When I heard Boxer bellow my name, I dropped my head to my chin and gave Whisper a little wink.
Shits about to hit the fan.
I stride into the kitchen and sit Whisper on the table, where Doc Evelyn can give her the painkiller.
I’m ready to take a grumpy Boxer into another room and have a mini showdown over what happened to Miss Catherine, but she’s taking matters into her own hands.
“I’ve got this,” she says with authority. “Edge, you be stayin’ right here with Whisper.” I know not to mess with a determined old lady.
“What the hell, Miss Catherine?” Boxer thinks he’s in charge. Sometimes you just have to pick your fights with her.
Miss C’s up and out of her chair, dragging a very pissed off Boxer by the hand, out the room. She’s taking charge and ready to tame the beast within the man.
Whisper could hear pretty much everything, so I don’t know why Miss C bothered taking him into the next room.
She’s attempting to give him the abbreviated, non violent-ish version of what went down in New Orleans. She makes her one-way ticket sound like an adventure with a mild mishap along the way—compared to what it really was—lights out for both old ladies.
Doc Evelyn just shook her head and took a few deep breaths until they both came back.
Boxer walks straight up to me and sticks his hand out.
“Sounds like Miss Catherine is very lucky you made the decision to go collect her,” Boxer says. I take the offered hand and we shake. “Seems like if you hadn’t…”
“Yeah… something, like that.” We both bite the actual truth off in front of Whisper for what would’ve gone down if I hadn’t gone for the old lady.
“I’m going to pretend you two aren’t doing what I know you’re doing right in front of me.” Whisper’s bringing her own fighting words to the party. “I’m not stupid. I can see Miss Catherine’s face; I know what those bruises mean. They mean she was beat down on. She’s still to tell me herself, about her drama in all its fine details… and she will, because we have no secrets.
“Boxer, I’m choosing to put everything aside until after my first Christmas, because I refuse to allow my past to take that from me and ruin it. Miss Catherine is alive, she is strong like me and she will fill me in on the heroics that belong to Edge, later.” Well. Hell! “She knows I can handle it, so please don’t treat me like a child because I lost that title a very long time ago.”
Wild has chosen to appear.
“All right, then.” I decide to move things along. “Better not keep everybody waiting outside. Surprise or not, it’s freaking cold out there.”
We head around to the mudroom where Boxer, Doc and Miss C get layered up. Ghost has extra coats, scarves and beanies on hooks.
I get Whisper into a coat and we’re ready.
I message Hazard to let him know we were about to come through the door. I then scoop her up into my arms, and Doc Evelyn helps me to cover her up with the blanket.
Boxer’s got his hand on the door knob and is about to swing it open when Whisper calls out.
“Wait! I don’t know whether to shut my eyes or not?” Her excitement is contagious. “Or do I just look when the door is open?”
“Babe, you do whatever you want.” I duck my head towards her. “But it will make it that much more special if I can tell you when to look.”
In answer she scrunches her eyes shut—which makes me grin like a kid.
Boxer opens the front door wide and we step out into a winter wonderland.
All my brothers and Phoenix are waiting, snow covering their clothing and hair. Billy looks like Santa Claus, his beard all frosted white. Ghost gives me a nod and Phoenix is bouncing on the balls of her feet, partially from the cold and mostly letting her feminine side slip out.
Fresh snow is falling, adding to the picture perfect setting. The lights on the house have all been turned off, ready for the big reveal.
I move us out so we are standing facing the house, but hiding all the shit Joel purchased behind me that is lit up all over the place, like we’re in a big snow globe.
“Whoever’s in charge on the count of thr—”
“Please, Edge… no counting…it’s just—”
Shit! I forgot about Mathias and what she had to do. “No need to explain, babe.” I look at Ghost who seems to be the man in charge of what would be a pretty hefty power board. “Go!” I shout at the same time she opens her eyes.
The luxury cabin lights up and from the look of awe on her face, she likes what she sees. The whole front is covered in little lights.
“I wish I had my camera from back home…it’s so beautiful,” she sighs, as though we have given her something so precious. I stay silent while she takes it all in. “Thank you everyone, I love it! I want to sleep out here tonight just to watch the lights twinkling.” She starts to look around to find everybody.
“Uh-uh, not yet, you might want to close those big browns of yours for a couple seconds.”
“Okay.” And then her eyes are scrunched tight again, not needing to be told twice, she wants more and I’m so glad I can fucking give it to her.
I turn my body. “You can open them now.
“Oh…my—oh my goodness.” Her head is swiveling about as she takes in the polar bears and every other thing Joel could lay his hands on at short notice. The garden was lit like a movie set: reindeers, a sleigh with a fake Santa at the reins, candy cane sticks, snowmen and so much more. Joel had thought of everything. Really…what didn’t he order?
A lit up MERRY CHRISTMAS sign was ablaze with color and the driveway was lined with twinkling lights. There were elves with little sacks. Everything looked in its place, and not cluttered, thanks to Phoenix overseeing the design on the big garden.
“I’ve only ever witnessed Christmas through movies… this is so much better.” The men and Phoenix stand back giving her space. “Thank you so much for this good memory, it’s so perfect,” she says with more emotion than I think she wanted to reveal.
“Oh my… the trees! Look at the trees!” she shrieks, pointing at them. The colored lights drip spectacularly from the branches. They do look pretty cool.
Her eyes are full of what a kids eyes should look like on Christmas morning—innocence and happiness, but she’s no kid. She’s going to be a mother. She’s a woman with a lot of catching up to do.
All that matters now is she’s forgotten about her past.
I look out at the people who came to help me get Whisper back, who made tonight special for her. Every person has my back, including Ghost. I see him standing by himself, arms crossed as he takes in the people who have overtaken his home. Then he lays eyes on Miss C and what she’s attempting to do, and that produces a broad smile.
Miss Catherine’s found a rubber-backed blanket folded over a park bench and she’s attempting to unfold it. Ghost holds his hand out silently asking for it and shakes it out and places it on the snow for her. He assists her and they both take a seat, knowing there’s no point telling her to sit on the park bench. She’s rugged up and enjoying the show. She smiles over at me and I return a smile, with a wave.
Boxer and Doc are standing all cuddled up and both look impressed with the winter wonderland. Phoenix is sitting on a bench, which looks new, with Slade squashed in next to her. His bulk takes up most of it, and I laugh quietly when he snatches her up onto his lap. She squirms for a few seconds and then gives up, folding her arms across her chest, like she’s in a huff.
Fucking inevitable.
Tonight we all needed a few minutes of peace and a little Christmas magic after the past weeks we’ve had. It might be freezing temperatures, but we’re all alive and we won.
Victory was ours.