McDonald_NoELFngWay_GEN_Dec2015 (12 page)

Vixen snorted. “I suppose you think I’ll give you another chance just because you came to find me on Christmas Eve.”

“Not really,” Dash said, opening the passenger door. “I think you’ll eventually give me another chance because neither of us can
elf
ourselves.”

“Dash… that joke is getting old,” Vixen declared, shifting into the seat.

“No, it’s not. It’s a family insider joke. We’ll need a few more to really feel connected.”

Dash laughed and closed her door before Vixen could argue. When he climbed into his side, he put the key in the ignition, but didn’t start the car.

“Let’s get the necessary stuff said. Cupid told me you sent the
real Santa
to see Nicky. She said he was a great person. My son related the same story. Nicky talked to me and then went off to bed like a normal light-hearted kid. That’s the best gift you could have given me.”

Vixen sighed and leaned her head back. “He’s a friend… and a trained child psychologist. At Christmas, he dresses up like Santa and goes to see troubled children who are grieving the loss of a parent. Sometimes I go with him as his elf. I’ve been doing it since I was in college, but this is the first time I’ve sent him to see someone I cared about. I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I knew he could help. Since I was the one who got the original letter, it was sort of my problem to solve.”

Dash nodded. “I believe it did help, but it turns out Nicky had already concluded he wasn’t getting a new mother for Christmas. Your friend just cemented his decisions. Nicky saw us kissing and drew his own conclusions.”

“Oh God,” Vixen said, hanging her head. “I hope he didn’t get too much of an education. I don’t even remember where my hands were. All I was thinking about was you.”

Dash kept his grin from showing, but just barely. He turned to Vixen and shrugged. “Nicky said we both looked like we really liked it… which I ended up admitting to him was true.”

He laughed when Vixen covered her face and groaned.

“Why are you embarrassed that my son saw us kissing? I know we were only together one time, but it sort of surprises me that you would be blushing at this point.”

“This is not about us. It’s about Nicky. Children get funny ideas about stuff like that. Dancer has never seen me kiss a man.”

Dash lifted an eyebrow. “Never?”

“Never,” Vixen declared firmly. “I didn’t want her to know about that side of me until I’d found the right person. Explaining it once may be all the torture I can endure.”

“Oh, it’s survivable. Nicky grew up seeing me kiss his mother. It’s pretty natural.” Dash laughed and it echoed in the car. “What you just said makes me crazy happy for us. I can’t wait to be the man you have to explain to Dancer. I can hear the lectures already.”

“Dash…”

“What?” he asked, holding her gaze. “If you’re around, I’m going to be kissing you. And there goes the pink face again. Is the idea that we can start over a third time really that unbelievable? I could make you a list of the perks if you want. It’s a guy thing… maybe a daddy thing. An elf told me once she thought I was a pretty good one.”

“I think you need to take me home,” Vixen declared.

Dash grinned and started up the car. “Okay. Will you and Dancer come spend Christmas with us tomorrow? I know you probably have plans. We’ll take any part of your day. I want to see you both. So does Nicky.”

“You’re back to being charming, aren’t you?” Vixen demanded.

“Read this any way you like. I just want you to believe that from now on I’m not going to be afraid of falling in love with you… if you let me.”

They drove to her place in near silence, but Dash didn’t find it uncomfortable. Vixen’s self-protective walls were down a little and maybe that was all he could expect tonight.

He walked her to her door, grinning as her bells rang with every step she took.

“Seriously… I need to know you still have those red shoes. You would not believe the number of fantasies I’ve had about you in them.”

Vixen stopped at her door. Her hand was shaking around the key. “Dash… I…”

Everything blurred when he turned her to face him. She expected to get a hot kiss. The look in his eyes certainly promised it. But he pulled her against him for a hug. His heart was beating as fiercely as hers.

“Please,” he whispered. “Please find a way to forgive me one more time. Let me back into your heart, Vixen. I want everything with you.”

Vixen was numb as Dash kissed her forehead. Then he was walking away. She watched him climb back into his car.

She opened her door with shaking hands, leaking eyes, and a heart that no longer knew what to feel.

Chaos reigned in the Sleigh household for a good hour. At the end of it, there were three bags of destroyed wrapping paper that waited for their trip to the garage.

“How many did you buy him, Mima?”

Cupid sighed as she watched her grandson organizing his toys. He lined them up by outfit color—then changed his mind and put them in some other order.

Finally, she shrugged in answer to Dash’s question. “I bought one of everything the toy store had, and then I bought more when I visited Sacks-Rudolph. I didn’t get any duplicates.”

Dash snickered at her justification and rolled his eyes as his son lined up superheroes and gave them all cars. He had already counted at least sixteen. There were a few more that got left in boxes because Nicky had run out of enthusiasm to open them. Maybe he could sneak those away for a while.

“We need storage cases. I’ll buy some Saturday. Tomorrow I just want to stay home. Maybe I can talk him into putting some of them away for a while.”

Cupid sighed. “I was worried. After Santa left the other day, I should have pulled some of them for donations. Sorry, Dad.”

Dash laughed. “For penance, you can work on making sure he doesn’t brag about having all of them to his friends.”

“Okay. I guess that’s fair.”

Cupid snickered about her punishment. She had raised a good man and now her son was raising another good one. What more could any mother ever ask for in the world?

When the doorbell rang, she jumped up and smoothed her dress. She started out of the room when she caught Dash grinning at her.

“Since when do Blix’s visits merit a new dress? Before you make something up, I want to point out that you’re not wearing Christmas colors. You’re wearing that shade of blue that exactly matches your eyes.”

Cupid pointed one red manicured fingernail at her son. “Your powers of observation are why women in your life both love and hate you, Dasher. Now mind your own business. You have no room to give me any grief over anything I do for a male. You ran all over town last night looking for your elf.”

“I found her too,” Dash declared. “And you’ll be proud of me for not pressing Vixen too hard. I hugged her and invited her and Dancer to stop by today. I don’t think she’ll come, but it was worth a shot. At least I behaved well with her for once.”

Cupid laughed and the doorbell rang a second time. “Maybe that’s them at the door instead of Blix,” she said, noting her disappointment would be keen if true.

Her first real date with Blix had been a lot of fun. They had gone to dinner and taken a long drive afterwards, just looking at Christmas lights. She’d almost forgotten what being an adult felt like.

“Pretty sure it’s Blix,” Dash stated, smiling at his mother. “I don’t know why you didn’t just ask him to spend the night. Your room is on the other side of the house. In case Nicky hasn’t mentioned it yet, everyone approves of your changing relationship to him.”

“I think I’m old enough to date whom I please whether or not the other men in my life
approve
.” Cupid huffed as she patted her hair and headed to the door. “Not everyone moves as fast as you do, Dash. You’re a lot like your father in that regard. Maybe you need to take some lessons from Blix on moving a little slower. Some women require it.”

Dash grinned wider over the lecture when his mother nearly ran from the room to let Blix in.

***

“Have you got it?” Vixen asked.

Dancer sighed loudly. “Yes, Mommy. I will not drop Nicky Santa’s present.”

Vixen adjusted her white fur collar that kept dipping a little lower in the front than she would have liked for mixed company. She sighed and wondered if she should ring the bell a third time.

When Cupid flung open the door looking flustered, she winced and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry. Did we come at a bad time?”

Cupid laughed. “Absolutely not. You may be the only reason I get any peace at all today.”

Not waiting for a proper invitation, Dancer skipped past them and down the hallway.

“
Dancer, put the gift under the tree until I get there
,” Vixen called out. All she could do was sigh when Cupid laughed. “Sorry. We’re still working on manners.”

“Don’t you think children are a lot happier without them?”

Vixen nodded and stepped across the threshold. She hoped she was doing the right thing. “The gift bag on top is for you. If you take it, you’ll lighten my load.”

“A gift for me? How sweet of you. If I had known you were coming, I’d have gotten you a gift too.”

Vixen smiled and shook her head. “It was a last minute impulse on my part—just a little something from my shop. If you don’t like it, bring it by and pick out one you like.”

Cupid looked in the bag and pulled out a fluffy white scarf. On the end was an embroidered area that stated
Go Ahead - Jingle My Bells
in prominent Christmas red. A hundred tiny ringing bells were sewn along the edges and dangled from golden strings.

Laughing at the fun of it, Cupid tossed the gift bag on a nearby table and wrapped the scarf around her throat. The ringing sound was twinkly and as soft as the scarf felt. “This is wonderful, Vixen… and so beautiful. I may be wearing it long past Christmas.”

“Uncle Blix helped me pick it out. I wasn’t sure which one you’d like.”

Cupid smiled at the thought of Blix carefully choosing just the right one. “The man has excellent taste,” she said, patting the tinkling bells.

Vixen nodded. “Yes, he does… in absolutely everything. Uncle Blix is like a second father to me. My sincerest wish is that you can make each other happy—no matter what happens or doesn’t happen—with your son.”

Cupid felt her face grow warm and her heart expanded with hope. It was not altogether pleasant, but it was better than not feeling at all.

“Thank you, Vixen. For both your gifts. Dash is in the living room recovering from the morning. I went a little overboard this year.”

Vixen laughed. “I don’t think it will damage Nicky’s true nature to be a little spoiled. Dash has managed to turn out… okay. Or mostly okay.”

Cupid chuckled at Vixen’s qualified praise and then gave in to her laughter. The woman’s reserve was going to be good for her son. He would have to learn real patience to win her heart completely. But she knew it was what he wanted. And she couldn’t be happier to think Vixen and Dancer might be hers to spoil one day soon.

“Well… Dash is a bit full of himself—takes after his father—but there are perks to being with a man who’s that driven to have what he wants. I’m sure I don’t have to explain.”

Vixen felt a blush rising as she nodded. “Yes, I know what you mean. But I need to be honest with you. It will take a miracle for me to ever get used to him.”

“A miracle? Darling, you’ve come to the right place,” Cupid exclaimed. “I put magic in my hot chocolate every time I make it. Just try not to hurt my son with the power it gives you. Nicky needs his father. He might make a good one for Dancer too. My son and your daughter are a lot alike in their unfailing confidence about getting people to go along with them.”

Vixen laughed. “Yes. That has occurred to me too. I’m on guard.”

“No need. Just trust yourself, Mrs. Santa. Things have a way of working out like they’re supposed to.”

When they entered the living room, Dash looked up at her and never looked away. Vixen blushed for real under his intense scrutiny. His gaze checked out everything. The doorbell rang somewhere behind them and finally gave her a reason to look away.

“That’s Blix this time,” Cupid declared. “We’re going to go get some more marshmallows for the hot chocolate. Yes. We may have to drive around a while. Be back as soon as we can.”

Vixen shook her head at the twinkling sounds of the jingle bell scarf as Cupid fled down the hallway. So much for hoping to have an adult buffer between her and Dash. She had counted on both Cupid and her Uncle Blix to be there.

“Now can I give Nicky Santa his present?”

Vixen sighed. “In just a minute, honey.”

She looked down nervously at her black knee boots and short plaid skirt. Her nervous breath made the fur around her collar wave in the breeze she created breathing so hard. When she raised her gaze, Dash was still looking at her.

“Blink, Dasher. Your stare is making me more nervous than I already am.”

His masculine laugh as he rose from his chair coaxed a smile from her. She was afraid to love the man, but she couldn’t let that fear keep her from trying.

He walked over and reached out to take the package from her. As heavy as it was, she’d forgotten it in their staring contest. This was what the man did to her.

“That’s an awfully big package. Who’s it for?” Dash teased.

“It’s for you. I know how impatient you are unwrapping things. Go ahead and open it.”

“Dad… tell Vixen about your big package. She should sit on your lap though in case she needs a hug after you tell her. Remember, she’s a girl. She might cry.”

Nicky shouted his advice from across the room. Dash grinned like an idiot when Vixen covered her mouth to hide her smile.

“I’ll have to tell her about my package later. It’s too soon, Nicholas. She just got here.”

Vixen dropped her hand… and her guards. There were no emotional walls capable of keeping the Sleigh men out of her heart.

“Are you sure about that? Your package is pretty much all I’ve been thinking about since the last time I saw it.”

Shifting the heavy gift Vixen had brought under one arm, Dash stepped into her and kissed her hard and fast. Her kiss back was the best Christmas gift he could have asked for. Then he pulled away before he was tempted to take things too far.