Page 71 of Serve ’N’ Protect

Ian frowned. “So the danger’s over now?”

Markus nodded. “It is.” And he could finally breathe easier.

Fiona scooted back her chair then rose and wrapped him in a big bear hug from behind. “Oh, you poor boy!”

Every muscle in Markus’s body went rigid. Hugging of this magnitude by someone he barely knew was beyond his comprehension. He looked at Cassidy, whose subtle shrug and knowing smile said it all: This was the Morgan way. They really were a demonstrative bunch.

Fiona continued squeezing him, much the way he’d seen her do to Cassidy after hearing she’d been attacked by a burglar. Slowly, he forced his muscles to relax. This, then, was what he’d been missing most of his life. Aside from his sister and now Cassidy, there’d essentially been no heartfelt demonstrations of physical affection from anyone.

For the rest of the meal, Cassidy’s mother fussed all over him, plying him with more food than his stomach could possibly house. Then, after breakfast, the entire family gathered in the living room around the tree to exchange gifts. Initially, he’d hung back, figuring to make an excuse that Ghost needed to go out, but Ian had taken him firmly by the arm and insisted he join them.

Sitting on the sofa, jammed in like a sardine between Cassidy and Kaitlyn, sweat trickled between his shoulder blades. He didn’t belong here. Holidays were meant for family, and this wasn’t his family.

Ghost sniffed his way around the edge of the two-foot-high stack of wrapped gifts under and around the base of the Christmas tree.

“Ghost, come,” Markus said, indicating for Ghost to lie down at his feet. “Not for you, buddy.”

“Ghost has an excellent nose,” Fiona said, picking up one of the gifts. “One of them is for him. Who wants to give Ghost his present?”

In unison, all six children shouted, “Me! Me!” and reached for the gift in Fiona’s hand.

“Here,” she said, holding out the wrapped package. “All of you little ones hold on to it and give it to him together. Put it on the floor by his paws and let him open it.”

Giggling, the kids did as directed with Markus closely supervising. Ghost sniffed the wrapping paper, then, with one strategically placed swipe of his big paw, revealed the hard bone beneath the paper.

“Thank you,” Markus said, “but how did you—”

“My pleasure.” She made a dismissive gesture as she sat next to Ian. “We love dogs in this family. And I always have things on hand for every occasion.”

“She really does,” Cassidy said, snuggling closer to him until he draped his arm over her shoulders. God, can she smell any prettier? After her family had finally left this morning, they’d been in a hurry and showered separately in their own houses. One day, he’d find out what shampoo she used that never ceased to make him want to bury his face in her hair.

When the gift-giving commenced, the sweat trickling between his shoulder blades turned into a small river. Not only did he not have any gifts for anyone, but they wouldn’t have any for him. Not that he expected them to. Until a few hours ago, they hadn’t even known he existed.

Ghost made happy gnawing, chewing noises as he nibbled on the bone he’d been given. At least his dog was comfortable. He hadn’t even minded when the kids tied a big red bow around his neck.

Ten gifts in, the children alternated between rubbing Ghost’s belly and playing with their new toys. Fiona handed Markus a flat box wrapped in shiny red paper. “Merry Christmas, Markus.”

He stared at the pretty package for a moment, then realized everyone in the room was watching, waiting for him to unwrap it. How had they managed to come up with a gift for him so quickly?

Cassidy nudged him. “Open it, silly.”

He did. Inside was a black knit cap with matching gloves. “Thank you,” he mumbled, swallowing hard. On a scale of one to ten, his familiarity with family holidays pegged a solid zip, but this was so not what he’d expected today. “How did you do this?”

Fiona used the same dismissive gesture as when he’d asked about Ghost’s bone. “As I said, every occasion, my boy.”

Sean reached under the tree then handed him another gift, this one in a small white envelope, the kind you find on the checkout line at a grocery store. “We pitched in and got you something. We don’t know you well, but you’re a cop, so…this seemed like a safe bet.”

“I can’t accept this.” He held out the envelope, intending to return it to Sean, when the entire room went silent, even the kids who’d been rubbing Ghost’s belly. “I didn’t get anything for any of you.”

“Didn’t you?” Ian nodded from his patriarchal chair. “A year ago, we almost lost Cassidy. This year, it could have happened again when that burglar broke into her home. Cassidy is here with us, and we have you to thank for that.”

A lump the size of a Texas hail ball lodged firmly in Markus’s throat. He didn’t know what to say, which was a good thing because he doubted that he could talk at the moment. Job appreciation was something he’d become accustomed to. But this was different. This was personal.

Markus already knew it was a gift card. He could feel the hard plastic inside the envelope. He opened it and grinned. A $200 gift card for Dunkin Donuts. He laughed, as did everyone else. “Thanks.” Now he really needed to get his ass back in the gym.

When there was only one gift left under the tree, Cassidy’s lap was full of all sorts of presents from her family. She set them on the floor then reached under the tree and handed the last package to Markus. “Merry Christmas, Markus.”

Ah, shit. Not having gifts for Cassidy’s family was one thing, but he didn’t have anything for her. The flowers he’d sent her last night didn’t count. More sweat trickled between his shoulder blades. When they’d loaded up the back of his SUV with baskets of cookies and bags of wrapped gifts, he’d assumed they were all for her family.