“I agree,” Marcus’s mother said, her voice stern. “I know you always joke about the Montgomery wing of the hospital, but it was getting a little ridiculous.”
I visibly shuddered and leaned into my husband as he held me close. “I’m just sorry that we had to deal with it at all, but it’s ok now that they’re all safe. I’m going to knock on wood as I say that.”
I laughed, and I looked around at my family. Kincaid, Ronin, and Julia had gone home, and we had promised to update them. They had stayed at the house to clean up and put all of the Christmas dinner fixings in the fridge. I was forever grateful that I could trust them to do that and had left them a key saying that they could keep it because they were family.
They had all blushed, sputtered, but I had left, with the feeling I had gained new children. I knew that Ronin had parents that they spent time with, but the other two could use more parental figures in their life. And my heart was big enough for all of them.
Meredith was on the other side of Madison, looking down at her phone, and I knew she was stressed out as well. I knew from what I could gather, either she or Zia might be next after Madison if all things turn out well, and so we would be waiting again for the next family member, even if she wasn’t my blood.
Zia herself was in the room with Marcus and Bristol.
I loved Zia, and while I would have loved her to be my daughter in truth, having married Bristol, that meant I wouldn’t have Marcus as a son-in-law. But now Bristol and Zia were best friends, and Zia was in the room with them, helping as Bristol’s coach.
Zia and Marcus had become best friends as well, both ganging up to make sure Bristol took care of herself. And I loved to see it.
We were a loud bunch and all a little hungry, though we had all snacked a bit. This wasn’t the Christmas that I had planned, nor was it one anyone had imagined, but this was what we were used to. In all honesty. A big family, someone changing the curve, and us being together. We would be able to eat more than cheese and crackers later, though I knew my children would be fine with just that. Their love of cheese knew no bounds, and they would all be surprised when they opened up their identical Montgomery family charcuterie boards that I had had hand-carved and branded with the Montgomery logo.
They would open it later, once we welcomed the new Montgomery into the fold.
“How much longer?” Aaron asked, and Madison woke up and scowled at her husband. “I hope you don’t do this when I’m in labor. Constantly asking, are we there yet?”
“He was like that as a child and hasn’t stopped,” I joked, and Aaron blushed while everyone began to laugh. On the end of that laughter, the doors opened, and Marcus walked in, a grin on his handsome face.
“We have a girl, seven pounds, eight ounces, and perfect,” Marcus said.
“What’s her name?” Meredith asked, leaning forward.
“Bristol wants to tell you each personally,” he said, shaking his head. “I think she’s excited, and hell, so am I. I have a daughter,” he whispered, and I started crying, leaning into my husband.
“Are we allowed to see her?”
“Yes, they’re just getting everybody cleaned up and ready, and even though it’s late, because it’s Christmas, they’re going to make an exception for us. Only two of you at a time, and I’ll be in there with her.” He turned to Meredith. “Zia is on her way out, and she promised not to spoil anything,” he growled. “So, don’t try to get the name out of her.”
“Why are you looking at me when you say that?” Ethan laughed.
“Because I know you.”
“Why don’t you two go first,” I said, looking at Marcus’s parents. “The Montgomerys will bring up the rear. There’s a lot of us.”
“Oh, we’ll have to call the girls. They’ll want to come in too.”
“They can come in the morning,” Marcus said. “It will be a long night, and I don’t want to tire Bristol out. Is that okay?”
“Anything you want, darling.”
I watched Marcus’s parents follow him in and leaned into my husband.
“A Christmas baby,” I said, looking up at the clock. We are six minutes away from December twenty-sixth, and a new Montgomery had been born on Christmas day. A Christmas miracle, a present, and everything I could ever ask for.
“Baby is going to be spoiled beyond all measure,” Ethan said.
I snorted. “You say that as if Kingston isn’t already spoiled by his grandparents.”
“That’s true,” he said on a laugh. “But I’m glad we’re all going to be able to have our kids grow up together. You know?”
I moved towards him, squeezed his hands, and leaned forward, so my forehead rested on his. “I know. And between your babies and all of your cousins having these babies, the next generation is going to be even louder than you guys.”
“I honestly didn’t think that was possible,” my husband said dryly from my side.
“I’m a little scared.” I smiled and leaned into my husband.
My kids brought up their phones and started updating those that weren’t with us, and I just held my husband close, wondering how I could be so lucky.
When Marcus’s parents came back out, crying and holding each other close, I rolled forward on the balls of my feet and bounced. “Come on, come on, I want to go see.”
“Okay, I won’t make you wait any longer,” Marcus said, and I followed my son-in-law towards Bristol’s private room. I had given birth in a room with three other women and barely remembered it the first time. I think with Bristol, I had been alone, but I couldn’t remember. All that mattered at that time were my babies and my family.
We walked into the room, and Bristol was sitting there, her hair piled up on the top of her head, and though she looked a bit tired, she was all wide-eyed and bright smile.
“Hi, Mom,” Bristol said, and I looked down at the perfect little bundle in her arms. She was so cute and had the Montgomery nose, that much I could tell, and her father’s dark brown skin. She was gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to hold her. But I also knew how a new mother could be and didn’t hold out my hands. Instead, I squeezed my husband’s hand and fisted my other at my side. “Oh, she’s gorgeous.”
“Here, you can hold her,” Bristol said on a laugh. “You’ll have to give her back soon. I love her so much.”
Marcus sat on the other side, running his hand over Bristol’s hair.
“She’s beautiful,” I said, as the light weight slid into my arms. “Every time another one of you has a baby, including all of my nieces and nephews out there, I’m always shocked at how tiny you are. But look at you, my little baby granddaughter. I love you so much.”
“Can you tell us her name?” my husband asked, and I looked over at Bristol.
“Well?” I asked, a little anxious.
Bristol just groaned.
“Mom, Dad, meet your granddaughter, December Montgomery Stern.”
I blinked away tears. “December, I love it.”
“She’s a Christmas baby, so I figured that we’re going to do our best with future birthdays and everything else so she knows that she’s special, that we should throw out all the names we had planned, and go with something full of joy. Montgomery will be her middle name, and it’s a big name to fill, but I think she can do it.”
I looked down at my precious granddaughter and smiled.
“Merry Christmas, December. Welcome to the Montgomerys.”
I hope you loved this holiday special from the Montgomerys!
You can find out more about Julie, Kincaid, and Ronin in Captured in Ink!
And the next set of Montgomerys begin in Fort Collins in Inked Persuasion!
A Note from Carrie Ann Ryan
Thank you so much for reading A VERY MONTGOMERY CHRISTMAS!
I LOVED writing this bonus story. I might have to do it more often. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the best readers out there.
And if you’re new to my books, you can start anywher
e within the my interconnected series and catch up! Each book is a stand alone, so jump around!
Don’t miss out on the Montgomery Ink World!
Montgomery Ink (The Denver Montgomerys)
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs (The Colorado Springs Montgomery Cousins)
Montgomery Ink: Boulder (The Boulder Montgomery Cousins)
Gallagher Brothers (Jake’s Brothers from Ink Enduring)
Whiskey and Lies (Tabby’s Brothers from Ink Exposed)
Fractured Connections (Mace’s sisters from Fallen Ink)
Less Than (Dimitri’s siblings from Restless Ink)
Promise Me (Arden’s siblings from Wrapped in Ink)
If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.
Happy Reading!
The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:
Book 1: Wrapped in Ink
Book 2: Sated in Ink
Book 3: Embraced in Ink
Book 3.5: Moments in Ink
Book 4: Seduced in Ink
Book 4.5: Captured in Ink
Book 4.6: A Very Montgomery Christmas
Want to read a special BONUS EPILOGUE featuring Zia and Meredith? CLICK HERE!
Want to keep up to date with the next Carrie Ann Ryan Release? Receive Text Alerts easily!
Text CARRIE to 210-741-8720
About the Author
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Also from Carrie Ann Ryan
The Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins Series:
Book 1: Inked Persuasion
Book 2: Inked Obsession
Book 3: Inked Devotion
The On My Own Series:
Book 1: My One Night
Book 2: My Rebound
Book 3: My Next Play
Book 4: My Bad Decisions
The Tattered Royals Series:
Book 1: Royal Line
The Ravenwood Coven Series:
Book 1: Dawn Unearthed
Montgomery Ink:
Book 0.5: Ink Inspired
Book 0.6: Ink Reunited
Book 1: Delicate Ink
Book 1.5: Forever Ink
Book 2: Tempting Boundaries
Book 3: Harder than Words
Book 4: Written in Ink
Book 4.5: Hidden Ink
Book 5: Ink Enduring
Book 6: Ink Exposed
Book 6.5: Adoring Ink
Book 6.6: Love, Honor, & Ink
Book 7: Inked Expressions
Book 7.3: Dropout
Book 7.5: Executive Ink
Book 8: Inked Memories
Book 8.5: Inked Nights
Book 8.7: Second Chance Ink
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs
Book 1: Fallen Ink
Book 2: Restless Ink
Book 2.5: Ashes to Ink
Book 3: Jagged Ink
Book 3.5: Ink by Numbers
The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:
Book 1: Wrapped in Ink
Book 2: Sated in Ink
Book 3: Embraced in Ink
Book 3.5: Moments in Ink
Book 4: Seduced in Ink
Book 4.5: Captured in Ink
Book 4.6: A Very Montgomery Christmas
The Gallagher Brothers Series:
Book 1: Love Restored
Book 2: Passion Restored
Book 3: Hope Restored
The Whiskey and Lies Series:
Book 1: Whiskey Secrets
Book 2: Whiskey Reveals
Book 3: Whiskey Undone
The Fractured Connections Series:
Book 1: Breaking Without You
Book 2: Shouldn’t Have You
Book 3: Falling With You
Book 4: Taken With You
The Less Than Series:
Book 1: Breathless With Her
Book 2: Reckless With You
Book 3: Shameless With Him
The Promise Me Series:
Book 1: Forever Only Once
Book 2: From That Moment
Book 3: Far From Destined
Book 4: From Our First
Redwood Pack Series:
Book 1: An Alpha’s Path
Book 2: A Taste for a Mate
Book 3: Trinity Bound
Book 3.5: A Night Away
Book 4: Enforcer’s Redemption
Book 4.5: Blurred Expectations
Book 4.7: Forgiveness
Book 6: Hidden Destiny
Book 6.5: A Beta’s Haven
Book 7: Fighting Fate
Book 7.5: Loving the Omega
Book 7.7: The Hunted Heart
Book 8: Wicked Wolf
The Talon Pack:
Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist
Book 4: Wolf Betrayed
Book 5: Fractured Silence
Book 6: Destiny Disgraced
Book 7: Eternal Mourning
Book 8: Strength Enduring
Book 9: Forever Broken
The Elements of Five Series:
Book 1: From Breath and Ruin
Book 2: From Flame and Ash
Book 3: From Spirit and Binding
Book 4: From Shadow and Silence
The Branded Pack Series:
(Written with Alexandra Ivy)
Book 1: Stolen and Forgiven
Book 2: Abandoned and Unseen
Book 3: Buried and Shadowed
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal’s Song
Book 7: Prowled Darkness
Book 8: Dante’s Circle Reborn
Holiday, Montana Series:
Book 1: Charmed Spirits
Book 2: Santa’s Executive
Book 3: Finding Abigail
Book 4: Her Lucky Love
Book 5: Dreams of Ivory
The Happy Ever After Series:
Flame and Ink
Ink Ever After
Single Title:
Finally Found You