A Very Christopher Christmas (A Death Dwellers MC Novella) (32 page)

“
You
ain’t. Why the fuck a PI gotta set up a meetin’, motherfucker? Just hop your ass on the plane with your wife and come be Bunny pops. She lookin’ forward to seein’ you and your bitch. Brooks gonna do the invitin’. Make it for the day of the Christmas party. I’ll bring Megan down to the kitchen so she gonna be preoccupied with watchin’ the other girls get shit together. We can fuck them up and get back to the house around the time the first guests arrivin’.”
 

Once Riley gave Brooks Charles Caldwell’s contact information, Christopher adjoined the meeting. Now that he’d taken care of club business, he could see to his family.
 

 

Meggie hummed
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
to Ryder as he nodded off to sleep. Christopher had texted her and told her his meeting at Brooks’s office had ended, and he’d be at the hospital to pick her up in just a bit.
 

Every day, Meggie came to spend time with her youngest son, to nurse him and hold him and give thanks that he’d survived. She’d been in a state and barely remembered running from her house and into the wet night.
 

“Hey, baby,” Christopher greeted, walking upon her as she was lost in her daydreams. He bent and kissed her lips, then leered at the curve of her breast. Ryder resting his chest against her nipple kept her from being indecent. “‘Bout ready to get home?”
 

She nodded. “You got everything worked out?”
 

“Yeah. Don’t fuckin’ worry ‘bout it. Wasn’t much shit to work out. I just needed to be de-fuckin-briefed.”
 

“Okay.”
 

He took Ryder into his arms and cradled him, smiling at their son and nodding to Meggie’s exposed nipple. Hurriedly, she covered and got to her feet while Christopher brought their son to the duty nurse, who returned him to his incubator.
 

“Kendall called me,” she said to Christopher as they waited for the elevator to arrive a few minutes later.
 

“So?”
 

“So she’s beginning to sound like herself again. She’s really sorry for—”
 

Christopher raised his hand to stop her. “Ain’t fuckin’ interested in hearin’ it, baby.”
 

The elevator doors dinged open and Meggie and Christopher stepped in, remaining silent because it wasn’t empty. When it opened again, he swept her into his arms and headed outside to his bike, where he plopped her down. She winced at the pain the movement caused, wishing he had his pickup. Given her stitches, riding on the back of his bike wouldn’t be pleasant. But Zoann had dropped her off and was at a client’s house. Christopher had left the house by his favorite mode of transportation, not knowing he’d have to pick Meggie up from the hospital.
 

“Kendall realizes she was responsible for a lot of grief.”
 

“
Grief?
That bitch drove me half fuckin’ crazy and John Boy completely fuckin’ gone. My life much fuckin’ easier not lookin’ in her miserable fuckin’ face.”
 

Kendall had driven everyone insane and the stunts she’d pulled during the trip she’d precipitated was beyond infuriating. Meggie wanted both she and Kendall to heal completely from childbirth before she had a serious talk with her. Now that she was back on her antidepressants, she’d be more reasonable.
 

“I talked to Johnnie, too. He sounds very sad.”
 

Scowling, he settled her helmet onto her head. “He fuckin’ should.”
 

“Can they at least come to the Christmas party?”
 

Christopher climbed onto the bike and glared at her over his shoulder.
 

“Please?”
 

“You one lil’pain in the ass motherfucker,” he snapped, and she knew he’d relent that much.
 

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I’ll call her when we get home.”
 

“What the fuck ever,” he grumbled, jumpstarting the Harley.
 

As he sped off, Meggie rested her cheek against his back, proud to call Christopher hers.
 

 

Christmas music had been playing nonstop since early this morning. Surprisingly, Christopher enjoyed Megan’s choices. It was the least strenuous activity, so he allowed her to act as the DJ, controlling her selections with her iPad. Just for today, the same music was piped through the entire house, so as the girls cooked and decorated, Christopher and his boys sat in his man cave, waiting for the approach of four o’clock when they’d head to Brooks’s office.
 

The door was opened and the kids made circuits through the rooms.
 

“You fucks know what the fuck you gettin’ for your old ladies?” Christopher asked, puffing on a cigarette and glancing at his new phone. Although Megan didn’t know about the new house cameras yet, he intended to tell her. Right now, he just relished watching her laugh and enjoy their friends and family on his screen.
 

“Yo, Prez,” Mort said quietly.
 

Christopher glanced at him and he nodded toward the door.
 

Turning, Christopher met Johnnie’s gaze as he stood, holding his boy’s hand, both of them wearing identical hang dog expressions.
 

What the fuck could he say to Johnnie? What the fuck did he want to say to the motherfucker? He puffed on his cigarette again, remembering his anger the day he’d discovered Kendall’s actions. But that’s was it right there. All of it, at this point, was in the past. A memory. Yeah, they’d gotten into problems and a little fucking banged up. So fucking what? They’d all survived.
 

He got to his feet and the others followed suit. The closer he got to Johnnie, the more Rory shrank behind Johnnie’s legs.
 

“Megan invited you, huh?” Christopher asked.
 

Swallowing, Johnnie shrugged. “We came to tell you Merry Christmas. We’re heading to Seattle to spend the holidays.”
 

Releasing the smoke sideways, Christopher nodded. “Have fun, motherfucker. Merry Christmas.”
 

Val gave Christopher an uncomfortable look. “You want to spend Christmas in Seattle, John Boy?”
 

“Woey!” CJ squealed as he skidded into the room, his momentum sending him straight past Johnnie and Rory and right into Christopher. “I okay,” he yelled, stopping to dance to
Jingle Bells
by Earl Grant. As the song ended and Silento started to sing, CJ went into the moves of the Nae-Nae.
 

Christopher and Mort guffawed when CJ raised his hand and shook his little ass.
 

Rory peeped around Johnnie just as Harley darted in, heading for CJ and mimicking his movements, grinning wildly. Within moments, Ryan, Devon, Rebel and Rule had joined in, while Rory looked between John Boy and all the loud little motherfuckers.
 

“There’s my baby,” Roxy called as she danced her way to Harley, drawn by the song. Christopher already knew this was one of her favorite tunes. Megan loved it too. Before the complications from Megan’s pregnancy, there was always music and dancing.
 

“Yeah, Roxy!” Digger called, clapping and joining in with Val to whistle.
 

“My mama-in-law straight-up street,” Mort sniggered, as she encouraged the kids’ boogying.
 

“That’s one bad bitch,” Cash said with admiration, sipping on his beer and enjoying the spectacle. “Fuck, Roxy would make a good chapter president.”
 

“If we fuckin’ accepted women as members. We fuckin’ don’t, so shut the fuck up.”
 

“That could always change,” Stretch added.
 

“Ain’t interested.”
 

“I’m with Prez on this one,” Mort said as the song came to an end. “Yeah, they got some tough bitches, but the first fuckin’ thing motherfuckers would do is use female members against us and the first thing we’d want to do is protect them bitches. We’d all get fucked up.”
 

“I resent the implication I can’t take care of my goddamn self,” Roxy said between puffs of breaths. Wearing no makeup and with her hair pinned up, she was still pretty. According to her, she came from good stock. “I don’t need any of you motherfuckers to help me out of a tough spot. I’ll fucking cut a bitch and be done.”
 

“Cut a bitch! Cut a bitch! Cut a bitch, fucka mudna,” CJ sang, dancing to his own tune.
 

“Oops,” Roxy said, covering her mouth. “That’s not nice, CJ. Aunt Roxy doesn’t want you to say that.”
 

“Uh huh,” his boy said, then yelled, “cut a bitttccchhh.”
 

“Bit,” Harley repeated, laughing and hopping with CJ.
 

“Hey!” Mort called, glaring at Roxy. “Don’t cuss, Harley.”
 

She smiled at Mort and held her arms out, running to him, climbing onto his boots. She’d gotten that trick from CJ. “Dada, up.”
 

Forgetting his annoyance, Mort lifted Harley up, hugging her tightly as she wrapped her little arms around his neck.
 

“I’m bringing my ass back to the kitchen,” Roxy announced. “By the way, Meggie said to tell you Diesel took his girlfriend to the mall.”
 

“Want Deel,” Rebel said, upon hearing his name.
 

“He be here later,” Christopher promised. She followed the motherfucker around like a little puppy.
 

Christopher knew Diesel didn’t always want to be bothered, but the kid always let Rebel down gently. Lately, a girl named Mindy was taking up a lot of his time.
 

“Fuck, he spend a lot of time with his bitch,” Christopher said on a sigh.
 

Mort sat Harley on her feet. “You had the talk with him, right, Prez?”
 

“Yeah. I told him if he gotta put his cock in her cunt, cover it the fuck up.”
 

Bang, Bang
by Arianne Grande piped through the speakers and CJ started dancing again. As if he were the leader of an outlaw gang of toddlers, the other kids followed suit. All except Rory, who continued to cling to Johnnie.
 

Before any of them encouraged Rory to join, a shadow loomed in the doorway and Christopher looked up, scowling at Kendall. She held Matilda and had her wrapped in a pink blanket. For the first time in months, the resentment on her face was gone.
 

She looked as sad as her husband and boy. “Are you about ready to leave, Johnnie?” she asked with such woe Christopher rolled his eyes. “Or do you want to join in with your cousins first, Rory?”
 

Hearing Kendall’s question, CJ took it upon himself to snatch Rory into the group. “Dance, ash fuck,” he ordered.
 

Rory didn’t move. He looked hesitantly at Kendall. She was frowning at CJ but kept her opinions to herself.
 

“Dance, son,” she encouraged, rocking Matilda back and forth, agitated.
 

Instead, he whined and ran back to Johnnie.
 

“Wanna see MegAnn, Woey?” CJ asked. “Her in the kitchen. Her mad at me.”
 

That got Christopher’s attention. “What the fuck you did, boy?”
 

“Bit off a looottt candy and spit aaalll out,” he chimed happily. “MegAnn, her say I’m naughty.”
 

No, he was a straight-up fucking terror.
 

Christopher crooked his finger at him and crouched down when he reached him. “Sit the fuck down for three minutes, boy. I fuckin’ told you your ma not all well from gettin’ Ryder out. You gonna behave or you gonna be in trouble with my fuckin’ ass.”
 

Tears filled CJ’s eyes and he ran to the chair Christopher pointed to, climbing onto it, then face-planting on the table and dissolving into sobs. Harley went to the table and grunted her way into a seat. Christopher knew she wouldn’t move until CJ did.