“My name,” she breathed, wonder and love shining in her tear-bright eyes.
"I took everything that makes you, you," I added softly, stepping closer until I could cup her face in my hands. "Your love, your light, your strength, your name. All of it. Because before you, I was lost. But now... now I have love worth fighting for."
She slipped the jersey over her silk pajama top without hesitation, the soft fabric draping perfectly over her curves. The sight of her wearing“CATALYST”across her back—my name, our name—made possessive affection roar to life in my chest.
She was mine, and now the whole world knew it.
The other girls were having their own emotional moments, Sierra practically vibrating with joy as she pulled on her“KILLER”jersey while Connor watched with that soft expression he reserved only for her.
Estelle was already wearing hers, doing a little spin to show off“LION”written across her back while Jax looked like he might actually tear up behind his mask.
"This is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me," Isla said, her voice thick with emotion as she looked down at the jersey that proclaimed our unity to the world.
"It's just the beginning, angel," I promised, pulling her into my arms for a kiss that tasted like tears and Christmas magic. "We have the rest of our lives to give each other beautiful things."
We were a family after all, in every way that mattered.
Hours later, when the living room had settled into comfortable quiet and the others had drifted off to their own romantic moments, I took Isla's hand and led her upstairs to our room for one last night together.
Our bedroom was bathed in moonlight that streamed through the frost-covered windows, painting everything in silver and shadow. Thejersey she wore, our jersey, seemed to glow in the ethereal light, and I felt my breath catch at the sight of her.
"Do you know what this means to me?" I asked, closing the door behind us and turning to face her fully.
She stepped closer, her hands finding my chest, fingers splaying across the warm, naked skin. "Tell me."
I covered her hands with mine, feeling the steady rhythm of my heartbeat beneath our joined palms. "Growing up, I never thought I'd have a family name worth wearing. Never thought I'd find someone who'd want to share theirs with me."
Her eyes shimmered with emotion. "Adrian..."
"You know what I came from," I continued, my voice rough with old pain and new hope. "You know the darkness I carry. But you looked at all of that and decided I was worth your name."
She rose up on her toes, her lips finding mine in a kiss that was soft and sweet and absolutely devastating. "You were always worth it," she whispered against my mouth. "Always."
The kiss deepened, her lips parting under mine as my tongue swept inside to taste her. She was warm and sweet, with just a hint of the hot chocolate we'd shared earlier, and I felt myself getting lost in the sensation of her mouth moving against mine.
My hands found her waist, fingers sliding beneath the hem of her jersey and pajamas to touch bare skin. She was impossibly soft, her flesh warming under my palms as I traced the delicate curve of her waist. Every touch drew soft sighs from her throat that made my dick come to life.
"I love you," I breathed against her lips, the words carrying years of gratitude and wonder.
“I love you too,” she whispered back, her hands tangling in my hair to pull me down for another kiss.
This one was hungrier, our tongues dancing together in a rhythm that spoke of need, longing, and devotion.
I could taste her desire, could feel it in the way she pressed herself against me, the soft moans that escaped her throat.
My hands roamed higher, sliding up her back to map the gracefulline of her spine. Her skin was like velvet under my fingertips, warm and smooth and perfect.
“Touch me,” she breathed, and how the fuck could I not?
I lifted the jersey over her head, revealing inch by inch of porcelain skin that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Her pajamas followed, and then she was bare from the waist up, beautiful and trusting and mine.
“So pretty,” I murmured, my inked hands cupping her generous breasts. “The prettiest Christmas angel."
Her nipples peaked under my touch, and when I lowered my head to take one into my mouth, she arched against me with the prettiest gasp.
My tongue swirled around the sensitive bud, sucking hard until she was trembling in my arms.
"Adrian," she moaned, her fingers tightening in my hair. “More.”
