Page 125 of Already Callin’ You Mine

EPILOGUE

JACE

Christmas Eve

“Whatcha doin, Mama?” I ask, plopping down onto the couch.

Presley doesn’t look up from her phone, her scowl deepening as she shifts, drawing her legs in to make room for me.

Uh-oh, that’s not a good sign.

I give her a minute, sneaking a glance over at Otis, who is sitting in front of the Christmas tree, staring up at it like Santa is going to burst out of it at any moment. He’s been very concerned all season that Santa isn’t going to be able to find him, since he doesn’t live in the same house he was in last year. We’ve written a couple of letters, and visited the big guy at the mall to make sure that he received the change of address notice. Still, I know there is a tinge of worry inside Little Man.

He has no reason for concern—Santa is one hundred percent aware of where he lives now. In fact, Mrs. Claus might have gotten a little upset with Santa for going a little overboard when it came to the presents this year.

I couldn’t help it though. It’s our first one as a family, and I want to make sure it’s perfect.

Just wait until she sees what my parents and siblings did for the first member of the next generation of Hayes. She’s really going to lose her shit then. I can’t wait.

Turning back to Presley, I nudge her with my foot, trying to steal her attention. Because her attention isn’t the only thing I want to steal—but I’m doing my best to hold back. Don’t want any of that whole “I saw mommy kissing Santa” business.

“Pres…”

She looks up, brows still knit together. “Sorry, just tryin’ to deal with some stuff.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to work this week?”

I didn’t believe her when she said it, but she swore up and down that she was going to take this week off. No work. We were leaving that at the office. Because the only thing that mattered this week was family and fun. Making sure our first Christmas as a unit was everything it should be.

Presley isn’t that kind of woman though. Yes, she’s the kind that decorates every inch of the house, making sure that holiday spirit radiates off every surface. Stockings hung, garland draped, and a massive, beautiful tree all lit up. She also made sure that Otis hit up every single holiday activity there was, not missing out on a single thing. Which in itself was a feat, because on top of all that, we moved me into their house, making it fully official.

Well, almost fully official.

“I wasn’t. Until people started tagging Southern Brothers in the latest Wink & Shine post and…” Letting out a long sigh, she forces one side of her mouth into a sad smile. “It’s a mess, Jace.”

“I’m sure it’ll die down.”

Presley shrugs. “I’m not so sure. Yes, we got Brandt off there, but some random has picked up in his wake, with a fake account, and…arrggh…” She inhales deeply and I can all but see her trying to count to ten in her head. “Margeaux is working the faker from the legal side, but Wink & Shine is pissed. And I can’t blame them. I would be too. I reached out to their social media team, but I haven’t heard anything. Apparently they’re already on vacation.”

I reach for her phone, taking it from her. She doesn’t fight me. Simply sighs again and snuggles into the couch, turning to look at Otis.

“As you should be. Family and fun, remember?”

“Right.” Reaching out for me with her foot, she strokes my leg, her smile turning serene. “It’s a good thing my family is a lot of fun.”

“We should play a game.”

“A game?” She perks up, her mind going somewhere else.

I laugh, shaking my head. Save that for later, Mama…

“Hey, Little Man, wanna play a game?”

“Yeah!”

Sweet. It’s go time.

“Alrighty. I’ve hidden a bunch of candy canes around the house. Most of them are regular size, but there is also a great big one, that has another surprise attached to it. I’m gonna set the timer for fifteen minutes, and whoever has the most candy canes at the end, wins.”