A Billionaire Brothers' Christmas (BBW - Billionaire Brothers 6)

by Jenn Roseton

  A Billionaire Brothers’ Christmas (BBW - Billionaire Brothers 6)

  by

  Jenn Roseton

  Copyright © 2015 by Jenn Roseton

  All rights reserved

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  This is a contemporary romance novelette.

  6 years after the Epilogue in The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 5)

  Aspen, Colorado

  December 23

  Sophie’s eyes lit up as she entered the mansion, careful to stamp the snow off her shoes. The foyer featured a glittering gold and silver chandelier, complementing the cream walls and duck-egg blue carpet.

  This year, her husband Mitch and his brothers had organized a week-long family Christmas in Aspen, Colorado. Usually, the Trask brothers and their wives spent Christmas in Vermont with Linda and Tom Trask, the brothers’ parents, or with their own wife’s parents. But this festive season, Sophie’s parents’-in-law had decided to go on a tropical cruise instead, and experience a balmy Christmas. They’d invited Tom’s mother, known to the whole family as Grandma, and her second husband, whom she’d married many years ago.

  When Mitch and his brothers had found out about their parents’ plans, they’d upgraded their parents and grandparents to the most luxurious cruise imaginable, before deciding to do something different as well. Alex had found this house through one of his business partners, and all the brothers had chipped in for the week-long rental. Sophie didn’t even want to think about the cost, but she knew however much it was, Mitch could definitely afford his share.

  “Like it?” Mitch wrapped his arms around her waist, his touch gentle on her barely noticeable bump.

  “I love it.” She peeked through the doorway into the luxurious great room. A large stone fireplace dominated the space. Comfortable looking dark leather sofas and armchairs invited her to sit down and relax, while enjoying the view of the snow-covered garden through the large windows.

  Trailing her fingers over his hands, she added, “The baby likes it too.”

  “Another five months and I’ll be holding her in my arms.” His clean, warm breath tickled the side of her neck.

  “It might be a boy,” she teased him, electricity coursing through her. Although they’d been married eight years, every time Mitch touched her, it felt like the very first time.

  “I don’t mind if it’s a girl or a boy, as long as our baby’s healthy.” He nuzzled her neck.

  “Stop smooching and bring in some bags,” Alex called out. In his mid-forties but still lean and muscular, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, like all the Trask brothers, he dumped two heavy suitcases on the floor.

  Mitch mock-saluted him then kissed Sophie lingeringly, before carrying in their own suitcases.

  “Mommy, Mommy, I want to see my room!” A five-year-old boy zoomed into the great room, Maddie and Garrett Trask following closely behind.

  “Yeah, Mommy!” A little girl tugged at Maddie’s hand. “I want to see too!”

  “Give your mom a minute,” Garrett advised his offspring with a grin. He wrapped his arm around Maddie’s shoulders. “You okay to help them choose their room?”

  She smiled up at him. “Sure.”

  “I’ll bring up all our stuff.” His lips snared hers for an instant, before both kids tugged on her hands, urging her forward.

  “Daddy, will Santa know we’re here?” A little girl with blonde hair looked up at Cole Trask, a worried frown on her face as they entered the house.

  “Of course he will, little Phoebe. Don’t you worry. I know exactly how to tell Santa where we are.” Cole ruffled his daughter’s hair.

  The little girl clapped her hands in delight. “Goody!” She raced up the stairs to explore.

  “Did you bring all the presents?” Phoebe crinkled her brow, rocking Hailey, their six-month old baby girl in her arms. She’d had last minute customers at her antiques store, and Cole had taken over the packing of the Christmas gifts for their daughters, as well as her sisters-and-brothers-in law.

  He drew her and Hailey into his arms. “Got it covered. Don’t worry.”

  She relaxed in his embrace. As long as he held her like this, she didn’t think anything could go wrong.

  “Daddy, we have another letter for Santa.” Identical twin four-year-old boys looked up at Alex, serious expressions on their face.

  “Another one?” Alex dumped more suitcases on the floor and took the list from them.

  “Mommy said to give it to you.”

  “Did she now.” A smile edged the corner of his mouth as he scanned the list written in crayon.

  Dear Santa

  Please bring our Christmas dinner this year because Daddy told Mommy he’d take care of it.

  Tommy and Tyler Trask

  “What’s that?” Laura Trask tried to peer over her husband’s shoulder.

  “We’re giving Daddy our new letter for Santa,” the twins piped up.

  Alex wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist and kissed her hair. “I’ll take care of it. You go and relax.”

  She smiled at him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “You’re the best.”

  His arm tightened around her for a moment, before the twins claimed his attention.

  Logan, Ellie, and their two-year-old daughter Penny walked into the great room.

  “It’s beautiful, Logan.” Ellie gazed around the luxurious room.

  “Not as beautiful as you.” He dropped the bags and drew her into his arms.

  The two-year-old holding Ellie’s hand pulled on her father’s leg. “Me too, Daddy!”

  “Of course, my little princess.” He picked her up, holding her in his arms. “We’d never forget you, Penny.”

  Logan and Ellie shared a secret smile. Just after Ellie met Logan, she’d discovered that her long-lost mother had been the queen of a European principality. It seemed only fitting that they used “princess” as a term of endearment for their daughter.

  All five couples and their children explored the mansion, choosing who slept where. The kids darted in and out of the bedrooms, trying to decide which one they liked best, until their parents stepped in and settled the matter for them.

  Soon, the house was quiet. All the kids had been put down for a nap, the journey from Wyoming even wearing out the eldest Trask child.

  Maddie, Laura, Phoebe, Ellie and Sophie gathered in the great room, relaxing on the soft, comfortable sofas with lattes made from the fancy coffee machine in the kitchen.

  Meanwhile, the Trask brothers gathered in Garrett and Maddie’s bedroom.

  “This is going to be a great Christmas,” Garrett said. He unzipped a suitcase and rummaged through it. “I’m going to be Santa.” He held up a new red Santa suit.

  “You mean I’m going to be Santa.” Alex raked a hand through his hair. “I thought it would be fun to pretend to be him. Dad usually does it for the kids when we spend Christmas there, so I thought I’d take over this year. I brought my own suit.”

  Cole, Logan and Mitch looked at each other in dismay.

  “I was going to be Santa.” Mitch frowned.

  “Hell, I was too,” Cole growled.

  “So was I.” Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “What are we going to do?” Alex quirked an eyebrow. “We can�
��t all be Santa, can we?”

  “We should decide on who bought their costume first,” Cole said. “I bought mine in November, when I heard Mom and Dad were taking Grandma on a cruise.”

  “So did I,” Garrett said.

  “Yeah,” Logan added.

  “And me,” Mitch gritted.

  “You don’t even have kids, Mitch,” Alex said. “If we have to choose, it should one of us who’s already a dad.”

  “I don’t have kids yet. But I’ll be a dad in five months’ time.” Mitch glowered at his older brother. “I was getting into the Christmas spirit. And I didn’t think you guys would have even considered who would play Santa this year. So I stepped up.”

  “Good thinking.” Garrett’s mouth quirked at the corner. “I just wish we’d coordinated things a bit better.”

  “I know what you mean,” Logan said ruefully. “I guess we’ve all been busy.”

  “Yeah.” Alex exhaled. “You have no idea what it’s like with twin four-year-old boys. They want to know how everything works - all the time.”

  “Just try having a five-year-old and a baby. Both girls. I’m at their beck and call - constantly.” Cole’s expression softened. “I don’t want them wearing out Phoebe.”

  “And you love it.” Logan clapped Cole on the back.

  “Yeah,” Cole admitted.

  “This should make pretty good padding for my Santa costume.” Mitch grabbed a pillow off the bed and held it against his stomach.

  His brothers followed suit, each snatching a pillow off the king-sized bed.

  “Good idea.” Garrett pulled on the red Santa coat, placed a pillow inside against his torso, and fastened up the large silver buttons. “How do I look?”

  “You need a beard.” Logan tossed him the white fluffy beard that came with the suit.

  “And the pants,” Mitch added.

  “Right.” Garrett yanked on the red trousers, buckled the wide black belt and looked at himself in the full-length mirror. “Not bad.”

  “Pretty good,” Cole allowed.

  “Yeah,” Logan added.

  “So how do we decide who gets to play Santa?” Alex brought their attention back to the main question.

  “How about all of us?” Amusement crossed Logan’s face.

  “What?” Cole frowned.

  “All of us brought a Santa suit. The kids are going to have stockings hanging over the fireplace. Each of us can dress as Santa, take turns, and put the gifts in our kids’ stockings. If any of them wake up and creep down to see if Santa is here, he’ll see only one of us pretending to be Santa. And if we wear the beards, we probably won’t be recognized if we keep our face averted.”

  “The kids haven’t recognized Dad yet when he dresses up as Santa to deliver the gifts in the middle of the night and they sneak a peek,” Garrett added.

  Mitch’s face fell. “Didn’t think of bringing a stocking for our future baby. Sophie didn’t either. She’s been rushing to finish a landscape design so we could get here today.”

  “Got you covered.” Cole winked at his younger brother. “When Phoebe found out Sophie was pregnant, she insisted on bringing an extra stocking for the baby.”

  “Thanks.” Mitch grinned, punching his brother lightly on the arm.

  “I’ll go get it.” Cole left the room and quickly returned, carrying a green fabric stocking with the words Baby Trask stitched on it in wobbly silver embroidery. “Phoebe has some antique samplers in her store and wants to make a sampler of her own to hang inside the living room, so she’s learning embroidery.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Mitch said gruffly, staring down at the homespun gift. “Thanks, bro.”

  “Okay.” Alex cleared his throat. “So we’ll take turns being Santa tomorrow night. When the kids have gone to bed, and we’re pretty sure they’re asleep, each of us will sneak down the stairs and put the gifts in our kids’ stockings.”

  “What if they see us creeping down to the living room? Won’t they wonder why Santa was hanging around upstairs?” Cole asked.

  Alex blew out a breath. “Fine. We can hide our Santa suits somewhere downstairs and when the kids are asleep we can change into them downstairs and then place the gifts in the stockings.”

  “We’ll have to bring the presents downstairs too,” Garrett said. “Otherwise we’ll be dressed as Santa going upstairs to get the gifts and then going back down to put them in the stockings.”

  “What about tonight?” Logan suggested. “We find somewhere we can stash the costumes and the gifts, and once the kids have gone to sleep tonight, we bring everything down ready for Christmas Eve.”

  “Good idea.” Garrett looked thoughtful. He took off his costume and offered it to Alex. “And why have five different costumes hidden down there when one will probably do?”

  Alex took it off him, and with a smile, shrugged into the jacket and added the pillow. He fastened the buttons and turned to his brothers. “What do you think? If it fits me and Garrett, it will be big enough for the rest of you.”

  Cole, Logan and Mitch took turns trying on the costume, which also fitted all three of them, including a pillow stuffed up the front of the jacket.

  “There’s only one thing left to do.” Garrett grinned. “Make sure someone leaves out plenty of milk and cookies for Santa.”

  ***

  “Now I’ve finished my last landscape design job for the year, I promised Mitch I’d take it easy until after the baby is born.” Sophie relaxed on the comfortable sofa, savoring her time with her sisters-in-law.

  All the couples lived in Wyoming apart from Alex and Laura, who lived in San Diego and visited their ranch in Wyoming on the weekends. In fact, that’s how Sophie had met Mitch in the first place; Alex had organized an overhaul of Mitch’s garden, and Alex and Laura had hired her boss’s firm for the job.

  “Good idea,” Laura wiggled her toes. “I love the twins but looking after them is a full-time job. And I have the catering company to manage.” She crinkled her brow. “I don’t know how Alex manages so many companies at once, when just one is enough for me.”

  “He doesn’t have four-year-old twins to look after.” Maddie looked at her sympathetically.

  “Thank goodness for Edna, my assistant manager.” Laura took a sip of her coffee, a soft smile tipping her lips. “Alex keeps telling me to hire someone to fill in for me so I can have more time for myself, but I like working on new menus for the parties we cater.”

  “Do you know who’s taking care of the Christmas dinner?” Phoebe frowned. “Cole told me not to worry, that the guys had it under control, but--”

  “Alex told me the same thing!” Laura’s wide-eyed gaze encompassed her four sisters-in-law. “I offered to organize it, but he told me to relax and enjoy my Christmas vacation. He said I had enough to do with the twins.”

  Laura was a whiz in the kitchen, having studied at culinary school, as well as helping her parents in their catering business growing up, and anything she cooked was delicious. She’d met Alex eight years ago when her struggling catering company had hosted a business function for him.

  “Logan knows his way around the kitchen,” Ellie offered.

  “So does Garrett.” Maddie nodded.

  “And Mitch.”

  “Cole’s great at making bacon and eggs but I don’t know if he’s ever cooked a Christmas dinner,” Phoebe said. “I looked in the refrigerator when we arrived and there’s not much in there besides some milk and eggs.”

  All five women looked worried.

  “Don’t worry,” Sophie said. “At least there’s plenty of coffee!”

  They all laughed, but before they could discuss the topic further, there was a knock on the front door.

  “Who could that be?” Maddie stood and headed toward the foyer.

  Her sisters-in-law followed, crowding around her as she opened the front door.

  “Tree delivery for Trask.” A balding, middle-aged man wearing a heavy black coat dusted with snow peered out from
a large pine tree branch.

  “Oh! I didn’t order a tree.” Maddie swiveled to look at the other women. “I totally forgot.”

  “I didn’t either.” Laura shook her head.

  “No.” Phoebe’s eyes widened as she looked at the massive tree in the doorway.

  “Nor me.” Ellie said.

  “No.” Sophie was equally mystified.

  “It’s been paid for, ladies. I just need you to sign that you received it.” The delivery man held out a clipboard with an invoice.

  “I guess.” Maddie grasped the pen attached to the clipboard and signed her name.

  “Where would you like it?” The man hoisted the tree.

  “Great! It’s here!” The five Trask brothers burst into the foyer.

  “Alex, did you organize this?” Laura asked her husband.

  “We all did.” Cole grinned at Phoebe and her sisters-in-law.

  “It’s beautiful.” Sophie smiled at Mitch.

  “What are we going to decorate it with?” Ellie furrowed her brow.

  “That’s taken care of too, sweetheart.” Logan wrapped his arm around her. “We’ve ordered a ton of decorations and they should be arriving this afternoon.”