Page 25 of Gator (Bourbon Kings MC #1)
The next morning, Sugar and I were sitting on the back lanai watching Wade, Enigma, and Romeo run around with Sugar’s boys, Benny and Sean, and I wondered what my sister was doing.
It was Christmas Eve, and this was the first time since Henley had been born that I would celebrate Christmas without her and, if I were honest, I didn’t like it. I mean, I got she had her own family now, but she was mine first.
My only sister.
My only connection to a family.
It was nice to see Sugar, but she wasn’t Henley.
Hell, maybe I was just hungry or something. I didn’t know.
“Do you know what Wade got you for Christmas?” Sugar asked, chuckling as Benny tripped Enigma, and Sean jumped on his back.
I shook my head, absently swirling the coffee in my mug. “No idea.”
Sugar leaned back, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Come on. Wade’s not exactly the mysterious type. You’ve got to have some guesses.”
I paused, my gaze drifting over the kids tumbling in the grass, their laughter rising like musical notes into the crisp air. My lips curved upward in spite of myself. “Knowing him, it’ll be something ridiculous.”
Sugar laughed, her voice a warm counterpoint to the December chill. “Well, I hope it’s something good. Christmas deserves a little over-the-top, don’t you think?”
I nodded, though my heart wasn’t fully in it.
Christmas, for me, wasn’t the glittering lights or wrapped packages—it was Henley’s bright laugh, the way she used to insist on matching pajamas and cinnamon rolls made from scratch.
It was family, and this year, it felt... incomplete.
Sugar must’ve sensed it—the way my thoughts had wandered to a place she couldn’t follow. She reached out, her hand warm against my forearm. “Hey,” she said softly, her grin fading into something gentler. “It’s okay to miss her. Henley misses you too. I know it.”
I blinked, startled at her insight, and then gave a small nod. “I know. It’s just... some days are harder than others, you know?”
“Yeah, I do.” Sugar’s gaze turned wistful, a rare vulnerability breaking through her usual teasing demeanor. “But you’re here and starting a new life. This time next year, you will be so busy with your own babies, you won’t have time to think of anything else.”
Her words settled in the quiet spaces of my heart, heavy but oddly comforting.
I turned my attention back to the boys, who had now formed a chaotic pile of arms and legs in the grass, squealing with delight.
“You’re right,” I said finally, smiling as Wade picked up Sean and threw him in the air, causing the little boy to squeal in delight as Romeo rushed over and caught him, holding him like a football as Wade chased after them.
Sugar’s grin returned, slow and triumphant. “That’s the spirit. Now, let’s see if we can figure out what Wade’s cooking up for you. My money’s on something that lights up or makes noise.”
I snorted as Wade stumbled over and plopped his ass down next to me, out of breath. “I can’t anymore. I ain’t as young as I once was. Those boys are trying to kill me.”
“And what are you going to do if Devlyn’s carrying boys?” Sugar asked, looking at her cousin.
“Ship them off to the bayou until they turn eighteen. Safer for everyone that way.”
Sugar threw her head back and laughed.
“And if they are girls?” I asked, curious about his response.
He shivered, then quickly sat up, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before saying, “Then I’m moving to the bayou, and you can come get me when they are forty.”
“Forty?” Sugar questioned.
Wade shrugged nonchalantly, his grin sly and unapologetic. “That’s when I figure they’ll be old enough to stop scaring me half to death. Girls are a whole different league, and I’m not ready for the heartbreak they’ll bring their old man.”
Sugar barely stopped laughing long enough to gasp, “You’re ridiculous, Wade. Absolutely ridiculous.”
Before Wade could defend his honor, Enigma darted over, carrying Sean by the straps of his little overalls. He paused, eyeing the group with a mischievous glint before carefully depositing the giggling boy into Wade’s lap, almost as if he were returning stolen property.
“Oh great,” Wade groaned, his exhaustion evident. “A delivery I didn’t order.”
Sean promptly climbed up Wade’s chest, grabbing Wade’s neck so the little boy could climb up and sit on his shoulders. Wade muttered something about new definitions of torture, but his expression softened, betraying his utter adoration.
Sugar nudged me conspiratorially, her grin as sharp as ever. “You see? He’s already doomed, whether it’s boys or girls. I say we just sit back and enjoy the show.”
“ Chèr, I’ve got to run to the bar later. You okay here by yourself?”
“And why wouldn’t she be?” Romeo’s sister walked out carrying a tray of goodies, placing it on the table.
Wade glanced over at the tray, his brows lifting as the scent of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air. “Did you make those, C.C.?” he asked, his tone half-skeptical, half-teasing as he got to his feet with Sean sitting comfortably on his shoulders.
C.C. set her hands on her hips, her expression mock offended. “And what if I did?”
“Well, then I’d say the apocalypse must be nigh,” Wade quipped with a smirk, dodging a playful swat from her as Sean laughed merrily.
Sugar snickered from the sidelines, leaning toward me with a conspiratorial whisper, “You’d think he’d learn to stop provoking her. But no, not Wade.”
“Some people never learn,” I murmured, shaking my head in amusement as C.C. shot Wade a glare that could wither a wildflower.
“Go on, try one,” C.C. challenged, plucking a cookie from the tray and holding it out as though daring him to refuse.
Wade sighed dramatically and let go of Sean just long enough to accept the offering. He took a deliberate bite, chewing with exaggerated thoughtfulness. “Hmm,” he mused, dragging out the silence until C.C.’s patience visibly thinned. “Not bad. Almost as good as my m?man’s , but edible.”
C.C. rolled her eyes so hard I worried they might get stuck. “You’re impossible.”
“True,” Wade said around another bite, grinning unrepentantly. “But you wouldn’t have me any other way.”