Christmas with the Kings (The Kings of Guardian) Read online

  Zane swung his eyes from the document to her. "No problem, babe, but I think you need to change the date.”

  Jewell glanced at the document. "No, I got it right."

  Zane looked back at the sheet and grabbed her mouse. He highlighted the year. "Shouldn't that be next year?"

  "If we were dealing with a normal woman, yes."

  "Holy Fuck, no way."

  "Yeah, way. Now you know why she called Tori and me in on a Saturday."

  "Who else is helping?" Zane scrolled through the multitude of tasks that remained unfinished.

  "Right now? No one. She wanted to do this as a surprise gift for Mom. When Tori and I started identifying some of the things she didn't think of, she kind of had a meltdown. She wants to talk to Nic before we go farther, but you know." She reached out and opened the file Jade had given her.

  "You couldn't wait to make that mess functional and digital." Zane smiled at her.

  "Bingo." She glanced at the tab that was open. "The ring he gave her was beautiful. I've never seen firestone opals on an engagement ring before."

  "No diamond?"

  "Oh, hell yes, there was a rock included. It was beautiful, but nowhere close to mine." She leaned over and kissed Zane. "I have the best husband in the world."

  "I love you, too. Now, put this to bed. You're supposed to be resting today." Zane stood and used his big hands to rub her shoulders.

  "Oh, gawd, that is faaabuuulous." Jewell let her head loll as Zane continued to minister wonderful pressure to her sore muscles.

  "You promised to slow down." Zane dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  Jewell tipped her head back and gazed up at him. "I am. This is fun, and it is for family. The work stuff stays at work these days."

  "Caffeine?" He lifted an eyebrow.

  "Ha! I had three cups of coffee today. No energy drinks, no soda." She stuck her tongue out at him. He spun her chair around and reached down, scooping her out. She squealed and wrapped her legs and arms around him. He carried her to the couch and sat down. She moved so she was straddling his lap. "And yes, while you were gone, I've eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day. Lunch and dinner had veggies and breakfast had fruit."

  Zane pulled two pencils from her hair and tipped them into an ornate cup on the end table that he'd put there for that purpose. "Anubis has the helm at the ranch now. I still have the Arizona project, but unless shit goes downhill fast, I should be able to limit my trips out of town. Dixon and Drake were originally supposed to oversee the construction of the Shadow Facility in Arizona, but…”

  Jewell snorted. "Yeah, that went to hell in a handbasket."

  He made an affirmative sound, agreeing with her before his hands wandered up the inside of his massive hoodie. "I worry about you when I'm not here."

  "Right back at you, darling." She reached up and traced a faint scar on his cheek. "Want you." She ground down against him, and he groaned. Zane tipped her to the side, and she shrieked out a laugh as he pounced on her. She grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him down. "Come here, tiger."

  Chapter 3

  Juggling take-out bags in one hand, along with the mail and her satchel, Jade jammed the key into the lock and jiggled it around until she could get the tumblers to turn. The second she opened the door, the alarm started to chirp. She kicked the door shut, threw the deadbolt, spun, dropped her keys into the tray on the table, and silenced the alarm.

  "Honey! I'm home!" She kicked out of her shoes and dropped her satchel and the mail. Food was a necessity, and she was taking it with her. The rest of the shit could wait.

  "In the den." Nic's reply came from the back of the house.

  "Be right there. Water or beer?" She made her way into the state-of-the-art kitchen while mumbling, "Or something a fuck-ton harder?" She glanced at the pristine kitchen with granite counters, an island that looked like it was made to seat twenty, and the industrial-sized appliances. The kitchen was used as little as humanly possible. Her usage consisted of making coffee and heating leftovers, but Nic was slowly teaching her how to make his mother's recipes. She wasn't a cook. Hell, they'd laughed until they'd cried when the pasta she tried to make became jammed in the pasta maker's guts, killing the machine. She mumbled under her breath, "I vote for something harder. Whiskey, bourbon, scotch.” Jade cocked her head in consideration. "Vodka, rum, a combination of all of the above?"

  Nic sounded like he was distracted when he answered. "Beer unless you’re drinking hard liquor, then water and two tumblers."

  "You know me so well!" She shouted back as she grabbed two bottles of water and carefully dropped them into one of the takeout bags. It was the work of five seconds to snatch two crystal tumblers as she headed toward the den.

  His prosthesis off and propped against the wall next to him and his crutches within reach, Nic sprawled on the chaise lounge portion of the couch..

  "How did it go?" He looked up as she came in.

  Jade held up two tumblers as her answer. Nic grimaced. "That bad?"

  "Well, it was, and it wasn't." The food landed on the table with a thud, and she left Nic to lift the closest portion of the convertible oak and chrome table toward the sofa. It was one of the best investments they'd made since Nic had lost his leg. The hinged system extended half the table, angling it up and over, perfectly aligning the surface to the sofa. They ate most of their meals in the den, watching television or relaxing. Unless they had company, the huge dining room sat vacant.

  She cast a glance at what was available at their bar. Jade snagged the bright red waxed top of a bottle of Maker's Mark, bringing it to the table. Nic positioned himself on the couch so he could arrange the takeout containers. She sat down and uncorked the bottle, pouring them both a generous three-finger allowance.

  Nic glanced at the amount of alcohol in each glass. "By the looks of that pour, I'd say more was than wasn't."

  Jade took a healthy sip of the bourbon. The burn and flavor as it slid down her throat instantly took the irritated edge off her attitude. "Well, it was an experience." She opened several of the take-out containers until she found the eggrolls. Grabbing one she passed the container to Nic. "We have a couple problems."

  "I figured this wasn't going to be an easy operation." Nic tore open a sweet and sour packet and doused his eggroll with the stuff. Jade wrinkled her nose at him when he offered some to her. Nic laughed and squirted the rest of the packet straight into his mouth.

  "That is so gross." Jade took a bite of her food.

  "Says the woman who likes blue cheese." He glanced over at the containers and moved the fried rice closer to both of them. He handed her the General Tso’s chicken and took the cashew chicken for himself.

  "Blue cheese rocks." She grabbed a packet of soy sauce and poured it over his rice before doing the same to hers with another packet. "Tori and Jewell pointed out I needed to include Jasmine as a bridesmaid."

  Nic hit his thigh with his free hand. "Ha! Told you."

  "You can wipe that smirk off your face, right now." Jade pointed at him with her chopsticks."

  "Not happening. I was right. Stop the presses. We need to record the date and time of this event." Nic chortled when she flipped him off.

  Jade tilted the container and considered the contents before she picked out a piece of chicken. "I still don't see why. I mean, she eloped."

  "She's your twin sister." Nic shrugged as if that was enough of an answer. Jade would never admit it was, but it… well it was. Dammit. "So, we have one more attendant. Still small. Doable."

  Jade snorted, and Nic paused with a bite of rice halfway to his mouth. "What?"

  "It was also pointed out that if I invite Tori to be an attendant, I had to invite Faith." She looked at Nic who was watching her like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. "If I invite Faith, by extension I need to invite Ember and Dani."

  "Dani? She's not married to Justin." Nic's confusion showed as clearly as hers had this morning.

  "Yet." Jade sta
bbed another piece of chicken. "I can see their point, but that is six women which means you need to find four more groomsmen."

  Nic put his rice down and leaned back against the couch. "This is starting to mushroom."

  "Which is why I told them to stop everything until I could talk to you." Jade put the food down and picked up both tumblers. She handed Nic his and scooted back, fitting herself into the crook of his arm. "I mean, I get what they're saying, but what is blowing my fucking mind is how fast it morphed. I showed them the ring and then–boom! Twelve people up there in front of Father Clark, not counting us. Then they talked cake. Did you know there is a bride and groom cake?"

  "Yeah, sure," Nic answered as he took a drink of his bourbon.

  "Well, I didn't. Why can't we just have one cake?" Jade took another slug of her drink. The burn of the alcohol trailing down her throat wasn't there anymore. A pleasant warmth lingered in its place.

  "That's fine with me. Did they think we could still pull this off as a surprise for Amanda if we go with six attendants each?" Nic scratched his chin. He hadn't shaved today, and his stubble was thick and dark.

  "Tori seemed pretty confident. I need to call the ladies at the ranch. I'll talk with Dani and Faith on Monday. They suggested using Jazz's ranch to stage anything we need to ship out."

  Nic grunted and took another drink. "What about the flower situation? I know it was giving you a migraine yesterday."

  "Tori said Keelee used a florist in Rapid City. So, we'd have to drive down the day before and pick up the arrangements. That's doable, right?"

  Nic nodded while staring into his bourbon, "I'm sure with all of us there someone can free up and go down to Rapid without Amanda noticing one of her chicks missing."

  Jade rolled her head into his chest and sighed. Nic pulled her in closer. "Babe, we don't have to do this."

  Jade nodded. "Yeah, but..."

  "But you want to get married in South Dakota, and you'd love to surprise your mom."

  Jade sighed and nodded. "It's stupid, isn't it?

  "No, not at all. If I could still do that for my mom, I would in a heartbeat. You do whatever it takes, babe. You are a force of nature. Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll make it happen. The trappings of this wedding aren't what's important. As long as I have you with me standing in front of that altar, I'm a happy man. Take charge of this thing and wrangle it into submission. I've got your back."

  Jade chuckled. "You know me so well."

  "I've scratched the surface. I think it may take fifty or sixty years to understand what makes you tick."

  She tipped her head up so she could see him looking down at her. "Wanna know a secret?"

  Nic's eyebrows crept up, and a smile spread across his face. "Absolutely."

  "You are what makes me tick." Jade leaned forward and put her drink on the table. She took Nic's and deposited it beside hers.

  "Aren't you hungry?" Nic's smirk bordered on lecherous.

  Jade nodded gravely. "Starving." She flipped the lever that dropped the table's extended leaf back into place and shimmied to the floor between Nic's thighs. Her hands slid up his jeans to his growing bulge. "I'm absolutely famished."

  Chapter 4

  "Why does Jewell want us here again?" Ember put the SUV into park and turned off the ignition.

  "The only thing she told me was that it was a Christmas surprise for Amanda and we needed to help." Keelee unhooked her seatbelt and glanced through the windshield toward the front porch of Jasmine and Chad's ranch house. "I love her Christmas lights! I wonder if Chad got up on a ladder to do the second and third floor?"

  Ember glanced out the windshield. Snowflakes landed and melted on the warm glass. "It is beautiful. Joseph's doing ours today."

  "Adam, Kaeden, Isaac and Drake are joining forces to do lights on all our houses." She put her hood up and sighed. "Joseph could have..." She glanced at Ember, and they both started laughing. "Never mind. Joseph doesn't play well with others."

  A sense of intense warmth and love flooded Ember's heart. "He only plays well with me." She glanced at Keelee who smiled softly at her. Their friendship had endured years and become stronger when they helped each other navigate troubled waters.

  "You two were made for each other." Keelee nodded to the porch. Jasmine had opened the door and wrapped her arms around herself trying to block out the bitter cold. "Come on, before she catches pneumonia."

  Ember grabbed the keys and opened the SUV door. "Oh, damn!" She slammed the door and sprinted to the warm orange glow of the open doorway and promise of warmth.

  When they reached the foyer, Jasmine waved them in and shut the door behind them. "I have wine set up in my office. For some reason, I have a feeling we're going to need it."

  Ember shrugged out of her down-filled coat and hung it on a beautifully carved hall tree that was made out of a... well, tree. It was huge but fit the grand entryway of the home. "Why, what did Jewell tell you?" She rubbed her arms out of instinct although the warmth of the house was starting to penetrate the bone-chilling cold of the South Dakota evening.

  "That Jade needed help and something about Christmas. She left a voice message and hasn't picked up my repeated calls. Neither has Jade, but that's par for course. When Jade gets involved with something, all bets are off."

  Keelee stopped short alongside her. "Jade?" They both asked.

  "So it seems. Come on, wine and snacks while we wait to get our mission brief." Jasmine turned and headed to her office. Ember and Keelee were no strangers to the home and knew the way. The beauty of the home still amazed her. Jazz's office was expansive with a large stone fireplace. The mantle was made from pine harvested on Jasmine and Chad's ranch. The corner of the room boasted a wet bar with delicate feminine accents of hand-carved fleur de lis and magnolia blossoms. Over a long low carved cabinet, they'd hung a seventy-inch flat screen. The office wasn't much of an office. It was more like a family living room if you discounted a desk and computer off to one side. The warm dark jewel tones, silk, and faux fur pillows and throws, soft high-pile carpet and comfortable furniture made the room so inviting Em would never consider it a workplace. This is the room they gathered in for Winchester Wednesday when it was Jazz's turn to host.

  "You don't think she can't come, do you? Amanda is so excited to have everyone home this year," Keelee asked as she made a beeline for the wine. She lifted the open bottle and poured three glasses without asking Em or Jazz if they wanted any. It was what any of them would do in each other's home.

  "God, I hope not. Mom was here yesterday. With all this snow, we are going to have a toboggan race for the kids." Jasmine motioned out the window to a large hill that the kids loved to slide down. "We were brainstorming ideas and prizes."

  Em snorted, "I'd recommend bourbon."

  "For the kids?" Keelee gawked at her.

  "Hell, no. For the men. You know the second they find out there is a competition they will end up challenging each other. Maybe hot toddies?" She glanced at Jasmine.

  Jazz laughed and nodded. "Noted. I'll make sure the bar is well stocked."

  The soft jingle of the telephone at Jazz's desk turned all three heads. "Well, this is it." Jazz nodded toward the desk, and they all settled around the dark mahogany escritoire. It was too beautiful to be called a desk. Jazz pushed two buttons and answered the phone on speaker.

  "Hey, Jewell."

  "Hey! Is everyone there?" From the sound of her voice, Jewell was obviously eating something.

  "Ember, Keelee and I are here. What is going on with Jade?" Jasmine glanced across the expansive wood top at them.

  "Okay, Jade is here and so is Tori. I'm stepping back and letting Jade tell you the situation."

  "Hey. Thanks for this. I needed to talk to each of you, and... shit to be honest I really didn't want to have to say it over and over again, so I'm consolidating. I'll talk to Faith and Dani after we hang up."

  Ember sat straight in her chair. "Jade, are you sick?"

  "What?"
Jade's voice cracked through the speaker. "Hell no. I'm fucking engaged." Ember blinked at the speaker then at Jasmine and Keelee. All three women looked at each other in stunned silence. "Hello? Jewell, is this thing broken?" Jade's question broke the momentary paralysis that gripped all three women.

  "Well, it is about damn time!" Jasmine flew back against her chair and clapped her hands gleefully. "Congratulations! Have you told Mom? Set a date? God, send me a picture of the ring!"

  Em and Keelee added their congratulations and chuckled at Jasmine's happy dance in her chair.

  "Okay, hold the door for just a minute. First, Mom does not know, and I forbid anyone to tell her."

  Jazz's forehead furrowed, and she sat up, looking at the phone. "Why?" Her question held a healthy measure of suspicion.

  "That's the reason for the call. I want to surprise her and I need your help." Jade explained.

  "What, like a Christmas present?" Em was piecing together the conversation, or she hoped like hell she was.

  "I want to get married the day before Christmas in the afternoon at Mom and Frank's church in Hollister, and I want to do it without Mom knowing anything about it."

  "Shit." Jasmine's curse said it all.

  "That's less than three weeks!" Keelee leaned forward. "How… "

  Jewell interrupted. "Ladies, before you have the same freak-out that Tori and I had, we've started a timeline with tasks identified.”

  "Right." That was Tori's voice. "Keelee, I need you to get with the florist you used in Rapid..."

  Jasmine hit the button to hang up the phone and gazed across her desk at Keelee. Ember stood, went to the bar, and picked up the wine bottle. She poured them another full glass of wine and sat down.

  "Can I just say, if we pull this off it will be a miracle?" Ember mumbled into her glass.

  Keelee nodded. "It's Sunday. I can't get with the florist until tomorrow." She took a healthy swig of wine. "They needed a minimum of three months lead time for my wedding."

  Jasmine turned to her computer and pulled up the email Jewell had sent to all of them. She opened the spreadsheet. "Here are the dresses." She clicked on the link. "Oh, they are pretty." She clicked on the shipping and nodded. “We need to order them tomorrow to make sure they get delivered in time, especially with the delays during the holiday. The delivery will be coming here, not into the complex, so that eliminates Guardian having to fly them in. Thank God for small miracles."