Glitch roars. “Your feelings hurt, pretty boy?”
“Fuck you, Glitch.” Colt stomps ahead of us, halting in his tracks just inside the door.
I nudge him out of the way, dragging Frost inside. He jerks back, and for a moment, I feel like I may have overstepped. The newly decorated common room is covered in twinkling lights, garlands, stockings, and a towering Christmas tree. Everyone is gathered around the tree, including my parents.
“SURPRISE!” everyone yells in unison.
His voice is barely a whisper. “Hope… It looks like how Mom wou” His voice trails off.
I squeeze his hand. “It’s for all of you, but especially for you. Even though she’s gone, she’ll still live on in your hearts. This is my way of honoring her memory for you.”
Frost’s eyes shine with unguarded gratitude. “Thank you for this, for giving me another chance… For everything.”
I squeeze him tight. “Welcome home, Frost.”
CHAPTER 25
FROST
Christmas morning in the clubhouse feels like stepping into a memory I thought I’d lost forever. The smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls hits me first. Then Mom’s old orange-sugar cookies that Hope somehow magically recreated, and the faint citrus smell of the garlands Hope and her mom hung everywhere. I stand in the doorway for a minute, letting it all sink in.
Hope is in the kitchen with her mom, laughing about something. Amy is shouting at Chaos for stealing a cookie, and Dad is already halfway through a plate of cinnamon rolls. Paige, Eagle, and Colt are whispering around the tree, making sure everything’s ready.
It feels like home again. When Mom died, I thought she took the heart of the club with her. That didn’t happen, though. If anything, we banded together with the help of Hope and her family to make this Christmas memorable in her honor.
Hope catches me staring, and her smile hits me like a ray of sunlight. She crosses the room and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. My hand finds her hip automatically, grounding me instantly.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispers.
“Merry Christmas, darlin’.”
“Time for presents!” Sharon hollers.
Everyone gathers in the main room, settling around the massive tree. Lights twinkle across the ceiling, garland drapes over every railing, and stockings line the bar.
“Why am I playing, Santa?” Eagle grumbles as he places the red hat on his head.
Hope rushes over to adjust it to her liking. “Because you’re the leader, just like Santa Claus.”
“You’re also a little rou”
“Finish that sentence, Glitch, and you’re on bar duty for a month,” Eagle threatens. “I’m more fit than any of you. If anyone should be playing Santa, it’s Hawk.”
Hawk glowers at Eagle. “What the fuck did I do to you?”
It’s a perfect Christmas morning. It’s everything that Mom used to do and more. Hope sits beside me on the couch, leaning lightly against my shoulder. Her parents sit nearby, both smiling like they’ve known me forever and already love me.
When the first gift is opened, the room fills with laughter and teasing. Chaos unwraps a bat signed by Amy, which he screams about like he just won the lottery. Amy gets a taser from Glitch, which she happily torments Chaos with. Dad receives a mug with pictures of him and Mom around it. Sharon cries when she opens a necklace from Ted. Paige squeals over a weighted blanket that Amy says is “for smothering Chaos.”
I wait as everybody finishes opening their gifts. I’ve been holding onto something ever since Vegas, and I’m done waiting. When the mayhem finally dies down, there’s wrapping paper everywhere, leftover cinnamon rolls on plates, and smiles on everyone’s faces.
It’s now or never.
I stand, holding a single, perfectly wrapped gift. Not a mountain of presents, not a mess of paper and bows, only one.
The room falls silent, and all eyes are on me. I step forward slowly as Hope’s eyes lock on mine. “This is for you.” My voice comes out low, steady, full of love, protection, longing, and a promise all at once.
I watch her hands tremble slightly as she lifts the small black box from the wrapping. Her eyes are wide, shining, and I can see the gears turning, trying to figure out what’s inside. Hope opens it carefully and gently lifts the lid. Her gasp is the only sound I hear before my heart starts pounding so hard, I swear it echoes in the entire clubhouse. A perfect, simple engagement ring rests inside the velvet box. It’s platinum with a two-carat princess-cut diamond.
