“I think this is the last round,” Jeroen, or Whitey as all his friends called him, groaned, placing his hands to his back as he cast an admiration-filled look at the huge pile of neatly wrapped presents. “You people have the patience of a saint, not to mention your artistic skills. I’m only good at…cutting wrapping paper?”

 

“Well, cousin, keep that in mind next time you unwrap a present.” Elias cutely grinned. “As for cutting wrapping paper, it is a very useful skill in this circumstance.” He gestured around. “You helped us to save a lot of precious time, and I really appreciate it.”

 

“Hey, dude, stop singing Whitey’s praises. He might get used to it,” Lochlin said, earning himself a playful glare from his stepbrother. “To be honest, I’m not fond of wrapping presents, either, but this is for a good cause.”

 

“You can say that again.” Elaine nodded in approval. “All the rescued kids at The Base are buzzing with excitement, waiting for this evening’s party, even the newly-arrived who haven’t come out of their shell. The youngest ones who came from abusive biological or foster families couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the real Christmas tree and decorations.”

 

“Yes.” Tarrin gently smiled. “A few of them, no older than five, follow Saint everywhere, calling him Santa. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.” The blond boy softly sighed.

 

“So, what’s the plan,” Whitey intervened, sensing that melancholy was starting to replace the festive, playful mood from earlier. “When will we leave for Connecticut? I can’t wait for you new guys to meet our cousins from Boston.” He turned to Elaine, Tarrin, Ira, and Nico, grinning.

 

“And I can’t wait for you to finally get a boyfriend who will kiss you day in and day out.” Lochlin sweetly smiled in his stepbrother’s direction. “You would talk less nonsense then,” he added.

 

“Speaking of boyfriends, is Lazarus planning to join us at the mansion? Last time when he was there, a lot of mistletoe kissing magically happened, or so I’ve heard.” Whitey shrugged.

 

“Mistletoe kissing.” Abernathy sighed dreamily. “What could be more romantic? I’d love to do that with my boyfriend,” he continued, ignoring the deep shade of pink creeping up Tarrin’s and Ira’s faces.

 

“Look, there’s Leon’s truck. Let’s help him load the presents.” Elaine pointed out the window, saving the boys from a potentially embarrassing situation.

 

“Well, now that our job here is done, it’s time for me to get back to The Base. Alasdair asked me to give him a hand with decorating the clinic’s waiting room and the emergency room so the eventual patients could enjoy some of the holidays’ spirit.” A small smile appeared on Leon’s face. “Hopefully, it would help them forget, at least temporarily, that they are spending Christmas in a hospital bed.”

 

“Isn’t Spitfire one of the best? I’m coming with you. There are still a lot of things to do at The Base until the party starts,” Elaine said, heading to Fabian and Lance’s mansion’s exit, arms full of packages.

 

The others imitated her, and in just a few minutes, Leon’s van was filled to the brim, the rest of the packages being loaded in the trunks of Elias’s, Elaine’s, and Whitey’s cars. Once they arrived at The Base, everything was unloaded and carried to the Remembrance Hall while Lazarus, Emery, Julien, Natalina, and Tess kept the children busy, chasing them through the snow and getting engaged in an epic snowball battle.

 

Meanwhile, Elias, helped by his younger brother and two best friends, decorated the emergency room, the waiting room, and even the rooms the patients were checked into. Alasdair, who came to inspect the clinic one more time to make sure everything was all right before heading home to change for the party, was pleasantly impressed by the final result.

 

Finally, evening came, and the Christmas party started, much to the delight of the rescued kids, big and small. Even the ones with extreme traumatic experiences who usually preferred isolation to company were touched by the spirit of the holiday, enjoying the presence of the other kids and the men who ran The Base.

 

Subjected to horrific abuse, humiliated, tortured, some of the rescued kids considered themselves abandoned and rejected the idea of an almighty deity watching over everyone from a throne of gold in the sky. However, they were very fond of the concept of someone protecting the innocent and sacrificing themselves for them, and that’s why Christmas was so close to their heart.

 

Ardan, Brennan, Caleb, Saint, Zachary, and the rest of the crew were their flesh-and-blood saviors. It was easy for those abused and neglected kids to associate them with the hope and redemption brought by the special person whose birth everyone celebrated on Christmas.

 

The younger ones, on the other hand, were more attracted by Ardan’s stories about haggis, the mythical three-legged creature living in the mountains of Scotland, in a region known as The Highlands and the home of many real-life brave warriors. Grouped in a large, circular formation, they were listening captivated while Zachary and Saint gave them the presents.

“What do you mean by we did it once?” Rhett plopped down on an armchair, still in shock after Thaddeus’s surprise marriage proposal. “Did what? Another wedding?”

 

“Yes.” Ezra smiled at the happy memory. “Eight years ago, a bunch of distinguished gentlemen planned our wedding behind our back.” He gave Peyton an adoration-filled look.

 

“It’s true that back then we had two weeks for preparations, but it’s perfectly doable in twenty-four hours, too,” Christine intervened. “We have the guest list, the food, the drinks, the rings, the most adorable flower girls…all we need are the flowers and two nice suits for the handsome grooms.”

 

“And the celebrant, but I’ll take care of it in a minute,” Mallory spoke, starting to type on his phone. “I’ve just sent him a message. Now we wait for the reply.”

 

“We could order the flowers from the same place we did when Ezra and Peyton got married,” Vincent, who by then scrolled through his phone, said. “I just checked and they’re still in business. I leave the rest to the happy grooms-to-be and the lovely ladies and girls from the family.”

 

“Thank you, Uncle Vincent. You’ve been a great help.” Christine gave him a bright smile. “We have a band of talented, young musicians who would be very happy to perform at your wedding.” She turned to Rhett and Thaddeus. “Also, we have the decorations covered, courtesy of a very creative interior designer.”

 

“I…I don’t know what to say. It’s like you have the answers for all the objections I could raise,” Rhett hesitantly said, smiling shyly. “Never mind the suit. I’d marry him naked if the social conventions would allow.” He pointed to Thaddeus.

 

“Is something else holding you back?” Fabian’s question came in a gentle voice that soothed the tensed nerves of his future brother-in-law.

 

“Actually, yes, there is something, or rather someone very important who waits for me to come back and doesn’t know about the change of plans. When I came here, my expectations were very low, so I left him home because he…let’s say that he doesn’t react very well to strangers.”

 

“We happen to have some angels in disguise among us.” Fabian warmly smiled. “So, if you write a note and talk to that very important person over the phone, letting them know someone will pick them up and bring them here…”

 

“Name’s Remy. He’s seventeen, a mere kid who endured way too much for someone so young,” Rhett whispered in a pain-filled voice. “I rescued him three years ago from the claws of his abusive father, who pimped him out to heartless beasts who…” The man’s voice broke, and he stared blankly ahead.

 

“Remy will feel comfortable in Ardan’s presence,” Fabian spoke reassuringly. “Leon, Auntie Zoe’s official errand boy, is also a marshmallow at heart,” he continued, the tender smile still playing on his lips.

 

I’ll message him right away.” Rhett nodded, starting to type on his phone. “Remy answered my message,” he said after a few minutes of heavy silence. “He asked for pictures of the men who will bring him here.”

 

“Of course.” Fabian nodded, messaging his future brother-in-law some photos of Ardan and Leon. “The kiddies must be tired after all the snowmen and fortresses they built, not to mention the epic snowball fight, so they should come into the house any minute, and so will Ardan, their most trusted helper.”

 

“Yay, we beat your sorry asses again!” Ira, Tarrin, Abernathy, and Elias cheered as they stepped inside the house. “The Crazy Bunch for the win!”

 

“You from the Crazy Bunch, move your tiny behinds into the dining room for an early lunch, then go straight to bed. You need to be well-rested for the rehearsal.” Ezra greeted them from the living-room’s doorway. You have a wedding to perform in tomorrow.”

 

“Who’s getting married?” The four teens spoke in unison, barging into the living-room, their eyes shining with happiness and excitement. “Um…good morning, sir, excuse us. We…it won’t happen again.” Elias’s voice dropped and his gaze lowered, a reminiscence of the long years he spent in his tyrannical father’s shadow.

 

“Kids, this is Rhett Randall, soon to be Bloom, your Uncle Thaddeus’s fiancé.” Alastair wrapped the four teens in a warm, affectionate look. “They are the ones who will be getting married tomorrow.”