A Very Christopher Christmas (A Death Dwellers MC Novella) (4 page)

“No, I’m not. I’m having a conversation with my wife and her assistant. Does that meet with your approval?”
 

“Not if I don’t know what the conversation entails.”
 

“Charlotte, please, stop being so acrimonious to my husband. He’s a good man and you won’t disrespect him. As I’ve told you on several occasions.”
 

“I’m looking out for you, Kendall,” Charlotte insisted, unperturbed. “You’ve been on your feet for ten minutes.”
 

“Because she’s not an invalid,” Johnnie snapped, appreciating Kendall’s defense of him and loving her even more because of it, considering how she went out of her way to not insult Charlotte. The woman sat on several boards, including the one for the private elementary school Kendall wanted Rory to attend when he was old enough.
 

“I’m certainly not an invalid, although I
am
heavily pregnant,” Kendall said crisply. “So you’re right, Charlotte. Except, it wasn’t
my
husband who kept me on my feet, but
your
niece.”
 

Charlotte lifted a brow at Leann, who blushed. “You’ll be on in five minutes,” she told her, not addressing Kendall’s accusation.
 

“Yes, Aunt Charlotte.” Leann faced Kendall. “I didn’t mean to keep you standing. I wanted Johnnie to hear my performance and—”
 

“
Only
Johnnie?” Kendall interrupted.
 

“Well, you’ve heard me sing before,” Leann said breezily.
 

Charlotte beamed. “Yes, and both Kendall and I agree you have a fantabulous voice.”
 

Fantabulous?
Who the fuck said that in real life?
 

“Yes, definitely fantastically fabulous,” Kendall chimed in with saccharin sweetness. She smiled at Charlotte. “Johnnie has a meeting to attend, so, sadly, we won’t be able to stay for Leann’s performance. Apologies,” she added, grabbing Johnnie’s hand. “Ready, my love?”
 

Once Johnnie got his Navigator and drove it on the motor court to get Kendall, he assisted her into the passenger side, then opened the glove compartment and grabbed his pack of cigarettes.
 

Kendall glared at him, but this one time Johnnie ignored her. After he missed another chance to hang with the guys and sat through tonight, she owed him one smoke, the first he’d had in weeks.
 

For half the drive from Portland, Kendall sat rigidly in her seat, staring out the window.
 

“Megan’s dividing the money between us, from the house,” he announced to break through the silence. He hadn’t had a chance to tell her about the call from Christopher after he’d left Megan’s house earlier today.
 

Johnnie had been going over the books for the medical lab at the time. Then, when he’d gotten home, Kendall was a whirlwind of activity, with Roxy at the house to pick up Rory. A child-free house gave Johnnie and Kendall time for some very quick sex.
 

“How very nice of Meggie. Always so generous.”
 

Johnnie sighed. “She’s just Megan.”
 

“Megs,” Kendall said tightly.
 

“She hasn’t been Megs to me in months, so—”
 

“So what is Leann to you?”
 

Fuck, he should’ve known Kendall wasn’t going to let Leann’s behavior drop. “She’s nothing to me.”
 

“Nothing but a twenty-five-year-old little blonde who isn’t big and pregnant. She flirted with you and you flirted back.”
 

“I talked to her.” Although he had to admit Leann had been overly friendly. “Which I wouldn’t have to do if you didn’t drag me to these goddamn boring events.”
 

She gasped. “Boring? You think hearing the future of cultural entertainment,
boring
?”
 

“If what I heard tonight is the future, then we’re in fucking trouble.”
 

“You are…
how dare you
…I can’t believe you.”
 

“Why are we arguing, Kendall?” Johnnie asked unnecessarily. He knew his conversation with Leann upset her, but the woman was impossible. Lately, everything upset her. “If I didn’t talk to Leann, you’d complain about that because Charlotte wouldn’t be happy.”
 

“She flirted with you!
Oh, I want you to hear me sing, Johnnie,
” she snarled, doing a piss-poor job of imitating Leann’s softer voice. Kendall’s voice was too sexily husky.
 

“I don’t care, Kendall. I didn’t want to go, so you know I didn’t want to fucking stay. It doesn’t matter what Leann wanted. My only concern is you, and what makes you happy.”
 

Something she was more than assured of when she wasn’t pregnant and too stubborn to continue her treatment plan for fear of injuring their baby.
 

“I’m going to have a talk with her.”
 

“No, gorgeous. Don’t. There’s no need. She’s harmless, I swear.”
 

“She’s just a petite blonde like Meggie.”
 

“Kendall!” Johnnie growled.
 

“Fine,” she relented, then sniffled. “My feet are hurting me so bad. Do you really have to watch the remainder of that stupid game?”
 

“Of course not,” he said smoothly, disappointment crashing into him. “I’d much prefer to rub your feet.”
 

For the first time since they’d started talking, she looked at him and grinned.
 

As long as Kendall smiled, Johnnie could overlook everything else, even his wish to shoot the shit with Christopher and the rest of the guys.
 

 

Megan Caldwell adjusted the vampire cape on CJ, her oldest son, as he jigged from foot-to-foot, restless to rush out the front door behind Harley, his favorite person in the whole world.
 

“Har-Lay leave me, Mommie,” he complained. He’d gone from calling the daughter of the club’s enforcer
Harway
to sounding out the pronunciation of her name, turning Har-Lee into Har-Lay. It didn’t matter. The little girl was as enamored of him as he was of her.
 

Rebel tugged on the skirt of Meggie’s witch’s costume. “Mommie, look me.”
 

The moment she glanced at her daughter, CJ took off. “Bye, MegAnn,” he screamed over his shoulder. Her son had two speeds—go and go faster.
 

“CJ, wait!”
 

Before she could run behind him, Mortician stuck his head in. “Don’t worry, Meggie girl. I got him.”
 

“Thanks, Mortician,” Meggie called, although she only saw his swinging dreads.
 

Now that CJ was seen to, she focused her full attention on Rebel, dressed in a witch’s costume similar to Meggie’s. Seeing she had her mother’s full attention, Rebel twirled, her blonde hair flying around her.
 

“You pin,” she said, pointing a little finger at her. Like Meggie’s, her nails were painted orange.
 

Meggie grinned, obliging her daughter and spinning.
 

“‘Bout ready to go, baby?” Christopher asked from behind her.
 

“Daddy!” Rebel squealed as Meggie turned and found Christopher carrying Rule. He was a warlock, although CJ had labeled him an ashfuck for not choosing to be a vampire like him.
 

Christopher kissed Meggie, briefly trapping Rule between them and causing him to shriek in protest.
 

“Want down,” he complained.
 

Obliging Rule, Christopher drew Meggie in for another kiss, before lifting Rebel into his arms and tossing her into the air, grinning at her happy yells.
 

Life was perfect, with none of the stress of madmen gunning for her husband and anyone associated with the club. Christopher’s worry now was the delivery of Ryder because of Meggie’s past health issues. Meggie knew she’d come out fine, and hoped all the holiday activities distracted Christopher enough to take away most of his anxiety.
 

In a few weeks, Christopher and CJ would do the holiday inventory, where they tested Christmas lights and weeded out any broken ornaments. This year would be extra special because the twins were at an age where they’d really enjoy what had become a yearly tradition.
 

This Christmas Eve, Christopher had even promised to share ‘
Twas The Night Before Christmas
in his own words. Megan had heard it already. He could be rather poetic when he wanted to be. She had only to remember the letter he’d given to her on their honeymoon.
 

“Picture time,” Bunny crowed, walking into the entrance hall, fumbling with her phone. She was dressed as a cat, complete with tail, whiskers, and cat ears.
 

“CJ’s already gone,” Meggie said wryly.
 

“Harley struck the fuck again, huh?” Christopher guessed, setting Rebel on her feet.
 

“Yep,” Meggie answered.
 

“Get pictures with him later. We here,” he said, ushering her and the twins over. Arm around Meggie, he situated Rebel and Rule in front of them and nodded to Bunny to take the photos. “Okay, now just you, Rebel, and Bunny, baby.” He took over picture duties. “Now, me and Rule.”
 

“Enough with the photos.” Meggie laughed and shook her head. “They’ll leave us.”
 

“That’s the fuckin’ point. I ain’t lookin’ fuckin’ forward to trick or treatin’. You sure I can’t fuckin’ skip this shit and go straight to the fuckin’ club party?”
 

“No, you may not! It’s bad enough you wouldn’t put on a costume.”
 

“That shit ain’t ever happenin’, Megan.”
 

“Go, Mommie,” Rebel demanded, grabbing Meggie’s hand and tugging her forward.
 

“All right, sweetheart,” she said calmly.
 

“Wait me,” Rule called, running to Rebel’s side. He hated to have her out of his sight.
 

Meggie paused. “Where’s Diesel?”
 

“Upstairs. He said he was meetin’ us at the club when he got back.”
 

Rebel glanced over her shoulder, down the hallway. “Dee not come?”
 

Christopher shook his head. “Nope.”
 

“I’ll be at the club, Meggie,” Bunny promised, “setting everything up for the party.”
 

“Okay. We’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
 

The baby kicked hard and Meggie pressed a hand against her belly, hoping her touch calmed her son down. Ever since the visit to the house yesterday, he’d been moving a lot. The discovery of that house and what it represented had upset Meggie, but she hadn’t been feeling well for the last day or two, a fact she wouldn’t mention to Christopher for now.
 

She didn’t want him to worry unless there was a reason to do so.
 

 

Kendall Donovan threaded her way through the crowd in the main room at the clubhouse, searching out her husband. She spotted him leaning against the bar, his pirate costume distinguishing him from most of his brothers who wore their regular old cuts and jeans, too manly to enjoy Halloween.
 

Seeing the Bobs sitting at some of the tables made Kendall wrinkle her nose. She hated that Outlaw allowed those whores on premises. He insisted it was for the single brothers, but, to Kendall, it disrespected the women of the brothers in relationships. But only Meggie could make him put a stop to it, and she refused, believing Christopher could do no wrong.
 

“Marie Antoinette!” someone called.
 

Kendall smiled and nodded her head regally, as she thought the French queen would’ve done. She’d gone all out for her costume and white wig, so she’d milk it for everything it
was worth. The thought reminded her of how lucky she was to have her own career. She used most of her pay on clothes for herself. Johnnie provided for everything else.