Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

D rake

What in the world is happening? I thought for the hundredth time that night. Nothing about this event made sense, and Luna’s apparent participation in it made even less. When had she had the time? She’d been helping me for a week, and after that, all her time had been spent catching up on missed work shifts.

There was no time to question though, and she never got off the stage. Just then Master Derek signaled for the applause to stop and instructed us to all line up single-file to make our way into the house where the tree lighting ceremony would apparently be held.

While that did explain why I hadn’t been able to find a damn tree all night, it didn’t explain much else. Whose house was it? Master Derek had said it was a home for three, and I Immediately wracked my brain for throuples on the Ranch who weren’t yet living on the Ridge. I couldn’t come up with any. But besides that, who the hell threw a tree lighting ceremony indoors? Well, in a house at least? And invited hundreds of people? And why in the world was Master Derek being so mysterious about the whole thing?

My mom’s expression said she had the same questions as me so I just shrugged and pulled her up so we could claim our place in line which was already wrapping around the park. The elves and Master Derek left the stage, and once again Luna was nowhere to be seen. So much for Christmas memories and a special date night. So far I might as well be on a date with my mom.

Just when I was inwardly swearing to myself I was going to spank her silly when we got home, Luna appeared by my side, seemingly out of nowhere and took one of my hands and one of my mom’s dragging us to the front of the line.

“Luna!” I cried, reaching around to pop her on the bottom. “What are you doing? We can’t cut the line! It’s rude!”

Sha paused her dragging only long enough to scoff at me. “It’s not cutting, Daddy. It’s one of the perks of being an elf. Elves and their guests get VIP treatment.”

There were still so many things wrong with her claim, but I had really no grounds to argue so I sighed and let myself be dragged along. Sure enough Reese and her Daddy Arlo, Hayleigh and Chef Connor, Georgie and Lucas, Wren and Travis, Daisy and Rhett, and Eli and Willem joined us near the front of the line, along with Mia and Sadie and Master Derek. All the Littles kept looking back at us and giggling though, and I swore once again Luna’s ass was gonna get roasted once we got back to my apartment later. I just wasn’t quite sure why.

Master Derek made a big show of unlocking the door and we all filed into a large house with a huge tree in the otherwise nearly empty living room. The tree nearly touched the top of the high vaulted ceilings, with exposed beams and an open floor plan. I sucked in a breath at the beauty and wondered if it was about time for me to talk to Master Derek about getting a house on the Ridge for myself and Luna. If my mom did indeed move away as I feared she would, at least we’d have a real guest room for her when she came to visit.

“All right everyone. Back up as far as you can and make room. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze. Elves and contest winners, you all make sure to stay up front, near the tree, please,” Derek called.

By the time all the event goers filed in, the large great room was packed and the crowd was spilling into the hallway. The fire marshal would surely have something to say about the amount of people in the house and I wondered again at the wisdom of this plan.

Before I could ask, Master Derek stepped forward, somebody pushed play on a boom box plugged into the wall and Christmas carols rang out, filling the cramped space. Even if I’d said something, nobody would hear me. The tree lit up, and everybody gasped as the majestic tree twinkled with soft white lights that blinked in time to the music.

I smiled and nudged my mom. “Look, Mom. They found the jukebox lights like we always had.” The jukebox lights as I called them, were something my dad had brought home when I was small and had used every year since. They’d always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I always said I’d have a set for my own tree one day. I added that to my mental shopping list, along with a tree, ornaments and stockings.

“And now, can we have the contest winners, starting with Sadie and Hayleigh and their garland please come up, one by one and place your ornament on the tree. Once they are done, the rest of you can hang your ornaments on the tree, and after that, the owners of the newest home on Rawhide Ridge will finally be revealed.”

I couldn’t wait for that moment. Hopefully then this would all make sense.

Luna squeezed my hand and pointed as Sadie and Hayleigh hung their friendship bracelet-style garland. The letters on the “beads” spelled out “Our First Christmas Together”. That just added to the mysteries. Of all the throuples I could think of here on the Ranch, none of them were newly together this year. Were they? One of them had to be.

The crowd oohed and ahhhed and clapped, and Sadie and Hayleigh bowed before Master Derek called forward the next winners. One by one, I got a better look at the prize-winning ornaments as they were placed on the tree. I was close enough to see that Nanny J’s and Moses’ resin paddle replica was candy-cane striped and said “L+D” on it, and Colton’s ranch scene included a pile of books. Each ornament seemed more elaborate than the last and more confusing.

The non-prizewinners were just as elaborate and just as confusing, each one a tiny personal masterpiece in its own right, and not a single one seemed to have been bought at a store. Beside me, Luna had a tight hold on my hand and was bouncing on her heels excitedly. I still didn’t understand why.

Finally the last ornament was hung and Master Derek took the mic once more. “And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I’m going to call my head elf up here, and she’s going to explain to you all what’s going on. I know some of you are very confused and anxious to find out.”

I nodded, expecting Sadie to take the mic, but instead Luna dropped my hand and joined Master Derek by the tree.

“Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining tonight’s tree lighting ceremony. Throwing this all together was my idea. And my Daddy is looking at me like I’ve grown a second head right about now. Or maybe he’s grown one of his own.”

The crowd laughed uproariously while I just stood there with my mouth hanging open, and Luna continued, “I know, most of you were expecting Sadie to be the head elf weren’t you?”

Nods and murmurs around the room joined my own.

“The truth is,” Luna said, “I needed a Christmas miracle, and even though the Ranch is known for its magic, there was no way I could have pulled this off without a little help from my friends. Thank you to everyone who isn’t totally lost right now. If you already know what’s going on, that means you helped contribute to the magic in some way, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Luna’s mischievous grin filled her face as her eyes met mine. “Daddy, could you come up here please?”

I shook my head, frozen in place, but my mom shoved me forward until I was standing right beside Luna, in front of hundreds of people.

I glared. Luna giggled and wiggled her fingers in a wave. “Hi, Daddy. Are you confused yet?”

“I’ve been as confused as hell ever since I got home tonight,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, sorry about that, but it was for a good reason, I promise,” Luna said in a voice that was so soft I knew the statement was meant for my ears only. Then to the crowd she said, “Guys, this man has been in love with me for years. And though I did love him, he was my best friend, and I have always been afraid of commitment. No matter how many times he hinted, or even outright asked, I wouldn’t ever take it further than friends with benefits because I was so sure that adding a commitment was a surefire way to screw the whole thing up. I ran so many times, and I thought at one point, I really had lost him for good. Then with a little help from Master Matchmaker—I mean Master Derek—one day I realized that I was in fact, head over heels in love with him. And he became my Dom, and then, my Daddy. And then, everything fell apart. My Daddy lost his father. Just a few weeks ago. Suddenly and completely unexpectedly.”

My eyes welled with tears. I still had no idea what was going on, but I was gonna kill her when I got her home. Or rather, I was gonna spank her silly.

“And well, his mom, a resident of Porter’s Corner, and regular weekly visitor to the Ranch, lost her husband.”

Luna’s eyes welled with tears. I didn’t dare look at my mom. I knew she had to be sobbing by now. Where was Luna going with this? It felt like she was just standing up there airing my dirty laundry, which was ridiculous, because I was certain that everyone here already knew all of it. Nothing stayed secret at the Ranch for long.

“Anyway,” Luna went on as my mom sagged against me, “that’s not the point. The point is I love this man, and his mom, and I know that they each want one thing this year. Hettie wants her son to try to be happy and for him and I to celebrate the season his father so dearly loved by creating our own memories and traditions, something that isn’t easy to do when you’re wracked with grief.” Luna wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her puffy coat. “And Drake, all he wants is for his mom to stay with us, and not move back home in an effort to drown out her grief. All I want is to see them both smile, and for them to know just how much I love them and want to be a part of their family.”

Luna was crying openly now, Mom was sobbing. My eyes were wet, even though I was still confused, and all around me, people were wiping their eyes.

“Thanks to all of you, and the magic you all helped me create, tonight we’re going to try to make both of those wishes come true. And while it won’t bring back what they’ve lost or in any way begin to make up for it, the hope is that it will make them smile, and realize just how very much they are loved.” Luna sniffled and blinked up at me, and I heard the crowd gasp collectively. “Daddy, I love you. And this house…” She waved her arms around the beautiful, nearly empty space. “It’s ours, I mean, yours. And not only does it have a guest room, it also has a separate-entranced, fully furnished mother-in-law apartment in the basement, with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a master bath.”

I glanced over to see my mother slap her hands over her mouth and bawl harder.

“What? I don’t understand.” It could take months, sometimes years to get a house built on the Ridge and Luna had managed to get us one, the perfect one, in a very short time?

“The tree is ours. The whole thing was planned for you. You can move in tomorrow, and we can have our first Christmas together. And Hettie, you don’t have to move in, but you can if you want to.”

I took a step closer, and as I looked at the ornaments on the tree, everything finally clicked into place. “This was all for us?” I repeated in awe. “The whole thing? The tree lighting, the ornament contest? All of it?”

Luna nodded but was too choked up to speak anymore. Master Derek stepped up beside her and spoke not into the mic, but directly to me. “Rawhide takes care of its own. Luna is one of our own, you are and so is your mother. The truth is the whole night came together seamlessly, and instantly because everyone wanted to help contribute in some way.” He smiled. “Would you like a tour of your new home, Master Drake?”

I stared at him blankly, then back at Luna. She’d done all of this, not alone, but she was the driving force behind it all. Those weren’t the actions of someone who was scared. Of someone who was gonna run. And she’d said “ours”. She’d corrected herself, but she’d still said it. The old Luna would never have done that.

I’d been trying to figure out the perfect moment to propose, and agonizing over whether or not Luna would even say yes. She’d just handed me both answers on a freaking silver platter.

Without another thought, with my heart in my throat, I sank to my knees and pulled the ring box out of my pocket. I didn’t have a speech planned, and my brain felt like absolute mush, but I was just hoping for a little bit of extra Christmas Ranch magic to go around.

There was a second collective gasp when I held up the box and took Luna’s hand in mine. Then the room went absolutely pin-drop silent.

“Luna Rose Wilde, I love you. I’ve loved you from the first time you smiled at me in the Dungeon and a little bit more every day since. The day you agreed to become my girlfriend and submissive was the happiest day of my life. And some of the hardest days followed immediately after. And even though I know you were scared and heartbroken too, you were there for me, by my side, every step of the way. It took me three years to convince you to date me. I honestly expected to spend another three trying to convince you to be my wife. And I would happily spend them if that’s what it takes. So just know, if you say no, this isn’t over. I love you. I’ll never stop loving you. I want this home to be ours, not just mine. I want you to move in with me and marry me and spend every Christmas creating Ranch magic with me, so others can be as gobsmackedly happy as you’ve made me tonight. Will you, baby? Will you marry me? Please say yes.” My heart was in my throat and I was suddenly questioning the wisdom of my split-second decision.

Just when I was about to stand up and sneak away with my tail between my legs, Luna launched herself at me, with such force it nearly knocked the wind out of me, wrapping her legs around my waist. Her lips met mine, and she kissed me deeply as the room erupted in cheers.

When she pulled away, resting her forehead on mine, we were both breathless. “You never answered my question.”

“Say yes!” Sadie cried.

“Say yes, say yes, say yes,” the Littles chanted.

“Say yes!” My mother joined them.

Luna opened her mouth and the crowd grew silent again.

“It’s okay if you’re not ready,” I reminded her. “Don’t let them pressure you. I’ll wait until you are.”

Luna shook her head, whipping her pink hair back and forth until her curls slapped the side of my face. “You don’t need to wait. I don’t want to wait. I’m ready to marry you. My answer is yes.”

My jaw dropped open. There was still a part of me that hadn’t believed it would ever happen, or at least not today. Not this year. “It’s a Christmas miracle!” I cried, pumping my fist in the air.

“Three Cheers for Ranch magic!” one of the Littles cried. It sounded like Hayleigh, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Hip hip hooray!” The chant rose up. “Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!”

“Hip hip hooray indeed,” I whispered as I took the ring out of the box and slid it on Luna’s finger.

My babygirl leaned in and kissed me again, and I knew in that moment, despite everything, that this would forever go down in history as my best Christmas ever.