Shawna

My body moves through the rhythm of the song as Believer by Imagine Dragons booms loudly through the speakers aligning each wall. My head swings around as my body bends down to the level I need it to go, all while keeping my posture tight. I end it hard stomping on the ground, keeping my face down and hat titled to the side when the song ends on a hard beat.

Smiling up at my class I relish in their applause as April, my assistant walks over to me with a towel and my water bottle.

Taking them both with gratitude, I remove the hat, damping my face with the towel then swing it around my shoulder, just before draining half the bottle of cold water. Handing the hat over to April I look around and watch as everyone begins grouping together and working on the moves I've just shown them.

"That was great."

"Thanks" I smile up at her, pleased with myself that I kept the routine exactly the way I had envisioned it.

I had debated whether or not I was even going to make a routine to that song in that fashion but now that it's done, I couldn't see it any other way. I had called everyone here last minute to see the new moves everyone will now practice with and perfect before our next recital.

"That's what you got your parents for Christmas?"

"Yes, they are going to flip out, can you believe it?"

I smile when I hear a few of the instructors going over Christmas plans with their families, then make a bee line to my office. I can hear the pattering of ballet flats against he flor and know that April is right behind my tail.

"So, is that the routine you want to use for the next recital?"

"Yes." I sit down in my chair, watching as April places my hat on the hook against the wall, then sits down opposite me with her chart in hand.

I brought April on a few months ago when I decided to teach not only children but adults. Jumping into Choreographed dance and being able to hire on instructors will give me the ability to some day branch out and expand The Studio. She's a powerful motivator, loving the idea of dance being a way to communicate. She's young, only twenty, but has proven herself to be everything I needed in an assistant.

"I was looking at our calendar, and I think that if we have a new recital sometime in March, then we will be able to"

"April, weren't you supposed to be at your parent's house today since your brother is home from Afghanistan?" I interrupt her, remembering what she had mentioned to me about her brother being able to come home for the holidays.

"Well" She starts then looks down at her lap, mumbling the rest. "Yes but"

"Are you nervous about seeing him?" I say with a smile on my face. April is the opposite of shy. She's reserved but has always felt the need to speak her mind. Her long blonde hair and bright cobalt eyes make her look like a doll, but she's got some fire in her veins.

"A little." She states shrugging her shoulders, placing her fidgety hands in her lap. "It's just been over a year since I've seen him, and I've heard that the army can easily change them"

"He's still your brother April. It wasn't easy when Max came home but we were able to find our way back to each other." I don't bother telling her that the way we found our back to each other had more to do with kidnapping, a psychotic lunatic, and lots of curse words. "It wasn't an easy journey, but we did make it."

"I know, I just wonder what I'm supposed to say to him. Will I feel horrible if I want to know everything that he does while he's over there? Am I supposed to ask him how the weather is? Should I just talk about me? Isn't that kind of f'ed up?"

I smile at her nervousness then stand and come around my desk to kneel beside her, linking hands with her. "April, he's your brother. As much as you spoke about him it seems the two of you are vey close." She nods her head looking me right in my eyes this time. "There is no book on how to act or what to talk about when your family member comes home from overseas but why don't you try talking to him about the way you feel. You might be surprised that he feels the same way."

Blowing out a deep breath, April closes her eyes only to reopen them and smile at me. I give her the same smile in return then pull her up and hug her tight.

"You know, you're really smart for a short person." She says when we release each other. April is a tall drink of water of five feet eight inches while I'm a steady five foot nothing.

"Yes, yes I am. Now, go home and be with your family. And tell everyone to go home that's out there."

Nodding her head, April waves goodbye with a whisper of a merry Christmas, grabbing her tote from the back of my door then walks out down the hallway where the rest of the instructors are. I hear her tell everyone to go home and an abundance of cheers echo down the hall to my office.

I wait a few silent moments after the door closes behind the last person, then head back out to The Studio.

Marching right over to the windows, I stop and watch as Christmas light after Christmas light surround each building beside mine. Some trickle down in red and green fashion, some on a sporadic clap of blinks and others just a shimmer of white. Every car that drives by has some kind of reef on the grill or stuffed reindeer antlers atop each front window, while every patron walking by are carrying their last minute Christmas shopping bag as they rush to avoid the cold weather and traffic.

Growing up in foster care, Christmas was just another day the parents had to deal with us. Bouncing from one family to the next, I kept mostly to myself growing up, getting out the day I turned eighteen. Now that I have the family I've dreamed of since I was as high as my knee, I can't wait to celebrate each and every moment that I once hoped I could have at Christmas.

Before I can blink, the lights go out in the building, startling me. I turn and look around, wondering if Miss O'Neal, who typically stays upstairs until well past the time I leave, has decided to go home early. I'm just about to start my walk up the stairs located right outside The Studio when I spot a dark figure in the corner of the room, separating me from the doorway. I can't see any features but can tell right away that it's a man.

"How did you get in here?" I call out, crossing my arms at my chest when I realize who it is. "Because just so you know, I have a husband and he is a motorcycle gang. You know, the dangerous kind that carry guns and have six packs."

The shadowy figure begins moving towards me, creating tension in the room. Once he reaches me, his arms move out, pulling me to his body and wrap themselves around my waist. His lips find mine in a passionate furry and I moan when I feel his tongue collide with mine. Gripping his hair tight, I yelp when I feel his hands move down to cup my ass and press me further into his hard erection. Before things could get even hotter, I stop the kiss and shove Max away, laughing when a growl erupts from his mouth.

"Serves you right for trying to scare me." Walking past him, I flip the switch to the lights back on.

"What? I thought it was Halloween again." His boyish grin makes me want to jump him. Instead, I'm taken back to All Hallows Eve when Max and I had put a very tired Emma dressed as a ladybug, to bed early and decided to play a round of naughty witch in the dark. "Hmm, apparently you did too." He says making his move towards me again.

This time I don't stop him. I don't stop him when he lifts me up and carries me back over to shut off the lights, I don't stop him when he pushes me against the wall, pulling down my tights, and I certainly don't stop him when he pulls out his cock and shoves it deep inside me, fucking me hard against the wall with all his might.

"Think you might be a little too dirty for Santa babe." I laugh as Max jokes, lowering me slowly back down to the ground while covering himself back up.

I hear footsteps coming from upstairs, and finish straightening myself up. I had forgotten about Miss O'Neal and I thank the moons she didn't come down during our rump time.

"One of these days you two need to go and invest into a hotel." Miss O'Neal, ever the optimistic angel comes out, holding her cane that she still despises and begins shouting at the two of us.

Guess she did hear us.

"Eh, not a fan." Max says crossing his arms.

"And what about you miss thing?" I point my finger at her while she narrows her eyes to slits. "I saw your little boyfriend in here earlier, leaving in quite a hurry."

Miss O'Neal ignores me, rolling her eyes then trains her attention back over to Max. "You tell her yet?"

I look over at Max's sheepish expression and open my mouth in the shape of an O.

He kept a secret from me.

Max can never keep a secret from me.

He's always ruining his own surprises because he gets too excited.

"What gift?" I ask but he only shrugs, making me want to punch him. "You can't tell a girl she has a gift and not tell her what it is."

Max snickers, then looks over to Miss O'Neal who is actually sporting a smile.

A smile?

What the hell did this man actually get me?

"First we need to get home to Emma."

"ButBut."

"Babe."

"Fine." I pout.

"And no pouting."

Fucker.

"Fine let's go, it's time I got out of these sweaty clothes." Clasping hands with Max, I begin walking to the front but stop mid step, letting go and running back to my office to grab one last thing. Opening the drawer of my small grey filing cabinet, I pull out the small wrapped brown box and run back over to where Max and Miss O'Neal still have matching puzzled expressions. "Here." I place the small gift box in her hand then place my hands down at my hips.

Miss O'Neal doesn't necessarily celebrate Christmas. In her mind, it's just another day her delivery boy cant come in here and deliver her groceries. Her family has been gone for a long time and it doesn't take a genius to understand that being the reason for the grinch mode. But with this gift, I hope that changes her perspective, because it certainly changed mine.

"What the hell is this little girl?" I almost laugh at her sour expression as she eyes the small gift with dread. She's always threatened that if I came close to getting her something for Christmas or her birthday, she would put me on my ass, but this time I wasn't going to allow her threatening mafia looks to get to me. I needed to give her this, not just for her, but for me too.

"Just open it." I lean back into my husband's hold, not sure how exactly I'm going to handle it when she reads and understands her gift.

With shaky hands, Miss O'Neal opens the brown wrap throwing it on the floor and opens the small brown box, letting it lean back on its hinges before pulling out the gold necklace with a heart shaped locket hanging from it.

"Read the back." I whisper, verging on the edge of tears already.

Turning it over I watch as Miss O'Neal reads the inscription, then looks back over to me with a cloudy expression. "Shawna"

"I've thought a lot about my parents lately. I don't know if it's the holidays, of maybe even giving birth to Emma last year. But I wanted to know where I came from, wanted to give them a second chance, wanted to know who my mother was." I can feel Max's arm go around my waist and I close my eyes relishing in the amazing strength he's giving me. I never told him about this, but I know that he would have supported me with whatever decision I made. "I may still one day do it, or maybe I won't, but this gift is supposed to express not only to you, but to me, that I already know who my mother is. A mother is someone that doesn't give up on you no matter what. A mother is someone that supports you through thick and thin. A mother is someone that gives you unconditional love. That someone is you Miss O'Neal. You have been there for me from the time I was a teenager wreaking havoc. You've helped me and Max get together again, and you've taken in my daughter the way a grandmother would. I love you Margarette, and I thank you for being the mother I never had."

Walking over, I take the necklace and place it around neck as tears flow down her cheeks. The inscription reading mother, placed gently on her chest. My head is lifted up by two small cold hands clamped down on my cheeks. I bring my gaze back up to hers and smile when I see her small tight stern expression.

"Your mama was a damn fool to give you up girl." Laughter fills the empty quiet space of the hallway as I feel her pull me into her and wrap her arms around me. "I love my gift Shawna, but I love you a whole lot more."

Tears slide down my cheeks as I hear the words I have always craved from my mother. I may not know the woman that brought me into this world, but I no longer need to. I've always had my mother; she was just in a different package than I had initially thought.

Pushing apart from each other, Miss O'Neal wipes at her face, and gives me a stern look. "Now, go and get your daughter so that man of yours can spoil you. I'll see you tomorrow." Taking her hands in mine, I nod my head and turn back towards Max, who is wiping his face free of his own tears.

"Come on babe, let's go get our little girl."

It doesn't take us long to walk out of the building with a promise from Miss O'Neal that she will lock up immediately after we leave and head back upstairs. When we get to his bike, Max gets on first, handing me my black helmet before I hope on and wrap my arms around him, smiling into his back when I feel him peel off.

I've always enjoyed being on the back of Max's bike. Not only the tumble of the road beneath my feet, or the wind flapping my hair into a million different directions, but the fact that my man built all of it by hand. It's a craft that Max has only perfected over the years and it's a craft I enjoy watching.

Fifteen minutes later we pull into the driveway. I spot Julia's car as we head straight for the door, opening it to the most adorable sight in the world.

"Da-da." Emma shrieks, making me pout while Max laughs and goes rushing towards her, picking her up as she squeals at him.

Emma is only one years old, and so far, da-da is the only word she wants to shout to the moon. Julia has expressed to me how normal it is that she say da-da first, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to punch Max in his throat each and every time it comes out.

"We made some cookies for tomorrow. Emma did most of the work." Julia jokes as she walks over to hug me. Max's mother was elated when we got pregnant with Emma. As frightened as I was to try another pregnancy so soon after our still birth, Julia was in my corner the whole time.

My eyes drift back over to my daughter as Max shows her the Christmas tree we put up last week. It's bright purple and silver ornaments glisten off the lights from the kitchen.

"Thank you for watching her." I state hoping she sees the sincerity. Julia has done so much for us. She watches Emma anytime our schedules conflict and I know she watches Mason often times for Austin and Candice.

"You never have to thank me for being a grandmother." She quotes the same thing every time I thank her. Kissing her on her cheek, I watch as she walks over and kisses Max goodbye then Emma, leaving shortly after with a promise to see us all tomorrow.

"Did you have fun with grandma today baby girl?" My head moves around in a silly rotation as I baby babble with her while Max holds her to his chest. Her bright blue eyes match mine, but every other feature is that of her father's. From her messy dark blonde hair to her small pudgy cheeks, Emma is the almost replica of Max Stone.

"Tell you what babe, how about I get this little one to sleep, while you take a shower." Max states after seeing her yawn twice in a row.

"Deal." Leaning up, I kiss my husband then my daughter on her head and make my way towards the master bathroom while Max heads towards Emma's room, directly across the hall from ours.

Closing the door behind me so not to wake Emma, I undress as I make my way to the bathroom, turning on the shower and play the song on the shower speaker that has been on repeat in my head since leaving the studio. Imagine Dragons plays Believer in the background as I step in, making me recall every step in my routine. I'm lathering up my hair just as the song switches over to Nickelback's Home, when two hands come around me wrapping me in a cocoon of warmth.

"God Max. I'm going to get to the root of the point in you scarring me all the time." I say cringing when I hear him laugh.

The ass.

"The only root to everything about me is you, babe."

Damn good answer.

Bending my head back, I relax into his hold as his mouth crashes down and allow our tongues to dance against each other. I can feel Max's hands reach lower and I pull apart my legs to allow him access. It's been years of having each other and we are still crazy about light touches and mild caresses.

"Fuck babe you're so wet for me." His fingers dip into my flesh as my hold on him tightens. "That's it baby, come for me." He pants as his fingers thrust over and over again inside me, causing the most amazing sensation of friction to release.

Taking a few deep breaths, I turn and fall to my knees admiring how hard and ready Max's cock is for me. I don't give any kind of warning, simply open my mouth and take him deep. I hear him groan in appreciation as I swirl my tongue around the base.

"Fuck Shawna, I'm going to fuckin' cum babe." I ignore his pleas, pushing myself to take him as deep as I can go. Max's hands go around my head to my hair and begin pulling but I don't stop, I continue to fuck him hard and deep until I feel the spurts of cum flowing down my throat. Once he's done I release him with a pop then look up and catch him smirking like the Cheshire cat.

"Proud of yourself?" I ask loving it when he laughs then helps me to my feet.

"Fuck yeah. Now let's get you out and dry so I can get to fixing that pout you were sporting earlier.

My gift! How could I forget?

Clapping my hands with glee, I hurry to get out, ignoring Max's attempt to place a giant soft white fluffy towel on me and run over to my dresser where I pull out not only my unicorn and rainbow matching pj's but Max's black boxers.

"Eager much?" Max says walking out and grabbing the boxers from my grip. Once he places them on he turns back over to me and I stare at him, taking in his impressive form.

Max often hits the gym, but lately his body has gotten much more tone. He told me had been training with Chance and getting into the ring with him and it's definitely showing. His arms are larger and chest broader, his six pack looks like it has doubled and don't even get me started on the V.

"Shawna?" Snapping my eyes shut then reopping them to focus on his face I smile when I see the same cocky smirk on his face that I first feel in love with years ago. "Thought I took all the energy out of ya babe?"

"Oh Mr. Cocky, don't worry, I was only admiring at what is mine."

"Oh yeah?" His feet move closer towards me like I'm his prey.

"Yeah."

"And are you mine?" He says when he finally reaches me.

"Always Max." His arms wrap around my waist and he picks me up, just like that, and carries me to our bed. Laying down beside me, Max turns to grab something from the nightstand coming back to me with a set of folded papers in his hand. "What's this?"

"Open them."

Flipping open the bundle with apprehension, I read the first few words then gasp covering my mouth with one hand while the other shakes the deed I have just been given for my expansion of The Studio.

"Max." Turning my head back over to him I see a mix of emotions pressed tightly against his handsome features.

"I know you didn't want any handouts and I knew you would hate it if I came straight to you with cash, so I found a way to meet you in the middle. This is not only a gift from me, but from the club. They own a share of The Studio and will take their cut, but it's yours Shawna, you can now expand, and the location is one of the ones you were looking at last month."

I can't move, can't breathe, I just remain starring at him with admiration while one hand still covers my mouth in shock.

"Please say something so I know I'm not in husband jail."

I giggle and watch as his face goes from anxious to calm and happy and releived. Max is right to imagine me being irritated if he came to me with cash for my expansion. As much as we are a team, this was something I needed to do on my own and now I finally can.

"Max. Once again, you come to my rescue. This time I didn't even know I needed it." My hand gently moves to his face, loving the prickle of beard I feel from him not shaving these past few days.

"I'll always come to your rescue Shawna."

"Alright, before I go and cry, let me give you your gift." I turn to grab his gift from my nightstand, astonished that we thought of the same hiding place.

"Babe, you didn't have to get me anything." I turn back to him with my silver wrapped gift box and give him a knowing look. Max is like a child when it comes to gifts. There was even a Christmas list taped to the fridge. "What? I'm not that bad."

Rolling my eyes, I plop his gift into his expected hand then curl up while he rips open the wrapping and pulls out the watch I had gotten him.

"Nice watch babe, it looks just like.." Sitting upright, I watch as Max's expression changes over and over again as realization flows through him.

Grabbing the watch, I pull it from the box and grab Max's hand as the cog wheels in his mind continue to turn. "Max, I love you and I know you love me. Lately I was trying to give Emma and myself the parents I've been missing and that's when I realized that you've been missing yours too. Your father was a piece of you Max, and I wanted to give you a piece of him to hold onto for the rest of your life."

Tears flow down the cheeks of the man I love, the man that risked his life for me, the man that has proven his love in every single action possible. When I first came to Julia about something to get Max, and how I wanted it to represent his father, she had the prefect idea. Thomas had a watch he loved that was given to him by his father, but it broke years ago. He always kept it, telling himself that he would one day get it fixed. Only that day never came. I took it to an old buddy of mine that fixes old jewelry, and had it redone. After calling Austin and making sure he was alright with not having it, I wrapped it and waited for the perfect moment to give it to Max.

Max grips his hand after I secure the watch and marvels at it. After a few quiet seconds, Max turns and looks at me then leans in and kisses my lips softly.

"Thank you Shawna, I can't express what this means to me."

"I love you Max."

"Love you too baby. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."