by Kimbra Swain
She sat on the couch with Rufus curled up in her lap. She stroked him lightly while watching cartoons. I packed a bag for her and myself to take to Dylan’s for the night. Levi and Kady went to the diner for lunch, but I wasn’t hungry. Dylan made peanut butter sandwiches, but Winnie barely touched hers.
“You just about ready?” Dylan asked.
“Almost. A couple more things. Then I’ve got cooking to do for dinner tonight,” I said. “Winnie, we are going to Mr. Dylan’s house for dinner and open some presents. You want to help me cook?”
Her eyes twinkled for a minute, then she nodded. “Can we make cookies again?”
“Absolutely!” I replied.
Standing in Dylan’s kitchen with Winnie on a stool next to me decorating cookies, Nestor and Mable arrived. She gushed over the house and the decorations. “I swear. It looks like a real home, Dylan. It’s lovely.”
“Thanks, Miss Mable. I blame Grace for the decorations,” he said smiling.
“Blame!” I exclaimed.
“You did it didn’t you?” he teased.
“Well, yes,” I said. “I guess it is my fault.”
They laughed as they followed Dylan to the other rooms while he gave them the grand tour. Levi arrived with Kady. They had been to the store and picked up a few last-minute items for cooking. Levi immediately started helping Winnie finish off the cookies. Kady stared at the living room and the decorations. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Thanks,” I replied.
She joined Winnie and Levi. Rufus ran around my feet. We couldn’t leave the mutt back at the house, so he was here, too, with his own stocking hanging by the fireplace. I caught up with Dylan’s tour as he opened the door to Winnie’s room. We hadn’t showed it to her yet.
“Dylan, this is amazing,” Mable cooed. “You will make a great Daddy.”
“Um, well, I’m not exactly directly involved with that. She still calls me Mr. Dylan,” he stumbled over his words.
“Don’t let him fool you. He will be a great Daddy,” I said behind them. A blush crossed his cheeks. “Dinner is ready if you guys are hungry.”
“I’m starving,” Nestor exclaimed. He’d closed the Hot Tin Roof Bar for the first time on Christmas Eve. The sign on the bar said, “Closed for Christmas. Happy Holidays from the Gwinn family.”
I stood in Winnie’s room alone with Dylan. “I’ve never had a family to celebrate Christmas,” he said softly.
“Me either,” I replied. “I used to take presents to Winnie, but never got to see her open them. Generally, I spent time home alone watching the parades on television while killing a bottle of Crown.”
“Stephanie never invited me to her family Christmas. She said her mother didn’t approve of us living together without being married,” he said.
“What? Her mother is Elvish right? They don’t traditionally get married. They mate for life,” I said.
“I just went by what she said,” he muttered.
I hugged him drinking in the scent of musk and peppermint. “No more,” I said.
After dinner, we opened presents. Winnie squealed with all the toys that she got. “I’m taking them home to your house Aunt Grace,” she exclaimed.
“I have a gift for you, Winnie,” Dylan said.
“Oh really?” she jumped and clapped. Tonight was really about her. She brought the wonder and life of a child to our celebration.
“Yep, come with me,” he said holding his hand out to her. She put her small hand in his strong one looking up at him adoringly. We followed them up the stairs. He opened the door to the playroom, and she stood stunned.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she exclaimed. I laughed at her sassy remark.
“All yours. You can come and play anytime you want,” he said. She wrapped her arms around his legs squeezing him. A tear appeared in the corner of his eye as he scooped her up. She giggled and hugged him.
“Uncle Levi, go get my toys!” she ordered.
“Please,” I prompted.
“Puleeze!” she added.
He laughed but headed downstairs to grab the oodles of toys and clothes she’d gotten. He returned arms full. She instructed him where to put everything. We let her enjoy it.
“Okay, we need to open the adult’s presents,” I said.
She clapped excited for everyone else. “And eat cookies?” she asked.
“Sure,” I replied. She took off down the stairs in a dead sprint. My heart cringed as she hit the top step. Visions of her tumbling down the steps flowed through my mind. “Slow down, little lady,” I called to her trying to mask my concern.
“Yes ma’am,” she said as she slowed down.
Dylan wrapped me up from behind. “See, you're already doing mommy things,” he whispered in my ear.
“Christmas is all about the truest gifts in our life. She is one amazing little gift,” I replied.
We joined them in the living room as the fire blazed. Everyone had exchanged gifts, except for the gift I got Levi. Dylan wanted us to wait until Christmas morning to open presents. Levi played Christmas songs on his guitar. I took in the scene. My family. I loved them all. I never dreamed of my heart being so full. Winnie would have another round of Santa’s gifts in the morning.
“Levi, here you go,” I said handing him a small box.
“Glad you went all out,” he smirked at the size of the box. He ripped off the meager wrapping and pulled out a black key on a basic keychain. His eyes widened. “What’s the key go to?”
“It’s in the garage,” I said. He jumped up and tore through the kitchen faster than a hot knife through butter. Dylan, Kady and I followed him closely. Beside Dylan’s Camaro, a new Harley Davidson Softail Breakout sat with a denim blue paint job to match his eyes. He stood in shock. “You okay, Dublin?”
“Damn, Grace. It’s a beauty. It’s brand, spankin’ new!” he gushed.
“I’m tired of you borrowing my truck. The truck I don’t have anymore. Now we gotta share the Harley,” I joked. I thought he’d crank it up immediately, but he rushed across the room wrapping his arms around me.
“That’s better than the sweater I got you,” he muttered in my ear.
“Don’t be silly. I love my sweater,” I said. As he squeezed me tight, his fingers brushed under the edges of my shirt. I felt that familiar fairy tingle. He did too because he froze in place and backed away.
“Sorry,” he blushed. Hot damn, that boy.
“What?” Dylan said.
“Tell you later,” I said. “There are helmets there on the shelf.” As much as it pained me, I bought two helmets. I figured Kady would need one too.
“For me?” she asked. I nodded. They donned the helmets as Dylan opened the garage door. He fired up the engine. It rumbled in the garage shaking the walls with the power. I’d had the dealership deliver it, so I hadn’t actually heard it run.
“Wow,” I said. “Don’t kill yourself!” I shouted at him. He grinned.
Right after Dublin came to live with me, he told me that he’d left a rebuilt motorcycle behind at his dad’s house. I made the effort to retrieve the motorcycle for him, only to find out that his drunken father sold it for booze money. I didn’t have the heart to tell him, so I’d intended to buy him a new one for Christmas. By the look on his face, he loved it. Kady saddled up behind him, then they tore off down the drive.
“You left the gate open?” I asked Dylan.
“Yep,” he smiled. “What was that look there between the two of you?”
“You jealous?” I asked.
“No, but you did say you’d tell me,” he said.
“When fairies touch, there’s a tingle. Just so happens that the tingle in strong between us. Probably because I claimed him. Either way, it catches us off-guard sometimes,” I explained trying to make it sound as innocent as possible.
“He can never touch you again,” Dylan proclaimed.
“I’m okay with that,” I shrugged.
“No swapping gravy,�
� he said.
“The magical kind or the sexy kind?” I asked.
“Both!” he exclaimed.
“You are cramping my style, Dylan Riggs,” I said.
He shot me a look. “Feel free to leave.”
“I can’t. I don’t have a vehicle,” I said.
“Guess you will just have to abide by the rules,” he said.
I sighed, but smiled at him. He didn’t want me touching Levi, but he joked around with it. I’d reassure him later that I only wanted to touch him.
We went back inside. Winnie was getting sleepy. “Okay little girl! Santa doesn’t come if you are awake. You can sleep in your new room.”
“We have to leave cookies and milk!” she said. “I never get to leave them, because mommy never has cookies!”
I helped her make a plate of cookies. We placed them on the hearth near the fireplace. Dylan and I tucked her in bed. As he read “The Night Before Christmas,” her eyelids drooped. We kissed her goodnight and turned on a nightlight that shined stars on the ceiling. She slept before we shut the door.
I went back downstairs to see Nestor stealing kisses from Mable. “Hey, hey, none of that, I protested.”
Miss Mable blushed. “You don’t hold back,” Nestor said indicating Dylan. He had a point.
“Your cell phone rang, Dylan,” Mable said.
“Troll,” I muttered.
Dylan redialed the last number. It was Levi. He listened to Levi talk, and his face turned darker than I’d ever seen it. “Okay, we will be there in a few minutes,” he said.
“Where are we going?” I asked knowing it was a troll.
“Your trailer,” he muttered as he took my hand. “We will be back. Please listen for Winnie.”
“We’ve got her. Go ahead,” Nestor said.
We loaded up in his truck. His demeanor scared me. Something was very, very wrong. “Dylan, what did Levi say?”
“I’m not sure I believe it. Let’s just get there,” he said grabbing my hand. He squeezed hard.
As we approached the trailer park, two fire engines and two sheriff’s cruisers sat with flashing lights. For all the vehicles, I couldn’t see the trailer, but smoke wafted through the air.
“Oh, no,” I muttered.
Dylan squeezed my hand again as he parked behind the vehicles. Troy and Levi waited on us. “How bad?” Dylan asked.
Troy just shook his head. I pushed past them as the fire fighters sprayed water toward my trailer. When I finally cleared the trucks, I stopped dead in my tracks. The smoking carcass of the double wide sat in the darkness. Somewhere behind me, I heard Dylan’s voice. Covering my mouth with my hands, I stood in shock as my home was utterly destroyed. Dylan’s body hit mine with a thud as he wrapped his arms around me just before my knees buckled. His body slowly guided mine to the wet grass.
I shook in shock, anger and a thousand other emotions that rolled over me. “It’s okay, Grace. It’s going to be okay,” he spoke softly in my ear.
“What the hell?” I muttered. Levi walked up standing next to us. Kady leaned into him as we watched the embers smolder. “Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“The fucking troll!” I said as anger washed over me. The glamour dropped. My tattoo flared to life as the filigree stretched under my shirt and across my chest. The faint glow of power could be seen through my long sleeves. Dylan held tight to me. Usually his warmth and power kept me from turning, but the fire in me burned ice cold. With one swift motion, I broke his hold standing to my feet. I twirled as the silvery dress flowed around my ankles.
He stood up before me. “Grace, you’ve got to calm down.”
“My fucking house is gone! These ridiculous morons have destroyed my town, my truck and now my HOME!” I screamed. “Move!”
He stepped aside letting me pass. “I’m your home,” he muttered as I passed. The cold rushed out of me to spread out across the ground causing an instant frost. The firefighters stared at me as their hoses turned to ice. The remaining heat in the trailer frosted over. The tattoo faded, and my normal appearance returned.
Stepping in front of me again, he brushed my tears away. “Everything that is important to you is still here. Winnie. Levi. Nestor. The town.”
“You,” I muttered.
“Yeah,” he replied placing a soft kiss on my lips.
Troy approached cautiously. “He’s in the cruiser over here if you want to talk to him.”
“I probably shouldn’t,” I said.
“He filled the trailer full of candles and waited for you to come home. He had it in his head that he wanted to marry you. I’m not really clear on how he got the idea, but he said that he knew you liked rooms full of candles,” Troy said.
It was either laugh or cry. So, I laughed. For a moment, I was sure Dylan thought I’d gone mad, but I heard Levi chuckling behind me. Levi had seen the room full of candles when he helped me decorate the tree.
“I guess we know who cleaned up the bedroom,” Dylan said, then he started laughing.
A muffled banging came from the parked cruiser. I could see a man inside banging on the window. “Let me talk to him,” I said.
“You sure?” Dylan asked. I nodded.
Troy opened the back door of the cruiser. This troll was different that the others. He had smooth, young skin. A smile crossed his lips, and he blushed as I looked at him. His green eyes twinkled. He actually would have been very attractive had he not burned my home to the ground.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Taylor,” he muttered.
“Taylor, what were you doing in my house?”
“I wanted to surprise you, my Queen. You deserve a good mate, and I think I’m the best man you could ever have,” he explained. “I wanted to propose to you on Christmas Eve, so I collected the candles and lit them all. Only I think I got one too close to a curtain or something. Before I knew it, the whole thing was on fire.” He hung his head in shame.
“First of all, you see this man right here?” I asked pointing toward Dylan. Taylor lifted his eyes to look at Dylan. “He’s my everything. I’ll respectfully decline your proposal. You will go and sit with your brothers in jail.”
“I’m so sorry, beautiful Grace,” he said. For a moment, his voice sounded just like Dylan’s. We looked at each other and shrugged. Only Dylan addressed me like that.
“Taylor, how did you know to say that?” I asked.
“My brother, Richard, likes to spy on things. I had him watching you ever since I saw you on television. I knew that you didn’t kill those children. I fell in love. My mother is going to be so disappointed because I told her I was getting married.”
“You did things a little out of order,” I said.
“Actually, Lamar said that courting women is like tipping cows. Sometimes you have to give them a little poke before they fall for you,” he said.
Levi snorted, and Kady slapped him on the arm. Then I wondered if all of this didn’t center around Taylor. “Did all of your brothers help you with this?”
“Yes, they did! My brothers are great. Phil, Willie, Kevin, Ryan and Phillip were in charge of the reception food. Eric was making us some rings from some spare metal he found. Cory and his wife were making a wedding stew. Bo was in charge of the cake. He insisted that it be a Christmas tree cake. He’s obsessed with them. Chad collected bowls for us to put the stew and other goodies in,” he said.
“What about Keith? Mr. Anger Management,” I asked puzzled as to what his role was in the whole plan.
“Oh, nothing. He was mad that I’d claimed you. I think he wanted you for himself,” he admitted. “But I knew you were mine from the moment I saw you.”
“Taylor, you realize we aren’t getting married, right?” Somewhere in all of this I managed a little compassion.
He nodded, but looked defeated. “We only have one problem.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Mother,” he said. “She’s going to kill me f
or getting her to come to Alabama for the wedding, and then there isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“As a being from the Otherworld, I can protect you if you request it,” I offered. Dylan shook his head next to me. I knew what he’d say. How could I pick and choose who I protected? I supposed burning down my home might factor in at some point.
“Yes, please,” he said.
“Okay, Troy, take him to the jail. I know you are full, but hopefully this will all be over once their mother shows up,” I said. “Go home and enjoy Christmas with Amanda and Mark.”
“I plan on it. Santa Claus is coming!” he smiled. “How’s Winnie?”
“Distracted at the moment,” I said.
“Good. See you tomorrow,” he said climbing into the cruiser. Poor Taylor waved at me sadly.
“I’m taking Kady home,” Levi said. “I guess you are staying at Dylan’s house?”
“You all are,” Dylan said. “There is plenty of room.”
Levi hopped on the Harley and Kady wrapped herself around him. I turned to Dylan because I knew he had something to say about my offer of protection. “Spit out, Dylan Riggs,” I prodded.
“He burned your house down!” he exclaimed.
“All I saw was a young, sad troll who wanted to impress a girl. He fucked up. We’ve all fucked up before, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” he muttered.
“Has the great Dylan Riggs ever fucked up?” I teased.
He shook his head, “You know I have.”
“Say something sweet. Lay it on me,” I continued to press. He wouldn’t smile, damnit.
He shook his head as he turned to head toward the truck. “Let’s go home,” he said.
“Aw, come on, Dylan,” I pleaded. He held the door open for me as I climbed in. He paced around the truck, but didn’t speak once he got in. He didn’t speak the whole way back to his place.
We pulled into the garage. He turned off the truck, but just sat there. The motorcycle sat in the corner, so I knew Levi had returned. I supposed he didn’t spend much time with Kady after he left the trailer park.
Finally, Dylan spoke, “I fucked up by waiting too long to go after you,” he said.
