Christmas with the Sheriff (The Fiore Family 3)

“Yeah.” Our tension eased up after he fell in love with my sister, and we’re brothers now. “So are you going to string him up by his balls?”

“Maybe. It’s a strong possibility.” The thought of the bastard stealing her affections instantly pissed me off.

“I’m gonna warn Jenny now,” my mother says. She knows the both of us are extremely serious about harming our friend. Good guy or not, if Mia gives him her smiles, I’ll shoot him in the nuts.

“Smart move, Mom.” She kisses my cheek.

“You boys are so cute. Now, set the table for us so we can eat.” We both move around like we’ve been ordered by our CO because even though this is Derek’s house, he’s not crossing my mother and I learned a long time ago to mind my p’s and q’s.

“So where are my little niece and nephews at?” I haven’t heard a round of chaos or two since I arrived. My niece and nephews are absolutely adorable, yet they love to have fun. I can’t wait to have a horde of little ones with Mia.

“Napping. The thing about little ones is that you never know when they’ll just decide to take a time-out. Of course, it’s not when it’s the right time.”

“Ah the joys of being a kid again.”

“That’s for sure. Now, since you asked, you can help me bring them down.” We go upstairs and into the boys’ room where my niece, the oldest, is sitting with her feet crossed in her holiday dress.

“Uncle Mark,” Lily squeals, scrambling to her feet and running to me. “I missed you.” She’s four going on twenty.

“Have you been up for a while, princess?” Derek asks as she hugs my legs.

“Yes, Daddy. I was waiting for you to come rescue me from the evil creatures over there. Shh. We must be quiet.” She presses her finger to her lips, whispering even though she just shouted down the room. Her baby brother is sleeping in the crib across from her, and Jacob is in his play yard, rolling awake.

She puts her hands on her hips and huffs, “Great, see what you did, Daddy? We better hurry before they wake.”

“Sorry, princess, but your brothers need to join us for dinner. Well, little Dean can stay asleep, but go with Uncle Mark and show Grandma your pretty dress.” I scoop her up and take her out the door with my finger to my lips.

“So we have a guest joining us tonight. She’s going to be my wife soon,” I tell her as we hit the top of the stairs.

“Really? Like Mommy and Daddy.” Lily speaks fast and learns even faster. They’ve got their hands full with her. The boys aren’t much easier and have his personality already. My sister’s a bubbly, sweet, and caring woman, and she married a grumpy asshole. Hopefully the boys take after her, but it’s not looking good.

“And is she having a baby? Mommy’s having another baby. Grandma says Daddy loves giving Mommy babies.” I chuckle because she has no filter. I don’t know if it’s all kids or just her, but she’s a riot.

“Yeah, he does.” Although I don’t want to think about how they’re making them. She’s my baby sister and has been with him since she was eighteen.

We reach the bottom step and walk into the dining room where everyone but Derek is standing and my sweet niece asks, “Are you going to give her babies?”

Instead of letting the shock and embarrassment hit me, I answer truthfully while keeping my eyes on Mia. “A bunch of babies.”

“Excuse me.” Mia walks out of the dining room with her phone rising up to her ear. “Hello?” She disappears before I can hear their conversation.

I set my niece down and follow Mia, needing to know how much competition I have. “Of course. I’ll be there. Okay. Miss you too.”

She turns and spots me, giving me a half smile. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Give everyone my love.”

“Everything good?” I ask, wondering if she’s going to tell me the truth.

“Yes. My brother called again. He wants me to come home soon.”

“Where’s home?” It’s something I need to know because the closer she lives, the better luck I’ll have getting her to stay with me.

“Rochester.”

“Rochester? I thought you were from a much bigger city.”

“Why, because of Nicki? Did she break your heart when she left?” Damn, so she hadn’t forgotten what Susie said. How the hell do I straighten this out?

“It was a long time ago.” It’s not something I want to talk about on Christmas Eve or ever, but I will. Just not now.

“Dinner’s ready,” Jenny says, popping her head into the room.

I turn my head and say, “Give us a minute.”

“No. I don’t want to keep anyone waiting.” She walks past me, but she doesn’t look upset. Still, I know she is, although I’m not sure why, exactly. I’ll ask Jenny later. We take our seats, and my sister places Mia to my right.