A Very Merry Hockey Holiday (Assassins #6.5) (12 page)

“Y’all sure do love your momma,” Olivia said with a big ol’ fake grin on her face.

“Ugh, yeah, she’s our momma,” Evan said with a look on his face that said he thought she was an idiot. “Duh.”

“Evan Marcus, that’s rude,” Shea reprimanded and Evan nodded.

“Yes, sir. Sorry, Grandma.”

“Oh, you’re fine!” she said, way too quickly, in Elli’s opinion.

Elli smiled as she laced her fingers with Evan’s. “Well, I sure do love y’all, and thank you, Mother.”

That ended the conversation, and shortly after dinner, they were gathered around the big Christmas tree, opening gifts. Sitting in Shea’s lap, Elli moved her fingers along his jaw as she watched her little bits open the presents her family had gotten them. Of course, they spoiled them and Elli hated it. She wished they were more involved than just buying them things. Minus her father, of course. Elli would never think that of her father.

“I love you,” Shea whispered in her ear, and she grinned as she leaned her head against his.

“I love you.”

“Good, can you go get me another beer, please?”

She giggled as she shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I need beer. I have to be at least almost drunk to deal with your mother,” he said softly with all the seriousness in the world.

“Touché,” she said with a nod before getting up to head to the kitchen. “Daddy, do you need another beer?”

“Sure, my sweetheart, thank you,” he said with a wink. She kissed his cheek before heading through her childhood home. Soon she noticed that nothing had changed. Her dad had let it go some since he had been drowning himself with work, but she was sure it would not stay that way with Olivia back home. She would have this place back to pristine condition in no time. Probably the only good thing about her mother returning.

Taking frozen mugs out of the freezer, she poured two beers and threw the cans away. As she turned to leave, she paused when she almost came crashing into Victoria. Her sister was all legs and still as gorgeous as ever. Long, dark auburn hair curled down her shoulders, her green eyes were wicked, and her lips devastating to any man who came in contact.

Meeting her gaze, Elli looked away quickly and said, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Victoria said, but she didn’t move. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Elli’s brows came up as she set the mugs on the counter. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

Victoria cleared her throat and looked down at her hands. “We haven’t spoken much since everything went down.”

“No, we haven’t.”

“Yeah, well, I…well, you see, I—” she stopped and took in a deep breath before meeting Elli’s questioning gaze. “I want to change that. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want you to be mad at me. I want to be able to see my nieces and nephews. I want a relationship with you.”

Elli’s brows came in. Huh? “Why?”

Victoria smiled, but Elli could tell she was uncomfortable. Clearing her throat, she said, “Because I’ve learned being a bitch drives everyone away. I’m trying to change and fix the wrong I’ve done. I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done to you. The name-calling, the putting you down, the trying to ruin you and Shea. I was wrong, and I am very sorry for that.”

Elli could only blink as her older sister, who she’d always thought was Satan, slowly started to cry.

“I adore your children. They are beautiful souls, and I really would like the chance to spend more time with them and you. I want us to be sisters, not strangers.”

Looking away, Elli took in a sharp breath. This was completely crazy. They hadn’t spoken more than two sentences to each other in almost eight years. “I’m sorry, but this has kind of left me speechless.”

“I know,” Victoria agreed. “I don’t deserve your trust, or even for you to accept my apology, but I promise, I am being true and speaking from the heart. I’m not under Mom’s control anymore. I’m my own woman. I don’t need anyone anymore, but I want to have you and the kids in my life.”

Her eyes were sincere, and this was the first time Elli had ever seen her sister look at her like that. Elli didn’t know if she could trust her, but she kinda wanted to. She had always wanted a real, loving relationship with Victoria. She’d envied her when she was growing up and wished that she would have given her the time of day. Kind of like how Harper was with her baby sisters. She wanted that, and maybe this was her chance.

Or maybe it would all blow up in her face. She wasn’t sure, but slowly she nodded, a grin pulling at her lips as she said, “I would like that. Maybe we can get together for coffee when I get back from Fiji.”

Victoria’s lip quivered as she nodded, her eyes not leaving Elli’s. “I would really love that.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Elli said with a laugh later that night as she lay beside her husband in bed.

“Because why would you agree to go to have coffee with the person who tried to break us up?”

“Because she is my sister.”

“So what, next is your mom?”

Elli shook her head. “My mom hasn’t apologized, Victoria did, and she wants to know me and have a relationship with me. It can’t hurt to give it a shot.”

He looked skeptical as he shrugged. “Just be careful.”

“I will, and plus Christmas is a time for forgiving and loving thy neighbor.”

“I doubt that neighbor schemed against you and kissed your boyfriend to make you break up with him.”

Elli smiled as she hooked a leg over his hip. “Probably not, but we overcame it.”

“After three months of hell. Took me busting some glass and paying a fine to get you to listen to me,” he added.

“But look at us now!”

He chuckled as he gathered her in his arms. “Yeah, look at us. Happy, kids, the whole nine yards huh?”

She nodded, her fingers tangling in the hairs at the nape of his neck. “It’s a pretty great life.”

“I couldn’t agree more, and to think, I get a whole week to make love to you every second of the day.”

“Mmmm,” she purred against his lips. “The great thing is I can’t get pregnant either.”

That had them both laughing, shaking the bed as their laughter filled the room. Gathering her in his arms, he kissed her nose and then one side of her mouth and the other before her lips. As her heart pounded against her ribs, she couldn’t think of another place she’d rather be than in Shea Adler’s arms. She wasn’t sure of the future, but as long as it was with Shea and her kiddos, she’d be just fine.

Christmas had been an eventful one, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was her life—eventful and crazy with her clan of kids and mind-blowing husband. She wasn’t sure how she got this fortunate, but she thanked the good Lord above as her husband slowly peeled her clothes away before making sweet love to her. It was a blessing to not only wake up being the wife of her gorgeous husband but the mother of five of the best kids on this planet. And as her husband slowly moved inside of her, his eyes trained on hers, Elli Adler knew that life couldn’t get any better.

She had it all.

“K
acey, you’ve been on that phone all damn afternoon. Put it the hell down!”

Lacey King giggled as her mother-in-law, Regina, tried to knock her daughter’s phone out of her hand.

“Ma! Stop!” Kacey yelled back. “This is important!”

“What could be so damn important that you’d rather be on that phone than talk to us?”

“Duh, Ma, a dude,” she informed her, looking at her mother with a deadpan expression.

Lacey giggled as she shook her head. Having her in-laws home was a blessing in disguise. She loved them, but man, they were loud.

“A dude?” Regina asked, a little taken aback. “Who?”

Kacey’s grin grew and Lacey smiled. Her sister-in-law was a beautiful woman. Strong as an ox and built like one too. Her eyes were like razors, sharp and beautiful, while her hair was finally touching her shoulders. Since Karson, her brother and Lacey’s husband, constantly said she was a lesbian, Lacey had noticed that Kacey had started to grow her hair out. If she was a showstopper with short hair, Lord help the male gender when she grew it out.

“No one,” she said, waving her off before tucking her phone in her pocket. “I’m done. What’s up?”

“Well, I’m trying to talk Lacey into having a baby. Help me,” Regina said and Lacey just giggled.

“Ma, please, they’ll do it when they want to,” Kacey said with a shake of her head. “But please, Lacey, pop one out so she’ll shut up.”

Lacey grinned as she shrugged. “I can say we aren’t preventing it, but we aren’t trying. We are giving it to the Lord.”

“I love her,” Regina said with a dreamy look on her face. “She’s a great woman: smart and beautiful and God-fearing. We picked a good one for our Karson.”

Lacey laughed as she shook her head. “I’m pretty sure he picked me.”

“Yes, but we decided to keep you,” Regina said with a wink before kissing Lacey’s cheek. “Best decision ever. Now we just need Kacey to find a good man.”

Kacey scoffed at that. “Please. There are no good men in the world. Daddy and Karson have set the bar too high.”

“Agreed,” Lacey said, sending Kacey a grin. “But yours is out there.”

“Eh, I’m good with my life.”

“That’s all that matters,” Lacey said before Regina could object to that.

“I’m gonna take these to the men,” Regina said, taking the meals that Lacey had just plated and leaving for the living room.

Smiling contentedly, Lacey took a sip of her tea as she looked around the kitchen. She loved this kitchen. She loved her house. She loved Nashville. But most of all, she loved Karson so much. The last month had been perfect. They couldn’t be more in love, and everything was moving great for them. They were still looking for a location to expand Lacey’s Lace, but she knew in her heart that the right place was there, and when she found it, it was on.

She couldn’t wait to open the new store. She decided that Rachel would be the manager of the one in Chicago, and she would take over running the one in Nashville. Thinking of Rachel, she smiled. She and Grady had left two days ago after spending Christmas with Lacey and the Kings. Lacey was surprised when her brother said that he wanted to spend Christmas in Nashville because that meant they wouldn’t be spending it with their dad since Lacey still wasn’t talking to him.

It had been tough, but she stood by what she said. She wouldn’t let him ruin her. Since she wasn’t talking to him, she guessed he realized that he would have to really prove that he wasn’t going to try to break her and Karson up because he had been on his best behavior. Every day she got an email from him asking how she was. He sent flowers and elaborate gifts for Christmas. He even sent Karson a new hockey stick. Karson joked that it had anthrax on it, but she did think it was a start. Still though, she didn’t call him. She sent him a very short email saying thank you, but that she wasn’t ready to talk to him.

And she wasn’t. She wasn’t sure when she would be either. He’d broken her heart, but thankfully, Karson put it back together. She refused to be unhappy, so she cut out the bad. Fortunately, things between her and Rachel were good after a very long talk. She knew that her dad had been manipulating Rachel; Lacey just wished Rachel wouldn’t have given in to him. Rachel’s need for a father figure was insane, but Lacey was glad she opened her eyes and saw that Lacey’s father was not the father figure she needed. He wasn’t a father figure at all. He was a controlling bastard, and Lacey wouldn’t have any part of it.