“Good.” As a parting shot, he added, “Better be ready to skate your asses off when I see you tomorrow.”
Jenner elbowed Braxton. “Dude, why’d you have to go and fuck it all up?”
Braxton winced before hanging his head. “Sorry, that was my bad.” He pulled out his phone. “Maybe he’ll be in a better mood once he gets a full night’s rest in his own bed.”
“Doubtful.” Jenner chuckled. “Unless we have Bristol watching over us like guardian angel tomorrow, we are fucked.”
“That can be arranged.” Tapping away at his phone, Braxton smirked. “Oops, my finger slipped and arranged for the girls to have a day at a spa that specializes in prenatal massage. Dammit. I’m sure Bristol will just hate me now.”
“Pure evil. I like it.” Jenner offered him an appraising nod. Turning back to me, he asked, “You all good? We kinda killed your apology.”
I shrugged. “You know me, can’t hold a grudge. Gemma, on the other hand . . .”
“Yeah.” He nodded in understanding. “How about a re-do? Bring her over for Christmas at our place.”
Cocking my head, I eyed him. “Is this your way of trying to sucker me into playing Santa again to terrify a bunch of small children?”
That idea had crashed and burned the last time we tried it, with Ollie screaming his head off and hiding from me. It about damn near broke my heart to see my little buddy so scared.
Jenner smiled. “Come on. Every parent has those pictures of red-faced babies struggling in Santa’s hold. It’s like a right of passage.”
“Sorry. Not interested in terrorizing your kids.”
“Fine. We can make some mall Santa do the honors. Join us as our friend, with your girl. Evie was kinda bummed Maddox scared her away before she got a chance to chat. I bet they could bond over his fucked-up way of trying to protect us from the women we love.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m still in damage control mode. It took a lot for her to even get out of the car yesterday, and then some knucklehead”—my gaze shifted to Braxton—“couldn’t take the hint and walk away when we were having a private moment. Pretty sure she’s not gonna be ready to come face-to-face with a man who knows what she sounds like when she comes. A man that’s not me.”
Jenner cringed. “Yeah, that’s not great.”
Braxton groaned, raking a hand over his jaw. “Seriously didn’t think you were gonna finish with me there. That takes balls, man.”
“So, thanks for the offer, but I think we’re gonna take a little time to let the dust settle,” I declared. “Have a quiet Christmas alone.”
An alarm blared, and Jenner reached into his pocket, hissing under his breath when his phone came into view. “Shit. Gottago. Naptime is over, and it’s all hands on deck. Catch you guys tomorrow.”
Rising to his feet, he was out the door in a flash.
“Funny how fast life changes,” Braxton mused.
“You’re telling me.” I sighed.
Only a few months ago, I was on the outside looking in, envious of my friends with wives and families. Now, I had Gemma in my life, and if I had anything to say about it, we’d be joining the ranks of parenthood before too long.
Some might call me crazy, but when you found the person you’re supposed to be with, what was the point of waiting to start your life together?
Chapter 18
Gemma
Tossing my keys onthe counter, I heaved a sigh of relief. The week leading up to Christmas in a bar was insane. The place was packed, there wasn’t a minute of downtime, and even though my feet were screaming, you wouldn’t hear me complain about the extra tips I’d earned.
We’d closed early today as it was Christmas Eve, and I headed straight for the shower. It had been forever since I’d had a night off, let alone a whole day, so I planned to sit around in my pajamas doing nothing for a solid forty-eight hours.
The minute I entered my bedroom, I stripped down and stepped into the bathroom, turning the faucet to let the water heat. Steam rose from the tub, and as soon as the mirrors were foggy, I stepped inside the shower.
A moan slipped past my lips, the hot water providing relief for the stiff muscles of my neck and shoulders. I stood there for a while, letting it rush over my skin until it was pink, and before I could stop it, my mind wandered to home.
Enzo had sent me pictures of the girls a few weeks back, and my heart twisted, knowing I would miss Serafina’s first Christmas. She was nine months old, and I could imagine how entranced she’d be by the lights on the Christmas tree. Bianca had been the same way at her age, so I could picture her sparkling eyes, filled with wonder, as she crawled closer to get a better look.
