Free Naughty Before Christmas (Decadent Delight Series #3) by Angie Daniels

Damn, bruh.”
    Reggie took the tickets from him and returned them to his wallet. Even with the proof right smack in front of him he still had trouble believing he had actually won. When the cashier at the convenience store had mentioned the ticket had been bought in Jefferson City, Reggie had forgotten he had driven there last week to bid on a guest house renovation for a doctor who used to work at the clinic. Before driving back to St. Louis, he had stopped by a 7-Eleven for a sandwich and a lottery ticket.
    “What did Berlin say?” he asked as he reached for the power drill.
    Reggie straightened his shoulders. “I haven’t told her yet.”
    Trey’s gaze snapped to his. “You haven’t told her. Why not?”
    “Because I want to surprise her.”
    Chuckling, Trey walked back over to the stairs and replied, “And how long do you think you can keep it a secret?”
    He slipped his hands in the pocket of his jacket and drew a deep breath. “I was hoping at least until Christmas.”
    “So you’re planning to surprise her for Christmas?” Trey gave a low whistle then chuckled. “That’s one helluva surprise.”
    “I’m also gonna give her this house for Christmas.”
    His brow rose. “No shit?”
    Reggie nodded. “Berlin loves this house, so instead of flipping it, I wanna give her her dream home.”
    “Damn , bruh. That’s one helluva idea.”
    “But it’s go nna take all of us to make this house ready by Christmas.” He paused and paced the room, taking in the soiled carpeting that needed to be replaced with hardwood. Trey had been working on the iron railing for the staircase all morning and was closed to completion but there was still plenty of work to be done. “She was out here yesterday so I know everything she wants to see happen to this house and I plan to give it to her.”
    “Yo, it’s your money. As long as you’re lining my pockets before Christmas, it’s all good!” Trey rubbed his palms together.
    “No doubt . Just as long as y’all clowns make this dream possible.”
    Grinning, Trey strolled over and gave him a fist bump. “Dawg, you know we got your back.”

CHAPTER 6
     
    “I can’t believe how cute these baby clothes are!”
    Berlin grinned over at the pink frilly dress Arianna was holding up. “I know, right. I don’t think clothes were this cute when my niece Gabrielle was born.”
    “ You’re making me wanna have a little girl,” Arianna said with a playful pout.
    “ Yeah, right. I remember you saying you were never going through eighteen hours of labor again.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t remember that.”
    “ I can show you the video,” Berlin teased.
    The two shared a laugh as they moved over to another rack of little outfits. A bell over the door chimed as customers stepped in and out Precious Moments. The walls were decorated in garland and candy cane, poinsettias were all around the showroom floor, while the strain sounds of “Silent Night” drifted around the specialty baby store.
    “ Oh, you have to buy this sweater!” Arianna screeched.
    Berlin gazed over at an adorable yellow cashmere sweater thoughtfully then frowned. “I don’t know if it’s a girl, and Reggie would kill me if I put his son in that.”
    There was no mistaking her disappointment. “I guess you’re right.”
    “ Stay focused, Arianna. I’m depending on you. Otherwise, I’m going to fall off the wagon and buy a bunch of ridiculous stuff. And Lord knows we can’t afford to do that until that house is sold.”
    “ Okay,” Arianna said, dragging her shoulders back and taking a deep breath. “Alright, I’m back in control.”
    “ Good. We’re here to pick out furniture for the nursery,” she reminded.
    “Okay, then we need to move over there.” Arianna steered her away from the clothes and over to the display window where furniture had been set up like a baby’s room. Outside the window, the street was decked out for Christmas. Garland hung from lampposts. Storefront