A Very Xander Christmas 3 (Rockstar Book 8) Read online

  A Very Xander Christmas 3 (Rockstar #8)

  Anne Mercier

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Follow Anne

  Also by Anne Mercier

  About the Author

  A Very Xander Christmas 3, Rockstar Book 8

  Copyright ©2016 Anne Mercier

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-0-9971000-5-1

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  The use of actors, artists, and song titles and lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner's trademark.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.

  PERSONAL NOTE: The only pirate I like is Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Morgan, which means I'd appreciate if you'd keep my books to yourself. Pirating shows a clear lack of respect for the author—me. I'd rather not meet you on bad terms, so let's not do that, let's not meet that way. Let's meet at a signing or conference instead, or let's go have a cup of coffee or a drink—maybe some of that Captain Morgan! Thank you for respecting the time and effort put into each book. I appreciate it very much.

  Anne xoxo

  Dedication

  For all the Rockstar lovers…

  Chapter 1

  Kierah is crying. That's an understatement. That little girl has a set of lungs on her. She's wailing her heart out, letting everyone in CFD know how unhappy she is.

  "Luce my Goose," I say and Lucy turns to me, more frazzled than I've ever seen her. Her hair is in serious need of a brush, she's in the same clothes she was wearing two days ago, and she could really use a shower. Yeah, Lucy stinks, but there's no way in hell I'm telling her that right now.

  "Kierah and Kaid have ear infections again," Lucy says, a tear slipping down her cheek.

  "Baby doll, it'll be all right," I reassure her as Kierah continues to wail.

  "Kaid is okay. He's somehow sleeping through this little banshee. I don't know how," she sniffles. "But Kierah. She won't stop, Xan. I swear I don't know what to do to make it better for her."

  I don't think it has anything to do with "making it better for her". I think it has everything to do with this little ball of sass making her mother's life miserable. If Kierah knew how much each one of her tears cost her mother, I guarantee she'd never shed another. But she's too young to understand.

  "Let me take her," I volunteer.

  Lucy's eyes widen. "Oh, I couldn't, Xan. She's…"

  I pluck the sassy girl from her mother's arms and tuck her into my chest. One chubby arm goes around my neck, in the crook of the other arm holds a stuffed unicorn (Kadi's been here), and as soon as Kierah rests her head on my shoulder, she sticks that thumb into her cherub mouth and immediately stops crying.

  Lucy looks at me like I'm the goose who laid the golden egg… like I know world trade secrets when I'm not, I don't. Her little cherub merely played her.

  "How?" she whispers, her entire body sagging in relief.

  "I dunno. I think she was pushing her mommy's buttons. Did you notice for as loud and hard as she was wailing, there are amazingly few tears?" I ask.

  Lucy looks on in disbelief. "But…"

  "Yeah. She's got her mama hooked around her little finger and she knows it. She knows you'll give her whatever she wants to stop those tears—including those animal crackers," I mention, nodding toward the bag on the table.

  Lucy scrubs her hands over her face. "I'm so tired."

  "Go grab a shower. I've got her."

  She hesitates.

  "Go, or your husband is going to kick my ass when he gets back from the studio," I tell her sternly. It's no lie. Jesse's protects his girls something fierce—his boys too if I'm being honest. He's a good dad.

  "Okay," Lucy whispers, rising from the chair and heading to her bedroom.

  I look down at Kierah and frown. "You need to be nicer to your mom. She loves you more than anything and when you rile her up, you make her sad."

  Kierah looks at me, her brows puckered.

  "I know you understand what I'm saying here, doll face. So ease up a bit."

  She lets out a huff and I chuckle. We're all going to have our hands full with this one. She's worse than all three boys put together.

  "Let's go rock for a while," I tell her, sitting in the rocking chair in the corner. She's asleep in no time at all, and I find myself drifting off with her. Hell, I could use a little nap. I cover us up with the little blanket and zonk out.

  Chapter 2

  I wake to Lucy crying.

  "Baby, what's wrong?" Jesse asks.

  Oh hell. I peek between my lids and see Lucy sitting in the corner across the room, her knees drawn to her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. My heart cracks with each one.

  "I-I'm a ho-horrible mo-mother," Lucy wails.

  "Oh baby, I know that's not true," Jesse reassures her.

  "It's true. I a-am," she cries.

  "Why would you even think that?" he asks, lifting her from the floor, sitting where she'd been, then wrapping her up in his arms as he rests her on his lap.

  "Ki-Kierah wouldn't stop crying," Lucy keens. "I tried everything. Even bribing her with animal crackers."

  I can see the shame she feels admitting this and it hurts me to see it.

  Jesse just waits her out.

  "Then Xan came in here. He takes her and she's instantly quiet!" Lucy wails. "She hates me. Xan said she was playing me, but Jesse she's only thirteen months old!"

  I can see Jesse biting back a grin.

  "Luce, we've got a she-devil for a daughter," he admits.

  Lucy looks up at him in surprise. "That's not nice, Jesse."

  "No, it's not, but she knows her tears will get her special treats and love from everyone. She doesn't just play you, baby. Trust me. I've been played more than once," he confesses.

  "Really?" Lucy asks, hopeful, and I want to laugh.

  "Like a fucking fiddle. I tell you, Luce, we're in trouble. It's gonna take all of us to keep that girl in line. Imagine what she's going to be like when she's sixteen," he says with a groan.

  "Oh," Lucy says. "Oh boy. She's going to give you the hardest time then, you realize this, right?"

  "Yeah, Luce. I know," Jesse tells her, his voice dejected and resigned. "I'll need you on my side. None of this women against men or mom sticking up for the only girl."

  Lucy sniffles. "You know I can't promise you that because if you're being unfair to our baby girl, I won't stand for it."

  "How fair is she being to you right now?" he asks, and I really struggle not to laugh.

  "Jesse!" Lucy scolds. "She's a baby!"

  "She is. But she's got your Russo mojo going on.
She's too fucking smart to know how to do the shit she does."

  Lucy scoffs. "You think so?"

  "Baby, I know so. We need your Nana Russo to come over and check this out, maybe… I don't know, find a way to suppress some of that shit, because goddamn I'm exhausted," Jesse admits.

  "I'm so fucking tired, Jesse. So, so tired. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in two days. I only got to take my shower because Xander took her, and look at them," she bites out, affronted.

  Jesse curses under his breath. "I don't know how he does it. But all it takes is him picking her up, Luce. Just like that she behaves."

  "I'm sure it has something to do with him stealing her out of her crib all the time. I don't think she's ever spent an entire night in her own bed," Lucy says thoughtfully.

  Uh-oh.

  "He takes the boys too. He's always got two of them," Jesse murmurs.

  Lucy nods.

  They both sit there and look at me and Kierah for a while, almost not seeing us when Lucy turns to Jesse and cups his face in her hands.

  "Thank God for Xander. Oh, thank the Lord above," she breathes out in relief.

  "Yeah. I don't even want to think about what it'd be like…"

  She puts a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say it!"

  He nods, eyes wide.

  "Your desperation and need of me is a beautiful, beautiful thing," I say softly and they both turn to me scowling. "Everyone loves the Xan Man."

  Jesse growls.

  "Ah-ah… watch yourself. You'll wake the she-devil," I tease.

  "Christ," Jesse mutters. "I didn't mean it."

  I chuckle. "I know it, man. She's a handful."

  "And she's only a year old," Lucy announces, wide-eyed.

  "We're so fucked," I admit.

  Jesse and Lucy groan.

  Kierah sits up rubbing her eyes. She sees Lucy and Jesse and she giggles.

  "Sa, Sa," she babbles, turning to me and slapping my cheeks with her chubby little hands. "Sa, Sa!" she screeches, then gives me a kiss. She giggles and squeals again, louder this time, waking the boys and I look down at her and chuckle.

  "You're such a sassy girl, Ki-Ki," I tell her.

  She laughs again, her eyes dancing with humor. "Sa sa sa sa!"

  "F-u-c-k-e-d," Jesse groans when Kaid, Killian, and Konnor stand up in their cribs and start babbling.

  Chapter 3

  "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch," Kadi sings as me and the K-Quads along with Ethan, Kennedy, and Jace watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas. She sings it with such vehemence, it's like she wants to reach through the TV and punch him in the face.

  I lean over to Jace. "I don't think she likes the Grinch."

  Jace chuckles.

  Kadi spins around and looks at me, eyes narrowed. "He's trying to steal Christmas! He can't steal Christmas! If he does, then Santa won't bring me presents! He won't bring the babies presents! And he won't bring you presents!" She walks up to me, grabs my shirt in her tiny fists. "We need presents!"

  We bust out laughing and she gives us the evils.

  "Laugh now. When Santa doesn't bring you presents, you'll be sad," she chastises, turning back to the TV.

  I look to Jace whose face is one of shock, surprise, and admiration. He just shakes his head as if at a loss as to what to say to that.

  "Well," I say.

  "She told you," Ethan teases.

  "But good, too," Kennedy agrees.

  "I wasn't just telling Xan," Kadi announces. "I was telling all of you."

  I snort. That'll teach 'em.

  "It seems the girl children in this house are full of sass," I tell the guys. "Kierah was giving Lucy a hard time earlier.

  "Dude, she's only a year old," Ethan scoffs.

  "Oh man," I start, shaking my head. "Don't let Lucy hear you say that—or Jesse for that matter. They're kinda freaked out at how smart this little girl is. Jesse thinks she might have the mojo."

  Ethan sits up straight and looks at Kierah in her bouncy chair. "No. No more mojo in the house."

  Kennedy continues to strum his guitar as he shakes his head. "Not much we can do about it."

  "The mojo is strong in that one," Lucy says coming into the living area. "I need to talk to nana. I can't—"

  "Stop it," Jesse interrupts. "Let's enjoy the holiday. What time are Sera and Cage coming over?"

  "Any time now," Ben answers walking into the room with Nicole.

  Kennedy smiles and sets his guitar to the side when Nicole sits next to him. "How are you doing, little one?"

  She nods. "I'm good. Aced my finals."

  "Of course you did," Kennedy tells her. Those two have had a big brother-little sister connection from the minute they met. I've never seen Kennedy so attached to a female the way he is to Nicole.

  "She studied her butt off," Ben tells us, sitting down next to Nicole.

  "Coco," Kadi squeals, running over to Nicole and settling on her lap after a big hug.

  "What are you up to, Kay-Kay?" Nicole asks.

  "Watching the Grinch. He's not nice."

  "Oh, I don't know," Nicole begins. "He's just misunderstood. All he really wants deep down is to be loved and a part of the Whoville celebration."

  "Really?" Kadi asks, cocking her head to the side.

  "Really. Watch and see," Nicole tells her and Kadi goes back to her beanbag chair on the floor.

  "You're so good with her," Lucy says.

  Nicole shrugs. "It's easy to love them."

  Lucy nods. "It really is."

  Ben looks at Nicole who's already looking at him. They start grinning.

  "Wait. Wait. You said you can't get knocked up," I begin. "You've got the 'we're gonna have a baby' look on your faces."

  Ben smirks and Nicole snuggles into him.

  "We're not pregnant. That can't happen," Nicole begins. "But we've been spending a lot of time with Jorge and Maria Garza."

  "You thinking about fostering them?" Kennedy asks.

  Nicole nods. "To start. We're hoping to adopt eventually. Joan's been in contact with Mr. Garza's attorney who will be presenting him with papers to give up his rights to the kids."

  "You think he's going to go for it?" I ask.

  Ben scowls. "Probably not, but we've got to start somewhere. Those kids deserve better than the hand they were dealt."

  Ethan tips his beer. "Amen to that." The look on Ethan's face isn't one I've seen in a long time. It's one of a victim. It's one that he had when he was a kid and his mom and her "friends" abused him. We never knew the extent of the abuse—none of us asked and he didn't tell. But that look… it's one that scares the living fuck out of me.

  Sera and Cage walk in and the topic changes to Christmas greetings, but Ethan still has that haunted look about him. I hope that look disappears again real fucking soon.

  Meggie and Trace show up along with Joey, Regina and Anthony Russo.

  "Hail, hail, the gang's all here!" I sing just before I hug everyone in greeting.

  "Your nana is coming," mama says to Lucy.

  Jesse breathes a sigh of relief and mama laughs.

  "You think it's so easy raising these Russo girls. I assure you there is nothing easy about them. They are complex and moody and they can manipulate you like no other. But you love them. You love them with all your heart… and then you ask Nana to suppress that mojo so they can't manipulate you at just over a year old," she informs us.

  Jesse walks up to her and hugs her. "Thank you, mama. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He even kisses her on both cheeks.

  Mama laughs.

  Chapter 4

  Gifts are passed around. Jesse, Lucy, Sera, and I each take one of the babies, helping them open their gifts. Sera has Kierah, and Cage keeps reaching down to tickle her chin, and that little girl is eating up every second of his attention.

  "She's in love with you," Sera tells Cage, referring to Kierah.

  Cage lifts a brow.

  "Not that I can blame her. I mean, you're quite the catch,"
Sera continues.

  Cage smirks then pulls a long thin box out of his suit pocket and hands it to Sera. Sera leans up and kisses him on the lips.

  "Oh! Oh, oh, oh!" I shout. "I see where baby Kierah learned how to manipulate!"

  Sera snickers and Lucy scowls.

  "Stop teaching your niece bad habits, sister of mine," Lucy says.

  "Where's the fun in that?" Sera asks.

  "You just don't know," Lucy begins, her lip quivering. "She…"

  "Hey," Sera soothes. "I'm sorry. I'll behave."

  Lucy nods.

  "Little Kierah knows how to manipulate her mama too well, if you get what I'm saying?" I tell Sera.

  Sera frowns, then turns Kierah and meets her golden eyes—eyes that match her father's. "Are you being naughty to your mama?" Sera asks her and Kierah pats Sera's cheeks. "Oh, no. Uh-uh. That doesn't work on me, pretty Ki-Ki. You need to be nice to your mama. She's got a soft heart and you're hurting her feeling. That's not nice."

  Kierah looks on thoughtfully as if she understands.

  "Seriously?" Ethan asks.

  "Right?" I agree.

  Kierah squirms off of Sera's lap and crawls over to her mom. "Ma ma ma ma ma ma." Lucy picks her up and holds her tight to her chest. Kierah leans back and plants a very wet and drool-y kiss on Lucy's lips. "Ma ma ma ma ma ma!"

  The boys join Kierah in her chant for their mama.

  Lucy laughs, wiping a tear. "I am blessed. I know I lost it earlier, and I'm sorry Jesse and Xan. I am very sorry. These four babies give me a run for my money, but I wouldn't change it for anything."

  Jesse smiles a real smile. Finally. It's been a long time since I've seen one. I think he's been worried that his little wife was miserable and regretting her choices. That would never happen.

  "Things get tough. That's why you have all of us," I tell Lucy.

  She nods.

  We start singing carols. Kennedy strumming his guitar, me tapping my sticks on the table, and everyone singing along. Jingle Bells. Silent Night. And when we get to The Little Drummer Boy, Kierah crawls over by me and tries to take my drumstick.