Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
Jim
The moment the first champagne cork popped, I knew I was screwed.
Not because the event wasn’t perfect—it was.
The place looked like Santa himself had handed over his design blueprints.
Inside the lodge glowed gold, the music drifted from the string quartet near the hearth, and snow fell just outside the towering windows in perfect cinematic timing.
Outside was spectacular on its own, and that’s where most of the guests had ended up.
Instead of being anywhere near the ballroom, they were out making memories with their children, enjoying horse-drawn sleigh rides, decorating Christmas cookies, making Christmas candy…you fucking name it. They were in Santa’s village, truly immersed in the magic of the holiday.
That wasn’t why I was fucked. It was because the people I expected to be outside running around like elves at Christmas were in here, waiting for this exact moment, after I’d peeled myself away from most company executives, and had three moments of peace.
Jake, Spencer, Collin, Alex, and Sebastian were standing at the bar like a pack of wolves waiting for blood.
“Jimmy,” Jake called, raising his glass. “Are you sure this isn’t the North Pole’s new resort launch?”
“Careful,” Collin added. “One more mistletoe arrangement and Santa’s gonna sue you for copyright infringement. I did see where you had my idea of nutcrackers trending all over the fucking place. Nice touch, man. I appreciate it.”
“Speaking of trending,” Sebastian, the most composed of the group, said with a smirk, “your ass is all over the internet again. #MrChristmas.”
“Of course it is,” I groaned as I ordered a bourbon. “But I would be surprised if it weren’t because I just created a Christmas party that my wife will never be able to top.”
As I took a sip of bourbon, I watched Jake and Collin eye each other just long enough to raise suspicion.
“Hashtag blessed,” Spencer said with a grin, clinking glasses with Jake. “You might as well lean into it, pal. You’ve achieved every husband’s worst nightmare—you’ve made the rest of us look like underachievers.”
“What was that look you just gave Collin, Jakey?” I questioned, knowing those two always had something up their fucking sleeve around the holidays.
“What look?” Collin asked.
“A look that tells me that my trending tonight is going to be nothing compared to tomorrow night,” I said, eyeing the men’s guilty expressions.
“Whoa, Mr. Paranoid,” Jake chuckled, taking a sip of his scotch. “Just because I’m giving my best friend fuck-me eyes, doesn’t mean you’re going to be trending on social media tomorrow, too. Arrogant much?”
“I agree,” Collin clinked his glass to Jake’s. “Tonight, he trends; tomorrow, we shall see if Avery’s party trends just the same.”
“Well, after the amount of money spent on her London set at Paramount Studios tomorrow, I imagine it will do the same as this event,” I said, still eyeing both men, but feeling a little more at ease that they were just dumbasses sometimes, and I probably had nothing to worry about with Avery’s party.
But I’d be dammed if my gut instinct didn’t keep insisting otherwise.
“Why are you paranoid anyway?” Alex questioned. “There’s nothing Avery can come up with that can top this, man. My twins are lost with Bree and the ladies somewhere out in Santa’s village, making cookies with Mrs. Claus or something. That’s pretty hard to beat.”
“And we’re in here, boozing it up, just like dads always do when the ladies take over the holiday fun for us,” Spencer proclaimed too loudly.
“Say that loud enough for Nat to hear, and we’ll all be watching you give tours through the elves’ workshop with all the kids,” I teased.
“I will admit, big bro,” Jake said, “I did not think you had this shit in you. This is something out of a classic Christmas cartoon brought to life.” He touched his glass to mine. “I’m impressed.”
“So, you thought that this dipshit here,” I nodded toward Collin, “was the only one who could pull this off because of his epic office nutcracker decorations?”
“Oh, no,” Collin chimed in. “This comes nowhere near my creativity.”
“Your creativity is more like turning Christmas decorations into crude sexual innuendos,” Sebastian said with a laugh.
“You saw Jake’s office, too?” I said, surprised that Sebastian had seen the bullshit pranks that Collin pulled on my brother.
“No,” he laughed. “I saw what Collin did to my brother’s office.”
“Dear God,” I looked at Collin. “What the hell is really wrong with you? You got John’s office flanked with snowballs painted blue, too? In an OBGYN’s office?”
“Of course not,” Collin said seriously. “Jace was the one who earned the blue balls this Christmas. Dr. Aster’s was a little bit more unique.”
“You realize John and his wife both share an office, right? What did Mickie do to deserve this?” Spencer asked with a laugh.
“Of course, I know that. I’m there every day of my life,” Collin said. “Why do you think I nailed his ass like I did?”
“Well? What did you see?” I asked Sebastian, hoping he would tell me what their patients’ reactions were likely to be to Collin’s bullshit, rather than have Collin explain it.
“Well, you know how John and Mickie’s OB office usually looks like something out of a Pottery Barn ad? All white garland and tasteful gold bows?”
“Right…” I said.
“Well, it now has a life-sized Elf on the Shelf, dressed in scrubs and motion-activated, that says, ‘Sugar and Spice and Naughty or Nice, That’s What Seasonal Babies are all About.’”
“Holy fuck,” Jake nearly spat out his scotch.
“The hell is wrong with you, dude?” I questioned Collin. “Do you realize that some might take offense to this?”
“Chill out, Grandpa,” Collin said. “I gave instructions to the admins at the front desk to shut the damn thing off when patients who might take offense dare to enter their office.”
“And how would they know? They’re not mind readers,” I questioned.
“They don’t have to be. They only turn it on for John, anyway, and of course, they had to have that elf doing its job when big brother Sebastian showed up,” he chuckled. “I’m impressed by the OB staff for playing along with my little prank.”
I stared at Collin, amused with the man, and still trying to figure out how he got away with this nonsense without an HR complaint slapped on his ass.
“You seem to be at a loss for words, big guy,” Spence cut in with a laugh.
“How the hell am I the one trending all over the fucking place this Christmas, but this practical joking dipshit isn’t?” I asked the group.
“Because I know how to keep it under the radar, Jimbo,” Collin said with a smirk. “Trust me, if you had followed my advice about your fake argument with Avery earlier, you wouldn’t have ended up trending as a lonely bachelor the morning after poker night,” he laughed with the group.
We continued to joke about Collin’s ridiculous pranks, which I still couldn’t fathom how he managed to pull off, and then I glanced toward the main entrance and saw Avery arriving with some of the wives.
Nearby, the kids were being watched by hired staff dressed as elves, keeping them entertained in the village while the adults enjoyed champagne and the freedom to follow their own desires.
When Avery walked in, every conversation seemed to fade, replaced by that collective hum that always arises when perfection enters a room.
All the wives were stunning, but Avery stood out in a way that made my heart seize.
She was beyond radiant with hair gleaming under the light, her white-and-gold gown making her look like every wish I’d ever made come to life.
The other wives and her friends flanked her, each carrying that same spark of joy I’d built this entire night for.
Jake followed my gaze and whistled. “Damn. No wonder you built Narnia. I’m most definitely getting laid tonight. Ash’s smile is contagious,” he said, his eyes only on his bride after the women walked into the room and stole their husbands’ hearts all over again.
“Easy, buddy,” Spencer warned, smirking. “I’m not drunk enough to hear about what you’re going to be doing two doors down from mine and Nat’s room.”
“Please,” Jake rolled his eyes. “Nat informs everyone about everything between you two. At least you’re not getting the details.”
“He’s not wrong,” Collin said with a laugh.
“Yeah, no need to act like Saint Christmas,” I chuckled, glancing at Spence, then back to Avery. I shook my head, hiding a smile. “And if we’re being honest, you’re all idiots.”
“Expensive idiots,” Sebastian said. “But still idiots.”
I had to take my mind off Avery’s beauty, or I wouldn’t make it through the night. So, I turned back to the men and leaned on the bar. “You do realize you’re standing in the middle of the most profitable tax write-off of the year, right?”
That shut them up for exactly three seconds before Collin snorted. “Only you would justify Christmas with a tax deduction. At least my seasonal décor comes from the heart.”
“Your shit comes from somewhere that most men believe is their hearts,” Spencer taunted.
“Jimmy’s comes from tax deductions, apparently,” my brother added.
“It’s merely semantics,” I muttered.
Their laughter rolled over the music again, and despite the sarcasm, I felt what I’d hoped to feel tonight…
contentment. For once, everything was good.
No emergencies, no work calls, no PR disasters.
Just my family, my friends, and a ridiculous party that somehow managed to pull every version of my life into one room.
Spencer tilted his drink toward the entrance where a photographer had stopped Avery for a quick shot. “You realize this entire setup seriously is going to be viral by morning, right?”
“Let it,” I said, watching as Avery laughed at something one of her friends said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “If the world wants to see what perfect looks like, take pictures of my wife to give them a good view.”
“Good view?” Jake laughed. “You turned a mountain into a Hallmark movie.”
“Correction,” I said. “I turned it into her Hallmark movie.”
That got them quiet for half a heartbeat.
Collin grinned. “You’ve officially gone soft, Jimmy.”
“Soft?” I arched a brow. “My house still runs on spreadsheets and caffeine. Don’t mistake execution for sentiment.”
Alex smirked, rejoining us at the bar after being pulled away by some of the architects who worked for his and Bree’s firm. “Sure, buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
A burst of laughter erupted from the far side of the room as Avery and the girls reached the bottom of the stairs, guests parting around them like a royal procession. Music swelled, camera flashes sparkled, and I swear the temperature in the room rose ten degrees just watching them.
Jake nudged my arm. “You gonna stand here or force us to watch you drool over your wife?”
“Patience,” I said, straightening my cufflinks. “Timing is everything.”
“God,” Spencer said. “I’m going to need another drink.”
I smiled faintly, ignoring their laughter as I stepped away from the bar and crossed the room. The crowd shifted, and Avery’s eyes found mine across the floor. For one suspended moment, the music, the noise, the flash of cameras—all of it blurred into static.
Her lips curved into a soft and certain smile. The kind of grin that told me she knew exactly what this night meant.
It was that easy, confident curve of her lips that always reminded me she was both the calm and the chaos in my life.
I slipped an arm around Avery’s waist and leaned in to kiss her temple, “Enjoying the festivities?” I questioned, heart full just by the sight of her sparkling eyes.
“Of course,” Avery leaned into me. “And now, I’m here as advised by Karen for you to start the festivities with a dance?”
“Indeed,” I said. I took her hand in mine, gently rested my other hand on her waist, and began to lead her. “I thought I’d offer the bonuses at your event tomorrow.”
“That wouldn’t be because you can’t drag everyone out of the North Pole cottages, would it?” she chuckled.
“That’s the exact reason,” I chuckled as we whirled around the ballroom floor. “I had no idea I’d turn all of my company execs into children at Christmas again.”
Avery laughed, and I stared in awe at my beautiful wife. “Wasn’t that the point, Mr. Mitchell?”
“It was,” I answered. “Will it interfere with your plans? I know I insisted the bonuses be at my event last week.”
“It will be the thing that pulls my event together flawlessly,” she said with a wry smile.
“Should I be concerned about tomorrow’s event?” I questioned.
“No,” she said. “You should be excited!”
I had no idea what to expect, but whenever Avery’s party came up, everyone had a look in their eyes as if they were imagining some particular scenario playing out, and I could only imagine that thing would end up making me the laughing stock of social media again.
Oh well. How could anyone laugh at me after I pulled off a show like this for all my employees? They couldn’t. The night was perfect. Everything was perfect. Nothing could happen tomorrow that would take away from what my girls and I dreamed up and brought to life for everyone’s holiday cheer.