Everyone in the room was holding their breath after they heard the news, waiting for the first one to speak up. Celine's mouth was covered by her hands, tears of joy already brimming in her eyes while Lyla excitedly grabbed Ima's hand, whereupon the blonde swallowed nervously. The kids sat on the floor, whispering and giggling. And Avery just smiled from ear to ear while Happy let out chuckle.

Debbie was the first one to say something. With a huge smile and curiosity in her eyes, she ran towards them, jumping up and down. "So, d-does t-t-that mean you're going to be m-my mom if you're g-getting married to my daddy?"

"Oh, wow. What a question." Letting out a nervous laugh, Avery scratched her eyebrow. "Well, it'sᅳ"

"Something like that, bug", Happy interrupted as he saw the conflict and insecurity in Avery's eyes, guessing she wasn't sure what to answer. "But only if you want thatᅳ and if Avery wants that."

Deep down, he was hoping that both of them would become the mother-daugther duo he imagined them to be. Debbie needed a mother, and Avery was the perfect choice for that. Not once had she treated Debbie wrong or like an outsider. Right from the start, the redhead made sure Debbie felt comfortable and safe around her.

"I w-would love t-that!", Debbie exclaimed happily before she looked up at Avery with her brown eyes. "W-would you like t-that, too?"

Avery, with a big lump sitting in her throat, crouched down and reached for Debbie's small hands, holding them in hers. The last few days were one of the most emotional in her lifeᅳ in a good way. Happy's proposal, her family being together for Christmas, now this.

"I'd love that, sweetie", she replied, her tone soft. With a smile on her face, she rubbed her thumbs over the backs of Debbie snall hands. "You're already like a daughter to me, Debs, and nothing will change that again. I'm here whenever you need me, whenever you need a shoulder to lean on."

Happy swallowed hard at the scene that was given to him. He wasn't an emotional person, yet this almost brought tears to his eyes. Of course he didn't let that happen, especially not in front of everyone. But the love in Avery's eyes and the happiness in Debbie's, was something he would always remember.

Placing a hand on Avery's shoulder, he gently squeezed it. It was his way of showing how grateful he was. When she looked up at him with the prettiest smile, he couldn't help but smile back at her. Not one of his small smiles, a real smile. One that even surprised her according to her expression.

"T-thank you for always b-b-being so nice to me. My o-other mommy never was as n-nice as you." Debbie wrapped one arm around Avery's neck and cuddled up to her, her head resting on her father's hand that was still placed on Avery's shoulder.

"You don't have to tank me for that, baby", Avery whispered. Now she was the one tearing up, unable to stop the tears from rolling down her rosy cheeks. A child should never have to thank their parents for being nice.

"D-does that mean I can call you mommy now?" Slowly pulling away, the girl's eyes wandered from Avery to her father and back to the redhead.

"Of course you can", Avery assured her eagerly, quickly wiping away the tears before running her hand over Debbie's head. "I'd love that, sweetie."

"I'd love that, too", Happy rasped, a sincere look on his usually stoic face. "Because that's exactly what you are."

"I love you", she mouthed, grabbing his hand to squeeze it.

Without him, she would probably be dead by now or still somewhere out there with a needle in her arm. But thanks to him, she was engaged to the best man she could imagine and just became a mom to a four year old girl that couldn't be any sweeter. 

"I love you too, little girl." Happy cleared his throat as he noticed how emotional his voice sounded.

"And I l-love you two!" Debbie folded her hands in front of her, swinging from side to side with the sweetest smile on her in freckles covered face.

The whole room was quiet, only a sob from Celine could be heard, who was absolutely moved by the whole situation and burst out into joyful tears. After everything her children had to go through, she was just happy that Avery had found happiness.

"Oh mom." Lyla wrapped her delicate arms around Celine, pulling her close.

"This is the best thing that's happened in ages", she choked out between her sobs, her arms clutching Lyla tightly.

Ima was the first to pull her best friend into her arms after the redhead was back on her feet, genuine joy in her tone as she spoke. "You deserve this, honey. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, sweetie", Avery whispered against Ima's blonde hair, which she buried her face in. "I hope you'll be my bridesmaid, along with Lyla of course."

"Really?!" Lyla squeaked, slowly letting go of Celine and storming towards her sister. With Ima's arms still around Avery, Lyla threw her arm around Avery's neck, kissing her cheek before wrapping her other arm around Ima for a group hug. "I promise to be the best bridesmaid you can imagine!"

"Hey, I'm still here", Ima chimed in with a laugh, taking advantage of the moment and snuggling closer to Lyla.

Avery rolled her eyes in amusement and slowly pulled away from the tight embrace that was almost crushing her. "You'll both do a great job, I already know that."

"I'm sure we will." With her head tilted to the side, Lyla smiled at the other blonde, whose arm was still around her waist. "Right?"

"You bet", Ima winked, her cheeks turning a shade of red as Lyla's gaze lingered on her for a while.

The mood in the room changed, the tension become thicker, as the two women simply looked at each other for a while. Avery just watched with a grin as the penny slowly dropped for Lyla. Even Celine now noticed that there was something more between the two blondes.

Without wanting to disturb them, Celine lovingly shooed the four children out of the living room and then took the time to give her daughter and future son-in-law a big hug.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me", she said with her hands resting on her chest, the corners of her mouth curled up. "And the way you handle things with Debbie is really admirable. Apparently there are still Christmas miracles."

“They always existed.” Avery leaned against her mom, her head resting on her shoulder, as Celine ran her fingers through Avery's copper—colored strands. "By the way, I want you to walk me down the aisle."

Celine's eyes widened. She gently pushed Avery's head off her shoulder before cupping her daughter's chin in her fingers. "Are you serious?" In disbelief, her gaze wandered to Happy, who was leaning against the wall in the living room. “Would that be okay with you too?”

"It's her decision who walks her down the aisle." A content expression was on his face as he looked at his smiling fiancée. "And I also think you're the right one for it", he added with a grunt.

Avery smiled contentedly. "I think so too, mom. I want you to do it."

Ian would've been her first choice, yes. After their father didn't play a role in their life anymore, which she was happy about, Ian had become the man of the family. A part of her was hurt that he couldn't be there, that he couldn't walk her down the aisle and watch her getting married to the love of her lifeᅳ but she was glad she still had her mother and sister.

"I'd love to, sweetheart", Celine finally agreed, her voice barely above a whisper and thick with emotion. Then she glanced at the clock. "Oh, so late already! Church starts in five hours and we still have to prepare all the food!"

"Church?" Happy's brow shot up. He was absolutely not a churchgoer and would continue to avoid it at all costs.

"Yes, church. Well, I have to start, see you guys later", Celine beamed, full in her element, who left the room and rushed into the kitchen to prepare the roast, followed by Ima and Lyla, who had snapped out of their staring contest, now able to help Celine with the salads. Avery's job was desert, so she still had some time left until she had to take care of that.

"I'll be there in a minute", Avery called after the three women before turning back to Happy, grinning in amusement when she saw the shock on his face. "We always do that on Christmas. Prepare food, go to church and then eat together. Most of the time my mom's brother came over but not this year."

"I'm not going to church, little girl. Not over my dead body", he clarified, shaking his head. "I'd do everything for you, but don't make me do that."

A chuckle slipped past the redhead's lips on her way to close the gap between Happy and her. With the sweetest smile, she looked up at him.

"Don't worry, you don't have to. I'm not forcing a big bad biker to go to church, not even on Christmas Eve", she assured him.

Happy just grunted in response, rolling his eyes at how amused she was. Yet he let out a laugh himself while he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Good, because that would've ended in a fight."

"Oh yeah? That would've been our first", she smirked slightly, placing her hands on his chest.

"Yeah", he let out a huff, then a smirk crossed his face. "Never knew you were a church girl. Kinda hot though."

"Is it?", she asked amused, tilting her head. "You just love the thought of me being on my knees praying, don't you?"

"If you actually do that there I might change my mind about going to church." A low growl rattled through his chest, his grip on her tightening to pull her body closer against his chest. "Or you gonna repeat that for me tonight when everyone's asleep", he rasped against her ear, giving the redhead goosebumps all over her body.

"Fuck", she breathed out, her eyes closed with her face nuzzled into the crock of his neck.

Warmth spread between her legs, her panties already damp from those words alone. A whimper escaped her dry throat as Happy slipped a hand under her skirt and she knew what the sweet tingle meant. She wanted more.

If she didn't wear tights she was sure Happy would go further. However, it was too risky to get caught and even though that made things even more interesting, neither of them were keen on getting caught by the kids or Celine. So, they had to wait.

"You're already so wet, little girl", he rasped, his dark chuckle filling her ears making it even harder for her to concentrate.

"And that's your fault", she whined out while grinding against his hand, gripping the edge of the table next to her.

"Are such needy women even allowed to go to church?" Happy pulled his hand back, grabbing her face harshly before crashing his lips onto hers, kissing her roughly.

It was one of the hottest kisses they ever shared and it so fucking hard to break away from it. But she had to, or she wouldn't be able to make it until tonight. Panting, she gently pushed him back, biting her lip.

"We have to stop this or I'll be frustrated for the rest of the day", she explained with a clear of her throat, running her shaky fingers through her waves. "And I can't be frustrated on Christmas Eve."

"No, you can't", he winked with a smirk, adjusting his pants to hide his growing erection.

Her eyes landed on his crotch, causing her smirk to grow wider. "At least I'm not the only one who won't be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the day."

"Thing is, you can hide it better than me", he grunted. "Now get your sweet ass in the kitchen and help your ma before I change my mind and bend you over that table", he nodded his towards the dining table in the corner of the room.

"You know that those words didn't make things any easier, right?", she asked with a raised eyebrow, but then hurried out of the living room with a grin when Happy just glared at her, having a hard time not to put his words into action.

ᚔ

The rest of the day went by faster than expected. While the four women took care of the food, Happy entertained the kidsᅳ mainly in the garden. The women were able to watch the heated snowball fights from the kitchen window.

Then they got ready for church. Lyla and Ima opted for a matching red dress and silver heels. Ima's hair was straight and sat in a high ponytail on the top of her head while Lyla's hair fell in large curls down her back. Certainly some men in church would turn to get a look at them.

The thought of it had brought a mischievous grin to Avery's face, who had opted for a black dress, gold high heels and delicate gold jewelry. Her make-up was subtle yet eye-catching. Gold eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and dark red lipstickᅳ her hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders.

Debbie had picked out a dark red dress and wanted her hair curly too, which Avery had taken care of with Happy's permission. Celine took care of the two boys' outfits while Elli got advice from Lyla and Ima.

Since neither Happy nor Ima were churchgoers and the kids also didn't want to go to church, the two adults stayed at home with them while Celine took the chance to spend some quality time with her two girls.

During dinner everyone sat together at the table, talked about the most random things and for everyone at the table it actually felt like Christmas.

Happy only had Debbie, his mom and his aunt, and he didn't spend every Christmas there. So this was new to him.

For Debbie, it was an absolute highlight of Christmas to celebrate a real celebration with a family where she was truly welcome. Kim's Christmas celebrations consisted of ordering food and quickly opening a present. Then Debbie was usually sent to bed. Christmas had only been nice for her when she was allowed to spend it with her dad. However, today was by far the best Christmas.

This was also new for Ima and it was clear to see how the blonde blossomed and acted completely different than in Charming. So relaxed and happy.

Ian was sorely missed and that would never change. But Celine, Lyla and Avery still managed to enjoy the evening and not sit at the table completely depressedᅳ thanks to the others.

After dinner, they all sat together in the living room. Lyla and Ima shared the love seat, the latter blonde now dozing in Ima's arm that was wrapped around her.

Celine sat on the floor with the kids. Sometimes they played a game, then she read something to them or fetched more cookies from the kitchen for the movie they were watching.

And Avery lay in Happy's arm, her feet stretched out comfortably on the couch while Happy's fingertips slid up and down her arm, eliciting a pleasant sigh from her. The evening was coming to an end and even though she was tired, she still wanted to spend time alone with her fiancé later.

"The day was great", she murmured, pulling her feet up a little and pulling the blanket up to her chin, her head tipped back a little so she could look up at Happy, whose face had a peaceful expression on it. "Thanks for making this trip so special, babe."

With the corners of his mouth moving upwards, Happy shook his head slightly, brushing some strands of her hair out of her pretty face. "You made it special, little girl. I have no idea how I deserve all of this. I'm one lucky bastard."

"You're a great person, believe it or not, Hap", she whispered with a smile, reaching for his hand only to place a kiss against his palm before placing it on her chest. "And I love you, every side of you."

Happy stayed silent for a while, just looking down at her. There was one woman who actually accepted every side of him. The loyal, caring one. But also the dark, fucked up and merciless side of him. And he, too, loved every side of her. Her loving, caring, cheerful nature. But also the irritable, overwhelmed manner when the craving for heroin was stronger - those days still existed.

"I love you too, Avery", he croaked, sinking deeper into the beige couch to make himself more comfortable.