We reach the front door just as Evan is walking out.
“Merry Christmas, fellas.” He grins on his way to get rid of some trash.
“Hey, Evan, can I get some help with the presents in the back of the car?” Charlie asks him.
A shrieking, high-pitched “D, D!” explodes through the air. Ruby and Sadie barrel out the front door like tiny pink missiles with Ryder right on their tails.
“Fucking hell,” Christian curses as he chases them. “When did they get so quick? Their legs are so tiny,” he grumbles.
The two little princesses wrap their arms around each of my legs, and Ryder comes in the middle and nearly hits my crown jewels.
“Hello, my little possums.” I try to continue to walk inside, but I have two little ones on my legs. “Merry Christmas, guys,” I tell them as I slowly make my way toward the front door.
“Girls, can you let Uncle Derrick go? He needs to use his legs to walk,” Christian tells them. They both pout, but Ryder is the first to move, and then the other two walk back over to their dad.
“Ryder, did you want to help Daddy with the presents?” His little face lights up, and he rushes over to where Evan and Charlie are walking toward our car.
“Merry Christmas, D,” Christian says, hugging me and then does the same to Rowan. “Welcome to the mad house.” He chuckles as we enter Sienna and Evan’s home, and he isn’t wrong, it seems even more chaotic this year than last, probably because all the babies are growing up. Everyone is here. The entire band’s families are here, the girls’ parents are, too. Stacey and her new family, who have taken to LA like a duck to water, then there’s the Sons of Brooklyn boys and the Gypsy Sisters, as they haven’t gone home to their families this year. Jackson and some of the security guys are here, too.
“Wow, there are a lot of people.” Rowan gasps, taking it all in.
“They love hosting and also don’t like it if anyone is alone over the holidays.”
Inside, the house looks like Christmas threw up everywhere. Tinsel on every surface. A tree so big it might be sentient. Finn is wrestling Oscar for control of a tray of ham. Isla is gorgeous and glowing, and yelling at them to stop before she beats them both with a wooden spoon.
I grin. My people.
Presents were opened, food was eaten, and half the people have started to fall asleep.I don’t think the eggnog helped.The boys have moved into Evan’s man cave to watch the football, which is a Christmas tradition in his family as Texans. I tell Charlie to go join them as I help clean up. I notice a phone left on the coffee table, but I’m not prepared to see the notification that comes across the screen.
Arran: When can you sneak away again? I had fun.
I still.
What the actual fuck?
“Oh, hey, D,” Chance says behind me, making me jump. “Merry Christmas,” he says rather awkwardly.
“I told you to stay away from him,” I hiss.
Chance’s face turns pale. “I have.”
“Bullshit.” I glare at him. “A message came through on your phone from him saying,‘When can we sneak away again. I had fun.’”Chance swallows hard.
“I told you to leave him alone.”
“I did,” Chance argues, “but he was persistent.”
My jaw drops. “You block him then.”
Chance just stares at me as he bites his lip. “I don’t want to do that.”
“Excuse me?”
“I like him, D.”
His words are like a gut punch. “I don’t care if you like him. He is my new family.”
“This has nothing to do with you,” he tells me.
