“I guess I was afraid that you’d be disappointed that me and my friends aren’t perfect.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed about, and never have to be afraid to come to me about anything. The stuff Madison is dealing with is more than either of you can or should handle. Hell, it’s more than I can handle alone.”
“But you’re the President of the club. Doesn’t that mean you’re qualified to do everything and make whatever decisions you want?”
I smiled. “It’s the exact opposite, buddy. Being the president means depending on the people around me all the time. A great leader knows how to rely on the talents of their teammates, and a great man or woman always puts the needs of others before their own. Your mother and I have taught you this since you were little, but it’s only now that you’re a little older that some of these lessons will start to make sense.”
“I promise I’ll come to you right away next time.”
“You’re a good man for looking out for your friend. Now your job is to let Uncle Jaxon do his, and let me do mine. We’re gonna make sure Madison is okay, and you’re gonna work on smoothing things over with Tate.”
“She’s still pretty pissed,” Flash said.
“She’s only pissed because she’s hurt, and she’s only hurt because...”
“I hurt her.”
“By?”
“Not listening to her advice and minimizing what she was going through in this situation.”
I grinned. “See, I knew you had the answers, now go over to her house and tell her.”
“What if she doesn’t want to talk?”
“I’ve found women tend to find time in their schedules for us to grovel and beg for forgiveness. Besides,” I added with a smile. “Until the stroke of midnight, it’s still the Christmas season.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Flash said, and true to his name, was out the door like a shot.
I walked out and joined Maisie, who was already relaxing on the couch with a flute of Champagne.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to wait until midnight to drink that shit?” I asked.
“I’ve been abandoned, so I started early.”
“Abandoned is being a bit dramatic isn’t it?”
“Jamie’s sleeping over at Jeff’s house, you’ve been MIA, and I think I just heard Flash leave through the garage door.”
“He’s going to talk to Tate,” I said.
“Did you give him the court papers?”
I nodded. “He seemed relieved. I think the poor guy was carrying the weight of this on his shoulders.”
“Sounds like his father,” Maisie said.
“I’ve heard he’s a handsome devil,” I said with a wink.
“He’s a demon in the sack, that’s for sure,” she replied.
“The house is empty, and you’re already boozed up, so how about we go upstairs and watch the ball drop a little early?”
“Hold up there, Seacrest, no tea-bagging allowed.”
I laughed, taking Maisie’s glass from her, and setting it on the table. Then, I picked her up, slung her over my shoulder, and carried her to the bedroom. I had a feeling this was going to be a big year, and thought it best to start things off with a proper bang.
2020 Piper Davenport
Copyright © 2020 by Piper Davenport
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Rocky Mountain Christmas is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Mouse
There’s only one gift I want this Christmas, but the closer I get to Kennedy, the more she pushes me away. I’ll do whatever it takes to get onto her nice list, even if it means riding my bike all the way to the North Pole and strong-arming Santa myself.
Kennedy
I have two choices. Open myself up to a man who has the power to shatter me. Or run and protect my heart once and for all. The problem is, a murderous Douglas Fir gets in the way of my perfectly planned escape.
Is it a sign, or merely a roadblock on the path to finding true love?
And does a scrooge like me, even deserve to find herself under the mistletoe this Christmas?
Kennedy
Savannah, Georgia
“Seth, stop,” I begged.
“Bitch, I told you there were going to be consequences if you didn’t do what you were told.”
I whimpered, my arm tied tightly to the headboard of his bed, the zip tie cutting off circulation to my wrist. My other arm was free... for the moment, but it was only so I could use it to do Seth’s bidding.
I don’t know how I fucking got here. He was a monster, and yet, I went back. God, what the hell was I doing?
Seth leaned over me, but then his face morphed into another.
Longish hair swept back, full beard and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen that crinkled in the corner when he smiled.
The face of the man I loved.
“No,” I breathed out on a gasp. This isn’t right. He’d never hurt me.
His face contorted into something evil, and he growled, “You will yield, Lace.”
I screamed, sitting up and settling my hand to my chest as I tried to catch my breath. It was a dream. Just a dream.
Crap, I needed to get a grip.
No, what I needed to do was get rid of the dirty little rat who had infested my life. I shook my head.
Flopping back onto my pillows, I rubbed my tired eyes, and glanced at the alarm clock. Four a.m. I had to get up in three hours for work. I
