Page 113 of The Art of Being Merry
“Yep. I had to make sure all our plans were set for Santa tonight.”
His bags discarded, Jace throws his arms around me. “We have to do it quickly. Mama says it’s bedtime.”
Thinking fast, I tell them to get into their pajamas, hoping they don’t need a shower. While they do that, I step out onto the porch, closing the door behind me, in time to catch Clementine say, “My lawyer will be in touch.”
“I want a relationship with them.”
“On your terms? I don’t think so. That’s not how parenting works. You’ll see with the baby. Or maybe you won’t. It’ll probably be time for you to go out and find another woman.”
It should be a direct hit to his ego, and a guy like Keith should take offense. Instead, he shrugs. Too bad it’s illegal to punch a guy for shrugging.
His gaze travels to mine. “I take it she’s your problem now.”
As much as I don’t like the way he words the statement, I wrap my arms around her front. “Problem?” I reiterate with a scowl. “More like the best Christmas present ever. Good luck to you. Sounds like you’re going to need it.” Without another word, Iturn Clementine around, but I need the last word with this douche. “Oh, and Keith?”
“What?” he snarls.
“Thanks for giving me a blueprint on how not to treat this woman and her boys. Soon, you’ll be a distant memory for all of them.”
“I’m their father,” he grits out, trying desperately to one-up me.
“For now and on paper. But I’m the one who’ll be here every day and night. Chew on that on your trip back to North Carolina.”
I push Clementine inside, slamming the door on that chapter of her life.
Tonight begins a new chapter.
The best one.
34
clem
The aromaof fresh-brewed coffee wakes me from my slumber. Stealing a look at the clock, it’s just after five. Why is this man up so early, making coffee? Is he trying to wake the boys up even earlier than they usually get up?
The door to my room creaks open, and I expect Jace but am pleasantly surprised when it’s Dax. “Merry Christmas,” he whispers, the huskiness of his morning voice ringing through. Clad in a pair of flannel PJ pants and a holiday long-sleeve, he enters the room carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. Setting them down on the nightstand on what I refer to as his side of the bed, he pulls me to sit up.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Nicholas. Gotta pee. Be right back.” He steals a kiss before I scurry from the room.
After he dismissed Keith in the most epic way last night, claiming me and the boys as his, he helped the boys set out their treats for Santa, regaling them with stories of what he and his siblings did as kids. Of course, my boys wanted to do them all, but he reined them in, sticking with sprinkling “reindeer food” on the lawn. It involved oats, glitter, and something about directing the reindeer to know where to land. And this man thinks he’s bad with kids? When he mentioned something about “next year,” Atlas grew pensive. “You’re going to be here next year?” to whichDax replied, “And the one after that. If that’s okay with you and Jace.”
“And Mama. She’s the boss,” Jace piped up.
“A mighty fine one, if you ask me,” he replied.
It brought me to tears, which I hid only from the kids.
Once they went to bed, he refused to leave, helping me set out the gifts I’d bought, adding a few of his own to the pile. For the third time, we had sex, though it was different. Slow, drawn-out, loving, solidifying the change in our relationship. He then slept on the couch, wanting to be here the minute the boys woke up.
Not once in Atlas’s entire life had Keith been excited for Christmas morning. He didn’t care about waking up early to see his or Jace’s excitement, to be a part of the holiday. I long gave up on having a partner who’d share in the joy of seeing Christmas through my kids’ eyes.
Until Dax.
Now, he’s more into it than I am, and I’m here for it. I’m here for everything with this man.
When I return, he’s tucked into the bed. “At the risk of my children waking up at any time, I’m glad you’re here to cuddle.”
“What would they say if they found me here?” he wonders. It’s mostly rhetorical, but there’s a part of him that’s serious. He hasn’t come out and said we should live together, but the subtle hints are there. When the man commits to something, he’s “all fucking in” on every aspect.
