Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 31777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“Put it on!” Maeve told him. “I need a photo of you for Dahlia.
Gray pulled a face as he put on the sweater.
Everyone took one look at him and burst out laughing. He just shook his head as he stared down at the sweater.
“First, she knits me a poop sweater and now I get a dick sweater.”
“It’s meant to be a Christmas tree,” Maeve explained with a giggle.
“That isn’t a Christmas tree,” Abe said. “It’s a dick for sure.”
Maeve was wearing her own sweater from Dahlia, which was nearly as interesting. Cat thought it was probably meant to be Rudolph, but he looked very abstract. Why was his head so big and his body so small?
“She knitted things for everyone else, too. She said she was sorry that she didn’t have time to do sweaters for you all.” Maeve handed out packages.
Cat eagerly opened hers. “Yes! My very own Dahlia scarf!” It was white with brown splotches that kind of looked like bits of dirt and it was really thin at one end and thick at the other. “I’ll treasure it forever.”
“It’s interesting,” Alejandro said.
She turned to him and burst into laughter. He’d gotten a hat. It was so big that it fell halfway down his head. It was green with these weird yellow pieces coming off it, like it was growing hair.
“You look awesome, Papi!” she told Alejandro.
“Awesome is not the word I would use,” Sampson said with a smirk.
“Well, I think you rock it!” Cat told him, leaning into him.
“What even is this?” Abe asked as he stared at what he held. “Is it a scarf? It’s all stitched in a circle.”
“It’s a snood!” Maeve told him. She put it over her head so it sat around her neck. “See?”
“I see. The color is . . . interesting.”
It was neon yellow. They’d be able to see him on the moon.
As everyone laughed and took photos, Cat stood there with a smile.
There was only one thing missing . . . and she just hoped that out there Isaiah was safe and happy.
As she thought that, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Around her, several other phones went off too.
Picking up her phone, she glanced at the message.
“Isaiah,” she said.
“Fuck,” Abe muttered. “Where is that bastard?”
“I’m going to kill him for worrying us all,” Sampson added.
“He says, Merry Christmas,” Immy added. “I’m so worried about him.”
“At least he’s alive,” Alejandro said. “And thinking of you all.”
Yes, there was that.
But when he returned, Cat might just murder him herself.
Alejandro wrapped himself around her from behind, kissing her neck until she relaxed.
“Merry Christmas, Kitten,” he said. “I hope it’s been a good one, even without Isaiah here.”
She glanced around.
Jenner wiped Immy’s face as she sat on Tobias’s lap. She’d had a hot chocolate mustache.
Abe and Sampson laughed over their creations from Dahlia. Even Rafael, the Scot, and Bernie had been given Dahlia creations. Bernard was looking at it like it might bite him while Rafael was actually rocking his snood.
The Scot was talking to Cat’s mama. She’d arrived earlier that afternoon to celebrate Christmas with them. She looked amazing in her bright pink scarf that was so long it reached down to her feet.
Gray was fussing at Maeve to sit down. In the end he sat and drew her onto his lap. His hand rested on her tummy and Cat sighed.
There was going to be a new member of their family soon and she couldn’t wait.
She turned to Alejandro, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“It’s been amazing, Papi. Merry Christmas.”
Cat tapped her spoon against her hot chocolate mug.
The three of them were gathered in the living room next to the Christmas tree.
Maeve let out a yawn. They were all tired after an amazing Christmas day but this was important.
Maeve was snuggled under a blanket on the sofa and Immy had joined Cat to sit on the floor in front of the fire. The men were all away doing manly things.
Boring.
Her mama had just gone to bed and Bernie was . . . well, she wasn’t sure where he was.
But that didn’t matter.
“Right, I’ve called this meeting of us Littles because we have something important to discuss.”
Immy’s eyes widened. “What is it?”
“The evil elves. They’re all tattletales. They’ve been tattling on us back to our Daddies and it’s unacceptable.”
“How do you think they’ve been doing that?” Maeve asked curiously.
“Because they’re magic, of course,” Immy said.
Cat shook her head. “No, Immy. It’s not magic. Not good magic. This is evil magic.”
“I don’t think that elves are evil, Cat,” Maeve told her. “And if you were being good they wouldn’t have anything to report back.”
Cat glared at her. “I don’t want logic right now, Maeve. I want action! We’re kidnapping Evil Elfie. Are you with me?”
“Aye-aye!” Immy said excitedly.
“Oh, this is a bad idea,” Maeve said. They both got up and followed Cat as she snuck out to the entrance where she was certain that Evil Elfie was still hanging out.