I moved in. “What are you doing?”

  She swung her gaze my way, and a storm showed. Anger. Fear. Regret. But also indignant. What did she have to be indignant about? As long as I’d been with Logan, she gave no fucks about me. The only reason I hadn’t cared is that she treated Sam nearly the same. Almost, but she was scared of Sam too.

  Helen asked, “What are you talking about?”

  I motioned to Tate. “You were just told by your daughter-in-law that the woman you’re protecting isn’t the mother of two of your grandsons. You asked the right question, but you moved to protect her. For what? Why wouldn’t you want to know the information before going to guard her?”

  “She’s the mother to my grand—”

  Sam was riling up, but I did a Logan. I spoke up first, “She’s not, actually. If they’re James’s kids, then they have no relation to you. Don’t know why you’re getting that mixed up, but also Samantha was very clear in her statement. She.” I pointed at Tate, who looked like she was envisioning my death, but I just waved at her instead, speaking to Helen, “Is not the mother of your grandsons. The real mother of your grandchildren is the one who just spoke, but you’re still standing to guard Logan’s ex against Sam.” The more I spoke, the more my anger was churning. Finally, my hormones just woke up with an attitude. “You’re a moron.”

  She gasped.

  Heather started laughing.

  Samantha was grinning too.

  “Excuse me?” Tate’s mouth dropped.

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. You have no place to act self-righteous. Mason called in a PI. It took her ten hours to find all the other men you’ve been screwing.” The glare lessened, being replaced by some caution. Her face got tight. She swallowed. I kept on, “The banker.” The blood was draining from her face. “The guy at the medical labs in Fallen Crest.” Even paler. “I’m betting if another paternity test was done, the results would be different.”

  Helen’s eyebrows snapped together. “What’s she talking about, Tate?”

  Tate continued to hold my gaze. I didn’t know why, if she was seeing if I was testing her, bluffing, but whatever it was, she saw, gulped again, and looked away.

  Zellman gave me a once-over, approval in his gaze. “Nice.”

  “Samantha?” That was from Helen, who was looking from me to Tate and Samantha. “Is that true?”

  Sam was also watching me, a thoughtful consideration taking over her. Her face went somber, and she raised her chin just slightly.

  I don’t know what got into me.

  I knew Helen didn’t like me. I never cared. She could think what she wanted. That was her problem. Not mine. But for her to guard Tate against Samantha? That made me want to take a taser to her because how fucking dare she?

  I shook my head, turning to face her. “Samantha’s had three of your grandchildren.” I nodded in Tate’s direction. “But you guard her? Her, who has a history of trying to fuck with Logan, Mason, and Sam. I can’t believe you’d be so fucking idiotic not to do your homework, not to know what Tate’s done. James cheated on you. He was cheating with her on his current wife, but you took her side? You doubled down on the cheater’s side? You didn’t reach out to tell Logan or Mason because you’re not dumb. You did that for a reason.”

  Helen was silent.

  That made me even angrier.

  “Are you serious? Nothing? You say nothing now?”

  “I know they wouldn’t be my grandchildren, but they’re new babies coming into the family. I wanted to be involved. I didn’t want to get pushed out and I knew my sons. They’d bring them in as if they were their sons. It’s how my boys are. I just wanted to be involved. How wrong is that?” Helen’s lip was trembling. Her voice cracked.

  Sam frowned. “Like you don’t see your real ones now? We come here all the time. Mason calls you every visit, and you make time for them maybe once every eighth visit. He offers to drive them over to you. You’ve taken him up on that offer twice in the last four years. Maddie’s not little anymore. She’s aware of what grandma is in her life and which one isn’t. She got confused the other night because we told her Malinda wasn’t her grandma through blood. She was devastated. I didn’t enjoy educating her on whose blood she actually did come from. Do you know what would’ve made that a lot better? If she had a better relationship with you.”

  Helen’s lip continued to shake. “I wanted to start new with Tate’s children.”

  “Start new? What happens to Sam’s children?”

  “Nothing. I mean, I’d continue—”

  “No.” Sam’s laugh was bitter and cold. “I got it. I do. Have at it. I don’t even want to share the news with you now. It’s on you to ask your son about it. Good luck, though.” She motioned to Tate. “Keep protecting her. And while you’re at it, you might want to start kissing Taylor’s ass.” Helen cringed, but Sam kept on, “Everyone sees how you treat her. It’s not much better than how you’ve treated me, but you’re a piece of work. Alienate your daughters-in-law—”

  “What?”

  Sam ignored Tate, still speaking to Helen, “—who are with your sons that have no problem walking from you. It’d make more sense if they were different sons, mama boys, but Mason and Logan aren’t like that. They put effort into who puts effort back in them, and that goes for their families too. I’m officially done. Here on out, you want a relationship? It’s on you to try. I have other things to say, but I’m holding back because you are Mason’s mother, and I know he does love you, even if he can’t stand you at times.” Her gaze went to Tate. Her voice was biting. “Have fun in jail. Knowing Logan, he’ll find a way to keep you there. I’m out of here.”

  She turned, walking back to Bren’s vehicle, pulling her phone out with her back pointedly to us.

  Helen didn’t react.

  Tate was still seething at me.

  I knew it then. A knot was in my gut, and it was tightening.

  I said it, “That’s why you did this? For Logan?”

  Defiance flared in before she banked it. “No. That ship’s sailed, but I care about Logan. Always will.”

  “Then why?” That came from Zellman.

  “Money, you idiot.”

  He chuckled. “Right. The chick zip-tied from an arrest in Vegas, being caught in the middle of another scam, is the one calling me an idiot. Probably might be why you’re where you’re at.”

  “That’s enough,” Helen spoke up but quiet. Her face was tight. She looked in pain. “It’s true? What they’ve all said.”

  Tate harrumphed, making a show of rolling her eyes. “The douche is right. You’re the idiot. Of course, it’s true, and you knew it. What Logan’s current cunt—OW!”

  Sam was back, and she had a knee on Tate’s neck, pressing her down. “You will never call Taylor that again.”

  Tate went still, eyeing Sam.

  She didn’t move a muscle, not even as Sam lifted her knee, her eyes feral and her tone so cold. She stood back up, backing away slowly. “You’ve hurt my family enough.” She turned, finding me. “Advice?”

  I nodded.

  “Walk from her. Right now. Don’t listen to anything she’s going to say, and tell Logan everything she’s said so far. He’ll dole out his vengeance, and she knows it.” She skimmed Helen faintly, adding to me, “I’d also ignore this one from here on out too. Let Logan handle her if he chooses. She’ll be the one regretting it, not you.”

  An Escalade pulled up to the street, and Sam went to it, visibly shaking.

  I knew who was in the Escalade, and I waited. Just a bit.

  Once Sam was inside, and the door was closed, the back window rolled down. Logan was there, watching me, waiting.

  That’s when I showed Tate. Lifting my phone from my pocket, I showed her the screen. “Logan likes these pants, but they’re worn. Raggedy. Still. Logan likes ’em, so I wear them for him. I won’t always be able to wear them, so I figured why not today. Early Christmas present for him. But you know the great thing about these pants?” I showed her the pocket, showed her the bunch of holes that were there.

  She knew. She paled again.

  I flashed her a grin, raising my phone and hitting the stop recording button. “The best thing today about these pants? Logan doesn’t need to be told about what went down because he saw the whole thing.” I said to Helen, “He heard the whole thing too.”

  A door was shut from the street. A figure was coming toward us.

  I knew who it was. Everyone else did too, but I added to Helen, “My mom’s dead, so I had hoped to have a relationship with my significant other’s mother. You did try at times. I’ll give that to you, but then it all changed, and you stopped. I kept trying. You began ignoring me. I blamed myself. Now, seeing and hearing all this, I know it was never me. It was always you. It will always be you. And I’ll be following Sam’s lead from now on. If she freezes you out, so will I. I’m going to have her back just like she had mine. Malinda is Mom enough. She’s ten times the mother and grandmother you are.” That figure moved up behind me, skimming a hand up my arm, brushing some of my hair back, and I felt his lips touch my neck before Logan spoke, “We’re doing a family Christmas party on Monday. You’re not invited, Helen.”

  Logan took my phone, putting it in his pocket, and his hand found mine, lacing our fingers. He began walking back to the Escalade, tugging me with him. I saw that Heather was already inside.

  That’s when Logan had the last word.

  “See you in court, Tate.”

  34

  Taylor

  Christmas was tomorrow.

  Yesterday was a Kade family war because Tate was in jail. The new paternity tests were sent in. Helen was all sorts of regret. Analise was flying in but not staying with James. She was checking herself into a mental health facility because she stopped taking her meds. That facility was an hour from here.

  Malinda was still livid.

  David was quiet.

  James was remorseful as well and a little bit weepy.

  Mason, who was already back in Boston, led the fight from an iPad propped up on the table, but he didn’t tear into anyone. Logan was also quieter than usual. He sat by me, keeping a hand on my leg. I knew he wanted to touch my stomach, but Quincey and Samantha had both started giving me thoughtful looks, so he stopped doing that.

  Instead, like right now, as I was standing and looking out our window, I felt him come up behind me. A hand touched my hip, moved under my shirt, and slid around to the front of my stomach now. He fit himself right behind me, pulling me back to half lean on him.

  “Merry Christmas Eve.” He kissed my bare shoulder.

  I reached up, catching his head, and slid my hand to the back of his neck. He stayed where he was, his head half bent over me, his mouth moving down my throat, and I groaned, tipping my head back for him.

  “You feel better?”

  My stomach clenched up just at the memory. After dinner, I went right to the bathroom and stayed there most of the night. Logan covered for me and came up to keep me company an hour later. He sat on the floor, rubbed my back, brushed my hair back, gave me a new washcloth when I needed it. For someone who worried about having kids, he was already setting the partner bar pretty damn high.

  I nodded. “I’m better now. It comes and goes. The weirdest smells set me off too.”

  “Can I do anything for you?”

  I released his neck, and as his head straightened, I leaned my head against his shoulder and grinned up at him. “You’re doing it.”

  We stayed there, Logan holding me as I stood in his embrace.

  “Your brother will be back after Christmas.”

  “Yeah. Sam’s happy here. She likes being around Heather.” He paused a beat. “Mason’s happier too.”

  “His job is in Boston.”

  “His job is up for renegotiation soon.”

  Logan was stiff behind me, and I looked up at him again. “What are you thinking?”

  His eyes found mine. “Talked to my boss. They told me I could work wherever I want if I’m considering opening up a firm wherever it is.”

  “And you know I can get a nurse job anywhere.”

  “Your dad is here or close to here.”

  “Nate’s not here.”

  “Nate’s not far away. Matteo too.”

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  He shrugged against my back. “It’s a ways off, but you never know for the future.”

  There’d been a couple of other conversations between the girls, but they were few and far between. It’d been a while since the topic came up again, but now it was from Logan.

  “I’ll go wherever you want to go. I mean it. You. The dogs. Him or her.” I pressed on Logan’s hand over my stomach. “You’re my family. I go where you go.”

  His gaze grew somber, darkening. “Thank you.”

  35

  Logan

  I had a kid coming. I couldn’t stop thinking about him or her.

  Would I be enough?

  Shit was different when Taylor told me. All the fears, concerns got swept away because the kid was here, and it was like the clouds opened up above me, and fuck, like a rainbow came down. It was cheesy like that, but I was a changed man.

  Everything was different.

  “Coming in.” Sam’s warning was a split second before she moved in behind me, at the kitchen sink, and hip-checked me to the side. She deposited a tray of dishes into the sink before grinning at me. Then frowning. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” It was the truth.

  I had everything, literally everything.

  “Logan?” She raked a hand through her hair, her eyebrows dipping down. “You’re freaking me out. What’s going on with you?”

  “I never thought I’d feel this.”

  “Huh?”

  I wasn’t paying her attention, but I knew she looked at me like I had grown an alien head. Or an alien dick. Either worked for me. But I kept on, “When you moved in, I was so angry. That anger’s been in me all this time. Not because of you, but I first felt it when you moved in. Over the years it’s been chipping away, but it's still with me. It’s better when I’m with Taylor. I’m calmer, quieter. She lets me be that way. With you and Mason, it gets stirred up again. I never know why, but it’s gone.”

  I looked.

  Sam’s eyes were wide and almost bugging out. “Are you feeling okay?” She touched the back of her hand to my forehead. “Feverish? Is this post-marriage flu?” Her frown turned to a grin. “That’s usually code for something else, you know.”

  “It’s not totally gone, but I never thought I’d feel as complete as I do right now.”

  There was silence.

  Then a soft, “Huh. And I thought I was just coming for more eggnog.” She whacked my arm with the back of her hand. “If I knew marriage would do this to you, I would’ve made you take Taylor to Vegas years ago. It’s good to be happy, Logan. You’re due, not that you haven’t been happy this whole time, but it’s time you let yourself accept it.”

  I was nodding, my throat swelling up, and blinking because I didn’t need my sister to have more reason to tease me. Me crying would be a reason.

  Too late.

  Sam was blinking back her tears, and I raised an arm. “Come here.”

  She pressed into my side, and I hugged her. “Is there such a thing as marital hormones?”

  Sam barked out a laugh. “No. That might be the bourbon in the eggnog. I swear that Malinda adds another shot every year we do this.”

  I laughed.

  Malinda and David came over for the day. Everyone had to be in Christmas pajamas all day long. Maddie and the twins would get to unwrap the gifts from the grandparents, and Helen had dropped hers off this morning. James too, but both weren’t here for the festivities. The Christmas Eve tradition was snacks all day long. The kids had a movie marathon, all Christmas movies, and dinner was a buffet. Sometimes it was catered. Sometimes everyone pitched in and brought a dish.

  The kids loved it.

  Then it was gifts.

  If Christmas were in Boston, there’d be a snow fight during the day. Sledding. Ice skating.

  We were here, so the palm trees in the back got multi-colored lights on them.

  Tomorrow was similar, except Nate and I would hit the golf course though we both sucked at it.

  The girls liked to go on walks together.

  We’d watch Mason’s game and then Matteo’s game because it was scheduled for the evening. After that, there’d be more food and drinks, laughs. Monday was the big day. Everyone was coming over.

  I had a surprise in store for Taylor too. It’d be arriving when Mason flew in.

  But because it was today and I was still hugging my sister, I clasped her to me once more. “Love you, Sam.”

  “Indulge me a bit.” Her smile turned soft, and she held up a finger. “Threesome fearsome.”

  I barked out a laugh, entwining my fingers around hers. “#Alwaysandneverforgetit.”

  36

  Christmas Day

  Mason’s team lost.

  Matteo’s team won.

  Samantha got drunk and tried to act out her version of Cobra Kai.

  37

  Kade Christmas

  Mason

  It was hellish early in the morning when I arrived.

  “We’ll walk your dogs for you, sir.” The flight attendant gave me a brief nod and smile as I started to depart. The other attendant was staying with me, but I nodded back. “I appreciate that. Just make sure to bring them back.”

  She gave me a funny look, but she’d find out. Or no. I hoped she didn’t.

  I didn’t correct her about the ‘my dogs’ part. They were Logan’s dogs. I was bringing them with me as a surprise for Taylor, but my brother owed me. These dogs. They were insane.

  Matty wouldn’t leave the car when we got to the airport, not because he was scared but because he wanted to keep going on a car ride. The dog was a freak about car rides. And Natty insisted on licking everyone. This dog was an escape artist. He kept getting out of his collar and running around to anyone in the area to greet them. A kiss. Lick. Tail wagging, and he’d go on to the next one. I tried with a harness, and he slipped that too.