CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Ash
“For the love of God, please tell me you got that on video,” Rebel mutters. “Never seen anything funnier in my life.”
Data asks, “What do you take me for, an amateur? Ofcourse, I have it on video. Not only that, but I’ve gotten into the park’s feed and am funneling it to my server so I can work some magical edits into it before I share with everyone.”
I’m glad he answered because I’m laughing so hard that I have a stitch in my side and tears are steadily flowing down my face. Leave it to Fox, Prophet, Red, and Slammer, as well as our two prospects, to bungee cord four inner tubes together and take them down the huge hill. I suspect they slickened the bottoms of the tubes with something oil based because all I can think of is the scene fromNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacationwhen Clark used the sled after polishing it with silicone-based lubricant. The four of them are coming down the hill at such a high rate of speed they’re bowling over unsuspecting kids on their way down the slope, and what are the fuckers doing?They’ve got their arms up, grins splitting their faces, as they holler their yippees like they’re on a rollercoaster ride.
“There’s gonna be broken bones, I just know it,” I manage to gasp out between my laughter. “All of them are big guys, and I don’t see this ending well at all.”
Rebel snickers while nodding. “I think they’re forgetting that none of us are teenagers anymore. They’ve been balls to the wall since we arrived and short of us being kicked out, which is looking more and more like a probability, I don’t think they’re going to stop until they can’t move a muscle.”
“Yeah, but fuck, pres, Prophet is fuckingsmiling, something I didn’t think I’d see again after that bitch, Rosa, did what she did to him,” Data replies. “So, I’ve already put in an order for Epsom salts, heating pads, and some extra strength pain reliever for the knuckleheads. It’ll be at the clubhouse when we get back.”
Shaking my head, I walk away from them to go in search of my wayward women.
“Can I make one, Ash?” Becca asks, looking up at me.
I found Holly and Marnie, along with the three little girls, at one of the many vendors available at Mistletoe Mountain. This one has stuffed animals that you can build then dress, and they’ve got holiday themed clothes which is definitely going to have cash and cards flying out of our wallets based on the sheer number of kids I see roaming around in here.
Becca has an orange kitty in her arms, while Ruby has a white bear, and Mina has a chicken that looks suspiciously like her petout at Esther and Paul’s house, Bonnie. Even though Christmas is literally only a few weeks away, there’s no way I can deny her since she hasn’t asked for a single, selfish thing since coming to live with us.
“Yeah, darlin’, you can make one. Do you need help, or do you want to do it yourself?” I reply.
“I want to try to do it myself, but can you be here just in case I need help?” she asks.
“Absolutely. Now, what’s the first step?” I question.
I’m actually impressed because they have the animal ‘bodies’ neatly organized at the front, then for each machine that’s needed, there’s a giant number on the side so even the youngest child can feel like they’re doing it on their own. She takes my hand and walks me over to stand in the line at box number one where an employee is filling the stuffed animal with cotton fluff. I’m in awe at how fast the girl’s hands move, that’s for damn sure. It doesn’t take very long before it’s Becca’s turn and the woman asks, “Do you want your kitty to have a heartbeat?”
“What do you mean?” I query.
She reaches to the side and grabs a sparkly heart, presses it and suddenly, a thumping noise can be heard. At my nod, she takes Becca’s kitty and starts to fill it with stuffing, stopping once it’s mostly full and helping our girl tuck the heart inside the chest. Within a few minutes, we’re walking to the next station, Becca happily skipping alongside me, with Marnie giggling behind me.
“Oh, wow, Becca, what do you think?” Marnie asks as they look at the clothes neatly organized on the wall.
“I like the elf costume,” Becca says. “It’s a boy kitty, so I don’t think he should have a dress, like Mina’s chicken does.”
I chuckle at her logic, once again impressed that she seems to be acclimating rather well. I don’t know how much has to do with her former foster mother, and how much is due to the fact she has a friend who is extremely outgoing and extroverted. Mina is the epitome of a happy little girl and seeing how Becca continues to bloom around her has my heart swelling. I know we have to get her into therapy, but that’s a problem for after the holidays as far as I’m concerned. At first, I was a bit hesitant to do so, but her reaction when she splattered Marnie with ranch dressing showed me that she needs to know it’s okay to just be a kid. Accidents will happen, but it’s far more important that she be kind to others. She already has impeccable manners, again thanks to her foster mother.
“Then he’ll be an elf,” I decree, reaching out and picking up the tiny costume she’s had her eye on. While internally, I balk at the highway robbery this place has going on, I won’t deny her anything if at all possible. She’s been let down too many times in the past, and even though I know we can’t go completely crazy spoiling her, I realize that as long as we teach her right from wrong, it won’t hurt to overdo it from time to time.
I mean, I have two of the best examples in front of me in Mina and Ruby. While Holly thankfully had Esther and Paul in her corner, they didn’t have the easiest home life before Rebel came along.
It’s not long before three very happy little girls are carrying their new stuffed pets as we walk back to where we’re supposed to meet up. Hopefully, the four stooges didn’t get kicked out of the park, but if they did, oh well. On the way, we see several photo opportunities, so we take turns with Holly to get pictureswith the girls all together, their heads stuck through glittering ornaments, then us with Becca, and finally, Holly with her two girls.
“I hope they have more of them,” Holly muses as we finally reach the rest of the club.
“I do too,” Marnie replies. “Now, let’s get something to eat before we ride the train through the light display!”
Carrying Becca upstairs to our suite, her kitty clutched in her arms, I glance down at Marnie and see she’s exhausted. “Looks like it might be an early night for you, too,” I tease as she gets our door open, and I walk through toward Becca’s room.
“Not until I show you what I got yesterday,” she says before she gathers Becca’s pajamas. Working together, it’s not long before we have her changed and tucked underneath the covers.
Leaning down, I brush back her hair and whisper, “I love you, Becca boo, and I’m so glad you’re part of our family now.”
