Chapter 15
SILENT NIGHT, MY ASS
Maggie
The holidays were supposed to be a time of love, happiness, friendship, family, laughter…
but we all know that’s an absolute crock of shit.
I didn’t know why I hadn’t said no to Mom when she demanded spending the holidays here in Port Grey—let alone when she invited the entire goddamn family.
She’d been here eight hours and besides having a complete meltdown at my inability to “do stairs,” she’d nitpicked every single thing about the house and my choice of decorations.
“I don’t understand why you’re dressed like a hooker on today of all days. You’re half-naked…” Her voice trailed off as she entered the pantry.
Hunter kissed me on the forehead and gently placed his hand on my bare back—my spine went rigid for just a second before I let it go.
I had opted for my red and black sweater dress. Open in the back, yet sleeveless turtleneck up front. I paired it with some black leggings and knee-high black boots—thought it was cute. Apparently, cute meant hooker to Mom.
“Half-naked is when someone’s tits are out, Mom!” I yelled.
“Ugh! Magdalene, must you be so vulgar?”
“Maybe you should change,” he whispered, then kissed my forehead before following Mom into the pantry.
“I will not.” I huffed and crossed my arms, disgusted that he’d agreed with her. “I could dress in petticoats and a bonnet—she’d still be offended.”
“You should always listen to a man with an accent, Maggie. Especially when they agree with me.”
Ugh! My mother was insufferable. And what was worse was that she and Hunter got along like two peas in a fucking pod.
Escaping into the foyer for a breath, I caught Graham’s pickup pulling in behind Annie and her rental in the driveway, his face still frozen in that pissed-off “Hunter must die!” expression he’d apparently made his default setting.
But when he approached Annie, his expression softened, and he actually smiled.
She’d probably said something that caught him off guard and made him question the woman I spoke so highly of, but I was so glad to see it.
Watching him be of service to someone I cared so deeply about made the little butterflies in my stomach act up.
But seeing Annie again was exactly what I needed right now.
She was the only white person I’d ever seen in real life with vitiligo that intense, but she was one of the most striking women I’d ever seen.
I always told her that her “spots” reminded me of when the sun shone through the leaves and left dappled shadows on the forest floor.
She didn’t care for it, squinting her icy eyes at me and saying something along the lines of, “That’s nice, Sugs—but don’t you dare call me a heifer.”
One time I responded by mimicking her heavy Deep South accent. “Well, if you was a heifer, you’d win first place at the county fair.” We’d have a good laugh and go about our day. Today wasn’t any different.
“There she is!” Annie yelled as she rushed past Graham with her arms out wide. “Lord, I missed you, Sugs!”
She pulled me into a big hug and I instantly broke down—the pressure of it all made my head throb. I’d missed her too, and with the stress of the murders, the spell, and my constant need for Graham, I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to keep my head up without crashing into oblivion.
“Oh, stop yer cryin’. I’m here now, but I ain’t showin’ up just to watch ya blubber. Introduce me to yer friends and take me to that ham you been wantin’ me to fix.”
As we entered the foyer, Annie leaned in and thumbed over her shoulder.
“That him? The cop?” she whispered. “Ooo—child, he got one mighty fine backside. Take a look at this!” She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture she had snapped of him slightly bent over, gathering her luggage from the back seat.
I snickered. “Annie!”
“I can hear you, ma’am,” he said, playfully leaning in. “And see you.”
“Mind yer business, Mr. Locke—and don’t you ma’am me. Name’s Annie, if ya gotta call me sumtin’.” She waved him off.
Graham set Annie’s luggage down, leaned in, and squeezed me with one arm, his hand caressing the small of my back. “That open dress is going to make it incredibly hard to behave tonight, princess.” He smirked and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Beautiful, as always.”
Heat flared up my spine from where his hand rested, skin on skin, and traveled straight to my cheeks.
“Thanks,” I breathed.
“Linda sends her love. Grandkids got sick and their parents had to work, so they won’t be coming.”
“Oh no—they could have holed up in the sunroom if they wanted,” I said, genuinely sad that I didn’t have her for added support.
“Where should I put Annie’s things?” he asked.
“The room across from mine is fine.”
“Hold yer horses there, big boy. I’ll be needin’ this one.” Annie snatched a large purple suitcase from his hands and released the handle so she could roll it behind her. “This has yer presents, and some of the fixin’s we’ll be needing for dinner.”
That was one thing I was really grateful to Hunter for.
I told myself it was sweet, what Hunter had done.
Before last night, he’d helped me unpack the rest of my things and ordered new beds and an expandable dining room table that seated sixteen when he found out my whole family was coming.
It was starting to look like a place I’d happily call home.
I just wished my stomach would unknot every time I thought about it.
I hung Annie’s coat in the closet next to my mom’s and Noel’s while she made herself at home and pulled out her festive holiday apron from her suitcase.
“Mom, you know Annie,” I said, directing Annie into the kitchen.
“I do.” She barely looked up from the potatoes she now had a personal vendetta against.
“Oh, don’t get yer biscuits in a bunch, Ophelia. Maggie invited me, I’m not here to rub elbows with ya. Don’t even glance my way if ya don’t want to.”
Mom dragged the peeler down another potato without looking up. “You just saw her at Thanksgiving. Isn’t that enough?”
Annie made a sound in the back of her throat. “Ophelia, knock it off. You’re just sour ‘cause she didn’t come visit.”
“You know what, Annabelle, I am sour. I didn’t think my daughter’s boss should be the first one to meet her future fiancé, let alone the first and only stop when she came back home.”
“Mom?” I grabbed Hunter’s glass and downed the whiskey before I even had a second to process what fell from her lips. My throat went tight. Not from the whiskey.
“Oh, Hunter’s just being shy. He’s dying to ask you, just look at him.” She pointed the peeler at him.
Hunter stood staring like a deer caught in the headlights. “Mrs—”
I topped off his glass and handed it to him. He downed it just as fast as I did.
“Miss Burnette, dear. I took back my maiden name after the divorce.”
“Oh, yer hardly a miss,” Annie mumbled under her breath, securing her apron behind her back.
“Miss Burnette, I do have plans… ‘tis just—”
“—it’s what?” Mom interjected. “You’re living here, aren’t you?”
“Aye…”
“Sleeping with her? She’s never been any good at keeping her legs together.”
“Mom!” I sat on the edge of the table in the dining room clutching the bottle of whiskey like it was my only hope for survival. I took one long drink before turning around to face her again.
“Well, Maggie, it’s the truth. I won’t be having any grandchildren out of wedlock in this family. It’s against the Lord’s wishes.”
All I could do was blink. Too baffled to form a sentence.
“And what is it you do for work, Hunter?” She set her last peeled potato into the bowl and leaned in really close to him—probably so close she could see him sweat.
Oh God, here we go.
“I own a hotel or two... well, my parents did, God rest them. When they passed… I inherited.”
Mom was speechless.
Actually, so was I. Hunter’s lie came out so smooth and believable I almost forgot that the truth of where Hunter’s money came from rested between mine and countless other pleasure seekers’ legs.
I walked up behind him and ran my hand up his back.
“Smooth,” I whispered into his ear, glad he’d had the sense to lie—especially after that grandchildren out of wedlock comment.
He knew she’d have every missionary, bishop, and even the fucking prophet over here if she even suspected I was making porn for shits and giggles.
“Well? Why didn’t you say so, sweetie?!” Mom patted his cheek with one hand and gave a kiss on the other. “Which hotel line is it, dear? I’d love to book with you sometime. I’m sure you have a great mother-in-law special.”
“Of course, ma’am. King’s Palace. Locations in all four corners of the country.”
Mom raised her eyebrows, impressed. “Don’t let this one get away, Maggie. You’ll be set for life.”
“Nice, Mother… glad you approve of his wallet.” I rolled my eyes.
She didn’t care that if I married Hunter, I’d be set for life—just how it would make her look if I was.
But before I could even let out a huff, there was a knock at the door and Hunter bolted out of the kitchen, shoving past Graham on his way.
“I’ll get it!”
“What’s with him?” Graham asked.
“Nothing, just my mother meddling.”
“Would she meddle like that with me?”
“Not until she learned you had money.”
“I see.”
“Knock-a-lock-a-ding-dong!” A soft, familiar voice floated around the door. Relief rushed over me when I saw him standing in the doorway, both arms bursting with bags filled with what I only assumed were gifts.
“Hi, Daddy!” I ran up to him, excited—at least he actually gave two shits about me—which was another reason I was so pissed when Mom let Mary live with him, but not me.
He dropped the bags and scooped me up into the biggest hug.
I took in his familiar cologne—warm, masculine, and sophisticated. Just like him.
“Hey, Pumpkin! How’ve you been?” he asked, pressing a kiss to my cheek, his close-cut beard scratching like it always did. I’d missed it.
“Fine, Daddy… I’m glad you came. You look good.”