasn’t sure how the guys were still asleep. I also wasn’t sure how Luthor had snuck into the house without truly alerting her. Finally, Cam stumbled into the room. He smiled when he saw the tree, but his face quickly dropped. “How can I pay you back?”
Hunter rolled his eyes at him as he set the Christmas tree in the corner. “It’s already been taken care of. You don’t have to worry about that.” Cam opened his mouth to argue but quickly changed his mind, instead busying his hands with ornament hooks.
My coffee was done, and I walked to the refrigerator to grab the milk. Everyone else was busy, a flurry of motion. All I had to do was sit back and watch as they set everything up and unpacked the bags of decorations. Slowly but surely, the Christmas tree came together with garland, beads, ornaments, and bows.
It struck me just how incredible the moment was. I’d never had anything like this, even when I was younger. The man I called my father was always too busy with work and left decoration to the staff he hired. We’d never had the moments you saw in movies, full of holiday cheer and hot chocolate. Now it all felt empty.
Everything else fell away as Cam turned on Christmas music using an app on his phone. Trey, Niko, and Caleb stumbled into the room, and without hesitation, all began helping. The fact that I had just murdered someone a week ago and our home had burned down were distant memories while I watched, sipping my coffee. The moment was perfect, forever seared into my memories. It was beautiful. I also had a small inkling of hope that burned brightly inside me. If this was how normal felt, what would our future be like? Would it always be like this? Would we be happy?
While everyone else was busy, Hunter pulled me to the side. His face was lined with concern, and his expression seemed entirely at odds with the scene behind me. “Have you spoken to Caleb this morning?”
I hadn’t spoken with Caleb since the evening before. Even then, our words had been few and far between. My cheeks burned at the thought of what we’d done as I cleared my throat. “Not really. Why?”
A divot formed between his eyebrows, and his mouth twisted to the side, almost as if he was measuring what he wanted to say. “Tonight, ask him about New Year’s.”
For some reason, a knot formed in my stomach. Not knowing what was happening set me on edge, and I worried about what he would tell me and why Hunter didn’t just tell me himself.
The shower ran in the background, filling the room with steam. Everyone else was in the living room watching a Christmas movie. Given our current living situation, finding time to be alone with anyone was difficult. When I saw Caleb walk away, I knew it was my chance.
Through the shower door, rivulets of water skated down his body, accentuating every muscle. His eyes were closed as he rinsed soap from his skin. I allowed myself to lean against the wall and just watch for a moment. There were worse things than being married to him. Even if neither of us had quite decided that was what we wanted, there were advantages to our arrangement. Not only was he willing to share me, but he was kind and thoughtful. And he was handsome.
He opened his eyes immediately, finding me with his gaze. I pushed off the wall, my heart in my throat, and willed myself to ask him what I wanted. “Hunter told me I should ask you about New Year’s.”
He sighed and closed his eyes again. “I should’ve told you earlier today. The Order is hosting a masquerade ball. Dominic sent me a message last night.”
Last night we were all preoccupied, which meant he didn’t find out until earlier today. While I was enjoying my wedding night, my brother and his friends were still looking for a way to handle our situation.
“What does that mean?” I didn’t want to assume anything about the plans being made. My mind continued to circle around the idea of how one handles a secret society. How could you take down the men who literally ran an entire city? From the stories I’d heard, their reach extended further than Clearhaven. Any hope that had been kindled earlier disappeared; instead, desperation threatened to consume me.
Caleb stalled for a moment. When he finally answered, his voice was low and grave. “We don’t have all the answers, but don’t worry. I’m working on the details now. I think striking them while they’re preoccupied will be a good move. We could take advantage of the situation.”
Internally, I agreed with him. What better time than when they were wearing their finest? It was smart on the surface, but I was conflicted. There wasn’t much time to plan everything that needed to be done. And there was a matter of safety. The idea of losing any of them, including Cam, left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.