It was Christmas morning and the house was completely alive. To be honest, I had been up since four cooking; which had woken a very cranky Seamus who told me off for not getting him to help me. So, so cute.

The smell of bacon and all other mouth watering foods had Hugh up in no time, as well as a sleep mussed Ripper. His arms came around my waist, head propped on my shoulder as he obstructed my movement in the cutest way possible. I pecked him on the cheek, smiling when I felt him grumble into my neck.

"I know it's Christmas, but can we save the 'merry' for later?" Seamus called, gesturing to the large table that still had to be set. Hugh laughed, pushing the prospect's shoulder. "Let them be. Once you find a lady, then you'll understand"

Ripper's hands smoothed down my front, grasping me tighter. "Mmm. You'll understand soon" I leaned back and continued cooking, listening to the strong heartbeat of the man entwined around me.

We were soon interrupted by the entrance of many other club members, all stopping in their tracks when Ripper gave his signature glare.

"Hey Pres! Merry Christmas and all that shit!" Slater sang, bursting through the masses of people at our door with bags and bags of presents.

"I'm pretty sure we don't make that much money" I deadpanned.

"I got some stuff on the side babe, don't you worry"

Ripper raised a brow at the endearment but I shrugged and started serving the feast. Lord knows I would be in the kitchen for the rest of the day- and before people get all triggered tumblr feminist on me, I like cooking and I like my space.

These men can't cook for shit. Apart from Seamus, the boy could bake. When forced.

All the members that had come were gone, only calling in to give gifts (mainly alcohol) to dad. The ragtag main group stayed; Deadeye, Beast, Viper- the doctor who was rarely seen and my lovable Asian who was currently ignoring a pathetic looking Beast.

Apparently he had hesitated when given the ultimatum, resulting in Bianca the Ice Queen. And he toddled after her like a dog with an extremely strong thirst.

Seamus sat with his father, catching up on times they had missed. It was nice to see Seamus smiling with his father, that familial gleam in his eye making my heart hurt.

"Stuff your gobs boys, I gotta get cooking"

They needed no more invitation and stuck in, complete silence as they ate my food. Ripper stayed in the kitchen with me, startling a gasp out of me when he lifted me on the bench.

"You need to eat too Sugar"

And I melted. He fed me silently, giving me a quick grin before eating the food I offered him. When finished, I looked to all the men who had cleaned out the table. It was literally just clear plates and slightly drugged looking faces- particularly from dad, who gave me and extremely slow thumbs up.

"Digest, and then we will have lunch"

They groaned in unison but sat up, excitement in their eyes. Ripper chuckled into my ear, now wrapped around my back and disabling my movement. "Get off me or you won't get your present"

"You got me a present?"

"Duh, it's Christmas." I blushed lightly and moved my mouth to his ear. "Plus, I like you. And I want you to like my gift"

Wrenching myself out of his arms I went and got the presents, handing them out to everyone at the table. Even Beast, the asshole. Bianca grinned when she opened hers, hugging me close when she saw the 'Men in Kilts' calendar I got her with a lot more guitar picks and a new leather jacket.

Beast glared.

I smiled sweetly back. Smiling wider when he opened his 'How to not be an asshole manual.'

Seamus ripped his open and gave me a huge face splitting smile, palming the mahogany box that encased his art set. "I love it Cor. Thank you"

I shrugged and pecked him on the head, igniting a fierce blush on the boy. Too cute.

Slater laughed loudly when he opened his- extra small condoms for men who struggle to reach erection. "A lot of thought went into that one, so appreciate it" Slater nodded, rolling his eyes and staring at the box.

Deadeye nodded to me when he opened his, a military style knife but with an obsidian dagger. That one I couldn't get in Ireland, but I had connections.

Hugh gave me a huge bear hug when he opened his photo albums of us, pictures I had secretly taken of our larger than life family. But there was also a baby photo of me in there, a photo that made his eyes tear up. "Love you dad. Merry First Christmas together"

And having a real family on Christmas meant the world to me. Meant more than the world since Ripper was at my side.

I turned to the patient man and gave him my gift, shrugging when he took it. "I didn't know what to buy, so I made it instead."

He took the large canvas and unwrapped it, stilling when he saw what I had given.

"This is... me?"

I nodded, wringing my hands. "Yeah. That's how I see you anyway"

He moved his intense, cerulean gaze to mine and stared. "It's beautiful"

I shrugged again and went to walk away before he snapped me back to him, crashing his lips briefly on mine before drawing away. "I'll give you yours later"

I may have taken that in a very different way than he intended, and he smiled darkly. "That too"

The rest of the day was just cooking and slapping Ripper's hands away from me, listening to stories of the club from each of the people here. Deadeye told some pretty good ones, but Bianca spilled some details about our less than intelligent escapades through various countries.

I actually saw Seamus taking notes.

Ripper pulled me to the room after I cooked dinner, closing the door securely and gesturing for me to sit. "you might think it's too soon, but what I feel for you isn't dragged down by time."

He pulled off his shirt and peeled off a large bandage covering the expanse of his chest. And enscribed in thick, capital letters was CORIN, surrounded by other tattoos collected over the years.

The man always found new ways to stop my heart.

I stood, feeling his gaze on me and reached out. "Can I touch it?" After a nod, I gently fluttered my fingertips on his tanned skin, tracing the letters of my name.

"It's beautiful" I whispered, bandaging the cloth on again. Ripper grunted, seemingly back in his hard man mode. I circled my arms around his neck and drew him into a long, lip searing kiss. Brushes of tongue and gentle bites that pulled rough growls from my Motorbike Knight.

"I love it."

"And I love you"

What? I stared as I processed his words, a brief panic rushing through my body before calm acceptance took hold. He brought my chin up with a tattooed forefinger, gazing deeply into my eyes.

"I love you Corin Kane. And I will never let you go"

I ran my hands down his face, breathing his air.

"I love you Caerul." I leaned in, whispering into his ear. "And I think I'll love you forever"

He stared, still and eyes glazed. "Say it again."

"I love you Caerul"

And then he drew me up into his arms, and showed me a reason why I loved him so much.

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