Selfless: Book Two (bxb) ✔️

Chapter Twenty: The Christmas Games

Ace Villan

"I will detach your head and toss it into the river."

Mom blinked at me. "Sweetheart, I thought it would be best if the triplets were a team."

I gave her a once over. "Fine. Fair. Can I opt for lighting myself on fire?"

"I put you with Alastair and Liam."

I pursed my lips. "Okay, that's fine."

Mom shook her head with a laugh. "Okay! Back to what I was saying before my violent child decided to interrupt. There are several challenges you will have to complete! Think of this as team building!"

I groaned. The triplets groaned. My best friends groaned. Everyone groaned. "Mom, I think we need to have a discussion about what you qualify as fun."

"The teams are as follows! The triplets. Ace, Alastair, and Liam. Nolan, Ethan, and Asher. Lily, Tate, and Me. Damon, Sebastian, and Emery."

Uncle Damon smirked at his husband. "I'm so turning our daughter against you."

"We're wonderful parents." Tate mumbled. "Okay! Let's get this going!"

Mom smiled as everyone moved to their perspective group. "Great. So, the challenges are simple enough. You're going to build a snowman. You will make a cup of hot chocolate, and not just instant. Building a gingerbread house." I knew she added that because we never got to do it. "A sled race, and you must go out and find the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find. That will be the last one."

I sighed dramatically. "Why the Christmas sweater?"

"Glad you asked! We're opening our secret Santa gifts tonight, and the winner is picking the Christmas movie we're watching tonight. Not only that, but I picked out pajamas for everyone to wear! They match!"

"I draw the line at matching—" Cade gave me those eyes that told me he wanted partake. Damn it. Damn these triplets for having awful parents and needing experiences. Damn it, existence. "I better get a Santa hat."

Mom winked. "Anything for you."

"Do not butter me up. I'm still going to complain."

"It wouldn't be a family occasion if you weren't complaining, baby." She waved her hands. "First game is set up in the back. Nature did it for you. Make the best snowman you can, everyone! You will all vote, and you can't vote for your own team! Move it!"

I complained the entire way to the back of the house. I dragged my feet through the snow, and hated myself for not wearing a scarf. It was too cold to be doing Christmas activities for supposed team building. But as I listened to the triplets laughing as they started to pack snow together, I remembered why we were doing this.

We wanted to shove Christmas cheer down Cameron's throat, and it seemed they were all having the time of their lives. I glanced over from assisting Liam with the middle part of the snowman, and saw them flicking snow from their creation onto each other. As rich as they'd been their entire lives, they sure found the best in the smallest things. They enjoyed being part of something. Part of a family. And they were. They were part of my family. Alastair's family. Even Liam's. They had a huge family now.

I turned back and grabbed snow from the ground and dumped it on Alastair's head. He pinned me with the look of death, and grabbed the back of my neck, and threw me into the snow. Liam was laughing hysterically at both of us, so I exchanged a look with Alastair before we both grabbed massive handfuls of snow and tossed it at him.

He wasn't laughing anymore.

No, we lost track of what we were supposed to be doing and ended up in a snowball fight. Everyone was advancing quickly, and eventually we went back to the task at hand. By the time the challenge ended, we had a very sad looking snowman.