Sarge and Tamsin met Griff and Maddox at Growlers, a little diner in the middle of town. Although Tamsin had promised she would give him a second chance, he knew that the hurt that he had caused that morning still lingered. He had his work cut out for him, but nobody who knew him well would ever call him a quitter.

“What's good here?” he asked, looking at all the mouth-watering options on the menu.

“Depends on what exactly you’re hungry for,” joked Griff, wiggling his eyebrows. Maddox elbowed him in the chest. “I’m just kidding, honey. Who knows? Maybe he wants some girl food.”

Maddox and Tamsin protested at the same time. Tamsin glared at Griff. “And what exactly is girl food? Because if it's the Growler Special with two eggs, bacon, and a stack of pancakes with baked apples and whipped cream on top, then I guess I'm ordering girl food.

A new sense of pride filled Sarge. He hated girls who ate like dainty flowers and threatened to faint at any second. Give him a woman with some meat on her bones and the ability to match him bite for bite. Maybe he should listen to his bear. A woman like Tamsin might not come his way again. She needed to stay a part of his life. When the waitress came over, wearing a ridiculous amount of red and green with a pair of reindeer antlers on her head, he asked for the exact same thing that Tamsin ordered.

“Sure thing.” The waitress's genuine smile probably earned her a lot of tips. Turning to Griff and Maddox, she got a little closer to the table. “Brock says that I missed quite a show last night.” Sarge got that she knew the other three.

Still, he disliked that she brought up the sisterly drama. He reached his hand out to touch Tamsin, just to show her his support. When she flinched out of his touch, he winced.

“It figures that would make the town gossip for today,” complained Tamsin, her eyes checking out who listened to them.

The waitress shook her head. “No, it didn't. But since I couldn't make it, Brock filled me in. I guess I shouldn’t bring it up here. I’m sorry, Tams. Now introduced me to your new boyfriend.”

Both Sarge and Tamsin protested at the same time. Maddox and Griffin laughed at their expense. “This is Aaron Sergeants. He's a teammate of Griff’s,” explained Maddox.

Sarge extended his hand to the new girl. “Pleased to meet you.”

The waitress placed her warm hand in his. “I thought I recognized you. I’m Alayna Channing, Brock's little sister. In fact, I'm the only Channing sister. Wolf shifter, in case you were wondering.”

“Pfft. Be glad you don't have a sister." Tamsin stirred her coffee, her bottom lip jutting out.

“Be glad you don't have overprotective older brothers,” countered Alayna with a roll of her eyes. “Let me get your orders in so you can start eating. I know better than to get in between these guys and their food.” She winked at the table and left.

It obviously bothered Tamsin that Alayna had brought up the fight at Griff's house. She fidgeted in her chair, and no amount of light touching from him or reassurances from Maddox calmed her. Before her food came, she pushed back in her chair and stood up. “I’m gonna go talk to Alayna. Excuse me.”

Sarge watched with protective eyes as she crossed to the other side of the café.

“I need to make a trip to the bathroom. I promise to make it long enough” Maddox kissed Griff's cheek and left the table, too.

Griff leaned in closer to the table. “So tell me, how magical did last night get?”

Sarge narrowed his eyes. “I hope you're not asking me to give you any details. Seems to me when I pried into your private life when you first started dating Maddox that you told me to go to Hell.”

Griff teased, “So you two are now dating?”

Fuck his nosy best friend. “That's not what I said. I don't know what we are. Although you have to admit, she was pretty fucking amazing last night, wasn't she?”

Griff took a sip of coffee. “In all my years living here and knowing those two sisters, I've never seen it get as heated as it did last night. Everly kissing you must have ignited that stick of dynamite. Trust me, it was long overdue. I’m pretty proud of her.” He lifted his chin in Tamsin’s direction.

Sarge wrinkled his nose. “Dude, don't remind me that I kissed that harpy. I may never recover.”

“But, surely, you did something last night to make things better. Otherwise, why would the two of you be hanging out this morning?”

Sarge pointed his finger at Griff. “Because your mother showed up at my cabin this morning and asked us to take up some supplies to Monty.”

His teammate leaned back in his chair and whistled. “Whoa. She usually does it herself because she's the least likely person that Monty might attack. He's been wild for several years. A bit unpredictable. But you two survived?”

“We are here, aren't we?” He drained his cup in one large gulp.

“True.” Another waitress refilled all the cups of coffee, and Griff continued. “I guess I get why Mom would ask the two of you to do it, though. Give you a taste of what your life might be like if you never took a mate. She's pretty skilled at teaching us lessons.”

“No kidding. She definitely has some…” Sarge wiggled his fingers in front of him, unable to describe Maya's uncanny gifts.

“I know,” admitted Griff. “Her woo-woo magic spooks us all. But I guess her meddling means I should shake your hand and officially welcome you to the family.”

Maddox sat back down and kissed her fiancé. “Did you get any details out of him?”

“There aren't any to give,” Sarge insisted.

“Keep lying to yourself and see how far it gets you, Aaron,” Maddox warned. “Better yet, keep fighting against the inevitable and see how well you and your bear get along. Sooner or later, you'd better embrace the truth.”

She kicked Sarge’s shin to catch his attention. He'd barely heard her, staring at Tamsin and waiting to see if she was okay. “Ouch. What did you say?”

Maddox giggled and then cleared her throat, nodding her head to indicate Tamsin’s return. “Everything okay?”

Worry creased her forehead, but Tamsin did her best to cover it up in front of everyone. “Everything's fine. Alayna tells me that Everly left on the first ferry this morning. She stopped by to pick up a coffee to go.”

“But that's a good thing, isn't it?” Sarge would have driven Everly to the ferry and chucked her on it himself if he could have.

Tamsin tried to hide the tears pooling in her eyes with a sip from her mug. She swallowed hard. “Sure, my sister’s a monster sometimes. But I don't want to kick her out of the family. And it's right before Christmas.”

He couldn't believe how much forgiveness Tamsin was willing to extend to Everly. “Even after what she admitted to you?”

Alayna brought them their food, and Tamsin played with it instead of eating. “Don't get me wrong. I’m pissed as hell at her. But I think I always knew. Also, I don't think Tate was ever mine to keep. I tried to convince myself that we had bonded as mates. But I'm pretty sure that what I felt for him doesn't hold a candle to a true mating bond.” She darted a sideways glance at Sarge, and his heart leaped.

He wanted to slap the shit-eating grin off of Griff's face. Tamsin's soured mood affected Sarge in a way he didn't expect. He needed to lift her spirits. “So, Maddox, tell us about your wedding preparations. How's that going?”

Both girls gawked at him for a brief moment, but he ignored them, shoveling a substantial bite of pancakes and apples into his mouth.

Maddox launched into some girly details about dresses and possible venues that Sarge could give two shits about. But the more Tamsin got interested in the details, the more the cloud of anxiety that covered her in its fog dissolved. Before long, she attacked her plate like everyone else. Griff and Maddox got up to pay the bill while Tamsin finished her last bite.

Sarge saw it as his last chance to make things right. “I can tell that my actions this morning still bug you.”

She blew out a sigh. “It's not just that. But yeah, I'm trying my best to get over it. But I had to get used to being rejected by Tate over and over again. And I had felt so safe with you last night. To feel that sense of dismissal from you this morning…” Her voice trailed off. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

Fuck. Sarge had fooled himself into thinking he was saving her from being hurt when all along, he was the one stabbing her in the heart. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Nothing. It's my issues to deal with.”

“No. I'm serious. I need to do some penance, and then maybe I'll be worthy of that second chance you promised me.” If he needed to get down on his knees and beg, he would.

Tamsin sniffed and wiped her knuckle under her eye to catch a rogue tear. “If you had an ugly Christmas sweater, I'd force you to wear it.”

“Maddox already beat you to that, remember?” Memories of seeing Tamsin for the first time came back. He cursed himself for wasting time.

“Oh, yeah,” she giggled. “It even had dancing bears, didn't it?”

“And I left that bad boy at home.”

Tamsin tapped her lip with her finger. She spotted something over Sarge's shoulder and snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it.”

“I hope you don't want me to stand up and sing Christmas carols. That will punish you and everyone else in here more than me.”

“You can't sing?”

“Oh, I can sing,” he admitted. “But I've been told a squeaky wheel is more in tune than I am.”

Alayna showed up at the edge of the table. “Can I get you anything else? A cup of coffee to go? Hot cider?”

Tamsin beamed. “Yes. May I have your antlers, please?” Confused, Alayna handed them over, and Tamsin handed them over to Sarge. “Put these on.”

Both girls watched him with skepticism. He took the antlers and placed them on his head. “No problem.”

Twenty-four hours ago, he would have walked out on any girl who asked him to put those silly things on. But he’d meant what he said. He'd earn his way back into her favor. If all it took were a silly piece of holiday clothing, he’d win for sure.

Griff returned, struggling to stifle any smartass remarks as he stared at the decoration adorning Sarge’s head. “Maddox and I have to go do some stuff for Mom. Will we see you later at the house?”

“I don't know, will we be seeing them later?” Sarge directed the question at the sexy woman beside him.

“If you manage to wear those all day long, then yes, we will see you later.” Tamsin's level of enjoyment rocketed with her enforced punishment and each jingle of the bells at the tip of the antlers. Mission accomplished, or at least was well on its way to success.

“All righty then. See you later, Rudolph.” Griff and Maddox waved at the two of them and left.

“Don't think you're getting off that easy,” Tamsin informed him as she walked toward the door.

Everybody snickered at him or gave him a thumbs up before he and Tamsin left the diner. “What else have you got? Bring it on.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Sarge held out her coat so she could put it on. Leaning in behind her, he whispered in her ear, “Only you know exactly how big I am. And absolutely, I accept any challenge you lay down.” He reveled in the shivers that shook her body, loving how he affected her.

“Come on, then. I've got some shopping to get done, and you can be my bag boy.”

* * *

Tamsin did not hold back in torturing Sarge. She dragged him into the knitting shop and made him pull down balls of yarn for her to look at. After the fifth ball he retrieved, he asked her if she knitted. With a snort, she said no, but she wanted to give the hens something to peck at. When he turned around, he caught the gaggle of knitters gaping at his backside.

One of the older ladies whistled. “That's a fine specimen you've got for yourself, Tamsin. Nice job.”

Sarge didn't hate it as much when Tamsin wrapped her arm around his and claimed him. “Thanks, Mrs. Warner. I just might decide to keep him.”

In another store that smelled like women’s perfume, she made him try on soft silky scarves. Looking around and finding them alone, she wrapped one of the scarves around his wrist and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll keep you at my mercy.” Unwinding the scarf, she looped it around her own wrists, binding them. “Or maybe, you'd rather it be me that's tied up?”

Sarge spent a good twenty minutes walking around with a throbbing hard-on from store to store. About the time he had a handle on things, she brushed up against him or said something even naughtier, and he suffered all over again. The girl took the challenge seriously.

They stopped on the sidewalk outside of a jewelry store. “Want to go in?” offered Sarge, turning away from other people and adjusting himself yet again.

Tamsin stared at a pair of sparkly earrings. She didn't say anything, and Sarge wondered if they would make a good present for her. “You like those?”

“Nope. Not my style.”

After more silence, he ventured a question. “Whose style are they?”

Tamsin got a far-away look in her eyes. “She would like them. One-of-a-kind, shiny, attention grabber’s.”

Sarge didn't have to ask who she meant. “So what would you choose?”

Tamsin crossed to the other display window. She pointed at a thin silver bracelet. “That one. The one with the cutout bear paw. It's more my style. Simple and plain.” No doubt some of Everly’s insults still echoed inside her.

Sarge stepped behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. “Simple does not mean ugly. And elaborate decorations don't make something prettier.”

“Please don't tell me that it's what's on the inside that counts. I've heard that one too many times all my life.” She leaned on him.

“Okay, then how about this. No other woman has ever captivated me as much as you. I think you're beautiful, sexy as fuck, and if I had my way, I’d take you somewhere and bury myself inside of you right now.” He watched the color of her cheeks darken in the window’s reflection.

“Thank you,” she murmured, turning around to embrace him in a full hug and burying her face in his chest.

Only his mother had ever made him feel as whole and complete as Tamsin did right then. She didn't feel like a threat. She felt like home.

When she lifted her face, her eyes sparkled with vibrancy. “Since you just made my day…Hell, my year…I guess you're off the hook. You can take the antlers off and go do what you want.”

He shook his head, and the bells on the ends of the antlers jingled. “No way. I'm enjoying being at your beck and call. I like you being the boss lady.”

The genuine smile on her lips spread over her whole body. “Then let's get going.”

After hitting most of the shops in the little downtown, they made it to the holiday market in the park. Locals sold their goodies and crafts at different booths and tables. Some of it was of high-artisan quality while others had that perfect homemade touch.

They passed a table with a hand-painted sign that said “Gifts by Crafty Crew.” Tamsin pulled on the sleeve of his coat. “That one there is Florence. Or Flossie, as Monty called her.”

“The one who made him the sweater?”

She nodded and escorted Sarge to the table. “Mrs. Winters, Monty wanted me to pass along his thanks for the sweater.”

“Oh, you’re the victims who had to take him his goodies?” She stood up. “Better you than me. That's a job for the young. And it definitely deserves a kiss.”

“A what?” asked Sarge. He didn’t relish having anyone else’s lips on his except Tamsin's.

Florence held out a foil-wrapped piece of chocolate. “I meant one of these.”

Tamsin made Sarge try on a dark green and navy hat and scarf set. The colors weren't his favorite, but he didn't mind letting her play dress-up with him.

“I made that one myself,” quipped the older gentleman sitting amongst the women.

“I didn't know guys could knit,” admitted Sarge.

“Are you kidding? I go where the ladies are.” He smiled, showing off his toothless gap as he cackled. The other women admonished his remark, but he wiggled his eyebrows at Sarge.

“These remind me of a hat and scarf my mom made me one year.” Sarge fingered the warm yarn. “As a young boy, I thought it was the worst gift ever.” He could kick his younger self for being so blind.

Sensing a potential sale, Florence flourished her hand over all the choices. “Perhaps you should get your mom a last-minute gift?”

His stomach dropped, and he did his best not to bark at the woman doing her job and trying to make a sale. Tamsin placed her hand on his back and led him away, thanking the Crafty Crew over her shoulder.

“It’s been so long since we've talked. I don't know if reaching out to her now will do any good.”

Tamsin stopped before they got to the next booth. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Who am I right now?” Tamsin asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

My potential girlfriend. My mate. Mine. Sarge ignored his inner voice and played along. “My boss.”

“That's right. Therefore, I think you should invite your mother to Shay Island for Christmas. One of you has to make the first move. Let the island act as neutral territory. If it doesn't go well, then you can both go back to your own lives.”

His stomach churned. “I’m not even thinking about whether it will go horribly wrong or wonderfully right. What if she doesn't even want to come?”

Tamsin held his hand. “Then at least she'll know that you wanted her here.”

Sarge searched for any excuse that would let him off the hook. But he couldn't deny his desire to see his mother. Or at least to attempt some sort of connection to her. Still, he wasn't sure he could handle another rejection from her, but when Sarge looked at Tamsin’s determined and encouraging face, he thought that maybe this time, he might be able to survive and recover a little bit quicker.

“Fine. You win. I'll do what you tell me to do.”

“I could get used to hearing that,” smiled Tamsin.

Sarge slipped his cell phone out of his pocket. Staring at his mother's number in his contacts, he couldn't quite bring himself to hit the talk button. Instead, he tapped out a text and sent it.

Tamsin folded her arms and flapped them like a bird, clucking and strutting around him.

“Hey, at least I sent it.” He marveled at how much he wanted Tamsin, even when she was doing something ridiculous. It made her even cuter and more desirable. Sarge wondered what other noises she might make if he got a chance to test her out.

“I think this calls for a cup of cocoa,” she declared. “And remember, no matter what the outcome is, at least you tried.”

Some of the shadow that haunted Sarge’s holiday disappeared around Tamsin’s warm light. They got two Styrofoam cups of cocoa from the local kids’ club table. While Tamsin convinced one of the boys to add in more marshmallows, Sarge slipped in some extra large bills into their donation jar, holding his finger to his lips so that the other excited kids and parents didn't say anything.

They sipped their welcome hot beverage as they continued bouncing from booth to booth. Sarge enjoyed watching Tamsin interact with the locals, trying to imagine what she must've been like growing up in such a tight-knit community. Her presence was so bright that it nearly blinded him, and he didn't get that her spirit didn't attract all eligible males in the area. Then again, he didn't want to make Griff angry by beating the hell out of anyone who attempted to court her.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out. “Well, I'll be damned.”

Tamsin practically buzzed at his side. “Is she coming?”

“She is,” he breathed out, stunned from his mother's message. “She's actually happy that I asked her.”

“See, I told you.” Tamsin performed a silly dance around him, a few passersby clapping for her. When she returned to his side, she beamed. “Maybe I should become your permanent boss.”

Sarge stepped in closer so only she could hear him. “I might have to take you up on that. Let you tell me what to do in all areas of my life.”

Embarrassed once again, she hid her face on his chest. But he didn't need her to look up at him with desire burning in her eyes for him to know that they were on the same page.

“Shall we go back to your cabin where I can get a test run?” she whispered, covering her mouth after her bold suggestion.

His dick twitched in his pants and begged for him to leave with her. But another thought stopped him cold. “Oh, shit. I don't have any gifts for her.”

“Well, it's not exactly the job I had in mind. But if you want, I'll be your personal shopper. Help you put together something that will be meaningful and bring her joy.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the beginning of the Christmas booths.

“And how much will this service cost me?”

“The low, low price of another cup of cocoa after we’re finished.”

If he got his way, Sarge would add in a tip of at least two more orgasms to her payment later. “Sold.”