Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2022 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0730-3

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  HELL’S BASTARDS MC

  CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

  Hell’s Bastards MC, 4

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2022

  Chapter One

  “We’re all going to fucking die this holiday,” Hunter said.

  “Hey!” Ugly Beast growled. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  There was a chorus of laughter around the church table, and Smokey wasn’t entertained. In fact, he was mightily pissed off. This hadn’t been a decision he’d come to lightly.

  With the shit that went down with his woman, and then Raven, he was struggling. He wasn’t a romantic man, nor was he a man used to feeling so fucking useless when it came to women.

  Ava had certainly shown him that he had a thing or two, or a fucking thousand, to learn. When it came to his woman, he was always fucking up.

  “Dude, Hunter’s right. We love Abriana. You know we do, but come on. That woman needs to be banned from the kitchen. She has given us all food poisoning,” Big Dick said. “I think she has chipped my sister’s teeth a few times as well. Harlow will not even think about helping her to bake. Your woman is a disaster in the kitchen.”

  Smokey couldn’t agree more. Abriana was a lovely woman. Her love for Ugly Beast surprised him. Their marriage had been an arrangement with the Garofalo mafia. After discovering the Boss was nothing more than a pedophile, intent on destroying the Hells Bastards MC, he’d been taken out. The mafia was now run by Carlos Santiago, who happened to be married to one of their own, Raven.

  Smokey adored Abriana. She was good for Ugly Beast, who had turned into a somewhat reasonable human being. He was a good guy. A nice guy, but of course, anyone who said that to Ugly Beast would hurt for days afterward.

  “Abriana doesn’t have to cook, and if she does, I’m sure Ava can fix anything she does,” Smokey said.

  “So let me get this right,” Kinky said. “You want us to host Christmas here at the clubhouse. We’re to get the women to dress properly, or not appear, and we’re to what, embrace Ava?”

  Smokey ran a hand down his face. His men were being purposefully obtuse dickheads.

  “Smokey, dude, you’ve got to let that shit go,” Brick said.

  He looked around the table at the club.

  “He can’t let it go,” Raven said. “He can’t bring himself to stop thinking about it, right? I get it.”

  “Ava has forgiven us all,” Kinky said.

  Smokey slammed his hand on the table. “I know she has forgiven us all, but I want more than that. I want her to have memories of this fucking clubhouse that extend past a few pleasantries. This is going to be a place where she comes all the fucking time. Where I want our kids to come to. This is my clubhouse, and I don’t want her to constantly remember my betrayal of her.”

  At times, Ava was so hard to freaking read. She no longer seemed to be having the nightmares, which was a welcome relief, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty every time she was at the clubhouse. Even when Ava didn’t realize he was watching her, he saw how she sometimes jumped or flinched. She hid it with a laugh or a sudden movement. He spotted it. He noticed it.

  The club hadn’t, but he had. And it drove him fucking crazy. So crazy that he had spent a great deal of time thinking about how he could make this work.

  He needed to wipe out her memories and create new ones. It was simple. Thanksgiving, they’d enjoyed alone with their son, Umberto. It had been a quiet affair, and after he’d put his son to bed, he’d spent the whole night making love to her.

  With Christmas coming, he knew she loved this holiday. Her bakery was already full of the Christmas treats she wanted to serve. Mince pies, mint candy cane cookies, the works. She had even taken Umberto back to work for a couple of days a week so she could get into the festive mood.

  Her shop was also full of decorations. Tinsel and fairy lights in the shop window. A tree in the corner, more tinsel and lights around the shop. It was a wonderland.

  He’d known this about his woman. And he didn’t mind it. In fact, he loved to see her joy, but at the clubhouse, it was a pit.

  No tree.

  No tinsel.

  No lights.

  Nothing.

  He looked toward Ugly Beast. “Do you want to spend Christmas with Abriana’s cooking?”

  “I want to spend Christmas with my family.”

  But he saw the clenching of Ugly Beast’s jaw. A couple of Christmases ago, he hadn’t been able to make it to their church meeting because he’d been puking his guts up and shitting himself every two minutes. That was Abriana’s cooking.

  “So Ugly Beast is in,” Raven said, chuckling.

  “What about you?” Smokey asked.

  “I, er, with Ava…”

  “You two are solid, Raven. I mean that. If you’re not around, I know it will upset her.” Ava was always asking about Raven. His woman cared about this woman. Ava had heard the true darkness of Raven’s past, and since then, Ava had made every effort to become best friends with the woman.

  “I’ll talk to Carlos. I think he was hoping for a quiet Christmas.”

  “Tell him he can stay home, but you and your kids, they’re welcome here.”

  Raven snorted. “Yeah, like he’s going to like that.”

  Motherhood had been good for Raven. She was still as mouthy and hard-assed as ever, but she looked good. She looked happy, and Smokey was grateful for that. Raven was another woman he’d nearly fucked up with.

  He’d made a lot of mistakes over the past couple of years, and he was determined not to make any more.

  Hunter sighed. “So, I guess we’re all going to do this. What exactly do you need?”

  The truth was, Smokey didn’t have a fucking clue what to do, but he wanted it to be perfect for his woman.

  ****

  “Damn, everyone is flocking here today,” Harlow said. “My poor feet haven’t had a chance to rest. Your cookies though, the bomb.”

  Ava smiled at her only employee. She absolutely adored Harlow, especially as she had her seal of approval of the brand-new vegan Christmas cookie she’d brought out. It had been a challenge learning new skills in baking, but it had certainly paid off.

  She kneaded the dough for her cinnamon rolls, loving the feel of the smoothness of the dough. This was what she loved about baking—being hands-on and getting involved in the process. It was always fun using the machines or allowing technology to do its thing, but the real joy was in creating something by hand. That was what she loved. Smokey had taken Umberto for the day so she could come into the bakery and help Harlow set up.

  She didn’t have any troubles with Harlow, and in fact, the young woman had proven to be an amazing baker, and also a wonderful friend.

  “Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what brings you into the bakery right now?” Harlow asked.

  “I miss it.”

  “You miss the early mornings? The kneading? The hard work?” Harlow asked, giving her a wink.

  Ava chuckled. “It’s just being here. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mother, but this shop is my baby.”

  “Hell yeah, it is. And you can totally tell, mama bear. You know, I never thought I’d love baking quite as much as I do, but it is so much fun.”

  The sound of the doorbell had Harlow leaving, and Ava knew if she continued to work the dough, it would no longer be utter perfection. She quickly oiled a bowl and placed the dough inside before covering it with a damp towel.

  These were not for the shop, but for her to take to the clubhouse. The very miserable clubhouse.

  She couldn’t believe Smokey hadn’t even bothered with a tree for the festivities. The only part of the clubhouse that was dressed up was the women. And that wasn’t saying much seeing as they were mostly naked.

  Ava quickly dealt with her mess, cleaning up the kitchen as Harlow came back.

  “It’s closing time. I’ve already locked up the shop, and we’ve just had the last of the products bought,” Harlow said. “I’m going to get everything cleaned up.”

  Ava followed her out and gathered the trays, helping Harlow carry them back to the sink. They both got to work cleaning.

  “Harlow, did you ever visit the club, you know, before I was around?” Ava asked.

  “Nah. My brother wouldn’t allow it. My parents wouldn’t either. Apparently, I was too young and impressionable, and they already feared I was going down the wrong path. I mean, seriously. You should have seen the way they reacted to my veganism.” Harlow shrugged as she dried up one of the trays. “Why?”

  “I didn’t know if … well, you know, they rarely had a tree?”

  “Oh, I think sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. I don’t know to be honest. I have nothing to do with the club. My brother won’t let me.”

  Ava smiled. She knew Harlow loved her brother, Big Dick, a club member, dearly, but it didn’t stop the two of them from bickering like crazy.

  “What do you and Smokey have planned for Christmas?” Harlow asked. “Anything sexy? Hot? Grovelly?”

  Ava rolled her eyes. She might have complained a time or two about Smokey’s constant need to make things right with her. She refused to even think about what went down with Raven.

  Yes, Raven had hurt her, and for a long time afterward, it had been bad, but Ava had seen how sad and guilty Smokey was. Even now, he was trying to make up for everything. All the club women who’d been involved in her attack were gone. He’d completely removed them from the club.

  She also noticed that he only ever sent the guys who hadn’t been there to drag her back to the clubhouse.

  It was sweet. There was no way she could say otherwise, but it was also a little upsetting. He wouldn’t allow Brick or Kinky near her, not for long periods of time. Even when she went to the clubhouse, she’d started to realize he wouldn’t allow them alone with her either. He’d be guiding her elsewhere, far away from the basement, and from all memories.

  He still felt his guilt. Ava had gotten over it, or was certainly attempting to get over it, but this couldn’t be healthy for either of them.

  “I don’t know. I think we’re going to have a private Christmas, maybe? I’m not sure.”

  “Do you want a different kind of Christmas?” Harlow asked.

  “I know it’s probably going to make me sound crazy or something, but I … I’ve always wanted a big family, you know. Big and full of people. Feeding people. I love cooking, and the more the merrier, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “You want to spend time at the club?” Harlow asked.

  “Yeah, no, I don’t know. Maybe. I think so. I’m not sure. I know it’s part of Smokey’s life, and I want to be involved in his life, you know.” She didn’t just want to be the woman he came home to or the person who randomly dropped by sweet treats to the guys. It was her peace offering. Trying to show the whole club that she had forgiven them.

  It had been a long, hard road, but she was much better now. Raven had also taken the time to discuss the difficulties of the club with her. Mainly because Ava had forced her to. Ava had wanted to understand why that image was so important that day all those months ago. And she completely understood why Smokey had reacted that way. Sure, she was pissed that it was her, but once she was able to take herself out of the equation and put in another woman, and a few other details, it made a lot of sense.

  Smokey had been betrayed one too many times, and she had been a different kind of woman to him. He hadn’t realized he could completely trust her.

  Chapter Two

  Smokey had never known true love in his life until he’d been with Ava. Then, of course, Umberto had been born, and he’d come to understand complete and utter devotion unlike anything else.

  He fucking loved his son. Worshipped his woman. They surpassed the club on every single level. On all levels.

  There was nothing else he wanted more than to be with his woman and his son. Of course, he had no choice but to deal with the club because he certainly wasn’t stepping down as their prez. No fucking way.

  Lifting his son, he stared at Umberto and then pulled him in and hugged him. Not too tight as he didn’t want to hurt his son, but holding him just enough to give him the comfort and love he needed. He was no longer a tiny baby but well on his way to being a toddler. The time had gone by so fast.

  “I love you so damn much. I’m going to teach you everything, and hopefully, you won’t piss off Ugly Beast and have a thing for his girl Bella.” Smokey shook his head. “Nope, you can’t be chasing any of the brothers’ children. Not that there’s many right now, and no matter what, you cannot hurt your mother. You’ve got to be a good kid. You can piss off everyone else. I’ll deal with teachers and stuff, but not your mother. You’ve got to be a good boy for her. Always.” He kissed his cheek and then held him close as he stood up. “Your dad was a total asshole, you see, so she needs to know that there is some good inside me, and that is you.”

  He moved toward the window and looked out over the parking lot. A fresh layer of snow had fallen, and as far as he was concerned, Ava wasn’t going to be driving in it, not tomorrow. He’d deal with Harlow if he had to. His woman was not going to put herself in danger.

  As if thinking about her had conjured her up, he saw her car pulling into the lot and taking the last available parking space.

  Most of the guys were at the clubhouse. They didn’t have any business to deal with, but that was because the holidays were always slow. It was one of the few times of the year, that they could just relax.

  He watched as Ava climbed out of the car and opened the backseat door of her car. She pulled out a couple of baking trays and then started to walk toward the main clubhouse.

  He spotted Brick outside, headed toward her, and Smokey quickly left his office and went toward the doorway.

  Brick had already taken the two trays from her, and they were close to the door.

  Ava chuckled. “I figured you guys could use a sweet treat.”

  “You’re not wrong. Smokey’s starving us.” The smile on Brick’s face disappeared when he caught sight of him.

  Smokey had warned him to keep his distance.

  “She brought us cinnamon rolls,” Brick said.

  “I made them especially for the club,” Ava said. “It’s why I took a long time. I had to frost them.” She was still smiling at him. “You don’t mind me stopping by, do you?”

  “No, of course not.” He didn’t realize he’d been glaring, but it was mainly at Brick for disobeying him.

  Would you have preferred Ava to carry the baking dishes on her own?

  No, he wouldn’t have, so being pissed at Brick wasn’t going to help.

  Ava reached out for Umberto, and Smokey released his son. He watched as Ava pressed her face against his head and then kissed him. “I missed you. How was he today?”

  “Perfectly fine,” Smokey said. “Barely a peep out of him. Until he crapped himself and then he let the whole club know that daddy was cleaning shitty diapers.”

  Ava chuckled. “Oh my, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He’s my son, and he’s a joy to have.”

  “Ava brought cinnamon rolls,” Brick said, calling out to everyone.

  Like a stampede, he saw the guys rushing toward the kitchen. Brick had already taken two large rolls and was currently stuffing them in his mouth.

  “I hope I made enough.”

  “Probably not, they’re like vultures.”

  “Can I come inside, or would you like me to leave?” Ava asked.

  Smokey wanted her to come to his office, to sit with him, but any work he had could wait until tomorrow.

  “Come on, let’s head out. There’s no reason to see them looking like animals.” Smokey opened the main door, and he saw Ava’s shoulders slump.

  “Sure, you’re right. Let’s head home. I’m going to be cooking some dinner. Yes, I am. I’m feeling a little tired, so I think some pasta with tomato sauce, what do you think?” She continued to talk in a baby voice as they got to her car.

  Smokey took Umberto and secured him in the car seat.

  Ava was always worried when they traveled, so she took the seat beside their son, and Smokey climbed behind the wheel.

  “Do you think you’re going to get some decorations for the clubhouse?” Ava asked.

  “I don’t know. I had to throw the last ones away because they were burnt and covered in alcohol.”

  “Oh, how did that happen?”

  “The guys thought it would be funny to have a food fight at the clubhouse while the decorations were still hanging.”

  Ava chuckled. “You don’t sound very impressed.”

  “Trust me, I wasn’t. It pissed me off.”

  “From what I heard, that’s not hard to do.”

 

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