Sara stretched her arms above her head, lazily feeling each muscle as it stretched and moved. Beside her, Saxton groaned and rolled over to pull her close. She nuzzled into his chest and they lie wrapped in each other for several long minutes. She could have stayed there all day, tangled in him like that. But only minutes later, the door made a slow creaking sound.
She grumbled into Saxton’s chest and whispered, “We’re being invaded.”
A moment later, the bed shifted as Ian jumped on. “Wake up!” he exclaimed.
Saxton made a loud, fake snoring sound and pretended to sleep. Sara followed his lead and did the same.
Ian crawled in between them, put his face very close to Sara’s and said, “Mommy? Wake up!”
His little voice held so much impatience that she couldn’t help but crack a smile and start to laugh.
“You’re awake!” he said and sat on her stomach, then started bouncing.
Sara groaned and Saxton reached over to pull Ian off her, then wrapped him in a tight ball of a hug and started tickling him. Ian squealed in laughter and Sara chuckled watching the two of them.
“Come on, guys!” Ian said, trying to tug Saxton into a sitting position and failing. “We have to see if Santa came!”
“Oh,” Saxton said seriously. “Uh oh. I think I forgot to put in the address change.”
Ian’s face fell. “What do you mean?”
Sara played along. “Oh no. After we moved. Did we tell Santa we live here now, with Saxton?”
Ian’s lower lip started to quiver. “He doesn’t know we moved? What will happen to all our presents?”
“Hopefully his reindeer figured it out,” Sara said. “You didn’t happen to mention the move in your letter to him?”
Ian shook his head and looked worried.
“Well, run down stairs real fast and see if he came, then run back up here to let us know,” Saxton said.
Ian scrambled off the bed and was out of the room in seconds. Saxton promptly rolled on top of Sara and kissed her hard.
“Any chance we can lock the door and pretend to be sleeping again for a few minutes?” he asked.
She laughed and hugged his neck. “Not unless you want him to throw a fit or tear the gifts open alone. Maybe he’ll be distracted enough later, though.”
“Let’s hope.” Saxton kissed her again, then slid off her.
He reached over and put one arm under her legs and the other behind her head so that he could carry her out of bed. As he reached the door with her in his arms, Ian came bounding back up the stairs.
“He came! He came!”
“Oh, whew,” Saxton said. “I was worried for a second there.”
“Me too,” Sara said.
Saxton carried her down the stairs and set her on the sofa nearest the Christmas tree. She chuckled when he put her down. “Thanks for the lift,” she said.
“But of course, my lady.” He made a formal bow and disappeared into the kitchen.
Sara stared at the pile of gifts under the tree. Last year’s Christmas had been strange. It was shortly after the mess with Carter, shortly after her and Saxton had decided to live together and make a life. She hadn’t had any money, which had been her norm for years, but Saxton stepped in and made it a grand Christmas. They had spent days shopping and filling the cart with gifts for Ian. Maybe they went a bit overboard, but after all the kid had been through, they wanted to make it as nice as possible for him. Help him forget the awfulness of that time.
It had been a wonderful Christmas, but Sara had been left trying to explain to Ian why Santa seemed to be so much more generous at Saxton’s house than theirs. It hadn’t been easy, but Ian quickly gave up and seemed to accept his new life. He enjoyed his new room, twice the size of his old one, and his new life, which also felt twice the size, thanks to Saxton’s income. Sara spent most of last Christmas night crying in gratitude to Saxton for making it all so special. She tried, over the last year, to not get too used to living a life that was far more luxurious than she had ever experienced. She never wanted to take him for granted.
“Look at all these presents!” Ian exclaimed, his mouth stretched wide in a huge grin as he clasped his hands together.
They’d tried to be somewhat more restrained this year in their gift giving. They’d even set a budget, which had been about the equivalent of an entire month of her pay from her previous life as a waitress working several jobs just to keep food on the table. But it was less than they’d spent last year. She didn’t want to spoil Ian, or have him grow up thinking he was entitled to things and being greedy. At least now when he went off to his private school, he looked the part. He no longer wore clothing that was a little too big or too short, or wearing out. He had new clothes, name brands, and a stylish hair cut to match. He’d gotten made fun of less, which was a relief as well.
It’d been a good year in many ways. The move had been simple and easy. Ian loved Saxton and living with him, and their old place was so small, it took no time at all for the movers to come in and pack it all up and bring it to Saxton’s house. It was embarrassing how all of their possessions all fit neatly into his living room. Saxton had assured her she had no reason to feel ashamed and that he’d gladly share all he had with her.
Without money to worry over and many long hours to work, Sara turned her attention to the house and to worrying over Carter and his gang. She went room by room in their house, deep cleaning and making updates. New curtains here, a fresh coat of paint there. Saxton was happy to let her play and do anything she liked. So long as, as he put it, she didn’t make it too “girly.” He needed it to still look like a man lived there, too. Sara wasn’t into frilly and lacy anyhow. She ran all her decoration plans by him first, and she was having fun doing it. After a year, there was little left to do.
The worrying over Carter and their safety, though, had gotten stronger in the months after Carter’s arrest. She hadn’t been sleeping well, thinking the Cruel Crows were going to show up and attack them all for getting Carter arrested. It took months to bring him to trial. They didn’t end up having to testify, which was a huge relief. And when it all came down, Carter was sent away for the next one hundred and fifty years. So, basically, there was no chance he’d ever get out. In the months following his sentencing, the Cruel Crows had fallen apart.
Sara didn’t know anything about gang life, but the Jagged Souls were in the know when it came to life on the streets. Saxton had told her they were crumbling and she didn’t believe it. But then, several Jagged Souls had assured her that the gang had dissolved. The Crows were no more. Just a few months without Carter’s leadership, and with the police watching it all so closely, and they had been forced to scatter.
Sara pointed out to Saxton, though, that it didn’t mean those who had been Crows weren’t still out there. But Saxton kept saying it didn’t matter. That they were all being watched and that without the grouping of the gang, there was nothing to be loyal to. But Sara worried. She worried until Saxton had demanded that she drive hours with him to go to the closest gun range so they could practice shooting. And that she use some of her new free time to take martial arts lessons.
Once she started to learn how to defend herself better, and as the months went by and nothing happened, she started to relax. She worried less, she slept better, and after a while, stopped looking behind her every second when she drove or went to the grocery store. The three of them settled into life together, and it felt better than anything she’d ever experienced. Life over all was so good, it had her thinking about the future.
They hadn’t talked about marriage. They hadn’t talked about having more kids. Most of the year had been too cluttered with adjustments and fear and settling in that she hadn’t even brought things like that up Partly, she didn’t want to disturb their little balance by pushing things faster than he wanted. If Saxton never wanted to get married, she’d probably be okay just living with him like this for many years. But deep down, she wanted to be married and have more kids and build a bigger life together.
Saxton walked into the living room and sat beside her. “Coffee is on. Let’s do this.”
Ian looked at them with wide eyes. “Can I open presents now?”
“Go for it,” Sara said.
He dove into the pile and picked up the closest gift. The paper was shredded in seconds and he was zooming around the room with his new truck, making all sorts of traffic noises. He went back for another, then another. Before long, there were piles of crumbled wrapping paper, pieces of packaging, and a collection of toys scattered around the large room. The Christmas tree, reaching into the air over nine feet tall, was only about half visible from where Sara sat in the sofa. The bottom was obscured from view by boxes and plastic wrapping and wrapping paper.
When Ian had gone through all his gifts, it was Sara and Saxton’s turn. Saxton loved the new shirt and knife Sara had bought him, and the picture Ian colored for him. Sara opened a new bracelet and some expensive perfume she’d passed on months ago because of the high price tag. When all the gifts were opened and being enjoyed, Saxton pulled Sara into a tight hug.
“There’s one more gift I have for you.”
He sat up and pulled a small box from his pocket. Her heart started racing when she saw it. Was it what she thought it was?
He held out the box on his palm with a crooked grin. “Hope you like it.”
She took the box, unsure. Didn’t seem like much of a proposal. She cracked the box open and took a breath. Her heart sank when she saw what was inside, then did a small leap. She picked up the key and raised an eyebrow at him.
Saxton grinned. “You’ll have to come to the garage.” He hopped to his feet, beaming, and held out his hand to her.
Sara put her hand in his and motioned to Ian. “Come on!”
They went to the garage and before Saxton opened the door, he made her close her eyes. He led her into the garage, stopped her, and said, “Okay, open your eyes.”
She faced a brand new sparkly Harley. It was black with magenta swirls painted down the sides. A helmet sat on the seat, matching the paint job of the bike.
“My own Harley!” She stuck the helmet on and climbed on the bike’s seat.
Saxton had been teaching her how to ride. She’d found it far more enjoyable than she thought she would have. The feeling of the wind around her, running over her skin, the road zooming by, was exhilarating. They’d discussed getting her her own bike, but hadn’t made any serious plans. Turned out, Saxton had been planning this all along, she guessed.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it! I want to take it for a quick spin!”
He chuckled. “Dressed like that?”
He gestured to her fleece pajama bottoms and socked feet. She didn’t even have a coat on, but she put the key in the ignition and felt the rumble of the engine as the bike started. She listened to the bike for a moment and Saxton went to open the garage door. When she saw the cold winter sky ahead, she pressed down on the pedal and took off.
She toured around the block, the frigid air biting through her thin pajamas. The rush of the speed and knowing this bike was hers outweighed the cold. She never thought she’d be a biker chick. Not in a million years. But once she started riding, there was no going back. She’d even gotten her own leather jacket a few months ago, courtesy of Saxton. She loved it when they went on rides together, and now that she had her own bike, they could go for much longer rides.
She turned back into the driveway, shivering. Later, when she was dressed properly, they could go for a better ride. This was enough of a taste for now, but she was cold. She stopped the bike and hopped off.
Ian clapped his hands.
“Sweet,” she said as she pulled off her helmet. She went to Saxton and wrapped him in a tight hug. “I love it. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.” He kissed her and hugged her back. “Let’s get inside. You’re freezing.”
They resumed their places in the living room in front of the tree.
“How about a fire?” Saxton asked.
“Perfect.”
Sara poured two cups of hot, fresh coffee, wrapping her fingers around her mug to thaw them out. She sat and set the mugs on the coffee table while Saxton gathered wood and stacked the pieces in the fireplace. He got the fire going and came to sit beside her. Sitting together, sipping coffee in front of the fire, watching Ian play with his toys, life felt absolutely perfect.
Well, almost perfect. She tried to ignore the ping in her chest. When Saxton had taken out the small box, she thought for sure it was a ring and he was going to propose. The bike had been an amazing surprise and she loved it, but that little fake out had made her realize just how much she had wished he’d proposed. Maybe it was time to bring it up and start talking about it. Maybe she could ask him in a way that didn’t put any pressure on him. Just a sort of, hey have you ever thought of getting married, type of thing.
Saxton got up to poke the fire. He turned around and looked at Sara and Ian. He had a kind of strange look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing… I, umm…” He scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor.
“Saxton? What’s wrong?”
“Umm, can we just… Ian, can you come sit down for a minute?”
Ian looked up from the floor, where he’d been playing with a pile of action figures. He grabbed a super hero and climbed up on the couch beside Sara. They both stared at Saxton.
Saxton shifted his weight and let out a hard breath. “So, I wanted to talk to you both about something.”
Sara’s heart raced, but not in a good way. This felt strange. Like he was going to say they should move across the country or he wanted to break up or something bad. He looked terrified and it made Sara uneasy. She swallowed hard and took Ian’s hand in hers.
“What’s going on, Saxton?” she asked.
“I thought that, since we all live here now and it’s pretty good, I mean, I think it’s been pretty good, right?”
“Yeah…” she said, not sure where he was going with this.
“So, maybe we should make it more... Permanent?”
Sara sat up straighter. Her heart jumped again, but this time with excitement. “Permanent?”
“If you want to. If you don’t, that’s okay, but I was thinking…” He turned and patted the space on the mantel behind the photographs Sara had put there months ago of the three of them. He picked up another small box and faced her again.
“I was thinking, maybe…” He opened the box and got down on one knee. “Maybe you would want to marry me? And make a family with me?”
Sara squealed and leaned forward to kiss him. Tears filled her eyes and she kissed him several times, then said, “Yes!”
Saxton let out a breath, visibly relaxing as he did. “Geez. That was hard.” He chuckled and his hand shook as he pulled the ring from the box.
“As long as this is okay,” he said to Ian. “Is it okay if I marry your mom and become your stepdad?”
Ian nodded with wide eyes.
Saxton slipped the ring on Sara’s finger and she looked down at it. The center was a large, round diamond. Several smaller diamonds surrounded it in a circle, all set on a thin silver band. It was gorgeous. More than she could have ever hoped for.
“Wow,” she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her off the couch, and into his lap.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for loving me and wanting me like that. For forever.”
“Thank you for wanting us.” She knew it had to be harder coming as a package deal. He wasn’t just becoming a husband, he was becoming an instant father. No ramp up time, no growing up with the baby, learning along the way as she had gotten to do. They might have more kids, sure, but Ian was already here. She’d thought she’d be a single mom forever. That maybe someday when Ian was grown and left home, maybe then she’d find someone. But to have Saxton now, to have time to have more kids and a bigger family—a real family like she’d never had before—was a complete dream come true.
“So, you’ll be my dad now?” Ian asked, the awe obvious in his voice.
“Stepdad, yes,” Saxton said.
“What does that mean?”
“It just means that Saxton isn’t your biological dad, but he’s just like a dad in every other way,” Sara explained.
“So…” Ian made a confused face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Does this mean I’ll finally have a dad like the other kids in my class do?”
Sara and Saxton exchanged a look. Ian had said many times that he was sad he didn’t have a dad when all the other kids in his class did. He didn’t understand why he didn’t and why he couldn’t get one. Being able to give him a father figure was deeply important to Sara, and her eyes filled again as she saw the hope glimmering in Ian’s eyes.
“Yes, baby. You’ll have a daddy now,” she told him. Ian’s face slowly changed from confusion to joy. He jumped off the couch and threw his arms around Saxton and Sara. “This is the best Christmas ever! I got a daddy for Christmas!”
When Sara cleared her tears enough to look at Saxton, he, too, had tears in his eyes. He grabbed Ian into a tight hug. “You’re the best Christmas gift I could have ever asked for.” He reached his other arm out to pull Sara in close. “And so are you,” he whispered. “This really is the best Christmas ever. I have everything I could have ever wanted.”
THE END