Page 68 of Big Daddy Christmas
Beckett
* * *
With the weight of all three rings securely in his pockets, he made his way up to the suite he’d been directed to earlier that morning. Hopefully the fact that he was here, now, rings in hand would help mitigate any annoyance on Braden’s part at his tardiness and the reason for said tardiness.
The moment he opened the door, several heads swung his direction, ruining any hope he’d had of slipping in unnoticed.
“Ah, damn.” One of Braden’s brothers, he thought it was Damian, though he still struggled to tell them apart even after all his years at the club, made a show of sighing as Beckett stepped into the room. “Kinda hoped you were Emily, coming to take me up on my offer to make use of the bedroom like everyone else has this morning.”
“Sorry, just me. But I’m sure the girls wouldn’t mind if you popped over for a bit.”
From his spot on the couch, Ice scowled. “They’re more likely to kick you out the second you step foot in there. Someone tell me why they’re allowed in and out of our suite, but theirs is ‘no boys allowed’.”
“Maybe it’s just no boy Daddies allowed,” Jacob teased. “Bet I could go over there.”
“Go ahead.” A wicked grin stretched across Holden’s face. “Report back to us on how your Daddy feels about you crashing their party without a damn good reason.”
Red flooded Jacob’s cheeks. “On second thought, maybe I’ll just stay here.”
“Good call, kid.” Holden’s gaze shifted from Jacob to Beckett, one silver brow raising in silent question.
You good?
Beckett nodded, just enough for Holden to visibly relax. As he did, Braden rose from the chair he’d been lounging in beside his brothers, his expression open and bordering on bored, but his eyes filled with worry.
“Everything okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low as he approached.
“Yeah. Just a bit of a… snafu this morning.” Fuck, this was harder than he’d expected it to be, admitting he’d come so close to ruining his friend’s entire day.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled two boxes free. “Ruby had a little too much to drink last night and moved some of my stuff around. Including your rings.”
Braden blinked down at the black velvet boxes in Beckett’s palm. And then he did the absolute last thing Beckett expected.
He laughed.
And not just a little chuckle, either. Head thrown back, tears streaming down his face, the notoriously smooth Braden Elliott laughed until his cheeks were so red Beckett vaguely worried he might give himself a heart attack.
“Oh, man,” Braden said, his voice little more than a wheeze as he pressed a hand to his stomach. “I can just imagine your face when you realized they were gone. Poor Ruby. I assume she’s sitting rather gingerly this morning?”
“You… think this is funny?”
“Funny? I think it’s fucking hilarious. Of course, I can think that now because you obviously have the rings, so all’s well that ends well. Can’t say I would have found it half as funny if I’d known earlier. Good call keeping me and Lottie in the dark on that one.” Blowing out a deep breath, Braden shook his head. “I do have to know, what exactly was your plan if you couldn’t find them in time?”
“Come to the hotel, grab Ruby, and flee the country.”
Braden let out another snort of laughter. “Probably the best plan, all things considered.” Plucking the boxes from Beckett’s hand, Braden opened one, and then the other.
And frowned.
“Ah… Beckett?”
Panic beat at Beckett’s chest. “What? What’s wrong? Did I pick up the wrong set?”
“I’m not sure. My ring is fine, but what’s this?” Braden turned the second box around, the light catching the ruby nestled in the black velvet, turning it to living fire.
“Shit. Hang on.” Now reaching into his other pocket, Beckett pulled a third box free and flipped it open. “Here it is. Sorry about that.”
But when he reached for Ruby’s ring, Braden pulled it back toward him, one eyebrow winging up toward his hairline. “Not until you tell me what this ring is for.”
