“Me, too.”
She watched her husband settle down on the other side of Lorcan and closed her eyes. She listened to the children breathing, and listened as her husband’s breathing changed indicating he was asleep as well, before she finally let sleep claim her.
Chapter Six
––––––––
Indi
––––––––
To get the kids used to strangers, Indi started inviting the old ladies over, but just a few at a time. The kids absolutely adored Hallie’s two year old son, Kingsley, and Liria’s six week old daughter, Tempest.
As the Christmas party at the clubhouse got closer, they introduced the kids to some of Chaos’ MC brothers as well. The party itself was changed a bit to accommodate young children so Darby and Lorcan would be comfortable.
One of Indi’s favorite things about their annual Christmas party was the Secret Santa gift exchange. She had it on good authority that everyone had gotten Darby and Lorcan a present to help them feel welcome, loved, and maybe forget about what they’d lost for just a little while.
“There you go, sweetpea,” Indi said as she finished braiding Darby’s hair into two braids. She attached a Christmas-themed bow to the ends of each braid.
“Thank you,” Darby replied and fiddled with her braids. She wore a red velvet dress with green stockings and black patent-leather shoes.
“Don’t you look pretty, princess,” Chaos said and scooped her up to kiss her cheek, making her giggle. “And you, little prince, you’re looking sharp,” he added to Lorcan. Lorcan had chosen black pants and a red Christmasy shirt with his sneakers.
“Mama Indi wooks pwetty,” Darby said from where Chaos still held her.
“That she does,” Chaos agreed.
Indi had chosen a red and black dress with gold and white accents. The bodice was black and had long sleeves and a v-neck neckline. The skirt, which flared out and brushed her knees, was deep red. It was dusted with gold and white stars and had a gold streamer detail on the front of the skirt. She’d paired it with black tights and red low-heeled heels.
“Why thank you, sweetpea,” Indi replied. The first time Darby had called her Mama Indi, it had brought tears to her eyes.
“Everyone ready to go?” Chaos asked.
“Yes!” the kids cheered in unison.
“Presents in the SUV already?” Indi questioned.
“Yup. Locked and loaded. Let’s go,” he affirmed.
Ten minutes later they were walking into the clubhouse. She watched the kids’ faces and saw their eyes widen at all the Christmas decor, including a huge tree with lots of presents under it.
“Let’s add our presents to the pile,” Chaos suggested and let them help him.
“Hey you two. We have some yummy apple codar,” Hallie said, approaching. “And lots of goodies. Come see.”
When Darby took Hallie’s hand, Indi beamed. Exposing the kids to everyone had certainly been a good idea.
Chaos stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “This place looks great. I know the others did a lot of the actual work since you were home with the kids, but it’s all your design.”
“Yeah, the ladies really came through in a pinch,” Indi admitted. They moved to join the kids at the treats table and helped the little ones fill plates.
There was dancing and laughter, food was eaten, and then it was time for presents.
One by one, each adult was handed a present to open, and then the kids’ presents were piled in front of them.
“All for us?” Lorcan asked, awe in his voice.
“All for you two, little man,” Chaos told him.