“Warn a girl next time,” she huffs in mock anger before pressing a kiss to my cheek.
“Where’d the fun be in that?” I ask her as we get to the vehicle. I release Jeanie’s legs, letting her body slide down mine, enjoying the closeness until her feet touch the ground. Once she’s standing, only then do I open the door and help her inside.
“Hey, Ally,” I greet Ally who’s watching us with amusement.
“Bolt.” She grins in greeting. “We’ll see you over there.”
Taking the hint that Ally wants to get moving, I press a quick kiss to Jeanie’s lips and close her door before jogging over to where Sam and Coal wait on their sleds. Sliding my helmet back on, I fall in behind them as they pull out after the girls and Thea.
It doesn’t take long to get to the hall where they are having the Christmas giveaway. We’re absorbed in the chaos and given jobs by Ben. From what I understand, he’ll be the VP for the Crows, and Sam will be their president once Reaper and Draco retire.
He’s another quiet brother, but you can see the respect he’s given by the people of the village. And he knows almost all of them by name, no matter what their age. Jeanie filled me in onsome of his and his siblings’ backstory, and I admire how much he gives back now that he is able to.
It’s an eye-opening afternoon, and we learn a lot when it comes to how the Crows work and the respect they get from the people in their village.
We’ll never have that, as we are part of a city, but it’s good to see how the charity side works. It is late evening when the clearing up after the event is completed and put away. Only then do Sam and I follow Jeanie and Ally to the O’Shea compound to spend Christmas Eve with Jeanie’s family.
If I thought my family were rowdy, they have nothing on the crowd that is at the O’Shea’s that night. Finally, I get to meet Sera’s infamous girl squad and their families. Now that I’ve been initiated into the family, I relax and enjoy the evening. I stay the fuck away from the homebrew, though. There is no way I am going to make that mistake ever again. Been there, got the T-shirt and never want another one.
It is after midnight when Jeanie and I walk with the rest of her family up to her childhood home. I love the way their compound is set up, and we have enough room on our land to do the same. I’ll be speaking to Coal before long because while our static caravans are spacious, once we start adding to our families, they will get tight for space.
I follow Jeanie into her childhood bedroom, a bedroom that looks bare as we’ve moved most of her stuff to mine over the last week.
“Night, everyone,” Tilly calls out on her way past Jeanie’s door, ushering Jeanie’s younger brothers in front of her.
“Night,” Jeanie and I reply. Across the hall from us, Sam and Ally were entering her old bedroom. It is a surreal experience being in your woman’s childhood home and bedroom with her entire family surrounding us.
“Doors open.” Adam smirks as he walks past with a shit-stirring grin.
“Only if you and Mum leave yours open,” Jeanie replies with a wicked grin, leaning her shoulder against her doorframe.
“Fuck no,” her dad replies.
“Snap, Daddio,” Ally shouts out with glee from her doorway. I’m biting back a grin. You can tell how much this family loves each other.
“Fine,” Adam grouses. He walks first to Ally and kisses her forehead. “Night,cailín deas, love you to the moon.”
“Night, Dad. Merry Christmas,” Ally replies as Adam kisses her one more time and gives Sam a nod goodnight.
Ally closes their bedroom door, and Adam walks over to Jeanie. He enfolds her in his arms before he lets her go and kisses her forehead. “Night,mo dhuine beag, love you to the moon.”
‘Fuck, I hope I can be half the dad he is to his girls,’I think to myself as I watch the two of them.
“Night, Dad, love you to the moon,” Jeanie whispers, kissing his cheek. “Merry Christmas.”
Adam smiles. “Merry Christmas,iníon. Make the most of lying in tomorrow; it’s the last time you’ll get to do that for about eighteen years.”
Jeanie giggles and steps back with a grin. “I know, but don’t worry; we’ll make sure we spend every Christmas Eve with you so that you get woken up too.”
“No,” Adam shouts as she closes the door in his face with a laugh. I’m chuckling at the two of them.
When she turns back around to me, her cheeks are pink with laughter, and her eyes are sparkling. I can’t contain the words. They pour out of me in a rush, “Love you, sweetness.”
“Oh, Bolt.” Jeanie smiles and presses her lips to mine. “I love you too. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetness.”
And it is.
