“Either way, it was one of my favorites. We got to spend time with them for the first time in… who the fuck knows how long. Julian bought that new grill, and I think that was the most our family has ever cooked for ourselves.”
“I remember that,” I said with a laugh. “I got so tired of eating steak and grilled chicken that I wanted to scream. And Ellis took us on all those ice cream runs. We just had to promise not to tell Mom.”
“He was always the one that seemed softer than the others. I never quite figured out how he fit into that dynamic.”
“Frankly, he’s just a follower,” Cole said. “He was happy to go along with whatever Hayes chose for them. I don’t understandhow they left their omega like that. Could you imagine leaving Aspen or North? I’m not even mated to North, and I wouldn’t leave him alone to fend for himself. Flying in for random heats and then going away just as quickly? Fuck that.”
“That will never happen in our pack. Hell, I won’t let them in and out of our kids’ lives,” I said.
“I agree with you there,” Cole said, shaking his head.
We fell into silence as I shifted to get comfortable.
“Is everything good with the festival?” he asked me, eyeing the laptop.
I gave him a look, and he just chuckled. “Don’t act like that’s not what you were looking at, brother.”
“I just put a lot into it, and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Mom loves to try and force us to do the things she wants, but I’ve worked my ass off for this.”
“I’m proud of you,” he said. “You’ve put a lot into the community. Pine Ridge is lucky to have you.”
“I love having you home,” I said instead of accepting his praise. That wasn’t something I knew how to handle. “Not just because you brought Aspen into my life and you both kicked my ass into talking to North, but because I missed my brother. We were so close, and I just let my own insecurities get in the way.”
“It’s just nice being home,” Cole said honestly. “I don’t hate the city, and I know I’ll need to travel sometimes for the good of the magazine. But I’d much rather be here with our omegas. And now, apparently, the estate that we get to make our home.”
“Something just isn’t adding up with Mom,” I said, circling right back to the conversation we were just having. I couldn’t seem to let it go. “I’ve been here all this time, and I know she didn’t ask me to, but she’s told me how she’s appreciated it. Is she really just going to leave and stay gone? Is that even what she wants?”
“We didn’t really stick around long enough to know the real details of what they’re doing. They want to keep a wing here for themselves, one that’s untouched by us and our changes. Nice in theory, but what about when she wants to have a dinner party or control the way that we run the kitchen or the staff?” Cole pointed out.
“Maybe when we’re not so angry, we sit down and talk out those details. But we can’t let this ruin Christmas for our omegas. Especially Aspen.”
“Speaking of our omega that we’ve been courting…It’s almost Christmas Eve,” I pointed out. “We haven’t discussed presents.”
“Aspen is not really into presents,” he pointed out.
“Everyone is into presents,” I argued.
“She doesn’t believe in the whole commercialized Christmas thing,” he explained. “I think the holiday traditions and things like that are going to be what really speaks to her.”
I considered that. The last thing I wanted to do was fuck up our first Christmas together.
Then an idea hit me, one I knew would be perfect.
I turned to Cole, a smile spreading across my face.
“Hear me out…”
Aspen
Iwoke up for the first time in my life feeling excited for the holiday. Every day since we found out we were a pack has been full of holiday fun and sweet moments that healed me a little more each time.
Two short weeks and I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with these men.
Now that we had plans in place for after the holiday, I was able to truly enjoy the season.
I’d even sent Grady a few of my old pieces along with my resume and he was more than impressed. Now I just had to make sure my coverage of the festival lived up to the hype.
The guys have been talking among themselves as if they were hiding some sort of secret, but I didn’t bother to press. It was that time of year and I trusted them. They were far too giddy about it to be devious.
