Naughty Elf: Evan (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

16. Holden

Chapter 16

Holden

When Ms. Beverly and Blake showed up, Evan acted like they were long-lost relatives that he was welcoming home for a feast. He’d baked two cakes, gingerbread cookies, and some kind of pasta casserole that had more vegetables than I’d seen him eat since I met him.

“Oh, Evan!” Ms. Beverly pulled him into her arms, holding him like a loved one. “You’re just as precious as Holden said.”

I chuckled. “I don’t know if I used that word but yes, he is.”

Evan ate up the attention, glowing under her gushing words about his decorations and the wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen. “I have some snacks for you both.”

Blake held out his hand to me before approaching my omega. “Blake Brown, good to meet you.”

“Holden Burns. Thanks for coming out here. We really appreciate not having to go into the hospital to meet with you.”

“No problem.” He put his bag on the table and turned to Evan. “It’s great to meet you too, Evan. I’m Blake.”

“Hi, Blake. Are you hungry? I’m nesting already. Is that normal?” He looked between the three of us. “I’m not even showing yet. I’m just…rambling, apparently.”

Ms. Beverly chuckled and guided him to the chair. “Nonsense, darling. Just have a seat and let my Blake take a look. He’s the best. And I’m not just saying that because I’m his mama. He really is.”

“I believe you.” He gave her a side hug as I approached his other side. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Just relax and I’ll get set up.” Blake opened up his bag and pulled out some supplies. Once he had everything he needed, he slipped on a pair of gloves and did the exam.

As much as I wanted to focus entirely on what was happening, my wolf was throwing a fit about an unmated alpha touching our omega. He didn’t understand the doctor-patient relationship, and I had to exert more control than usual to stay in my skin and keep my wolf from tearing into the bear.

Blake glanced at me several times, probably sensing the danger he was in. Or, more likely, his bear was just as protective and wanted to come out too.

I forced a smile and nodded for him to continue. “Sorry, we’re kinda new to this mate thing.”

He just nodded as he took some measurements of Evan’s waist. “No worries. I’ve been through this a few times.” He poked around Evan’s abdomen as I looked at my omega’s face, making sure he wasn’t in discomfort.

Fortunately for all of us, he looked fine and completely enthralled with the process. His eyes were locked on the doctor’s hands, smiling with each prod and scribbled note. “So everything seems good?”

Blake held some device over Evan’s belly and nodded. “All is good.” He stepped back and gave my omega some space, which my wolf greatly appreciated. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Eat well, lots of water, and I’ll be back in a month to check on your progress.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Evan hopped up and put his shirt back on. “Now it’s snack time. Cake, pie, cookies or all of the above?”

Our afternoon snack meant we were both too full for a proper dinner, so Evan and I spent Christmas Eve watching classic Christmas cartoons while eating popcorn and drinking cocoa. When my omega started yawning, I hit pause on the movie and lightly scratched the top of his head in my lap. “Ready for bed, sweetheart?”

“Yeah.” He rolled around to look at me and then he smiled widely. “Wait. Can we do presents tonight? I can’t wait till morning.”

I ran my fingers through his hair. “You’re the Christmas expert. If you think it’s okay to do gifts early, that’s fine with me.”

“It totally is. Back in the North Pole, we often do our gifts on Christmas Eve because we have to work all night and then we’re usually too tired to do much on Christmas Day. It’s fine.”

“Then let me get yours.” I gently lifted him so he was sitting upright and then got up off the couch. I wrapped his gift in one of the shipping boxes I used for sending out orders. Not the fanciest wrapping, but I didn’t think he would mind.

When I turned back around, Evan was holding a small box in his hands too. Unlike mine, his was wrapped in a sparkling red fabric with a gold ribbon tied around it. He held out his gift to me. “You first.”

“Okay.” We sat back on the sofa and I carefully lifted the lid to his gift. Lying on a cloud of cotton was the most intricately designed bracelet I'd ever seen. “Evan, it’s beautiful.”

“I made it myself. It’s called a bandlet. I’ve never made one before but found some videos, and I think it turned out okay. It’s usually made with steel and wood, but I decided to use leather to hold the wood pieces together. Do you think it’ll fit?”

I carefully lifted it up and placed it across my wrist, surprised that it fit perfectly. “Yeah, it does. Did you measure my wrist?” I looked up at him and grinned.

“You know how I’m always grabbing your wrist? Well, it wasn’t always for fun. A few times were purely for measuring purposes.”

I attached the connectors on the ends and held my hand out. “I love it, Evan. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, my turn!”

He reached for the box I’d placed on the table and brought it to his lap. “Yeah, although, now I’m wondering if maybe I didn’t put enough effort into it.”

“Nonsense. You put a lot of effort into everything you make.” Evan tore into the package and had the collar I made for him out in two seconds flat. He gasped when he saw the strip of leather with the intricate stamped design across it. “It’s gorgeous, Holden. You made this for me?”

“Yeah, I thought it would be nice to cover up the mate mark when you want to hide it.”

His brow furrowed and he looked at me in outrage. “I never want to hide it. But I love this collar.” He held it out to me and turned his back. “Will you put it on me?”

“Of course.” I carefully attached the clasps to the back of his neck and then smoothed out the butter-soft hide. “Perfect fit.”

Evan looked at me over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Were you measuring my neck every time you reached for it?”

I chuckled. “Not every time, but at least a few of those times.”

He ran his fingers over the soft leather as his pupils got bigger with lust. “Take me to bed, alpha.”

We slept in on Christmas morning, both of us exhausted from several hours of making love. We were so warm and cozy in our bed that we had no interest in waking up. At least until our stomachs got the best of us and we needed to eat.

Evan had a tray of cinnamon rolls rising in the fridge, so he popped them in the oven and then got the coffee started for me.

I went to the front window to peek out and noticed another gift under the tree, one that I was sure wasn’t there when we went to bed. “Evan!” I picked it up and carried it to the kitchen. “Is this from you?”

He glanced in my direction and then almost spilled the milk he was pouring into a cup for himself when he did a double take. “Where did you get that?”

“It was under the tree. Why?” I placed it on the counter beside him. “Is it from you?”

He shook his head and inhaled deeply. “It’s from Santa. He knows I’m here.”

My wolf was on alert, ready to defend our omega and make sure no one, not even Santa, tried to take him from us. “Are you gonna open it?”

He nodded but didn’t make a move to reach for it. “What if it’s bad?”

“How bad could it be?” I wasn’t sure how bad things could get for a rogue elf who’d snuck away from Santa’s village, but it didn’t seem like something terrible. “Besides, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

“Okay.” He pulled the ribbon off and then lifted the lid. Inside, there was a note on top of the tissue paper. Evan picked it up and read it out loud. “Your methods were a bit unorthodox, but I’m happy you found your mate. That’s all I ever want for my elves. Enjoy Joyville and congrats on the little one.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I reached for the note and read it to myself. “It’s pretty good, actually.”

“Yeah.” He seemed confused as he unwrapped the tissue and pulled out a stuffed wolf. It was only a few inches tall, but it looked exactly like my wolf. “I think he approves.”

I kissed the side of Evan’s head, sharing in his relief. “Of course he approves, sweetheart. All you did was listen when fate told you where to find your mate.”