I Married The Asshole (new version)

32. Zeke

December 10, 2019

It's been two months since we celebrated Kai's 20th birthday even if his actual birthday had been back in March. I had wanted to throw him a party then to get his mind off of Rick but the bastard ruined my plans and then I had forgotten about it until Caden came up to me and sat me down saying 'I want to throw Kai a surprise party even if it's been months since he had turned 20 so he deserves it after everything that he's been threw since he got here,' I, of course, agreed because he was right. Kai deserves that and much more. He deserves the fucking world and I'll be damn if he doesn't get it.

His smile as he looked at the decorations all around the yard was priceless. He had the biggest smiles I have ever seen in his beautiful face and my god did my heart swell tenth fold watching as he scanned every familiar face along the guests. Hell I didn't know even know how my idiotic brother had managed but seeing Cryler and Ryder among the guests was shocking as my best friend also has a gang to lead. Which meant that he and his husband care for Kai just as much as he does for them. And it showed when Kai and Cryler talked almost the entire night with occasions of him with his family.

"You've got yourself a keeper, Z," Ryder had said when they were leaving the house for the night, "you deserve it, my friend"

"Rye's right. Papa," Cryler grinned making me roll my eyes, it had been years since the idiot had called that. As I had mentioned briefly, I raised Cryler when he was a little kid when his parents were killed along with his older brother who was currently serving overseas. "He's one of the good ones."

"That he is," I had agreed before giving him a kiss on the forehead and a hug to Ryder as a goodnight gesture.

"We'll be here when you tie the knot as well," Ryder has added before climbing their car with their son. I nodded and Kai joined me to bid them farewell at the door.

"Did you have a good time?" I asked him and he hummed nodding his head with a smile, "Come on, let's go get some sleep,"

After nearly 13 years of not celebrating any holiday, not since my mother and brother were killed, Caden and I got to celebrate thanksgiving last month with Kai and his family. Even though I never celebrated it, Caden did with Tony. They had always gone out to eat or something while I stayed back going through the finances and making sure that there wasn't any issues or problems with the merchandise. Also making sure that money wasn't missing.

But not this time, instead I sat at the head of the table with Kai at my right and Caden at my left with Tony beside him. Kai's parents and sibling sat at his side with each of their partners, and Caroline along with Ryder sat at Tony's side.

After we had finished eating we migrated to the living room where it was filled with laughter as Anna and Landon told stories of Kai and his brothers when they were little. It was during those moments that I had wished the my mother was alive as she would have become great friends with Kai's mother.

"Zeke?" I blinked clearing my head from the thoughts of last month and looked up to the door to see Kai standing at the threshold holding Ashton

"Yeah?" I asked pushing away from my desk and walking over to towards them and he smiled

"Just came to see if you were busy," he replied as I leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips

"Nope, in fact, you have me for the rest of the day," I replied and he nodded with a smile

"Perfect," he answered making me raise a brow and he grinned. "Would you maybe want to go pick out a Christmas tree?"

And the smile that adorned his face when I nodded made all my stress wash away. And that's what I lived for. That smile on his face.

******

Two hours after arriving at the tree farm, Kai and I were heading home with our Christmas tree. I knew that if Caden and Tony had gone with us that Tony would complain the entire time asking if we had a tree picked yet or how much longer we'd be at the farm looking at the trees. He's a pain in the fucking ass so it was better to not have told either of them about our trip to the tree farm.

"Caden is going to be so mad that we want tree picking without him," Kai chucked and I couldn't agree more. I knew Caden well enough to know that he'll hold a grudge for a long time because of us going without him

"He's going to hold a grudge," I said making him look over at me with raised brows and I grinned, "he's that dramatic"

"Oh boy," he replied making me chuckle as I turned onto our street and driving for another half hour before the massive mansion came into view. Reaching the large black gates with the doubles 'R's engraved into each handle in gold, I pressed the code for them to open before driving the extra ten minutes to the kind driveway where Caden and Tony were already waiting.

"Oh he's pissed," Kai whispered as we saw Caden glaring daggers our way as I parked the car by the front door. I rolled my eyes and turned the car off before unbuckling my belt with Kai doing the same then stepping out of the car with him going to the back to get Ashton from the car seat.

"I can't believe you went Christmas tree shopping without me," Caden exclaimed as Tony, James, Alec, John, Landon and a couple other guys helped unload the tree from the roof of the car. 

"Well you two weren't even home when we went," I said and he glared, "Tony wouldn't have lasted two minutes walking around looking at the trees,"

"That doesn't mean that you still couldn't have called or something," he replied

"We're sorry, Caden." Kai said and Caden huffed, "it wasn't that we didn't want you to go along with us, but more so because I wanted to do this as a family just the three of us,"

Caden just looked at Kai debating on whether or not to forgive him or not before sighing and nodding his head, "next time tell Tony and I so we can go with you guys"

"I rather not be invited next time," Tony said as he huffed as the tree nearly knocked him over making me roll my eyes. "How the fuck did you even get this thing on here?"

"Language," Kai and Caden said in unison glaring at Tony for swearing making me smirk

"I had help," I answered with a deadpanned look as I helped carry the massive tree inside, "Alight love, where should we put this thing?" I looked over at Kai who had followed us into the house with Caden in tow.

He bit his bottom lip with furrowed brows as he scanned the foyer before looking into the living room tilting his head before nodding to himself. I chuckled shaking my head watching him having a silent conversation with himself before smiling,

"Right there is perfect" he said as he pointed to the middle of the foyer and we nodded before slowly lowering the tree down, luckily we bought a tree stand at the farm before driving home so it was easier to put the tree down instead of having to keep it somewhere else while we went and got a stand for it.

"Alright, now time to decorate it,"