by C. J. Welles
Bryson and Casey are together on the love seat. Ethan, Makayla and Billy are seated on the floor, resting against the wall next to the fireplace. Nathan and Jolene are sitting on the sofa, and Nathan has Luna, their nine-month-old daughter on his lap. Jolene has her hand rested on her swollen belly as she’s now just under five months pregnant. Luna was only four months old when Jolene fell pregnant again. Nathan must have some strong swimmers, as Jolene was on the pill this time.
Kaylee is sitting next to Nathan on the other end of the sofa to Jolene, and she’s tapping away on her cell. Kaylee and I have a strained friendship after what went down when Jace and I first met, but we can now be in a room together without wanting to kill each other. I will never go for coffee dates with just the two of us, but we talk just fine in a group.
Ryan is sitting in one recliner, and Jace is sitting in his recliner with our daughter, Ella, on his lap. He's tickling her belly, which has everyone laughing along with her.
Some people in this room are family by blood, some of us have come into the group as friends, but overall, we're one big family. I would do anything for the people in this room as would they for me.
It's a good feeling.
A feeling I some days still have to get used to. I never experienced anything like this when I grew up. I had a mother and sister who hated me, a stepfather who abused me, and an uncle who turned out to be my father. My life lacked love in a way I'll never feel with this bunch of people.
"You're back," Jace says when he looks over, and his eyes meet mine.
Just like they have since the day I met him, Jace's eyes pull me in. I can still remember the moment I met him at Platinum Girls. He looked hot as hell in a black button-down top, jeans and cowboy boots, but it was his eyes that drew me to him. Back then it was the sadness I saw in them. It was the same sad look I seen in my own eyes when I looked in the mirror. These days it's the love I see in his eyes. The love he has for our daughter and me.
"Yeah, the roads were a little wet, but nothing bad, so the trip was quicker than I thought."
"Jordan was okay when you left?" Ryan asks as he turns to face me. His eyes bore into mine as if my answer is the most important thing to him at the moment.
"Yes. She and Jenna took off a minute before me. Jordan said she had only had the three drinks and wouldn't have driven to your house if she didn't think she was okay. I gave her my number and asked for her to let me know that they got to Dallas safely."
I know I only met Jordan a short while ago and only spent thirty minutes in the car with her, but she's a sweet girl and very easy to get along with. We happily talked all the way to Joe's, and I never struggled to find anything to say. Talking with her was like talking to any of the people in this room.
"Thanks," Ryan replies, then turns back around. As he does, I see his eyes briefly flick to Makayla and Billy.
"All right, guys. Are we ready to go now?" I ask as I clap my hands together.
“You all go ahead; we’ve just got to wait for my mom to pick up Luna. She shouldn’t be too long,” Jolene says.
“No, we can wait. We’ll all head down together,” Jace answers before I get the chance to say that same thing.
I'm excited for tonight. We've spent most of the week getting stuff ready, and I can't wait to sit back and kick my feet up as we all welcome Christmas together.
*
Jace
"All right, stand back," Nathan says to the ladies behind us as I tip diesel over the small pile of sticks and shrub that we made to use to start the big bonfire.
I know nothing will happen to hurt anyone, but my wife and daughter are standing there, and I'll do anything to make sure they're safe.
Lighting a rolled up piece of newspaper, Nathan then tosses it on the smaller pile that sits in the middle of the bonfire. Within a second, small flames begin. After a minute, the fire is going well, and everyone lets out a cheer.
"To Christmas Eve with you all," Ryan says as he lifts his beer in the air.
"We're a crazy bunch, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Nathan adds.
I agree. We are a crazy bunch with lives filled with drama at times, but we're all here for each other.
After getting another beer from the cooler that's sitting on the bed of my truck, I make my way to Ethan. Leaning against the passenger door of Bryson's truck, I focus my eyes on Ethan. He should know I would bring it up tonight. The short talk with Makayla earlier wasn't enough.
"Are you fucking crazy?" I ask.
"Apparently, yes," he mumbles in reply.
"Fuck. I want to kick your ass for being so dumb, but I guess you're already doing it."
"Most days since I woke up next to her."
"Do you remember it?"
"Yeah, which is the worst part. I willingly went to her apartment and had sex with her."
"Do you love her still?"
"Not at all. I don't feel anything for Nicole. Not hate or anything. Well, I didn't until she called this morning and told me."
"Well, fuck. That's all I can say now. And that we'll help you in any way you need."
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Right now, all I need is to get drunk and forget about it."
"I could help you with that, but I think you and Ryan have done a fairly good job of it already."
"No way. I can still think clearly enough."
I let out a loud laugh that has Callie turning her head towards me. I meet her eyes from across the fire, and my heart melts. That woman is everything to me.
She's my angel.
"No amount of alcohol will make you forget. I know it's a shock, and the mother isn't who you want it to be, but that baby is yours, and you won't be able to forget it. One day, it will be your everything. You will love it like you've never loved before, and you will plan your days and life around it."
Ethan gives me a look that tells me he understands what I'm saying but doesn't want to believe it at the moment.
With me, I loved Callie and wanted children with her. I didn't have a moment of doubt. As soon as she told me she had a suspicion, I needed to know as I couldn't wait to find out the good news.
It'll take time, but Ethan will get his head around it.
"What's new with you and Callie?"
"Not much has changed since we saw you at Thanksgiving. We talked last week, and we're going to try for another baby. Ella's three now, and we don't want to have a big gap between our children."
"That's great news."
"Yeah. Callie has been harping on at me for the past eight months about it, but Ella's still been a young toddler, and I wasn't ready for another one."
Callie must know we're talking about her, as she looks over at me again and arches her eyebrows while her lips tip up into a magnificent smile. A smile that shoots straight to my heart then down to my cock. I'm a guy who is married to the best woman I've ever laid eyes on. Anything and everything she does makes me hard.
"I was surprised when you hadn't announced yet that Callie was pregnant. I knew she wanted another baby pretty much straight away."
"If it was up to her, we would already have two kids, and be thinking about having a third in six months."
Ethan lets out a laugh, and apart from when he was laughing at Ella, it's the first one I've heard all night.
Trying to get off the subject of babies, considering he has one on the way that he didn't expect to have, I bring up the latest news about the ranch.
"I've been talking to mom, and I'm going to ask Jackson if he wants to buy into the ranch. He's been working here and helping to run it for the past twelve years; I think it's time he moves up. It also means I can give more responsibility to him. Having a family now means I don't have as much time with them. I know dad managed to do it, but I want to spend more day to day life with my children than he did."
"I get what you mean. Our fathers were busy a lot when it came to work. I understand that they needed to as the ranches wouldn't be as successful as they are today, but we're
in different positions than they were."
"I know. I can afford to bring someone else into it and pay others to do the work for me. Up until six or so years ago, dad couldn't do that."
"It makes us lucky. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be able to do what we are today."
"I know," I reply as I track Callie's movements, watching as she saunters around the bonfire towards me.
"I see you're about to be preoccupied, but if you need any help, let me know. I can do up a contract or agreement, also look into anything you need to do for Jackson to become a partner. Just whatever you need, let me know."
"Thanks," I say just as Callie stops next to me.
"Hey, babe," she says while leaning up, waiting for a kiss.
With me being a foot taller than her, there's no way she can reach my lips without me bending down. I give her a soft smile, then bend my head down and place my lips on her. Pulling her in closer, I deepen the kiss by parting her lips with my tongue. Once my tongue is dueling with hers, and I taste her whiskey and minty breath, I growl. It's low and deep, and vibrates against Callie's lips.
She breaks the kiss and quietly laughs. "What was the growl for?" she asks.
"Because you taste fucking awesome. You're also making me hard. We're standing here with our friends and daughter, and I'm hard and wanting to rip your clothes off."
"You always say that."
"Because you always make me fucking hard," I reply with a husky voice.
"Well, if you can wait another few hours until Ella's in bed, you can then strip me off and do whatever you want," Callie quietly replies.
“Keep going and I won’t last a few hours.” I look down at my watch and see that it’s just after eight. “Mom will be down here soon to pick Ella up,” I say with a smirk. “After that I can do whatever the hell I want.”
With Ella being young, we didn’t want to keep her out late so mom offered to come get her at nine. It’s way past her normal bed time, but it’s Christmas Eve and so we’ve let her stay up later.
“You’ll get no argument from me then,” Callie says. “I’ll happily help you deal with your…” she looks over my shoulder at Ethan. “problem,” she whispers and winks as she brushes her hand over the bulge behind my fly. Then before I can reply, she walk off and I’m harder than I was before.
"You're a tease. A. Fucking. Tease," I call out.
"You love it, though," she replies over her should.
She's right there.
I fucking do.
Chapter 7
"Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart."
— The Polar Express
Makayla
Billy is sitting next to me and talking away with Bryson and Jace, and I should be tuned into the conversation as he's telling them about his new job. But I'm not.
My mind is focused on Ryan, who is sitting on the back of Jace's tailgate with Ella on his lap. Seeing him hold her breaks my heart. He could be a good dad, he just won’t settle down with anyone to do it. I once told him that I wanted children one day, and he didn’t reply to it. His response was to down half a glass of whiskey then kiss the living day lights out of me.
As much as I hated the dynamics of what we had, I miss our friendship. I miss what we used to be. Ryan barely spoke a word while we were in Callie and Jace's living room, and when he did talk, it was only anything to do with Ella. A year ago, Ryan would have been the life of the party, he would have been entertaining the room without even trying. Now, he’s a completely different person.
Then Ryan went and hammered my heart again when he asked Callie about Jordan. The fact that he cared about what happened to her says a lot.
My heart drops from my chest when I think of them together. I've known Ryan to be with girls before, and it's hurt, but nothing like it did when I saw them dancing together.
The way he held her, it was like he used to hold me.
I thought I was past this. I thought I was over him, but after one moment, I'm back to where I was months ago.
But in saying that, I love Billy as well. He's the complete opposite of Ryan, but we get along really well together. He makes me laugh, and he's always caring for me. He's good in bed too. He's not as adventurous as Ryan is between the sheets, but he's got moves that make me call out his name with a passion.
My heart is torn in two.
Two guys.
Both different in every way.
One who loves me and will give me everything.
One who couldn't give me anything apart from a good time when he was actually in our hometown.
I know which guy is the smart one to stay with and love with all my heart, but I can't seem to get over the past.
"We'll have to let you know. We were heading to my parents house in Jacksonville the day after Christmas, but we might make it back in time. What do you think, Kayla?"
"Huh?" I ask as I heard Billy's reply but not what it was too.
"Jace, Bryson, and their ladies were talking about going camping sometime next week before New Year's Eve and asked if we wanted to come."
"Oh, yeah, we'll have to let you know," I say. "We don't know when we're returning yet."
"No worries. Just thought we'd offer," Jace replies.
"Thanks."
“Come drink with us,” Kaylee calls out, and I couldn’t be more thankful of my sister than I am now.
I give Billy a quick kiss and smile then move towards where the other ladies are sitting on camping chairs next to the fire. Casey, Kaylee and Callie are drinking what looks like champagne, while Jolene’s sipping on water as she rubs her hand over her baby belly. She’s only five months pregnant, but already looks like she’s going to pop.
“Don’t worry about talking to them guys, come talk to us. Help us catch up on the gossip with everyone,” Callie says as I plonk down in a chair next to her.
“Oh, that’s easy to do,” I reply a little bitterly. “Nicole the tramp is pregnant, Ethan is an idiot and Ryan is an asshole. I’m confused, Callie’s partially drunk and Ethan is wasted and nearly asleep in the chair over there. Kaylee will be living life with the rich and famous in California when she moves there in February. Bryson is… well, he’s just Bryson. He currently has his shit together. Nathan and Jolene are waiting patiently for their baby to arrive. Ella and Luna are the best little girls in the world, and I adore them. Anything else we need to cover?” I ask, then my eyes land on Casey. “Shit, I forgot you, hun. You’re… Well, you’re just like Bryson. You have your shit together as well. I don’t know how you two do it.”
“Hey,” Callie protests. “I have my shit together.”
“Not at the moment,” I reply.
“I’m allowed to let loose now and then. And I’m trying to get in lots of drinking now, as we’re trying for a baby soon.”
“Ooooo, how soon?” Jolene asks.
“As soon as it happens. Jace finally gave in and stopped using condoms last week. He had been digging his feet in about having another baby, and I was tempted to start poking pinholes in all the condoms. Actually, I wouldn’t have done it as I won’t betray him like that, but I had thought of the idea.”
“I’m excited for you both. Ella will love a baby brother or sister,” I reply.
“I know. And now I think about it, Jace was right. Ella’s at a good age now, as she’s old enough to enjoy being a big sister to her baby sibling. I just won’t let Jace know that.”
We all laugh. “Yes, don’t tell him. They always seem to get big heads when you tell them they’re right about something like that,” Kaylee says, which makes us laugh again.
“My bitch of a sister sent me a letter that I received this morning,” Callie says. “Which actually adds to me not having my shit together as I nearly flipped when I read it.”
“Really? What did it say?” I ask.
A little while after Callie and Jace met, they had a big argument and afterwards, Callie told Jane and I all about her past. She’s told me a
few stories about how Shannon used to treat her, and it wasn’t good at all.
“Just that she’s been working on her past and wants to meet up.”
“That’s all?” I ask.
“Yes, and she wrote her cell number down as well.”
“What a bitch,” Jolene says.
“I know. I won’t be replying. I have nothing to say to her and I don’t want to hear from her either.”
“I don’t blame you,” I say.
We’re all quiet for a moment, all obvious thinking about Callie.
“I have something to add,” Casey quietly says a few minutes later.
She sounds a bit nervous, and it makes me sit up straighter in my chair and swivel around until I can see her properly.
Casey opens her mouth, then closes it again without saying anything. She suddenly looks worried and palms her hand over her eyes and shakes her head. "Ah, shit. Shit, shit, shit. I really shouldn't do this. At all. I told Bryson I wanted to wait, and now I’m going to blurt it out." She pulls her hand away from her face and looks at us with the biggest smile I've ever seen on Casey's face. "We're having a baby. I told Bryson I didn't want anyone to know yet as I’m worried, but after your rant, I can't hold it in," she says the last part while looking at me.
"What?" I screech at the same time the others let out squeals of happiness.
"No way. Are you for real? Seriously?" Jolene asks as she jumps up as quickly as she can.
Casey nods her head and Jolene rushes towards her. "That's fantastic. When did you find out?" Jolene asks.
"Gabbie came over just before we came here and done a test and it was positive.”
“Holy shit, you’re going to be a mom. I’m going to be an aunty,” Jolene replies to her as she lets go of Casey and steps away.
“Congratulations,” I say as I stand and make my way over to Casey. I wrap my arms around her in a tight hug, then the other girls do the same.
“What’s going on?” Jace asks as he and Bry walk over to us.
“I told the girls,” Casey says to Bryson. She stands up and walks over to him and he wraps her up in his arms. “I know I wanted to wait, but I couldn’t hold it in. I’m sorry,” she says to him.
