“I feel you,” Adam said from across the room. “It’s a madhouse this time of year.”
Finn sat forward and raised his voice. “A woman nearly called the police when the manager didn’t have what she wanted in stock. Can’t people just be grateful for what they have?”
I peered down at his bags. “It looks like you have a lot. Let me see the booty.”
When Simon spun around and put his hands on his ass, I tossed a pillow at him.
Finn placed a sack in my lap. I reached inside and pulled out a long wall banner with snowflakes and cartoon characters. I refrained from smiling because Finn had never had a real childhood. He’d led a sheltered life, never exposed to the outside world. Even though the higher authority had employed him, he still dressed like a college kid and watched cartoons. Now that a few years had gone by and aged him, he looked more like a young man trying to hold on to his youth. We’d never pressured him to grow up and act his age. That would happen naturally in due time.
I mussed up his shaggy brown hair. “These are great. Did you remember to get napkins?”
“Yep. I also got pinecones that smell like cinnamon. Oh, and these red and green candles you can put on the table.” Then he gave me a sheepish grin. “I know we don’t have windows in here, but I bought these sticky things you can put on them shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees. I thought maybe the kids might have fun decorating the mirrors or walls later on.” He raked his hair down to cover his ears, which stuck out.
“That’s a great idea. I think you should show them how to do it. Maybe you should go upstairs and change out of those wet clothes. Your pants look like you waded through the Arctic Ocean.”
He smirked. “I built a snowman out there for the kids to decorate later. I just hope Page has a leftover carrot.”
I frowned. “Leftover from what?”
“Shit. Nothing.” He shot to his feet and hustled out of the room.
I gaped at the tree. “What the hell isthat?”
Simon poked an ornament, and I watched the giant plastic hamburger swing back and forth. “It’s Christmas.”
“That’s not Christmas; that’s lunch.”
“Just wait until you see what else I’ve got in my little bag of tricks.”
I stretched and got up, anxious to see what else they had bought. As long as there weren’t panties and handcuffs, I was pretty okay with anything else.
When I peered into a bag, a laugh pealed out of me. “This is hilarious. Did you just grab random things off the shelf and run?”
“We handpicked everything,” Justus said defensively.
Simon widened his stance and folded his arms. “I tried to get him to dress up as Santa, just to see what kind of chaos would ensue. I bet women would have knocked their children down to sit in his lap and pray they were on his naughty list.”
Justus held out an ornament. “Do you want to do this instead?” he asked, trying to shirk his duties.
I shook my head. “I have complete faith in your abilities, but I’ll be back to check on your progress.”
“Don’t wander far,” Simon said in a singsong voice. “You’ll miss the grand finale when we top the tree.”
I patted Adam’s shoulder as I headed out the door. When I reached the elevators, I found Finn sitting on the floor. I took a seat next to him and pulled up my knees. “What’s wrong?”
His tone was sullen and quiet. “I can’t explain.”
“Is it the Shifter thing again?”
He didn’t reply. Finn was an alpha wolf without a pack. He could pretend everyone in this house was a pack, but it wasn’t the same as taking on a leadership role as a Packmaster. Not all alphas formed packs, but the instinct to lead was still there. Finn had greater aspirations to work in law. Even though the Cross brothers filled the void of what it must feel like to have packmates, we still weren’t Shifters. Finn was alone, and I related to that feeling. No one understood my struggle with being a genetic experiment.
I rested my head on his shoulder. Finn didn’t need to hear why he should be thankful or grateful. He already knew that. He just wanted someone to get what he was feeling and not place any judgment.
“It’s not you,” he finally said. “I don’t want you to think it’s you or Logan or anyone. It’s me. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”
“Maybe if you found a nice Shifter girl, you’d have someone to talk to about it.”
“I’m too busy to date.”
