A Wild Ride (Hell's Tribe MC Series) [Book 7]

BONUS CHAPTER: The Aftermath of Peppermint Schnapps

As some of you may know, I have a habit of giving you all a chapter on December 25th as a Christmas gift from me to you! While I initially planned to post chapter 30 and the epilogue for you all, @andie1268 inspired me after asking if you guys were getting another Christmas book this year. While I had literally no plans for that since I've been working on finishing up Maggie and Blaze's story and working on book 8, once I read that comment, I couldn't stop thinking about it. As I write this, it's December 19th and with less than a week until Christmas, I could not even dream about pulling off a short Christmas novella this year. BUT, since Maggie and Blaze never got a chapter last year, I figured they deserved one this time around.

*PLEASE NOTE, THIS WOULD TAKE PLACE ABOUT A YEAR LATER AS MAGGIE AND BLAZE'S FIRST CHRISTMAS AS A COUPLE AND WILL NOT FOLLOW THE TIMELINE OF THE NEXT REGULAR CHAPTERS*

This is just a little extra something fun for you guys.

If it seems rushed, it's because it is. If there are more mistakes than usual—you didn't see them!

I hope you all enjoy it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

~Maggie~

Murph was pacing Blaze's hallway. I could hear his heavy feet doing laps up and down, up and down for at least ten minutes now. I thought his loud snores were bad, but once that sound stopped and this began, I missed the lull of his heavy breathing as I desperately tried to catch more sleep and ignore the pounding in my head. I pried one eyelid open, only enough that I could see the time on the screen of my phone that was haphazardly lying next to me on the mattress. I hadn't even managed to plug my phone in last night and while the screen did light up—way too brightly, announcing it was 8:03, the battery bar was low and on red. I groaned as I reached over, and struggled to find my cord on the ground. I was hanging off the edge of the matress until I found it tucked up against the leg of the bed.

"Fuck sake," I cursed, finally plugging the little bitch in before setting it down on the nightstand.

I let out a huff and attempted to close my eyes again, but no such fucking luck. Murphy resorted to clawing at the bedroom door now and I knew that meant the poor guy probably had to pee. While I loved the big guy to no end and I enjoyed our regular walks and trips to the park, I could not for the life of me get out of bed right now.

Not only did I cater my first large event yesterday afternoon for Christmas Eve, but I also spent the night at the annual Tribe Christmas party and may have gone a little too hard on the spiked eggnog and the peppermint schnapps cocktail that Carter came up with.

I hadn't been this hungover in years. Hell–I hadn't drunk to the point of blackout like this in years.

The girls and I were having so much damn fun that the drink count sort of got away from me. I didn't drink the way I used to, but I also didn't drink for the same reasons I used to. Instead of using alcohol as a coping mechanism or an escape, it became only a recreational treat that I hardly indulged in these days.

Maybe that's why I'd gotten so shit-faced. I wasn't used to this level of consumption anymore. Either that, or I was getting old, but I refused to accept the latter as fact.

I was nearing 30 and my boyfriend was still in his mid-twenties the little fucker.

"Blaze," I groaned, reaching across the bed to make contact with his body. The reminder of him also reminded me that at the end of the day, Murphy was his dog, and I shouldn't have to take him out while I was this violently hungover. Unable to find him next to me, I stretched my arm out further across his side of the bed and was only met with cold sheets. "Blazeeee," I whined, forcing my eyes open once again, to confirm nothing but an otherwise empty bed.