“Need a big kitchen,” I said.
“Not too big, surprisingly. I mean, counter space can be augmented to a degree. We did most of it at her dining room table. I have some books.”
I laughed. “Heh, I’d probably have better luck looking up videos on YouTube.”
I glanced up, and she smiled down at me amused.
“Got it?” I asked.
“Got it,” she assured me and I got to my feet, dusting myself off.
I took the tree and handed her the saw so I would have at least one hand free for one of her’s.
That little damn tree cost me sixty damn bucks.
When we got to the parking lot, Reave, Slice, and Hayden were gone, and Rev looked over his shoulder at us as he finished tying down a second tree to the roof of his Expedition.
“That’s what you got?” he asked, and I nodded.
He shook his head and said, “Well, get it up here,” and that was that. I held Eedee’s hand the entire ride back to the club, staring with her out the window.
13
Eden…
I ended up with Mom and Auntie Everett in the main club room, decorating the grown-up’s tree. Several of the guys brought in boxes of decorations from out in the storage bay of the garage, and Sunshine and Doll were ready to receive them. I was busily directing Archer and Dray to get the tree straight along with Aunt Evy, when Sage slipped up to my elbow and put a mug of hot chocolate into my chilly hands.
“Going out back to help,” he said, lips pressed to my temple above my ear as I blushed wildly as Aunt Evy and my mom stared. My mom had a proud smile on her face, something that was mixed with relief while Evy just looked dumbfounded.
“When did that happen?” she demanded, staring at Sage’s retreating back. I sipped from the mug in my hands and shrugged, feeling like I had high spots of color on my cheeks like an old-fashioned country rag doll – the kind with the bright red yarn for hair.
“All I have to say is it’s about time he figured it out,” my mother said and I almost had hot cocoa come out of my nose.
“Will you quit doin’ the gossip bit up there and tell me if I got this damn thing straight?” Archer demanded darkly.
“A little to the left,” I said, and he made an exasperated noise.
“Your other left,” Evy corrected him and he ground out a sharp, “Goddamnit!” We all tried not to laugh. Archer had the kind of temper he would up and leave us on our own to fix it.
“Looks good,” Mali said from behind me, and I turned. She held up ropes of neatly coiled Christmas lights and said, “These ones work.”
“Yay!” my mom squealed and Melody brought out some more from a box by an outlet and plugged them in.
Hayley stood with her, making a face and swearing as one didn’t light, and Melody passed it to her following it up with the white-sectioned box of replacement bulbs.
“Here you go, Eedee, grab that chair and start at the top.” Everett handed me an end to one of the strands of lights, the one with the female plug so that the star would have something to plug into.
I drank down some more of my cocoa, set it aside, and got up onto the chair and got to work.
We used mostly white lights and a few strands of red in like a two-to-one ratio. The tree out here was always decorated in the club’s colors, the ornament bulbs red, black, and silver with these super neat, red, black, and silver glass motorcycle ornaments we’d found and bought out like the whole town one year.
The guys were outside on the roof clearing snow and hanging lights outside, turning the ominous iron gates surrounding the property into something more child friendly with lights along the top and by hanging large candy canes on the gates.
Music was put on by Data, flooding the club with Jingle Bell Rock as we laughed and decorated. It was an all-day thing. Then, usually, for those of us that stayed, more Twisted Christmas movies. Whoever was left went home the next morning after brunch.
I didn’t plan on staying tonight, but if Sage asked… I mean, Dante could get a ride home with Mom and Dad.
The pit of my stomach dropped out when I thought about Dad and how protective he could be. I mean, shit… poor Dante. I still hadn’t gotten to talk to him or find out how bad it’d been.
“Hey, Mom?” My mother looked up at me.
“Yeah?”
I kneeled down and asked, “Is Dante okay?”
She sighed and nodded tiredly. “Embarrassed,” she said, “but okay. Your father definitely didn’t make matters any better, but once he got some of the finer… details, he eased up.”
I closed my eyes and my cheeks flamed in empathy for my brother.
“Ew, poor Dante,” I said.
My mother laughed. “It’s okay. He mostly wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any little Dante’s before any of us were ready.” She blew out a strained breath, and I nodded.
“Dante’s not stupid,” I said, and she closed her eyes and nodded.
“I know, and no, I won’t tell him you told me that.” I grinned and shook my head, standing up.
“Harmony’s not stupid either,” I said and my mom smiled up at me and patted my hand.
“I’m so proud of all of you,” she said. “Especially you, my darling daughter.”
I smiled, and I felt like it was so big, it was apt to break my face.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
She handed me another string of lights and I wondered how things were going with Sage. I think he was outside with my dad, and that had me a little worried. Mostly, I was afraid my dad would do something dumb like warn Sage off of me, which oh my God, I would have to kill him.
“So,” my mom said casually. “You and Sage?” She looked up at me, worry in her eyes, and I shrugged and let out a flabbergasted blast of air.
“I have no idea what’s going on, to be honest with you, Mom. Just all of a sudden, he like, turned on a dime and… I just don’t know. I’m almost afraid to get my hopes up.”
She sighed. “You know, your father stood me up and went months without even talking to me. Then all of a sudden, he asked me out like nothing happened.”
“Aye, boys are dumb,” Aunt Evy threw in.
“Throw rocks at them,” Mali added and all the women in the room laughed.
“Yeah, I know the story, Mom,” I said, grinning as the laughter died down.
“All I’m saying is that maybe Dice has finally come to his senses.” She shrugged and sighed, uncoiling more lights for me. “Like your father did.”
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. I didn’t know what was going on exactly. The only answer to that question lay with Sage, and I wasn’t going to get it until I got some alone time with him to talk. If he would talk. That was the other thing. Talking about the important stuff wasn’t Sage’s strong suit. Especially since what happened to his sister and Nox.
I guess it was a good thing that patience was my strong suit – another attribute that I totally got from my mom.
Maybe I should stay tonight, or try to, and have that conversation…
Good Lord, when did everything become so complicated?