Chapter 27
Kip bounced on her toes in the mudroom while Trace knelt to zip her new red coat with white trim.
She felt like a North Pole princess. The fabric still smelled like the store, but his hands on her felt like home.
Kip had taken a while to warm up and recover from her Christmas Eve ordeal the night before, but everyone had been very patient and waited for her to feel up to opening presents.
This involved copious amounts of hot chocolate and snuggling by the fire with Trace but it had been worth it.
Trace’s present had been especially worth it.
“Hold still, little fox,” he muttered, tugging the zipper to her chin. “You’re more hyper than this morning. Did you like what Santa brought you?”
“I loved everything Santa brought. And Vixie loves her new outfits, too.” She grabbed his wrists.
“But you said big surprise. You said it was a fancy clothes big surprise. You said, ‘Trust Daddy.’ So, I’m trusting.
But I’m also dying to find out what it is.
I can’t imagine anything being a bigger surprise than what you gave me last night. ”
Boone’s deep laugh rolled in from the kitchen. “Patience, baby girl. Good things come to Little girls who wait.”
Tildi’s voice floated after him, sweet and teasing. “Some of us have been waiting a long time, Daddy.”
Evidently, Kip wasn’t the only one busting at the seams to know what her Daddy had planned. He’d already done so much. She had more clothes, crafts, and jigsaw puzzles than she’d ever had in her life. And better yet, she had people to dress up, do crafts, and put together jigsaw puzzles with.
Chance snorted. “Keep talking, Joy, and you’ll be waiting on a hot bottom.”
Joy’s giggle turned into a squeal that ended with a solid smack and a breathless, “Yes, Daddy.”
Kip’s cheeks went hot. She buried her face in Trace’s coat. “We’re all like this today.”
Trace’s arms came around her, mouth at her ear. “And you love every second of it. Don’t lie to Daddy.”
She nodded against his chest. She did love it.
Loved the way the ranch had turned into one big, loud, safe family.
Loved the way Trace’s hand never left the small of her back when they were in public, claiming her without words.
She loved staring at the ring now on her finger, her special Christmas Eve present.
She loved the way it caught the light every time she moved her hand and made her heart skip.
Most of all she loved what it meant between Trace and herself.
Trace hugged her tight and pressed a kiss on her forehead. With a playful smack to her bottom, he said, “Now let’s get in the truck.”
The ride into Wilder took forever and no time at all.
She sat between Trace’s thighs on the heated seat.
Who knew a seat belt would stretch that far?
His arm locked around her waist, keeping her safer than the seat belt.
His chin pressed on her head made her feel especially Little.
They rode into town in Sev’s stretch SUV which had room for everyone.
The girls giggled and chatted about their favorite gifts.
“Chance got me a tiny camera that actually works. I’ve taken nine hundred pictures of his butt already,” Joy said. She watched him closely, “Hey! Why is it okay for Daddies to roll their eyes? That’s not fair.”
Tildi tapped her chin with a gloved finger. “Boone gave me a necklace with a real sapphire. He said it matched my eyes when I cry after a spanking. I think that’s my favorite.”
Okay, that made all of them giggle.
Kenzie scowled. “I don’t know why Sev gave me presents today.
But if I had to choose, I’d say I love the silver bracelet with a tiny lock charm he gave me.
He has the key on his key ring and it’s locked.
So, I haven’t been able to take it off once.
I’m making plans to get even. And he should have told me he’d be here for Christmas because I didn’t get him anything. Now I feel like a jerk.”
Sev sighed. “I told you I didn’t expect any gifts. My gift was the light in your eyes each time you opened one of my gifts. You know, the one you so quickly squashed out when you saw I was looking.”
Kenzie glared at him, then crossed her arms and stared out the window.
Kip held up her left hand so the blue diamond caught the dashboard lights. “Trace gave me this and then put me over his knee because I tried to open one present early. I told him that wasn’t very nice, but he didn’t care.”
Trace’s arm tightened. “You’ll go over my knee again if you don’t stop wiggling.”
She bit her lip and went still. Well, mostly.
They parked on the edge of town where the plows had pushed mountains of snow into piles, making rows for parking. Main Street glowed. Every lamppost was wrapped in lights. A giant banner stretched across the street: WILDER SNOW GLOBE VILLAGE—ONE NIGHT ONLY.
Kip’s mouth fell open. Huge, clear inflatable spheres sat in the square, each one a private winter world.
Snow fell inside them, soft and constant.
Each globe contained its own tables and chairs.
There were video fireplaces, fairy lights, and Christmas music coming from each.
Best of all, they were large enough that everyone in her family could fit.
A pang of regret washed over her. It wasn’t really her whole family. She had a family back in Starry Vale, where she grew up. She hadn’t seen her parents or siblings in such a long time. They probably hated her by now. Did they even know she’d stayed away to keep them safe?
“What’s wrong, Foxy? I thought you’d like this.” Trace stared at her, concern filling his gaze.
How ungrateful was she? “I do, Daddy. It’s nothing important.” She pasted a smile on her face and hoped it appeared genuine. She had so many reasons to be happy. Tonight was the time to focus on those things.
Trace took her hand. “Come on, little fox. Let’s see what the night has in store. They say magical things happen on Christmas.”
They walked through the entrance arch, which bore a sign that read DADDIES & LITTLES WELCOME.
Inside the first globe, Boone already had Tildi on his lap, feeding her bites of steak. Chance had Joy backed against the clear wall, kissing her slowly as snow swirled around them. Sev stood behind Kenzie, arms wrapped around her waist, whispering something that made her blush dark red.
Tanner was nowhere to be seen. Looking up, Kip spotted a shadow moving on the rooftop across the street. The shadow held a rifle, the barrel catching the light for a second before disappearing. Trace lips were suddenly murmuring in her ear. “That’s Tanner on watch?”
“Is he feeling left out because he was the only Daniels brother without a Little of his own?”
“I think so, little fox. It’s hard to see everyone else enjoying what you worry you’ll never have. We need to leave him be for now.”
She sent him a little wave anyway. He’d be cold up there. Maybe she could find a certain friendly baker to keep him company.
“Foxy, whatever you’re thinking, stop it. You do not want to get involved in affairs of the heart. Tanner will find the Little girl for him when he’s ready. Do you understand?”
“Of course, Daddy,” she said, but she had her finger crossed behind her back. From the look he gave her, one that made her nether regions twitch, she didn’t think she fooled him.
They joined the family in the snow globe their Daddies had gotten for them.
The dinner was delicious, with prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, warm rolls, and chocolate cake for dessert, which made her moan out loud.
Trace wiped a bit of frosting from her lip with his thumb and licked it off, eyes locked on hers the whole time.
Then the caroling started. Someone handed out sheets, but no one needed them.
Tildi, Joy, and Kenzie had been practicing with her every night.
They sang every word of all the songs, loud enough to rattle the globe walls.
Kip’s voice cracked on “Silent Night” because Trace’s hand had slipped under the table and was drawing slow circles on her thigh.
By the end of the song, she had a feeling her night was going to be neither a silent night nor a holy one.
Halfway through “Jingle Bells,” Tanner’s voice crackled in Trace’s earpiece. Trace stood and took Kip by the hand. “Time for your surprise,” he said, as he led her from the crowd. “Well, one of them, anyway
He led her out of the globe, through the soft falling snow, to the entrance arch. Were they leaving already? She wasn’t ready to go yet. “Daddy?” she asked, but he shook his head.
“Close your eyes, little fox.”
She obeyed, heart hammering. Surprises were such a mixture of sweet and scary. Especially when she had no clue what the surprise was about.
She wanted to peek, but his hands covered her eyes anyway, warm and rough. Sneaky Daddy. He walked her forward a few steps.
“Open.”
She did.
Ten feet away, in Wilder, Wyoming, her mother stood, tears running down her face no more than ten feet away. To her mother’s left stood her father, with his arms over the shoulders of her sister, Ellie, on one side and her brother, Max, on the other.
They were right there. All of them. Bundled in coats, eyes wide, mouths open. They were probably mirroring the expression on her own face.
Kip’s knees gave out, but Trace caught her around the waist before she could fall.
“Mom?” The word came out as a sob. Fear, as Kip had never known, filled her. What if her family had come all this way to scream at her about what a disappointment she’d been. What if they demanded explanations for how she could have been so cruel, not contacting them even once in all this time.
Everything inside her wanted to run to them. To feel the arms of the people who she’d loved her whole life wrap around her again. But fear had her feet planted to the ground. She commanded her legs to move. Move! But they didn’t budge.