Archer
“You’vedoneitagain,Archer. And I have to say, I think this suit is even better than last year’s.” MaeLynn fusses with the lapels on the velvet Santa suit I’m about to slip into as I prepare for handing out gifts at the third annual Fade Toys Family Christmas Extravaganza, pulling off stray bits of fluff that don’t belong. “And think how adorable it will be for Lincoln to have his picture taken with his Santa Daddy.”
I roll my eyes and take a sip of fortifying Scotch. “Haven’t I told you a hundred times not to call me that? It’s too weird.”
“Pshh,” she says, flapping a hand at me. “It’s cute and you know it. Now, put this on and let me get a look at you.” She holds out the jacket, sliding it up my arms before spinning me. She straightens the lapels before patting my cheek and smiling indulgently. “There. Such a handsome Santa Claus. I’ve done my duty. I’ll see you down there.”
MaeLynn has been a godsend this past year. It’s hard to believe that last year around this time, I was still having trouble with my parents and their attempts to force me to marry Annabelle with threats of taking over Fade Toys. All it took was my lawyer threatening to sue my father’s lawyer for the entire plan to fall apart. It all boiled down to money. My parents had been living far above their means for far too long, and when Annabelle’s father bailed my father out of his poor investments, he demanded I marry his daughter to take her off his hands while keeping her accustomed to her life of leisure. My father and his lawyer came up with the plan to falsify the documents involving the transfer of the business in order to force my hand. Now they’re both suffering the consequences and spending a few years in a minimum security prison. Not the most arduous of punishments, but it’s enough.
“Hey, man. You almost ready? The crowd’s getting rowdy.” Eric walks into the hotel room and looks me up and down. “Looking good, fat man. I like this suit better than the last one. It’s very Kris Kringle.”
Okay, so I may have leaned into the Elvish style of Santa Claus like the young man we tried to visit last year for Lincoln’s first Christmas. In my defense, it was too magical to resist. I even hired a designer to recreate the magical forest theme for the banquet room downstairs. I have Damien and his wife to thank for that. If she hadn’t caught him stealing from her tree farm last year, I don’t know where we would have found the number of trees and branches the designer needed to pull this off.
“Thanks, I’m a pretty big fan of this look myself.” I look past him to where Mason is waiting at the door. “Hey. Glad you made it. Did Annabelle come with you?”
Mason’s mouth forms a line. “She said it was too weird, but thanks anyway. I think your company Christmas party in particular holds some bad memories for her she’s not ready to deal with. These things take time.”
I never would have guessed Annabelle would take matters into her own hands after the arranged marriage debacle by cutting ties with her family and taking herself to rehab. She’s no longer the spoiled model she once was, and she’s proven to be a decent friend to Phoebe after everything. And best of all, she’s still sober.
“Yeah, I thought that might be the case, but I wanted to extend the invitation just in case. She’s always welcome.”
Mason nods. “Thanks, Archer. That means a lot. She hasn’t forgiven herself for the trouble she caused while she was drinking, and there are too many memories tied up with you and this party for her to deal with right now. She said she’d still be at your place for Christmas Eve dinner, though.”
“I get it. It’s a hard road she’s on. I’m sure my opinion’s still not worth a damn, but I am proud of her. So is Phoebe.” After Annabelle’s stint in rehab last year, she’s turned over a completely new leaf. She quit modeling, moved out of her parents’ house and into a tiny apartment, and took a job at Mason’s bar. I didn’t think working in a bar would be an appropriate choice for someone with a drinking problem, but Mason’s made it work all these years, so I’d say she’s in good hands.
Mason clears his throat and looks away after giving me a tight nod. I know he’s proud of Annabelle, too, because he never shuts up about how amazing he thinks she is. I’m about to tell him how glad I am she has him in her life when he interrupts. “Anyway, Annabelle wanted me to stop by to tell you she couldn’t make it. I need to get back to the bar. She’s covering for me for a little while, but I still don’t like leaving her alone too long in there.” He gives me a wave before heading back out the door.
Eric claps his hands together. “We need to get going, too. Unsurprisingly, the employees of your sex toy factory have a shit ton of kids, and they’re all eager to see Santa Claus. I suppose it only makes sense that people who work with sex toys all day enjoy fucking so much.” He shoots me a sly look and taps a finger against his chin. “Hey, that reminds me. Doesn’t your mom work on the factory floor now?”
I choke on air while Eric laughs his ass off because he’s right. She does work on the factory floor now, in the quality control department. There’s not a dildo that leaves Fade Toys that my mother hasn’t touched, a fact I try to forget every day. But that doesn’t mean she needs to be lumped in with Eric’s incorrect assessment of my employees’ fondness for sex. At least, I don’t want to hear about it.
When my father’s illegal dealings came to light, and she’d heard his confession of his many infidelities, my mother finally left him. After a brief adjustment period, she’s been living contentedly within her means ever since. The best part is, now that she relies on the paycheck and benefits supplied by Fade Toys, she better understands what a living wage means to a person. When you’re responsible for all your own expenses, you really appreciate working for a company that takes care of its employees.
Hell, she’s made a complete turnaround from the person she used to be. She’s even taken steps to be a better mother to me, while being a grandmother to Lincoln, something MaeLynn has been helping her with since they rekindled their friendship. MaeLynn was quick to forgive when my mother apologized for destroying their friendship so many years ago. She explained she wasn’t ready to face my father’s infidelity at that time, and her only option was to cut MaeLynn out of her life so she could pretend it had never happened.
I snort a laugh when he waggles his brows at me. Choosing to ignore the comment about my mother, lest he continue down that line of thinking, I focus on the other comment about my employees’ large families. “People who have secure jobs where they’re supported and taken care of have a lot of love to share. Fade Toys has given them the ability to support families if that’s what they choose to do. It has nothing to do with liking sex.”
Eric rolls his eyes. “Sure it doesn’t,” he drawls.
I’m still shaking my head as we leave the hotel room and head down to the party. All that’s left is to distribute the gifts. Once again, I’ve gone way overboard for all the kids, but only with the permission of their parents, of course. I still don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.
“I’ll go out and let them know you’re here,” Eric says, stepping through the curtain to the front of the makeshift stage. He pokes his head back through the curtain. “Don’t take too long. I wasn’t kidding when I said they’re getting rowdy.” He goes back out front and yells, “Get ready, kids. Here comes Santa Claus.”
I can’t help but smile when the sound of kids cheering meets my ears. This is the cherry on the top of the sundae that is my job with Fade Toys. Making the Christmas party something that all the staff and their families can attend is one of the first things I did when I took over, and it’s still one of my favorites. Other than the living wage, benefits, and more supportive direction I took the company in over all, anyway. This party is pure fun for everyone, but I don’t think there’s anyone who loves it more than I do.
With a quick tug on my fake beard and an adjustment of the small belly I have strapped under my costume, I step through the curtain to see the shining, cheerful faces of hundreds of kids smiling up at me. Okay, it’s not hundreds, but it’s at least fifty. Fifty-seven, to be exact. I know, because I bought all the gifts myself. And now I get to give them all away. I can’t wait.
“Well, would you look at that? This makes three times I’ve found a handsome man in a red suit at this hotel. This place must have Christmas magic flowing on tap.”
Phoebe wanders up to me as I finish tidying up the banquet room, still in most of my Santa gear after another successful holiday party. Even Lincoln visited with me three times while I was in costume, and I’m happy to say he didn’t cry once. That might have had something to do with MaeLynn keeping him distracted with sugary Christmas treats, but I’m still going to take it as a win. At least he didn’t scream when he saw me like he did when he saw that other Santa. And he won’t get the chance to this year, either, since MaeLynn insisted on taking him for a sleepover with her other grandkids tonight. She packed them all up a little over an hour ago and brought them back to her house for the night. She even brought my mother with her for moral support. Two grandmas are better than one, I guess.
Which is extra lucky for me, because I have plans for the redheaded beauty in front of me. Big plans.
“Hmmm,” I say, pulling her in close, running my nose up the column of her neck, and dropping a soft kiss in the hollow behind her ear. “I’d say I’m the lucky one. The first time you found me, I got to have what was, until that point, the best night of my life. The second time you found me, it began the series of events that brought you back into my life. Not to mention I got Lincoln along with you. And now, the third time you find me, well... let’s just say I’m hoping to relive that first night with a lot more sobriety. I plan to remember every second this time around.” She responds by wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her body close to mine, her soft curves leaving me breathless.
“Good thing I’m not in that wedding dress, then,” she teases, running her hands through the hair at the back of my neck. “Leggings might not be the most fashionable attire, but there are at least a hundred fewer buttons to undo before getting to the goods. I’m a little sad the beard is gone, though. I was curious what it would be like to kiss a man with a long beard.”
I chuckle nervously, my stomach turning itself into a knot. She doesn’t know, but the beard she’s talking about is currently in my pocket with the moss agate engagement ring I had my mother’s former jeweler design for me.
