Christmas with the Reeds (Reed Brothers) (2 page)

I never know if I’m supposed to offer to push Josh or if he’s supposed to do it all himself, so I just walk. He comes with me.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

We step into the elevator and the doors close. I push the button for the eighth floor. It’s the same floor Pete and Reagan are on.

The elevator doors open and we walk down the hallway, and I can feel Josh’s eyes searching my face.

We stop at a door and I let myself in using a key. I hope he likes it. We walk into the room.

Josh turns in a circle. “Nice digs,” he says. “Whose is it?”

I lay the key on top of my thumb and flick it toward him. He catches it in the air. “If you want it, it’s yours.”

He stops and looks around.

“It’s three bedrooms, which is probably more than you need. But we’re using the smaller apartments downstairs for another project, and this one is perfect for you.”

We had our architect widen the doorways, lower the counters, and make it handicapped accessible.

I walk to the bathroom and flip on the light. There is a huge shower stall he can roll his wheelchair into, and the separate tub has been fitted with a bench. The whole room has been converted so Josh can roll in and out.

“If there’s anything we didn’t think of, just let me know. We’ll get it done.”

“You did this for me?” Josh asks, his voice quiet and wistful.

“Yeah.” I suddenly have a lump in my throat and it’s hard to talk past it.

He shakes his head. “I can’t accept this.”

I lean against the doorjamb in the bathroom. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t have a pot to piss in. They gave me clothes from the rag bag when I left the prison, dude. I don’t have a penny to my name. I can’t afford this place.”

I shrug. “Well, I know where you work.”

Josh’s eyes get bigger. “You mean I can come back to the tattoo shop?”

I shake my head and his face falls. “No, wait,” I say. “You can come back, but not as a janitor. I want you doing tats. Every day, all day. If that’s what you want to do.”

“Seriously?”

“And Sam could use someone dependable at the restaurant when it opens. He could use you too, if you’re interested in that kind of work.”

“I’m a felon.”

“I know. So is Pete.”

Suddenly, a tear flows over Josh’s lashes and I have to turn and look away. He swipes at his face.

“Why are you doing this?” he asks, his voice rough.

“Sometimes a man just needs a chance.”

“I’m going to pay rent,” he insists.

“Okay.”

“And I’ll pay you back for the improvements.”

I shrug. “Okay.”

“And I’ll work really hard for you.”

I nod. “I know you will.”

“My last name isn’t Reed.”

“I know.” I squat down so I can look into his face. “Dude, don’t you know by now that names mean nothing? Some family you’re born with, and some you grow into. You’ve grown into ours, and we’re keeping you.”

He swallows so hard I can hear it. “You’re sure?”

I nod. I’ve been sure about it for a long time. “You have to wear the tights, though.”

“Tights?”

I pat his shoulder and stand up. “It’s required.” I look around the apartment. “What do you think of the place?”

“I think it’s more than I could have dreamed for. And that I don’t deserve it.”

I wince. “I have one rule.”

“What is it?”

“If you don’t want to be here, tell me. Don’t make me have to kick you out because you did something stupid, okay? Our kids and our wives live in this building, and their safety is important to us.”

“It’s important to me too,” he says.

“I know.” I start toward the door. “There are clothes in the closet, and I think Friday put some food in the fridge to start you out. If you need an advance on your paycheck, you’ll find it in the top drawer in the kitchen.”

I open the door and hold it wide so he can roll through. He doesn’t come toward me, so I step farther into the hallway to get out of his way, holding the door with my foot.

“Paul,” he calls.

I turn back. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask, like it’s every day that I give someone an apartment.

“For trusting me,” he says as the elevator doors close.

It’s a long moment before I can breathe again.

“Let’s go put on some fucking tights,” he grumbles.

I grin. The things I’ll do for my brothers.

Sam

Fucking tights. I cannot believe Friday is making me wear
tights
. Daniel, Pete, Logan, Seth, and I are in Paul and Friday’s bedroom struggling into our elf costumes.

Pete holds his pair up and looks at them like they’re a puzzle in a Cracker Jack box. “What the heck am I supposed to do with them?” he asks.

Logan strips down to his boxers and sits on the edge of the bed. He starts to roll a pair of tights up, scrunching them up in his fingers until he gets to the toes. Then he shoves his hairy leg into one side, and repeats it on the other.

“Dude, you are too good at that,” Daniel says.

Logan shrugs. “I have a daughter,” he replies.

Logan didn’t look up, or have to read Daniel’s lips. I still can’t get used to that. He heard what Daniel said. Sometimes, I just want to sit back and watch as all the sounds hit Logan’s ears. I want to watch his reactions and see him take in noise. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s important.

Seth is doing the same thing Logan just did with the tights. “Dude,” I say.

“Little sisters,” he grunts. “They wear tights.”

“I’ve taken plenty of women
out
of tights, but I’ve never put one back
in
a pair,” Pete says. He hikes the waist of his tights up toward his nipples. “Are they supposed to squeeze your balls?”

“If you didn’t have them pulled up to your earlobes, I think you’d like them more,” Logan teases.

I open the door and stick my head out. “Cupcake!” I call. Peck comes down the hallway. “Were you planning to have another kid? Like, ever?”

She laughs. “Maybe. Why?”

“Because I think these tights are going to cut off my sperm-ability.”

She laughs again and I stick my head out the door to kiss her. Pete walks up behind me. “Is this how they go?” he asks.

He pulls the door open wide and Peck shrieks and spins to face the wall. He’s wearing boxers under the tights, but his nuts are squished into a big ball.

“Well, there’s an image I’ll never be able to get out of my head.” Peck stands there with her face covered.

I shove Pete’s shoulder. “What the fuck, Pete?” I say. “My wife is going to have your squashed nuts in her head now.”

“Better my squashed nuts than your real nuts,” Pete says. “I do have awesome nuts.”

“That’s not what Reagan says,” Peck taunts. This is one of the many reasons why I love her so much. She can keep up with my family.

“Oh,” I sing out, “Reagan dissed your nuts!”

“Reagan!” Pete yells.

Reagan pops her head around the corner and rolls her eyes at Pete. “What?”

“Have you been dissing my nuts?” Pete asks.

“Is that what you call what I did with them last night?” She grins at him.

Pete’s face turns red. “No, that’s called—”

“Hey!” Daniel shouts. “I don’t need to hear about your nuts or what your wife does with them.”

I mumble in Pete’s ear, “Dude, I totally
want
to hear about it. Later, though, when the prude has gone home.” I nod toward Daniel.

I look over and Daniel is completely dressed. He’s wearing green elf shorts, tights with one leg thin and wiry because of his prosthesis, a billowy white shirt, and he has a green felt hat with small red jingle bells on his head.

“I can’t believe you douchebags talked me into this,” he grumbles as he walks past us all and goes out into the living room. The girls all whistle and he takes a dramatic bow.

The rest of us finish getting dressed and go out to sit in the living room to wait for Josh and Paul. I just hope Josh is in a good mood when he gets here. And that he was willing to take Paul up on the offer.

He might have too much pride. We’ll have to wait and see.

“Oh, my God, you guys look amazing!” Friday squeals as she struts by. She’s wearing her vintage style, but she’s dressed in red and green for Christmas, because there will be cameras there tonight. That’s just a byproduct of our reality show. We’d do this event with or without them, but the people who watch our show get a kick out of good deeds, and so do we.

The door opens and Paul and Josh come back inside. Josh rolls to a stop. “I am not wearing one of those,” he says.

“Oh, yes you are,” Friday says. She glares at him.

“Seriously?” Josh’s eyes go wide.

“Totally,” Friday says, putting her hands on her hips. “Yours are in the bedroom.”

“We had better go and get changed,” Paul says. Josh turns to follow him into the bedroom.

“Wait,” Friday says. “Did I make a mistake? Will it be too difficult for you?” Her face flushes, because she just realized that tights might be hard for him.

“If I say yes, do I get out of wearing them?” Josh grins, looking back at her.

Friday throws a pillow at his head and he laughs. He goes into the bedroom with Paul and they both come out a few minutes later. It wasn’t too hard for him. He’s dressed just like Paul, and they both look as ridiculous as the rest of us.

A knock sounds on the door and we open it to find Peck’s four sisters. They’re babysitting while we go to this event. Well, everyone except Gracie, because she doesn’t like anyone but Matt. Matt’s going to wear her in a pouch on his front.

The Zeroes stop in the doorway and look from one man to another. “Oh, my God,” one of them says. “It’s like a
Twilight Zone
episode, where all the elves came to life but they were disproportional and awkward.”

Pete looks at me. “Did she just call us awkward?”

“I think so. And disproportional.” I’m still trying to decide what that means.

“I think they’re hot,” Peck says as she puts her arm around me. I lean over and kiss her forehead.

“Next year, they’ll be watching our baby, too,” I tell Peck, laying my hand on the roundness of her belly. She smiles at me and lays her head on my shoulder.

“We had better go or we’re going to be late.” Paul rushes everyone out the door. We have trucks outside the homeless shelter filled with toys for boys and girls, and we have surprises for the adults, too. Lots of them.

I rub my hands together. I can’t wait to do this.

Logan

I kiss my daughter on the head and follow Em out of the apartment. She trusts the Zeroes to watch Kit, so I do too. Besides, I don’t want to miss out on what’s going to happen tonight.

I still can’t believe Friday talked me into wearing a fucking elf costume.
With tights.
I tug on the leg of my tights, trying to give my balls some room. Sam wasn’t kidding. These things are seriously tight.

Emily arches a brow at me. “Something wrong?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

She grins and pulls out her phone. “You guys look amazing.” She snaps my picture.

I hold her hand as we walk down the street. It’s odd being able to walk beside her without having to keep my hands free for talking. We still sign, but not all the time. Now I can hold her hand like we’re any other couple, and not miss anything.

Em holds my hand in one of hers, and her guitar case in the other, and I can’t help but think back to the day that changed my life. The day when I tossed her over my shoulder and took her home with me. Her Betty Boop panties were flashing and I didn’t care. She hung there over my shoulder, and I wanted so badly to keep her safe, but what I didn’t realize was what she would give to me.

She accepted me exactly as I was. She communicated with me, and she did everything in her power to let me know she loved, wanted, and respected me. And all she asked from me was exactly that. She wanted the same in return, and loving her was unavoidable.

She squeezes my hand. “You okay?” she asks.

I nod and smile at her. “Fine.”

We’re on the way to a homeless shelter. It’s the same shelter that was full the night I took her home with me for the first time. I remember seeing her standing there on the sidewalk. She threw her head back and she had looked so defeated…but it didn’t last more than a moment. She’d squared her shoulders and powered on. Right into my heart.

Outside the shelter, a line has formed. Children stand around, giddy, waiting to see Santa Claus. And then there are the ones who don’t believe in Santa, because he’s never actually been to see
them
. Those are the ones I want to help most. Those are the ones who have shouldered burdens too early in life. Those are the ones who deserve to just be kids.