Page 118 of Filthy Fae

Amber

We woke on Christmas morning to the smell of French toast wafting up the stairs. I bounced out of bed like a kid, and then I realized my ass was really sore and I should totally chill and move slowly for the rest of the morning. Wincing, I made my way downstairs to find Sawyer in the kitchen with his mother. They were laughing and singing along to “Silver Bells,” actually getting along for once, which just proved that Christmas miracles were real.

“Hey, baby,” Sawyer said, holding a spatula up to his mouth like a microphone. “I just wanted to say, Merry Christmas. Also, you look ravishing this morning.”

“Thanks,” I said, unable to hold back a smile at his antics.

“Have some coffee, dear,” Lidia said, pouring me a cup of something. From the color, I wasn’t sure if it was coffee or tea.

“Dude, that is not coffee,” said a voice behind me. I spun around to find Haley yawning and stretching her arms over her head, her petite frame clad in a pair of fuzzy reindeer pajamas.

“Those are festive,” I said. “Very unlike the stuff you usually wear to bed.”

“Kept me from freezing my ass off,” Haley said, making her way to the coffee pot. She shot me a smug smile over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, there’s a matching pair for you under the tree.”

“Coffee?” Lidia asked, holding up the pot.

“That’s not coffee,” Haley said. “Let me show you how it’s done.” She took the pot and dumped the contents down the sink. I stifled a giggle as Lidia howled in protest. While they argued, a hand pressed against my lower back.

“You feeling okay this morning?”

I closed my eyes and sighed, leaning back into Holden’s strong chest. “I am now.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Let us know if you need anything.”

He went to intervene between Haley and his mother. Heat prickled the back of my neck, and I turned just in time to see Cody at the bottom of the stairs, watching me. For a second, our eyes met, and that little ping of adrenaline burst inside me. I was getting used to it, but I had a feeling that by the time our year was up, it would be as hard for me as it was for him.

I smiled and waved a hand toward the kitchen. “Come have breakfast.”

Cody’s shoulders slumped, and I realized it would take a little more than last night to make him feel comfortable and welcome. But we had plenty of time for that. It would be a slow and painful process to bring him and Waylon back together, but I was up for the challenge.

“Where’s Waylon?” I asked when we were all seated.

“He went out to check on the cows,” Sawyer said.

“Is that where he really is?” I asked. “Or is he bringing another surprise guest?”

As if in answer, Waylon stepped in through the back door, bringing in a gust of icy air and some blowing snow. He stomped off his boots and joined us a minute later, and we all chatted around the table as we ate. After breakfast, we headed into the living room to open presents. The guys and I had decided not to do traditional gifts, hence the blowjob and fruitcake requests, but I’d gotten them each a nice leather belt with their name inscribed on the back, which seemed to be a trend around here.

I hadn’t known Haley was coming, so I’d gotten her a gift card online. As promised, she gave me a pair of pajamas to match hers, and once I put them on, they were so warm and cozy I abandoned all plans for getting dressed that day. Lidia had brought me a box of homemade toffee, and I’d gotten her a nice planner, so she could schedule her visits and stop showing up unannounced. Of course I didn’t tell her that part. I felt bad that no one but Lidia had gotten Cody anything, but I figured we’d given him what he wanted most of all—a second chance.

He cleared his throat when a lull in the conversation fell. “I wouldn’t exactly call this a Christmas gift,” he said, leaning over to pull a folded envelope from the back pocket of his Wranglers. “But it seemed like the right time to give it to y’all.”

No one moved. Even Haley stopped talking, sensing the importance even if she knew even less about it than we did. I gulped as I stared at the plain white, creased envelope. Was it a letter from Maria? If it was, would the guys want to read it? Would I want them to, to get closure, or would it make them miss her all over again?

“What’s that?” Waylon asked at last.

“It’s money,” Cody said, lifting his hat and running his hand through his short, dark hair.

“Dad’s money?” Sawyer asked. “Because I know you’ve been staying with him in New York for the past year, and we already said no to his money. What he wanted for it was more than we could give.”

I knew what they’d given up to have me here. Their father had offered them a loan if they’d take care of me for a couple months. When I’d refused to leave after those three months, he’d tried to give the guys the money so they’d kick me to the curb. The guys had chosen me over the money, risking their very home. I’d worked my ass off to make up for what they had given up, but the ranch still hung in the balance. I wondered how much money was in that envelope.

When no one reached for the envelope, Cody set his hat on his knee and sighed. “It’s not from Dad,” he said. “It’s from me. I made a lot of mistakes leaving here like I did, but I always knew I’d come back to Coyote Ranch one day. This is my home. But the fact is, I left it, and y’all took care of it while I was gone. You kept the cabins nice, ran the ranch. I know how much that costs, and I wasn’t paying my share for those four years. It wouldn’t be right for me to come back here and not offer you something for your troubles. It’s not a lot, but I hope it’ll help.”

Still, no one moved. At last, I couldn’t stand it. I snatched the envelope off the coffee table and jumped onto the couch between Sawyer and Holden. “Well, if you’re going to pitch in now, I don’t see why we can’t take it,” I said, turning from one of my stepbrothers to the next. “Right?”

Sawyer shrugged and Holden nodded. Lidia clasped her hands together and smiled all teary-eyed like she was a game show contestant about to have her prize revealed.