~

 

“What are you doing?” Ashley could well have exploded his eardrums within his ears with the high shriek of her voice.

The alpha stood stock still at the back door into the kitchen like his very presence was a danger to her life. The freshly cut pine tree that he’d been trying to wrestle through the gap sagged downwards when he released it from his death grip.

“I thought we agreed…”

“Are you insane?” she hissed.

“That it was a new tradition — we were going to have a Christmas tree every year.” He rushed out before she could interrupt him again.

“Yes.” She expanded her hands and looked at him as if he’d just shifted in front of a priest.

“Then what’s the problem?” He shrugged.

“A Christmas tree!” She motioned to the pine tree at his feet and stomped her foot.

“It’s a Christmas tree.” He motioned down to it as if his mate couldn’t quite grasp the difference between a tree and a cow.

“It’s a real tree!” she shot back.

“Christmas trees normally are.” He lifted his hand and scratched his head. He didn’t get what all the fuss was about.

“Fake!” she shouted.

“Real!” he shouted back with a chuckle and a shrug.

“I’m sorry — do you remember what happened last year?” she demanded, and then she placed her hands on her hips, and the alpha had the urge to kiss his backside goodbye.

“Now, hold on a minute,” he held his hands up to his chest.

“Do you remember the faeries?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I remember the faeries…” He started, patiently, trying to placate his mate as best he could.

Kissing her tended to work best, but she had that little twitch under her right eye, and he’d learned the hard way that meant to stay the hell away from her or risk getting zapped.

“And you thought this was a good idea?” She motioned to the tree once more.

“It’s a Christmas tree.” He shrugged again.

“And tell me who is upstairs, sleeping happily, in the crib that you made for her?”

“My daughter.” He puffed his chest out with pride.

That was when Nancy strolled into the room and hit the brakes as her eyes fell on the tree.

“Is he insane?” She demanded as she elbowed Ashley in the ribs.

“My question exactly!” Ashley folded her arms across her chest and eyed the alpha with disbelief.

“What’s going…” Eliza stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted the Christmas tree on the floor. “Oh, my!”

“And with his daughter upstairs as well!” Ashley practically growled at her mate.

“Why is everyone collecting in the kitchen?” Jeff asked as he pulled up behind the witches and offered a questioning look at the Christmas tree on the floor.

“Who did what?” Drake asked as he elbowed his brother out of the way to get a look in the kitchen, expecting to see a dead body on the floor.

“Seriously?” The alpha growled. “It’s a damn Christmas tree, not the second coming.”

“Somebody called?” Arthur called out from the living room.

“I might not believe in God,” Eliza said. “But bite your tongue.” She snapped her fingers, and Arthur yelped in pain.

“Let’s get back to the tree,” Ashley demanded.

“It’s a Christmas tree.” The alpha shrugged again.

“It’s an invitation to the faeries…” Ashley hissed at her mate.

“I squared it with the faeries.”

“You squared, or you scared,” Eliza asked. “Because faeries don’t scare that easily.”

“We came to a deal,” the alpha informed them.

“As in?” Ashley demanded.

“Fifty new trees — twenty strings of fairy lights — and something called a bubble blower?” For a moment the alpha looked confused.

“Oh, I like those — they make little soapy bubbles in the air,” Eliza grinned from ear to ear at the thought of it.

“Well, we need to get one for the faeries, so, you’re in charge of that,” the alpha informed her.

“And you trust them?” Ashley demanded.

“No.” He grimaced. He kind of did trust them — but, now he could see that was probably wrong.

“There’s nothing for it,” Nancy shrugged. “We will have to spend the day putting up wards and spelling the house.” She offered to the other witches.

“Sounds like a plan,” Eliza nodded.

“Which means that you’re on daddy duty,” Ashley offered him a smug smile.

“I like daddy duty.” He frowned back at his mate. “Do you think I’m not pulling my weight where our daughter is concerned? Because I’ve been pulling my weight where our daughter is concerned.”

“And he has a lot of weight,” Jeff added.

“He has been getting a bit porky,” Drake chuckled. “It must be the side effects of being a parent.”

“Are you saying I’m porky?” Ashley narrowed her eyes on the beta, and he noted that the other two witches were doing the same thing.

“Nooo…” Drake slowly shook his head.

“Are you saying I’m porky?” Eliza demanded.

“Why would you be…?” Drake snapped to attention.

“You’re pregnant?” Nancy demanded like it was news to her.

“You’re … pregnant?” Drake swallowed down hard at the thought of becoming a father.

“It’s not the way I wanted to tell you…” Eliza started, but she shrieked when Drake thrust out an arm and scooped her up against him.

“I love you.” Drake brought his lips down on hers.

“Well, that makes two of us,” Nancy shrugged her shoulders.

“Huh?” Jeff’s head snapped around so hard on his neck that she was sure she could hear every bone in his spine snap into place, or out of it. His eyes were wide, and he had a goofy look on his face.

“P-r-e-g-n-a-n-t,” she said, drawing out the word for as long as humanly possible.

“I…” Jeff’s heart hit his rib cage, and he had to wonder if it had ripped through his chest and ended up at her feet. “That’s…” He said no more.

“Not good news?” Nancy asked, cocking one eyebrow at him.

“I’m going to be a…” He stopped talking.

“F-a-t-h-e-r.” Nancy chuckled. “Stay with me…”

“Best Christmas ever!” Jeff bit out, as he reached out for his mate and swung her up into his arms.

“Is this your idea of romantic?” Nancy chuckled.

“Woman — shut up,” Jeff chuckled back before he kissed her.

“More rugrats?” Arthur’s voice drifted into the kitchen from the other room. “I might have to find somewhere else to spend next Christmas.”

“Yes!” Ashley said as she punched the air. “That would definitely be the best Christmas ever.” She teased the vampire.

“You’d miss me if I wasn’t here.” Arthur’s dry tone came back.

“Let’s give it a go and then I’ll tell you.” The alpha growled.

“About that tree…” Ashley pointed at the poor downed Christmas tree.

“I know — I know — leave it outside,” the alpha grumbled.

“Too late, most of it has already crossed the threshold,” Ashley said.

“So what do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Decorate it,” Ashley said. Then she turned on her heels and strolled out of the room.

“Brothers — put your mates down – we have a tree to decorate.” The alpha growled.

 

The End.