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Taking advantage of our closeness, I snagged a kiss and growled when B moaned into my mouth.

Drew giggled, and when we glanced at him, he gave us a thumbs up.

“That was great, but you should go see if Phoenix is okay. Knowing that ass, he’d ambush his son after trying to rattle you.”

The moment I heard Phoenix’s name, I started forward, taking B with me until he loosened his hold and dropped to his feet, sliding up next to me.

Remembering our upcoming break, I called back at Drew, “Enjoy your time off and if anyone has a question?—”

“We won’t call you, but you can think I will. Happy holidays to both of you and tell Phoenix hi for me.”

Drew, our right-hand man who handled emergencies for both of us more times than we could count, met Phoenix one day when our man brought us lunch.

Well, Arthur suggested it and drove our man because he wanted to nose around the office.

While Arthur pulled open drawers and questioned the employees in the office, Phoenix hit it off with Drew, who became a constant figure in the bakery where Phoenix and the crew welcomed him with open arms.

“We will. Thanks for everything, Drew. And don’t forget the party on Christmas Eve. We’re having it at our house instead of the bakery. Bring a date,” I suggested.

“Date? Who’s our Drew interested in?” B asked.

“Never you mind, Burton.”

We laughed as we headed toward the truck and drove away.

In our self-interest, the three of us spent Thanksgiving weekend holed up in the house, taking the girls for walks around the neighborhood, and spending the rest of our time naked and in bed. But we discovered the Monday after, Phoenix loved the Christmas season. He took the day off and raided his apartment for his decorations before buying out the local thrift and dollar stores of fairy lights, wreaths, and ornaments.

When we arrived home, it was like walking into a winter wonderland.

The eight foot tall tree sparkling with silver garland, cute ornaments, and enough fairy lights to land a plane on our roof. I worried for a minute it might be a fire hazard.

“Isn’t it great? I couldn’t bring myself to buy a tree I couldn’t replant, so I found this monstrosity and added the pine scent.”

“Oh, thank fuck! I thought for a moment the house was going to burn to the ground.”

For that, Phoenix narrowed his eyes at me before he sent me out to put up the outdoor lights, dragging B along with me after both of us kissed Phoenix breathless and promising more later.

Both of us scanned the block to see if Aalto beat us there, but I hadn’t spotted him.

As we entered the bakery, Arthur nodded toward the kitchen.

“Did he nail the croissant recipe?”

A loud groan escaped Arthur as he dropped his head down and shook it. “Now you did it.”

That’s when we heard Phoenix’s shout, “Who’s fucking idea was this?”

Chuckling, we entered the kitchen to see a mess everywhere. Flour, butter, and the scent of sweet fruit struck me before I noticed the bowls of chopped, sliced, and whole fruit.

“What about dried fruit? It still has a bit of moisture, but not enough to wreck the dough.” B asked.

A mound of dough sailed across the steel utility table, and I ducked out of the way. The throw still hit its mark when it struck B in the shoulder.

“What?”

Phoenix growled, making me laugh. I ignored the dirty apron and lifted him into my arms. He glared at B while I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent.

“Fuck, I could have just turned the dried fruit into paste and then added it! You couldn’t tell me this three hours ago?”