Santa' Wayward Elf

by Paige Tyler

  At the questioning look on Derek’s face, she explained what Santa had told her about Mendike and her mother, and how her mother had fallen in love with her father, then subsequently left the North Pole to be with him.

  “You’re more like half-elf then,” Derek said when she’d finished.

  “I suppose so.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “That you’re part elf?” He reached up to cup her cheek again. “Honey, I love you. I’d love you if you told me you were an alien from another planet.”

  “You’re not just saying that?”

  “No, I’m not just saying that. Now, stop being so foolish and come here.”

  Derek didn’t wait for her to obey, but instead pulled her down on top of him. Sosie opened her mouth to tell him he’d tear his stitches, but he silenced her with a long, lingering kiss.

  “If I wasn’t in this hospital bed, I’d have your clothes off in ten seconds,” he growled.

  She laughed, the words sending a surge of arousal through her body. “But you are in a hospital bed, which means you need rest. And sleep.”

  “Wait a minute,” he said as she leaned over to adjust his pillow. “You can’t leave me hanging after dropping that bomb on me.”

  She frowned down at him. “I didn’t drop anything on you.”

  “It’s a figure of speech. I mean that you can’t announce you’re an elf, then not tell me about your life in the North Pole.”

  “Oh.” She smiled. “That’s a long story and one I promise to tell you after you get some rest.”

  He didn’t look pleased with her decision, but didn’t protest. He caught his hand in hers. “You’ll be here when I wake up, right?”

  “Of course.” She leaned over to kiss him tenderly on the mouth. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sosie surveyed her reflection in the full-length mirror, taking in the beautiful, white wedding gown. She’d wanted to wear red and green, especially since it was Christmas Eve, but Tracee and Linda had insisted white would be more appropriate. Since the two women were rarely—if ever—appropriate themselves, she decided she should probably listen to them this time.

  It was hard to believe she’d met Derek a year ago on this very night. So much had happened since then that everything that had come before it seemed like another lifetime. In a way, she supposed it was.

  Things had been crazy since Derek had gotten out of the hospital. He’d been in there two very long weeks, during which she’d never left his side. As a result, they’d had lots of time to talk. True to her word, she’d told him all about her life up in the North Pole. Derek made it seem as if he was taking it in stride, but she could see the surprise and wonder on his face as she described how magical Snow City was. She’d fully expected him to ask her to take him there so he could see it for himself, but he didn’t. As much as she would have liked to show him around Snow City and Santa’s workshop, there was no way she could. Outsiders weren’t allowed inside the city—even if they were married to an elf.

  Tracee and Linda had visited Derek in the hospital, along with everyone else in the apartment building. The women had been thrilled to hear she was staying, but were upset when she’d told them she’d lose her elfness—specifically her pointed ears. They’d immediately taken out their cell phones to take pictures, insisting she should have plenty of photos to remember them by. Sosie tried to tell them it wasn’t a big deal—they were just ears, for figgy’s sake—but even Derek wanted to make sure she had pictures.

  Derek’s family and friends weren’t the only visitors. Nearly every cop in the city had stopped by to see him while he’d been recovering. Aaron and Tony had told her it was to meet her as much as to see Derek. Apparently, the two men had told everyone how she’d stayed by Derek’s side after he’d gotten shot, going so far as to use her own body to protect him when Mendike had been about to kill him. That earned her a lot of points in everyone’s book. In her opinion, Derek was the hero, and she made sure everyone knew how he’d gone up against the whole Saldino crime family by himself to rescue her after the department had turned against him. His superiors had insisted they’d had his back the whole time, but Derek’s fellow cops didn’t believe them.

  But while Derek might be a hero, he was a lousy patient. Despite knowing he was supposed to rest when he’d gotten home from the hospital, he still tried to get out of bed every five seconds. Sosie had to put her foot down more than once, and when that hadn’t had the desired effect, she’d taken all of his pants over to Ben and Mabel’s apartment. She’d figured Derek would be less likely to try and go anywhere without his pants. She’d been right.

  Of course, sitting around for days on end without any pants had made him randy as a white snow minx. But she’d refused to take part in any form of sex until the doctor assured her they wouldn’t tear out his stitches. The moment the man had given them the okay, Derek made love to her in every way imaginable. He even handcuffed her to the bed a few times. Now, that was way more fun than she’d ever imagined. After that, she’d decided it was safe to return his pants.

  Looking back on it now, she probably should have kept a closer eye on him because the minute she’d given his clothes back, he’d disappeared on her. She’d been frantic with worry and on the verge of calling Aaron and Tony to ask for the department’s help to find him when Derek walked in the door. When she’d asked him where the fig he’d run off to, he’d pulled out a little, blue box with a gorgeous diamond ring inside it, gotten down on one knee and stunned her by asking her to marry him.

  Of course she’d said yes. Then she’d lectured him about running off without telling her where he was going.

  Derek wanted to get married right away, but Sosie’d wanted to wait until he was completely recovered. He’d grudgingly agreed to give her two weeks. After learning exactly what went into a traditional BP wedding, however, she’d told him she would need more than two weeks to plan everything.

  Those plans had come to a stumbling halt when Derek told her they had to apply for a marriage license, something that was impossible without some official form of identification. Luckily, Derek’s job put him in contact with a lot of unsavory characters, including people who were good at creating authentic-looking fake identifications. Finding the right person to do it hadn’t been as difficult as she’d thought. The man had even given them a good discount in return for Derek’s help with some parking tickets.

  The hardest part about the whole thing had been choosing a last name. She’d wanted to use Derek’s last name, but he’d explained she was going to need a maiden name to put on the marriage license. After doing some research on BP surnames, she’d finally decided on Alfus because it was Latin for elf. The forger had made her a complete set of identification, including an American passport and a social security card. Getting the marriage license after that had been a snap. Then all they had to do was figure out where to have the ceremony and the reception.

  Sosie wanted to have both in the apartment’s common area where they’d held the Christmas party the year before and Derek had kissed her for the first time, but his mother insisted they had to get married in a church. After finding out how small the common area was in relationship to how many people were coming to the wedding, Sosie had finally agreed. Since they couldn’t hold the reception in the apartment building, either, Sosie’d suggested the nightclub where she and Derek met. Derek hadn’t been too keen on the location, saying the man who owned the place probably wouldn’t go for it, especially since he didn’t moonlight there or at any other club anymore since meeting her, but to please Sosie, he’d asked the man anyway. To her delight, the club’s owner had graciously agreed to close the club for their reception.

  Although planning the wedding took up most of her waking hours, she still found time in her hectic schedule to work with Ben on the day-to-day repairs around the apartment building. She told Derek she wanted to use the money she made to t
ake him some place nice for their honeymoon, like Alaska, but he insisted on paying for the whole thing himself. That seemed silly to her, especially since she had the money, but she got the feeling paying for the honeymoon was important to him, so she’d agreed. Going to Alaska had been quickly vetoed when the last of her elfness disappeared, since the cold weather bothered her a lot more than it used to. Even the air conditioner—which she’d finally gotten around to fixing—gave her the shivers. With Alaska out of the running, she and Derek decided on Hawaii instead.

  Sosie studied her reflection in the mirror again, wondering if she had the veil on right. She reached up to adjust it when Tracee and Linda rushed into the room in a swirl of red and green satin.

  “Derek is waiting for you at the altar,” Linda announced excitedly. “He looks so handsome in a tux, I could melt.”

  Sosie was pretty sure it was impossible for the other woman to actually melt, regardless of how handsome Derek looked. On the other hand, the thought of her hunky fiancé all dressed up in one of those tuxedos she’d seen in the bridal magazine was enough to make her pulse quicken so she supposed it might be possible after all.

  “You look beautiful, Sosie,” Tracee said.

  “Are you sure?” She turned back to the mirror, plucking at the filmy material covering her long hair. “I don’t know about this veil. Are you sure I have to wear it?”

  “Yes, you most certainly have to wear it. It’s tradition.” The redhead reached out to fuss with it. “Here, let me straighten it for you.”

  Sosie obediently stood while Tracee lifted the ends to cover part of her face with the see-through material. On the other side of her, Linda’s eyes filled with tears as she watched.

  “I still can’t believe your pointed ears are gone.” She sniffed.

  Sosie’s mouth curved. Her ears had been round for a while now, and yet Linda still cried every time she saw them. Sosie turned to give the dark-haired woman a hug.

  “Pointed ears or not, I’ll always be an elf in my heart,” she assured her friend.

  Sosie would have hugged Tracee, too, but Ben came in before she could.

  He smiled. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

  Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. Am I?”

  “You are indeed.” He laughed as if what she’d said was funny. “Everyone’s waiting. Are you ready for me to walk you up the aisle?”

  At Sosie’s nod, he offered her his arm. “I hope you planned for a few extra people with the caterer, Sosie, because some more people showed up from your side of the family,” he said as they followed Tracee and Linda down the hallway.

  “They did?”

  Other than the friends she’d made in the neighborhood and those in the apartment building, she didn’t know anyone else in the city well enough to invite them to the wedding. Maybe that was Ben’s way of telling her some of the people who lived in the apartment building had decided to surprise her by sitting on her side of the church so it wouldn’t look empty.

  By the time they stepped into the vestibule a few minutes later, Sosie forgot all about who was sitting on her side of the church. She only had eyes for Derek. He was standing at the altar with Aaron and Tony beside him, and looking more gorgeous in his tux than she’d imagined. Linda had been right—he was enough to make a girl melt.

  As Ben led her down the aisle, she caught a glimpse of exactly how many people were sitting on her side of the church, or more precisely, how many elf-sized people were sitting there. She blinked as she recognized her fellow elves from the North Pole. They were all dressed in BP clothes as if trying to disguise who they were. It must have worked because no one was looking at them oddly. She couldn’t believe they’d come all the way for her wedding. She hadn’t realized they knew about it. Then she spotted Santa and Mrs. Claus, and she realized he must have told them. Her eyes misted with tears as he gave her a wink.

  When they reached the altar, Ben placed her hand in Derek’s, then took his seat beside Mabel. Sosie hadn’t understood the whole concept of a wedding when Tracee and Linda had described it to her because elves didn’t take part in an official ceremony when they got married. Over the past several months, she’d come to understand the deep significance of the ritual and as Derek smiled down at her, she couldn’t help wondering if her mother had gone through this ceremony with the man she loved so much. She hoped so.

  Derek leaned in as they turned to face the priest. “Is that who I think it is?” he whispered, jerking his head toward Santa.

  Sosie nodded. “It is. So, don’t mess up your vows like you did at the rehearsal or you’ll be getting coal in your stockings for years to come.”

  Derek chuckled.

  His vows, like everything else, were absolutely perfect, and an hour later, she was Mrs. Derek Clayton.

  After the ceremony and the requisite pictures, a limousine whisked them off to the club for the reception. Thanks to Derek, they were both a bit disheveled by the time they got there, but Sosie didn’t mind. In fact, she was tempted to ask the limousine driver to take them around the block again so they could make out some more, but the man was already opening the door for them.

  During the reception, Sosie got a chance to catch up with her friends from the North Pole. She hadn’t realized how much she missed her fellow elves, but talking with them brought back all the things she’d loved best about Snow City and Santa’s workshop. Not that she would ever trade her life with Derek to go back there, of course. It was just nice to see them.

  The other elves filled her in on everything that had happened since she’d left. Santa and Mrs. Claus had implemented quite a few new rules, which resulted in a lot of changes up at the workshop. The so-called efficiency experts—otherwise known as slave drivers when she’d been living there—had been reassigned to new jobs and things were slowly going back to the way they’d been so many decades ago. Along with a set schedule of hours and time off, the elves now had the opportunity to take vacations and visit the BP world as well, as long as they kept their identities secret. According to her fellow elves, it was all a big hit.

  While the male elves seemed content talking shop all night, their female counterparts were more interested in pulling her aside to find out about what it was like living with the BPs.

  “Are they dangerous?”

  “Are they violent?”

  “Are the men good in bed?”

  “Are their candy canes really that big?”

  “Can we take a few of them back to the North Pole with us?”

  Sosie laughed and tried to answer all their questions as best she could, though she was pretty sure Santa would probably frown on the elf girls taking some of the men back to the North Pole.

  Still laughing at the idea, she glanced over at her husband to see him talking with Santa. The serious look on her husband’s face sent a surge of panic through her. What if Santa changed his mind and was telling Derek she had to go back to the North Pole with the other elves? But when Derek reached out to shake Santa’s outstretched hand, she knew they hadn’t been talking about that at all. She was still curious about their conversation and was about to go join them when Derek walked over to her.

  “Ladies.” He flashed the elves with her a grin. “You don’t mind if I borrow my wife for a dance, do you?”

  They shook their heads, letting out a collective sigh when Derek took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. He took her in his arms and smiled down at her.

  “So, Mrs. Clayton, are you having a good time?”

  Sosie felt her heart do a cartwheel at her new name. “A very good time.” She looped her arms around his neck, swaying against him in time with the music. “I noticed you talking to Santa. What were you and the big guy chatting about?”

  “He wanted to make sure I’d take good care of you.” Derek’s smile disappeared to be replaced by that same serious expression he’d had when she saw him talking to Santa. “He also wanted me to know how much you gave up to be with me. He told me
how old you really are and how much longer you would have lived if you’d stayed up in the North Pole. It wasn’t only your pointed ears you gave up, was it, Sosie?”

  She didn’t answer. When she’d told Derek about her life in the North Pole she purposely left out the part about elves living hundreds of years because she’d been afraid he’d blame himself if he knew what she was sacrificing.

  She went up on tiptoe to kiss him gently on the mouth. Even in high heels, she was still a foot shorter, but she barely noticed the height difference between them anymore. “No, that’s not all I gave up to be with you, but it was worth it. I’d give up anything to be with you, Derek.”

  “And I’ll be eternally grateful for that, every day of my life, sweetheart.”

  She thought she saw tears shimmer in his eyes, but he pulled her close to rest his chin on the top of her head before she could be sure.

  “I’ll never forget how fortunate I am that you came into my life.”

  Sosie’s eyes misted with tears of her own and she clung to him as she blinked them back. She would have been content to stay in his arms right there on the dance floor all night, but then a thought occurred to her. She lifted her head to look at him.

  “You don’t mind being married to an older woman, do you?”

  His mouth twitched. “I think I can handle it.”

  She laughed and kissed him again. “Speaking of handling things, what do say we find a back room and disappear for a few minutes so you can handle the incredible urge I’m feeling to have you inside me?”

  He groaned as she pressed against his rapidly hardening erection while they danced. “I think we might be able to find someplace to go. Though it might take more than a few minutes to get you out of that dress.”

  “Who says I have to take it off?” She gave him a playful smile. “There’s no reason I can’t leave it on while we make love.”

  His chuckle was soft and husky in her ear. “Now that’d be a neat trick.”