Which made her smile.
Massive.
But it also made Wilder stop dead.
“Where’s Murtagh?”he demanded.
“He’s at home, little bro,” Georgie told him.
Wilder finally looked to his oldest brother.
And he did that to order, “Go get him.”
“We got enough going on without a cat in the mix,” Hounddeclared.
Wilder looked up to his father.“But Daddy!Murtagh can’t bealone onChristmas!He’sfamily!”
Hound looked at his son.
Then at his other son.
That being Dutch.
And he did what he always did if it was within his power todo it.
He gave them what they wanted.
“You mindgettin’ him, Dutch?”Hound asked.
Dutch dumped the bags he was carrying and said, “Be rightback.”
This bought him an even bigger smile from Georgiana beforeshe took off to help his brother wrap a present, and Dutch took off to go gettheir boy.
It was much later, Wilder was finally down in a way he’dstay down (they hoped), and they were all sitting around, the men drinkingwhiskies, the women drinking wine, when Hound got up from the couch after aquick kiss for his wife, and loped off.
Dutch didn’t think much of it, figuring he was going to thecan.
Instead, he was thinking he was glad he and Georgie got theguest bedroom, which meant Jag had to take the couch, because Wilder wouldprobably be up in about four hours, and the first person who would get hiswakeup call would be the one who was on the couch.
He was also thinking that he felt no guilt about the factGeorgie wasn’t super close to her family, so he and his family got her forChristmas.
Sure, the next day, they were heading to her dad’s house fora drink and to give him, Michelle and Carolyn some time, but Georgie promisedthat would last an hour, at most two (her mother was on a cruise, something shedid every year—a rare bonus from that broad, who Dutch had now met twice, andhe couldn’t dilute it, she was such a haughty, disapproving bitch, this aimedat him, but mostly at Georgie, he detested her).
And Georgie had let Dutch promise Keely they’d be at herChristmas dinner table, so he knew she was serious about that.
These were his thoughts when he got early warning that Hounddidn’t hit the head when he came back too soon, and Dutch felt Georgie tenseagainst him as he did.
Then Hound stood in his own living room carrying what lookedlike a very thick scrapbook for only a second before he announced, “It wasGeorgie’s idea and I was down withhelpin’ herbecause what she said was right.This shit’sgottastop.If you’redoin’ it for me, or whatever reasonyou’redoin’ it, it’s justgottastop.”
He then dropped the scrapbook on the coffee table with aloudthudand the nearly decimated plate of Georgiana’s cookies jumpedwhen he did.
So did everyone in the room, including Dutch.
“Now, me and Georgie aregonnahang out outside by the firepit and give you time.Take it,” Hound finished.
Then he reached a hand Georgie’s way.
Jag was staring at the scrapbook like it was going to form amouth and bite him.
