Page 7 of Outlaw Xmas
Hawk turned into the parking lot and jumped out of the SUV. Each time he entered the quiet hallways, he’d smile to himself over the looks he got from some of the teachers and parents at the expensive and prestigious school. He let Cara handle which schools their kids would go to. Braxton had been on the waiting list since he was a little over a year old, and Cara had just placed their eighteen-month-old daughter, Isabella, on the list. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to him, but Cara had insisted St. Rosa’s Academy was one of the best elementary schools in Pinewood Springs.
The ringing bells echoed down the long hallways and several doors opened at once as children spilled out of classrooms. Leaning against the wall, Hawk smiled when he spotted his dark-haired son. When Braxton’s blue eyes locked on to his, the boy grinned widely and ran over to him. Hawk picked his son up and looked at the blue construction paper he shoved in his face.
“Look, Daddy. I made a picture of my hands.”
Hawk took the paper from him and saw the small handprints painted in red, purple, and yellow. “Totally awesome,” he said against Braxton’s cheek.
After securing Braxton in the car seat, he slipped into the driver seat and switched on the ignition. “Did you have fun at school?” he asked as he drove toward their house. The four-year-old chattered on about everything he’d done that morning, and Hawk kept glancing in the rearview mirror at him the whole drive home. He still couldn’t believe he had a son and a daughter. He never thought he’d have a family, especially since his childhood had been wrecked with so much violence and betrayal, but there he was, with an adorable son, a precious daughter, and a wife who still made him hard just by looking at her.
“When are we going to see Santa Claus, Daddy?”
Focusing back on what Braxton was saying, he laughed. “I think we’re planning to do that next week, little buddy.”
“Everyone in class has gone already.”
“You sure about that? I mean,everyoneis a lot of people.” When Braxton’s brow creased in concentration, he chuckled to himself. “We’ll get there. I promise. It’s just that Mommy’s been real busy.”
“Isa wants to go too, but she might cry.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause that’s what babies do when they see Santa. Mommy said I did it when I was a baby.”
“Yeah, you did, but you’ll be there with Isa, so she’ll probably be good. You’re her big brother and you have to always watch out for her.”
“I know.” Braxton fell silent and stared out the window as Hawk turned into their neighborhood.
“Some of the neighbors really went all out,” he said as he passed a few homes with a ton of inflatables covering their front lawns. “Would you like to ride around at night and see all the lights?”
“Yep. Mommy said you were gonna take us to do that.”
“She did? Good to know.”
Twenty minutes later, Braxton was sitting on the couch watching cartoons while Hawk warmed up some leftover spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. Outside, snowflakes had begun to twirl down from the gray sky. He placed two plates on the table and called Braxton to come eat. The boy dashed into the kitchen and climbed up on the chair.
When they were almost finished with their food, he heard the garage door open, and anticipation of seeing Cara squeezed his insides. After all the years they’d been together, he still couldn’t get enough of her. It was true when they said love was a drug, and he was addicted to the max.
Braxton’s eyes lit up when Cara came into the kitchen with Isa in her arms. “Mommy!” He tried to push back his chair, but Cara went over to him instead and he wrapped his small arms around her neck, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He laughed. “I put spaghetti sauce on your face.”
“That’s okay, sweetie.” She turned to Hawk and smiled at him. A rush of desire bolted through him and, for a split second, he wished the kids were at their grandparents’.
“Come over here, babe, and I’ll clean you up,” he said as he rose to his feet.
Putting Isa down, Cara headed to Hawk and he leaned in close. “You smell awesome,” he whispered in her ear before he licked her cheek and then her lips. Heat stirred within him as she pressed close to him, and the warm and sensual mix of vanilla and apricot and Cara consumed him.
“Don’t the kids have to take a nap or something,” he murmured against her mouth.
“They do,” she answered as she ran her hand over his arm, squeezing his bicep.
“Daddy said we can see Santa next week,” Braxton said as he pushed away from the table.
Unfurling herself from Hawk’s arms, Cara went over to Braxton and helped him out of the chair. “That sounds like a great plan. Let me wash your face.” She took his hand and guided him over to the sink. Hawk watched her hips sway in her tight-as-hell jeans, readjusting his pants as his cock grew hard.
Bending down, he picked Isa up and ran his hand through her soft light-brown hair, then kissed her soft cheeks. “How’s my sweet girl?” She giggled and burrowed her head into his neck.
Yawning, Braxton rubbed his eyes and curled his arms around Cara’s legs. “Are you tired, sweetie?” she asked as she wiped his face with a warm cloth. He nodded.
Hawk carried Isa into her room and laid her in the crib, then stroked her head until she closed her eyes and her lips parted. He bent down and kissed her softly before making his way to his and Cara’s room, where she was brushing her hair.
