An Aces Christmas (The Aces' Sons)

“You need me to pick up anything at the store?” my mom called out, waving her arms as she hurried toward us. “Let me know if you forgot something and I can pop by while you guys are gone.”

“I don’t think so,” I replied loudly so she could hear me through the helmet. “We’re having spaghetti. Pretty easy and I already had most of the ingredients in the cupboard.”

“Did you remember some garlic bread?”

“I got some fresh this morning.”

“Beer?”

“Mom, who do you think you’re talking to?” I asked jokingly as she reached out to grab my braid, running her fist down the length of it.

“It’s a good day,” she said, her eyes shining. “Soak it all in and enjoy it.”

“I’m trying.” I looked around at the men climbing onto their motorcycles. “If everyone would hurry up and we could actually get going.”

Mom laughed and gave my braid a tug. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I replied, reaching out to hold her hand for a moment.

“Now go get our boy,” she said, her words drowned out by the sound of a dozen bikes firing up around us.

She strode back toward the clubhouse and I raised my eyebrows in surprise as she was almost plowed down by someone racing out the doorway. Mack’s daughter Kara was pale and wide eyed and barely stopped to apologize to my mom before she turned, her eyes on the columns of bikes as we started toward the road. She seemed paralyzed for a long moment, then as if the hounds of hell were on her heels, she sprinted for the old Jeep that Rose had given her years ago.

Leaning my head against Cam’s back, I forced myself not to worry about the poor girl. We all had our demons, and I couldn’t change the fact that soon she was going to have to face one of hers.Chapter 2Kara4 ½ years ago

“We’re going to prom as sophomores,” I sang, throwing my arm over my best friend Charlie’s shoulder. “And you are wearing a dress. Don’t even try to get out of it.”

“Seems like you’d be a little less enthusiastic about our pity invites,” Charlie said dryly, shrugging off my arm so she could hitch her backpack higher on her shoulders. “I’m technically going with my nephew.”

“They’re not pity invites,” I argued, hurrying to catch up as she lengthened her stride. “They’re our best friends and they want us to go with them.”

“What they want is to console all the poor girls going solo, but they don’t actually want to go solo themselves,” Charlie said with a laugh, looking at me like I was a poor, naïve little waif. “They know if they bring us, we won’t care when they take off without us.”

“Obviously,” I said with a snort, hiding the twinge in my stomach at her description. “But by then, we’ll already be at the prom, shaking our asses.”

“You can shake yours,” she said, pointing at me. “I shake mine and we’ll get kicked out for indecency or something.”

I rolled my eyes in commiseration. She was probably right about that. For whatever reason, Charlie couldn’t even cough in class without being suspended. It was the strangest thing, because she was far from the wildest kid in the sophomore class. Hell, I participated in her shenanigans and I’d never been in trouble.

“How are we getting home?” I asked, the realization that we hadn’t planned ahead coming to me as we hit the sidewalk in front of the school.

“Walking,” Charlie replied. “It’s not that far.”

“It’s over a mile,” I practically shouted.

“I need to get the exercise in somehow, since they cancelled softball practice,” she said over her shoulder, her steps never slowing as I planted myself in the middle of the sidewalk. “Come on, or you’re going to have to run to catch up. I’m not slowing down!”

“You’re such an ass,” I yelled as I jogged to catch her. “I didn’t agree to this.”

“Stop bitching. You need the exercise, too.”

“Hey!” I yelped, making her laugh.

“What?” she said innocently. “You know by tonight you’re going to have some ridiculous workout plan to get ready for the stupid prom. I’m just giving you a head start.”

“I’m happy with how I look,” I replied superiorly. “You don’t know me as well as you think.”

“Yeah, okay,” she scoffed. “I bet you’re already planning your dress and how you’re gonna get your dad to pay for it.”

“Ha!” I yelled, startling a dog in the yard we were passing. “I’m just going to ask Rose. See, you don’t know everything,” I said over the dog’s panicked barking.

“Good call,” Charlie said, looking at me. “She’ll let you get whatever you want.”

“Probably,” I said, my confidence waning a little. “She’s gotten kind of… matronly since Brody was born.”

“Matronly,” Charlie said with a snicker. “You get some new vocabulary words in Mrs. Schulfer’s class?”