Shattered Girl (Emmy)

I don't know who was happier that finals were over: me or the twins. The first day after their last final, we all checked in. I was the last one up, and all the guys had been quiet just to make sure I slept. A few days later, when their grades were posted, Josh ended up with a 3.8 and Jake a 3.9, and we were all thrilled.

Deciding to stay home for Christmas had been a good choice. The guys surprised me with an overnight trip to New York, and they took me to Rockefeller Center to see the big tree. The guys attempted to take me ice skating, but after several falls and me clinging to the side of the rink and refusing to move, they gave up and took me to get hot chocolate instead. When I warmed up again, Patrick suggested a shopping trip, and we searched for stores.

I learned several things about shopping with my guys. It was impossible to distract them when I found something I thought they would like for Christmas. Patrick was scary with a no-limit credit card, and Drew hated crowds. I took pity on him and asked him to come with me to get coffee. The coffee run turned into wandering around people-watching, stopping to get a hot pretzel or roasted nuts. I loved all the food carts, and when we finally met back up with the others, and Patrick had called a car to take us back to the hotel, I was stuffed and more than ready for a nap.

We had gotten home in the late afternoon the following day, and Darren had an early dinner ready for us because the guys wanted to take me to pick out a tree. I was excited because I had no good memories of the holidays. There had never been money for decorations or presents, and I couldn't wait to go.

When we got to the tree lot, I was so excited I couldn't stand it. I wanted to tap my foot impatiently while the guys climbed out of the car. The guys chuckled and watched in amusement as I wandered from tree to tree. I loved them all and didn't know which one to choose. It had snowed recently, dusting all the trees in a light layer of snow that made the whole experience more magical.

The debate began when it came down to a fluffy fir or a tall blue spruce. After several rounds of voting, it was still tied. Jake, Josh, and I wanted the fir tree, and Patrick, Drew, and Mike wanted the blue spruce. It was getting late, and I was getting cold, so I just got both. One could go in our downstairs game room and the other in the main floor family room. Patrick made arrangements to have the trees delivered, and the rest of us searched for hot cocoa.

The following day, the trees were delivered, and the guys rangled them into the two rooms. Darren had ordered some Christmas ornaments, and the guys also had their boxes, so we began decorating once the trees could fluff back up. It was a perfect day spent together.

A couple of days before Christmas, Mr. Johnson, my attorney, called wanting me to come in and look over some paperwork dealing with my trust and accounts. His investigator, Dom, also wanted to meet with us, so we all piled into the car and drove into the city. After I went over and signed the paperwork Mr. Johnson needed, we met Dominic, and to say none of my guys were a fan of him was an understatement. He was a tall man and looked like he was in his mid-twenties. His curly brown hair had that messy look like he just rolled out of bed, his lip and eyebrow were both pierced, and I could see tattoos peaking out of the sleeves of his suit jacket and the collar of his shirt.noveldrama

The minute he walked in, Josh grumbled and stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. He introduced himself to us, and when he shook my hand, holding it a few seconds longer than necessary, I heard more grumbles. I caught a quick smile on Dominic's lips, and I held back a giggle, knowing he was flirting with me on purpose.

It was hard to keep a straight face because Dominic wasn't even remotely intimidated by the glares. I noticed that the more my guy glared, the more he flirted. I did my best to ignore the display of testosterone and focus on what Dominic had found. Unfortunately, we still did not have a name to go with the messages, but Dominic felt he was getting close.

Patrick had joked about having people "disappear," but I didn't think it would have kept us from knowing if he had somehow found this guy and taken care of him—at least, I hoped he wouldn't. Wait, did I want to know if he had given those orders? I would have to put a pin in that thought for another day. I would enjoy my first Christmas with my guys no matter what.

Christmas Eve was fun and relaxed. I had managed to find all of us matching Christmas pajamas, and we spent the day in them, lounging in the game room watching every Christmas movie we could find, stuffing ourselves with popcorn, candy, and hot cocoa. That night I fell asleep between Jake and Drew cozy and warm and excited for Christmas morning.