Chapter 25
The Nightingale Diner was almost empty when Ellis and I snuck through the back door and took booth six, away from the windows. It was Friday night and I had been going stir crazy stuck in the apartment. The police didn’t even want me cutting hair until they caught the guys responsible for this. Ellis had worked at the studio, but only in the office. He had to leave the teaching up to Dawson, who thankfully was free to come back from Saginaw for a few days. Heather was able to pick up the slack at the salon, but I would have to work next week. Everyone had plans for the holidays and wanted to look their best.
“What are we going to do tomorrow, Ellis?” I asked as we settled into the booth. “You have to play Santa at the sleigh and I’m supposed to be your elf.”
He lowered his menu and lifted his eyebrow. “I can still play Santa, no one knows it’s me.” I smirked and he held up his hand. “Okay, only you and one little girl who won’t tell a soul know it’s me. As for you being my elf, no. You’re my Mrs. Claus, no more elf duty for you. They’re looking for a replacement.”
I frowned and sighed. “Dang. I liked being your elf.”
“And I liked that elf costume.” He wagged his brows, his eyes wolfish.
The bell tinkled and my eyes automatically lifted to the door as I shrunk back against the seat. I let out a sigh at the familiar faces. It was Gabe and Wilson. Wilson had a pair of crutches tucked under his arms but was putting weight on his leg, which was a good sign. What wasn’t a good sign? They were headed right toward our booth. Ellis’s eyes tracked mine and when he saw them, he stood and motioned Wilson to sit in his spot.
“Officers,” he said, shaking their hands.
Gabe put his hand on his hip and eyed me. “I thought we told you to stay out of public places.”
“You did, but we’re driving Shep’s truck and we came in the back. No one saw us.”
Ellis scooted me into the booth and sat next to me. “She was going stir crazy. I figured this was safe as long as we steered clear of the windows.”
“Unless the guys were in here,” he said, throwing up his hands.
I rolled my eyes skyward. “You were the one who said they were long gone, remember? Does the whole, they shot a cop and are on the run thing ring a bell?”
Wilson laughed with abandon and shook his head. “I always liked you, Addie. You always knew how to keep Gabe in line.”
Becca was hesitating by the counter, unsure if she should interrupt or not. I motioned at the two guys in front of me. “Coffee?” They nodded, so I gave her a three and she grabbed the pot, bringing it over.
“Didn’t want to interrupt.” She glanced at Ellis. “Tea? Sprite? Hot cocoa?”
“Hot cocoa would be great,” he agreed and she headed off for the front counter while the guys sipped their drinks.
“How are you feeling, Wilson? I’m so sorry you got caught up in this,” I said, anguish evident in my voice.
He set his mug down and shook his head. “You had nothing to do with me getting shot. I picked those guys up before I knew who they were. Literally, every time I make a traffic stop, I’m fully aware I’m putting myself at risk. Don’t even think about blaming yourself for this,” he ordered, motioning at his leg. “Besides, it’s going to take more than a leg wound to take me out.”
“All the same, thank you for doing what you do. From here out, both of you, free haircuts for life.” As soon as they objected, I slashed my hand through the air. “Not negotiable. You’ve gone above and beyond to keep me safe. That said, how long until this is over? Any luck on the hunt?”
Gabe grinned, which I thought was out of place considering the question, but then he spoke. “We got them, both of them.”
I leaned over on the table, excitement raising my voice higher than normal. “What? Next time lead with that!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around Ellis. “They got them!”
He rubbed my back and grinned. “I think she’s a little excited to hear this news. Good job, guys,” he said, shaking their hands. “Can you tell us what happened?”
Wilson rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “We can, but believe it or not, it’s bizarre.”
“Believe it,” I said. “The whole thing is bizarre.”
Gabe pointed at me. “I’ll give you that. Yesterday about nine a.m. a guy walks into the station and says he’ll give us information about the cop shooting, and all the rest, if we’ll cut him a break.”
“The rest? The other guy?” I asked and he nodded, his head bobbing while he swallowed.
“The other guy, the Thunder Vipers, and the people in Bells Pass who were helping them.”
I scratched my head. “People who were helping them?”
“There were a few informants for the gang living in the outlying communities, apparently. They were feeding the gang information about who to target.”
Ellis held up his finger. “Something has been bothering me. They attacked my business long before they would have seen us together. Why me?”
Wilson leaned forward to answer. “They were under the impression you were gay.”
All Ellis did was laugh. “Yeah, I get that a lot. It’s the yoga thing.”
Gabe held up his hands. “Obviously misinformation,” he said. “Which they figured out when they were cruising through town one night and saw the two of you here. They decided you were two birds with one stone if they could get you together. They continually cruised town looking for you.”
“And then they found us,” I said and he nodded. “Twice.”
“He told us during the bottle incident the guy’s gun jammed so he tossed a bottle just to scare you, but they made a plan to come back. Apparently, you get promoted to a full-fledge viper if you get a twofer.”
“Two murders at one time,” Ellis said.
Wilson nodded grimly. “The guy who turned himself in wasn’t exactly feeling it, though. It started out he was pissed at his parents and took off, got hooked up in the wrong crowd and dragged along. All initiates are sent out with another member of the gang, for obvious reasons. He was afraid they’d kill him if he didn’t go through with it, but he swears he missed on purpose Wednesday night. He could have had you if he’d wanted.”
Ellis sighed. “I wondered when we found the bullets in the wall twenty feet from us.”
“Exactly,” Gabe agreed. “The way he tells it, the two of them were arguing in the truck when Wilson pulled them over. The gang official already had his gun out and pointed at him while he drove. Things went bad and after they shot Wilson, they both bailed and took off in different directions. The kid couldn’t live with himself after seeing Wilson go down. He sang like a little jaybird. It’s taken us two days, but we have them all rounded up. Nothing to worry about now. Merry Christmas.”
I leaned back in the booth and sighed, my hands to my lips. “This is fantastic news. You got the gang, too?”
Gabe motioned between himself and Wilson. “Not us specifically, but the Saginaw Gang Taskforce did.”
“Who were the informants here?” Ellis asked. “Who did we think was part of the community but wasn’t?”
“There were three guys here in Bells Pass. Other communities had bigger groups, but we’re tighter knit than most. These guys lived on the outskirts, didn’t socialize much, but definitely went to enough community events to know who was who in the ethnicity department.”
Last Saturday’s interaction with Cameron flashed through my mind and I groaned. “The kid from the sleigh!”
Ellis tipped his head. “What kid from the sleigh? There were about four hundred.”
I glanced up at the two guys in front of me. “The boy’s name was Cameron. He was in Holly’s class so he was maybe eight or nine. He told me his dad said elves can’t be girls and they can’t be black.”
Ellis put his hand over mine. “I remember, he wouldn’t let you touch the boy, kept grabbing him before you could help.”
“That’s him,” I agreed. “Mel told me he’s a jackass and Holly doesn’t like Cameron either because she’s afraid of his dad.”
“How come you didn’t say anything about this guy to me? You should have reported him,” Gabe said, his brows furrowed.
“It was just a weird interaction.” I gave him the palms up. “I forgot about it right after it happened. I bet he was one of them.”
Wilson shifted his eyes to Gabe who sighed. “Sounds like a guy we arrested. Lodi James. He has a son in the school district, but there’s no mother involved. He waved his hand. “Let us do the police work, but from now on, if something is off, please, for the love of God, report it. We don’t care how minor you think it is.”
Wilson pointed at him. “I agree with him for once in my life. Deal?”
Ellis and I nodded as Becca set the mug of hot cocoa in front of Ellis. “You guys want anything to eat? On the house, Ivy says.”
They shook their heads. “Thanks anyway, but we gotta fly. I haven’t slept in two days,” Gabe admitted, the bags under his eyes telling me that was the truth. “And this guy is supposed to be in bed, so I better get him back to his apartment before his mommy finds out he’s not following doctor’s orders.”
Gabriel stood and held Wilson’s crutches until he was out of the booth. I hugged them both and thanked them again. When they were gone, we slid back into the booth and grinned at each other.
“It’s over,” I sighed. “No more house arrest.”
Ellis took my hands and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. “Relieved?”
I nodded but frowned at the same time. “I am, but it’s going to take me a long time to trust people again. Especially newcomers.”
“Something tells me you aren’t going to have to do the worrying about newcomers.”
“Why?” I asked, motioning with two fingers for Becca to bring two daily specials when they were ready. I didn’t care what I ate, as long as I ate.
“Those guys who just left, and all the ones who work with them, they’ll do the worrying. Suddenly, their town wasn’t as safe and secure as they thought it was. I could see in their eyes they know they dropped the ball on their knowledge of illegal activities in the town. This won’t happen on their watch again. I assure you of that.”
“It’s still going to be hard to live the way I used to live. I’ll always be wondering who’s watching.”
He slid around and scooted in next to me, holding my hand to his chest. “I know this changed you. It changed me, too. I want you to promise that you won’t let it ruin you, though.”
“Ruin me?” I asked, confused.
He caressed my cheek, a tight smile on his face. “Ruin your ability to trust the people in this town who are good and who have your back. Don’t let it ruin your sweet, honest, beautiful heart that loves everyone and everything in this town. It’s okay to be aware. It’s okay to protect your business and your body, you should do that anyway, but don’t let it own you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I captured his hand to my cheek and held it there. “Don’t stop doing what I love out of fear. Don’t let fear rule love. Let love rule fear.”
He leaned forward and kissed me with enough tongue to tell me I definitely got the answer right.
“Silent night, holy night,” the town sang around the Bells Pass Christmas tree, joining the choir of carolers who filled the gazebo. Santa had ho-ho-hoed, talked to the kids on his lap, and then a few minutes ago, his sleigh pulled away through the woods, pulled by horses, rather than reindeer, not that the kids cared. They cheered, hooted, and hollered goodbye as he dashed away, waving his jingle bells in the air and wishing everyone a good night. I laughed, but tears leaked from my eyes while I did it. He really was the best thing to ever happen to me. He didn’t let me dwell on the past. He made me focus on my future instead. My future with him, I hoped.
My eyes searched out and found Ivy and Shep, Mom and Stan, and Mel, Mason, and Holly all within a few feet of me. We were standing together in solidarity tonight. My tribe had my back and slowly, over the last ten days, I’d been able to let the pain and distrust go bit by bit. Now, the magic of the season filled my heart again.
Holly helped with that every time I saw her and she’d wink conspiratorially. We’d resumed yoga classes with Ellis, or Santa, as she called him when we were alone together. We laughed, drank hot cocoa, and planned her surprise down to the last detail. I checked my watch as the song ended and sucked in a nervous breath. The ceremony was over and slowly everyone wandered to their cars to head home. It was time to put out the milk and cookies and get ready for Santa to return to Bells Pass down their chimneys with care, but not for one little girl. That little girl was still planted front and center by the tree, even as Mel and Mason tried to get her to leave.
I stepped up to them, hugging Holly. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart. Do you think Santa is coming tonight?”
She tapped her chin. “I think so. I’ve been pretty good this year, but it might be hard for him to bring me what I asked for. It’s kind of big.”
Mel glanced at Mason and back to her daughter. “What did you ask for? You told me you asked Santa for a yoga mat.”
Holly smiled, and I had to say, it was just evil enough to make me proud. She might have asked for a yoga mat, but she also asked for a whole lot more.
Mason rested his hand on her shoulder. “We should go, baby girl. Santa won’t come if you’re still awake,” he reminded her, playing along.
Bells could be heard in the distance and all eight of us froze. “Are those bells?” I asked, my head cocked toward the woods. “Does anyone else hear bells or is that just me?”
Holly jumped up and down. “I hear them! They sound like jingle bells!”
Mel raised a brow at me and I grinned, giving her the palms out until the man in red broke through the woods in his sleigh, halting the horses with the reins. There was a passenger with him this time.
Holly clapped, her excitement flowing through all of us. “Santa!” she yelled as she took off on a run. “You’re back!”
Santa caught her in his arms as he climbed off the sleigh. “Well, you were awfully specific about your wish this year. I thought I better bring yours first. I hope you know what you’re doing. Judge Masters was busy getting ready for me to come tomorrow morning.”
Judge Masters climbed off the sleigh and grasped Holly’s shoulder. “Santa tells me I’m your wish for Christmas?”
Holly swung her head back and forth as they climbed the stairs to the gazebo, met by the rest of us. “Not exactly,” she said shyly now that she was faced with the moment she’d been waiting for.
“Holly, what’s going on, honey?” Mel asked, completely confused. “Why did you drag Judge Masters away from his family?”
Santa answered the question for her when she was too hesitant to do it herself. “She came to me a few Saturdays ago and told me she messed up.”
Holly nodded, her chin bobbing. “I knew Mason’s Christmas wish, and so Santa said he could help me.”
“How did you mess up?” Mason asked, kneeling next to her.
Holly turned to him slowly and patted his face the way she always did. “My sadness took too long to fly away and I missed our special date. Then Santa said I could pick any date to make special so I picked tonight.”
Ivy and Shep were scratching their heads as they listened to the exchange, but my mom and Stan were grinning. They understood and I winked at them before I turned back to Holly. “She asked Santa to help her, and since I was his elf that day, and I’m from Bells Pass, I had to help, too.”
Judge Masters opened his briefcase and pulled out a pack of papers wrapped in a red bow. He handed them to Holly. “Maybe this will help them understand.” He motioned for her to give them to Mason.
Holly took the papers and held them to her chest. “When you said all those things to me during your wedding, my sadness flew right away, just like Santa said it would. But Judge Masters didn’t have the papers to make me your daughter that day, see,” she said, handing him the papers. “Santa said that your wish this year was to be a family, so I wanted to make sure it came true.”
Mason held the papers, the pages shaking slightly from the tremor of his hand. “You want me to adopt you tonight?” he asked, his voice choked.
Holly bobbed her head up and down again. “I only waited because I wanted to make tonight a special one for us. Santa said I could have picked any day I wanted to, but I really thought it would be easier for him to get your wish done tonight when he’s already out and about.”
We lost it, all of us covering our mouths to keep the laughter in. Mason wasn’t laughing though. He had tears running down his cheeks as he stared at the paperwork. Holly wiped the tears away with her fingers. “Happy tears?” she asked. “We can wait if they aren’t,” she said nervously.
Mason glanced up from the paperwork to see that everyone was waiting on him. He grabbed her and held her to his chest. “Yes, baby girl. These are happy tears. I don’t want to wait a minute longer to be your dad. I can’t believe Santa heard my wish all the way up in the North Pole.”
Holly had her arms wrapped around his neck and she laughed. “I know you have his email. He told me that.”
Mason leaned back and wiped his face with his shoulder. “There goes Santa telling you all my secrets,” he teased, poking her in the belly. “What do you say, should we sign these?” he asked, gazing up at Mel who was also in tears. She held her hand out for him and he stood, holding Holly in the other arm.
Judge Masters took the papers and laid them out on the table we had stashed in the corner. He held two pens in his hand. “This won’t take long. I’m required to tell you by law that Mason, should you divorce Melissa or were she to pass before Holly was of legal age, you would be responsible for support of the child should you sign these papers.”
Mason kissed Mel’s hand and nodded. “Not even a worry.”
Judge Masters smiled. “Didn’t think so, but even Santa can’t overrule the law. Holly, since you are old enough to speak for yourself, I have to ask, do you want Mason to adopt you as his daughter?”
Holly clapped, her enthusiasm bringing tears to everyone’s eyes. “Yes! That’s why we’re here!”
No one held back their laughter this time as my mom put her arms around Stan, the significance of this moment for him not lost on her. Tonight, he was officially becoming a grandpa.
Judge Masters handed Mel and Mason the pens. “Then with a signature here, and here,” he said, pointing to the papers, “my work is done.”
Mel and Mason signed the paperwork in rhythm, which was the same way they lived their lives. They laid the pens down and Mason picked Holly up, both of them hugging her together.
Judge Masters signed the paperwork and then looked up at the family. “That makes this gathering official. The State of Michigan now recognizes Mason Hadley as the father of Holly Murano, now Holly Hadley. You’ll get a certified copy of the paperwork and a new birth certificate forthwith.”
Everyone burst into applause, laughter, and hugs as the happy family held each other, tears running down their faces. My eyes sought Santa and he winked, a bright twinkle of love in his eye.
We all took turns taking pictures with the new family until Mel noticed Holly’s eyes were sagging. Santa had already left to take Judge Master’s home, but not before Holly got an epic Santa selfie for her bookcase. Somehow, she managed to convince everyone to climb into the sleigh and with the help of a selfie stick, she got the picture of a lifetime.
I stood alone in the gazebo staring up at the tree and waiting for my Christmas wish to come. He made me promise to wait for him here so we could spend a few minutes alone together. I heard rustling in the woods, but I stayed in the shadows until I could see the figure moving toward me was him. He was still wearing his Santa outfit, minus the beard and wig. He had the hat stuffed in the pocket of the red coat, which was hanging loosely on him since he’d ditched the giant belly.
He climbed the stairs and I slid my arms around his waist. “Looks like Santa has deflated. He must need more cookies.”
He laughed, holding me to him by the nape of my neck, his breath warm on my cheek. “I love you, Addie. So much it hurts. Merry Christmas.”
I could barely breathe he was holding me so tightly and I turned my head to kiss him. “I love you too. Are you feeling okay? Your pulse is racing.”
He pulled back and nodded, his gaze holding mine. “Just from walking through the woods.”
I didn’t buy it. He was in prime physical condition and walking through the woods wasn’t going to make his heart race. “Did you get Judge Masters back to his car safely, Santa?” I turned so he could wrap his arms around my waist and tuck his chin over my shoulder to stare at the tree.
“He’s probably already home snacking on cookies and cocoa. He was more than happy to be part of such a wonderful Christmas story tonight.”
I nodded with misty eyes. “They were so happy when they left. I’m not sure Mason’s feet were even touching the ground. He definitely got his Christmas wish.”
“What’s your Christmas wish, Addie?” he asked softly. “You better tell Santa before it’s too late.”
“It’s holding me,” I answered immediately. “Santa came through already.”
“I hear he’s like that,” he teased, kissing my neck. “Sometimes he just knows what you need or want.”
“Because he sees you when you’re sleeping,” I sang off-key.
He turned me to face him, grasping my face. “He does, sometimes he watches you for hours. He can’t believe he found someone so special to be his. He wonders where you were all those years when he was struggling to put one foot in front of the other, but then he remembers, those steps were what brought him to you.”
I slipped my hand up to his cool cheek. “When I wake up every morning, I’m always so grateful he found me,” I promised. “Now we can take those steps together.”
He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “I sure hope you mean that, Addie.”
“Of course I do—” My lips froze as he lowered himself to one knee and I grabbed his arm. “Your heart?” I asked, but when I looked down, I noticed that it wasn’t his heart at all that brought him to the gazebo floor, at least not his physical heart.
“My heart is healed, Addie,” he said, holding up a red velvet box. “Physically and emotionally. I owe my life to you in multiple different ways, but I know you don’t want me to feel like I owe you anything.”
I shook my head, tears in my eyes as he knelt before me. “No, I don’t. I love you.”
He smiled a shaky smile. “I love you too, so I decided maybe I had a compromise to me feeling like I owe you my life.” I tipped my head and he winked his Santa wink, so I didn’t say anything. “I want to make you my wife.”
I laughed through my tears and he was grinning equally as much when he cracked the box open. The tremor in his hand gave away his nervousness, though.
A heart-shaped diamond solitaire twinkled back at me. “Addie, will you marry me and be my Mrs. Claus forever?”
My gaze sought his as I dropped to my knee, taking his face in my hands. “I would love nothing more than to spend all my days wrapped up in your arms. I would be honored to be your Mrs. Claus.” I laid a kiss on him that brought out a whoop of joy from someone outside the gazebo. Clapping ensued and we tore our attention from each other to see our tribe standing around the gazebo cheering us on, Ivy snapping pictures as my mom cried tears of joy.
“I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” he said, pulling the ring from the box and holding it up. “Let’s make this engagement official.”
He slid the ring on my finger and then kissed it, his eyes the perfect melting pot of hot chocolate. “You are where my future rests,” he whispered. “Whether we are in Bells Pass or the North Pole. As long as we’re together, I’m home.”