Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

D rake

“Come on, Daddy!” Luna called out from by the front door, dressed in a red sweater dress I’d never seen, and bouncing excitedly. “We don’t want to be late!”

I’d just gotten off work and barely had enough time to change into the green sweater and jeans Luna had insisted I wear, and scarf down a sandwich. The sweater was itchy and not at all my style. I wondered where she’d even gotten it, as I squinted at her. Her pink hair was done in soft curls that fell halfway down her back; it looked longer than normal. Extensions? Her outfit was different than anything I’d ever seen her wear either. The red sweater dress fell almost to her knees and though she’d paired it with her usual fishnet stockings and combat boots, her thick chunky jewelry had been replaced with delicate silver snowflakes dangling from her ears and another on a thin silver chain around her neck.

I frowned as I looked at her and tilted my head to the side. “Where did you say we were going again? A tree lighting ceremony? I don’t remember seeing that on the Ranch schedule anywhere.”

Luna’s eyes widened for a minute, and an expression I couldn’t quite place flashed across her face before it quickly disappeared and she shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe something the Littles threw together. But it’s there now, and I wanna go. It’s supposed to be, like a whole big thing, and we’re supposed to be making new Christmas traditions together. You said it was important, but too much to think about, so here’s one we can have that you can put barely any effort into. All we have to do is show up.”

I looked at her earnest, excited expression, and listened to her words, remembering my mother’s and sighed. The truth was, aside from planning some Christmas Eve magic for the two of us that may or may not include a proposal, I really hadn’t been able to force myself to work on creating any memories or traditions. I’d had the idea in my head that we should probably get a tree and decorations at some point, maybe even some stockings, but just having the thought seemed to take a lot out of me, especially now that I was back to work.

I sighed. Maybe tomorrow. We both had the day off and Luna’s classes were on break until after the new year and I wasn’t scheduled for a shift at the Dungeon despite it being a Friday and one of my regular shifts.

For now though, Luna was right. This would probably be a fun night, it was something we could do together, a memory that could easily turn into a tradition and if Luna was right and the Littles had something to do with it, it was sure to be a good time. Eli and Georgie were the Ranch’s regular event planners but they regularly employed the help of their Little friends, and nothing they did was ever on a small scale.

“All right,” I agreed, as if there were ever any choice. “But put on a coat and hat and gloves for goodness sake. It’s freezing out. Do you know how many people have informed me that you showed up at the lodge the other day without a coat, with your face all red, looking like you were two seconds away from becoming our very own snowperson?”

“Shhhh.” Luna pressed a finger to my lips. “We don’t talk about that.” But she smiled and let me help her into her coat and slid on the hat and gloves I’d ordered for her after finding out she didn’t know where hers were. “Come on, Daddy, we’re going to be late.”

“Isn’t that the whole thing? It’s called fashionably late? Making an entrance?” Luna was always about making an entrance.

But in response to my teasing, she shook her head emphatically, stomped her foot and tugged on my hand. “Not this time. C’mon, let’s goooo.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” I quickly donned my own winter garb and let her all but drag me from the apartment.

As we shut the door behind us, I stuck my hand in my pocket and realized the ring box was still in there, and I’d never gotten around to stashing it after I’d bought it. Oh well, as long as I didn’t give Luna my coat all would be fine.

“So where is this tree lighting thing anyway?” I asked, turning to head toward the main Ranch building, or maybe the Big House.

“The park,” Luna answered, pulling me in the opposite direction.

“The park? At the Ridge? Where are they going to do it there? The park at the ridge was basically just a big field in the middle of the employee houses. It had a few benches, and a couple trees, and a swingset and slide for the kiddos, but other than that, it wasn’t anything special yet, and none of the trees would work as Christmas trees. I shrugged, figuring it must be one of those deals where the “tree” ended up being entirely made of lights.

I changed direction and headed to the parking area to get my truck. When we got to the park it was already filled with people. Lights had been strung up on every house and all the light poles, between the trees, and even around the benches.

Booths filled the field, and a makeshift stage had been constructed dead center. There was even a fleet of honest to goodness reindeer dressed up in Christmas garb, with jingle bells and poinsettia neck wreaths, and red ribbons woven through their antlers. Everywhere I looked was Christmas galore, telling me that putting this shindig together had been no small feat. What I did not see however, no matter where I looked, was a tree.

“Where’s the tree?” I whispered to Luna “What’s going on? How are they gonna have a tree lighting without a tree?”

“Look! Sadie and her friends are dressed up as elves!” Luna cried, pointing, and also, very pointedly and very obviously ignoring me. “They’re so cute! Oh and is that Master Derek as Santa?”

“It looks to be, yes,” I murmured, with a frown. I’d sat in the man’s office for an hour only three days ago and he’d not mentioned one word about this event. Curious.

“Luna!” Hayleigh, Wren, Georgie and Daisy ran up to us, chattering excitedly, and pulled Luna away before I could stop them.

“Hey!” I cried after them. “We’re here on a date! We’re supposed to be making memories and traditions. Me and Luna! Not Luna and you all!”

Luna just looked back over her shoulder, tossing her head as she laughed and allowed herself to be dragged away.

“Well, this is bullshit,” I muttered under my breath, my Christmas spirit quickly deflating despite the jolliness all around me.

“What was that?” a familiar feminine voice asked. I recognized it immediately and jerked my head to the side. Sure enough, there was my mom standing beside me, bundled up from head to toe.

“Mom!” I cried, wrapping her in a hug, genuinely excited to see her. “What are you doing here?”

“Honestly, son, I don’t even really know. Luna called and begged me to come tonight.” My mom hugged me back then pulled away and looked around us. “Where is she?”

“Oh she’s around her somewhere. She got carted off by a bunch of elves the second we got here.” I chuckled, already feeling better at seeing my mom out and about. I talked to her every day at least once, but I hadn’t seen her since she’d gone back home to Porter’s Corner. Every time I talked to her she was crying before I called, and despite my pleas, she refused to come back to the Ranch, swearing up and down that she was “fine” and “couldn’t bear to impose even a second longer”.

It broke my heart, and I prayed every day that she wouldn’t end up moving back home, but if I had to listen to her sob on the phone one more time, I knew I might just end up driving her there myself.

“What is this event, anyway?” my mom asked. “Luna was very cryptic about it on the phone.”

“Was she now?” I took in that tidbit of information, and my unease grew. “Well, it’s supposed to be some sort of tree lighting ceremony, I guess. That’s what I was told anyway.”

“Oh.” My mom nodded and was quiet for a moment as she looked around the space. After a minute, she whispered, “Where’s the tree?”

“Right? That’s what I was wondering.”

Before we could get any more suspicious, the music around us stopped and Santa made his way up to the middle of the stage.

“Good evening! Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas,” Master Derek as Santa bellowed, holding his belly that was very obviously made from a pillow. “Welcome to the first, maybe last, possibly annual Rawhide Ridge Christmas Tree Lighting Festival!”

“First, maybe last, possibly annual?” I whispered in disbelief. This night was just getting more and more absurd.

“The Christmas Tree Lighting will take place in about an hour. In the meantime, we encourage you to walk around and enjoy all the fun Christmas activities the Littles have set up for you. We’ve got sleigh rides, hot cocoa, cookie decorating, a Christmas coloring station, pictures with Santa—one of my helper Santas, not me. I’m too busy making my list and checking it twice to see if all the Little Boys and Girls at Rawhide have been naughty or nice.” Santa—Master Derek—chuckled loudly, obviously pleased with his speech, then continued. “We’ve got booths with fun wares set out for those of you who might still need to finish your Christmas shopping and if you’ve brought an ornament for the Christmas ornament contest, don’t forget to take it on over to the booth near the hot cocoa stand right away so we can go ahead and get those looked over and judged. We want to announce the winners before the tree lighting. Those who win awards will get to be the first to place an ornament on the tree!” A raucous cheer erupted from the crowd, and I just looked around, still wondering where the tree was. Apparently it wasn’t a light-up deal if they were planning to hang real ornaments from it.

“What is going on?” I whispered again as Master Derek finished up his speech by telling everyone to have fun and be good and remember that Santa was watching.

“I’m so confused,” my mom said beside me. “Was I supposed to bring an ornament? Luna didn’t mention anything about it.”

“First I’ve heard about it.” I shrugged, growing more annoyed with every second. “Oh well, I guess. I’m totally lost and confused, but whatever. Want to go grab some hot cocoa and popcorn? And then I don’t know, sit and people-watch I guess? Hope Luna eventually shows back up?”

I held out my arm and my mom threaded hers through the crook.

“Sounds like a plan.” She smiled. “I’m very glad to see you and very grateful to Luna for insisting I come out, but I’m still not really sure why I’m here.”

“Join the club.”

We got our hot cocoa and sat on some folding chairs set up in front of the stage next to one of the many outdoor heaters that had been strategically placed around the park.

Mom held her cocoa in one hand and took mine with the other. “How are you holding up, son?” she asked, as if we hadn’t spoken every day.

“I’m doing okay, Mom. I’m trying to take your advice but it’s hard. Sometimes it takes everything I have just to get through the day. Luna’s been great though, and I’m back at work, so that helps.”

She sighed and squeezed my hand. I could see her tearing up again. “I’m so happy that you have Luna, and all these people around.” She yanked her hand away and wiped at her eyes. “I love Porter’s Corner, and love living so close to you, but being in that house is so hard, and…” She trailed off and shrugged. “I don’t know. I just miss your dad. I just hope it gets easier somehow. I might go home after New Year’s.”

My eyes narrowed, but I forced myself to soften. This was the announcement I’d been dreading. “Like for good?”

My mom didn’t answer and stared off into space. “I just meant for a visit,” she finally said, “but I know it’s going to be hard to come back.”

“Don’t go back to that house, Mom,” I begged. “Stay with me and Luna. At least until after the holidays. We’d love to have you.” It was the same thing I said every day and I already knew her answer.

Just as I’d expected, she shook her head. “No, Drake. These days are too important to you and Luna’s relationship. It’s too fresh and new to have to deal with your mother lurking around all the time. I remember those days. You’re supposed to be staying up all night talking and getting frisky in the kitchen making dinner, and having sex anywhere and everywhere, not dealing with a sad old widow.”

“Mom.” I stuck my hands in my pocket because they were cold and no longer holding hers and felt the ring box. Maybe knowing I was going to propose soon would change her mind. Probably not, but at least maybe the news would bring her a tiny bit of joy. “Mom, listen,” I began. “I have to tell you something.”

“What is it, son?”

“I—” I didn’t get another word out before Luna ran up, her cheeks flushed and her long locks flowing behind her. “There you guys are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” She squished between us on the bench and laid her head on my shoulder. “Are you guys having fun?”

I wanted to say “not really” and demand to know where she’d run off to, but she looked so excited for reasons I still didn’t understand. It was freezing and as lovely as the event was, it was, just like a lot of things at the Ranch, very Little-centric. And though she was friends with many Littles, Luna herself was not one.

“Better now that you’re here,” I answered instead, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “And it is nice having my mom here. Thanks for inviting her.” I pressed a kiss on her cheek and whispered, “You better not run off again.”

“Look! It’s almost time for the tree lighting ceremony!” Luna cried as Master Derek took the stage once more. “They’re going to announce the ornament contest winners!”

“That’s great,” I answered. “Just one question: Where is the damn tree?”

Again she ignored my question. Before I could press, Master Derek called out “Are we ready to have a tree lighting?” into the mic, and the Littles cheered.

“First, we must announce the winners of tonight's special ornament contest.”

“How come we didn’t bring an ornament?” I asked. It was one of many questions I had.

As usual, I didn’t get an answer, and Master Derek jumped right into announcing the winners. Okay, we’ve got half a dozen categories to announce, and there are a few categories with multiple winners, so let’s just jump right into it.”

The Littles all lined up in front of the stage, whispering excitedly to each other. I wondered if they were the only ones who’d entered. The first few awards went to Littles, and I decided that must be the case after Wren won with some sort of horse painting ornament, and a Little named Billy won for most colorful with a hand painted ceramic gingerbread house. But then Colton won best handmade with an intricate hand carved Ranch Christmas scene on a wood block, and Moses and Nanny J tied in that category with a handcrafted personalized paddle replica, blowing my original theory out of the water. Angel and Heaven Leigh took an award for most creative with some sort of preserved chocolate concoction, and Sadie and Hayleigh won cutest with some sort of friendship-bracelet-looking garland. All in all, ten awards were given out, and I still had no idea what tree the ornaments were supposed to go on.

After he’d given out the last award, Master Derek finally answered my question… sort of. “Now folks, it’s almost time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the tree lighting. I know some of you were wondering, so for those of you still in the dark, the tree is inside a brand-new house on the Ridge, and that house is a very special Christmas present to three of the attendees of tonight’s little soiree. But before we continue, and let you all in on the rest of our secrets, can we first get a big round of applause for Santa’s elves, otherwise known as the masterminds behind tonight’s festivities? Elves, do you want to join me up on the stage?”

I wasn’t at all surprised when Sadie, Wren, Daisy, Hayleigh, Georgie, Reese and Eli rushed the stage, giggling excitedly and taking dramatic bows. All of them were in fact dressed as Santa’s elves.

I was completely shocked however, when after a beat, Luna and her suitemate Mia, both service submissives and not in fact dressed like elves, joined them.