Christmas With The Houstons (Acceptance #4)

by D. Kelly

  “Isn’t that the truth?”

  Mike is completely right; it seems like it’s taken a very long time to get here.

  “He looks like you, there’s no denying he’s your kid,” Daniel tells me. He’s sitting next to April and she socks him.

  “That wasn’t funny.”

  He just laughs and pulls her close. “I love you, April.”

  “That’s why it’s so easy to forgive you because I love you, too.”

  One nice thing about moving here is that she and Daniel get to spend some more time together. She really needed her closest friend around.

  “Look at all of you kids with kids of your own. Brian and I have known most of you since you were babies. You all know we consider each of you as if you were one of our own children. I just wanted to say how absolutely blessed we feel to be here with you all, celebrating in all of the milestones life has to bring. God willing, we’ll still be here to see all of these beautiful children bring our great-grandkids into the world,” Linda says with a huge smile on her face.

  “That was beautiful,” Kate says, wiping away a tear. April catches my eye and smiles. Kate’s empathy knows no bounds; it’s a beautiful thing all in itself.

  Connor offered to go and pick up the girls from school and when they got back, they had a few minutes with their family before everyone left. When it was just the five of us in the house, it was a surreal feeling.

  My life has never been better.

  April

  Christmas Day

  Jaxson is ten days old today. I’ve never been more exhausted or happy in all of my life. The amount of love I have for my husband and kids is endless. I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit sad since we came home from the hospital. Not having my mom and dad here to see my son hurts more than I thought it would. They’re coming home from vacation in a few days, so they’ll meet Jaxson soon enough… I’m just really missing them today.

  There’s no time to be sad, though. My girls will be up any minute, excited to see what Santa might have brought them. Jake is still sleeping and the house is silent, but it won’t be for long. We’re hosting Christmas here today. It’s nothing fancy—more of a potluck—but it’s such a relief to be in my home on Christmas day. Kate, Misty, and Jess were just as excited as I was to not have to travel today. I’ve got a feeling more and more events will be hosted on our block with Rick and Bev and Brian and Linda coming to us. Traveling with so many kids all the time is a bit of a pain.

  “Merry Christmas, babe,” Jake whispers from the doorway. How he makes flannel pajamas look so fucking hot, I’ll never know. Maybe because he’s shirtless; I’m sure that has something to do with it. I’ve got six weeks until I can even think those thoughts.

  “Merry Christmas, go put on a shirt.” He smirks and stalks toward me, placing a lingering kiss on my lips when he reaches me.

  “Fine, I’ll put on a shirt. Merry Christmas, Jaxson.” He bends over and gives Jaxson a kiss on his forehead before leaving. I love seeing Jake bond with his son.

  Mia and Hannah have been really good with him since we got home from the hospital. They’re always eager to help change him or assist when we give him baths. But their absolute favorite thing is when they get to help feed him a bottle.

  When Jake comes back, you’d think he was a kid. “Can I wake up the girls?”

  It’s only six but if they wake up early, they’ll go to bed early, and Jake and I can have a little grown-up Christmas evening time.

  “Sure, why not? I’ll meet you all downstairs. Do you want some coffee?”

  “I’d love some coffee.”

  Once downstairs, I put Jaxson in the bassinette we have in the living room and let my eyes gaze around the room. It’s literally a winter wonderland. There are so many presents, we had to put over half of them in the den. The stockings were so heavy, they kept pulling the stocking holders down so we finally had to lay them at the bottom of the fireplace.

  After filling the coffee pot, I find the camera so I can have it close. This is our first family Christmas. I think some of Jake’s excitement is rubbing off one me now. Above my head, I hear the pounding of feet and know in seconds they’ll be down the stairs.

  “It’s Christmas, Mia! Let’s see what Santa brought!”

  “It’s Christmas, Daddy, hurry up!” Mia calls out to Jake enthusiastically.

  Every day she comes out of her shell a bit more. For the most part, they’re both adjusting well. There was a little jealousy at the beginning with Jaxson, but it resolved fast. Sometimes, Mia misses her nana more than others but it’s normal grief and nothing of major concern.

  “Merry Christmas, girls!” I call out to them as I make our coffees.

  “Merry Christmas, Mommy!” they call out as they stop in their tracks.

  “Mia, look at all these gifts!”

  “Santa came, Hannah, he really came!”

  They jump up and down, hugging each other; they’re so excited.

  “Thanks, babe,” Jake says as he places a soft kiss on my lips and grabs his coffee. He points up at the mistletoe and I laugh. He didn’t take the extra pieces anywhere. Instead, he put it in the places I am the most—the kitchen, girls’ room, the nursery, laundry room. He went overboard and I love it. He can show me how much he loves me anytime he wants to.

  Jake gets on the floor and teaches the girls about reading the name tags to see who things are for and who they are from. They spend about fifteen minutes separating gifts before finally digging in.

  I know we went overboard this year, but I don’t care. The way I consider it, we’re making up for four lost Christmas mornings.

  “These are for you, Mommy.” Mia and Hannah each hand me a gift.

  “Thank you, girls.”

  When I open them up, I’m shocked. The first one is a picture of the three kids and Luvbug in front of our tree. It looks like a professional photo. The next is a photo of the five of us. Jake is smiling—holding Jaxson in a way the camera has a full view—both girls are smiling, and I’m smiling. I’m even facing toward the camera.

  “How in the world did you manage this?”

  “My mom. She had her camera in her purse the day she ‘stopped by.’ I told her to get whatever pictures she could. The girls and I knew she was here for a photo so we just kept smiling in her direction. When Daniel came over, it was perfect. You turned right to my mom with a big smile as you welcomed Daniel inside.”

  “Wow, she’s getting really good with a camera. These look professional. Thank you, guys, I love these so much.”

  “You’re welcome, Mommy.”

  When Jake stands and comes over to sit next to me, he tells the girls it’s okay to open another present and then hands me an envelope.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a gift for you. Well, for all of us, actually. I bought it months ago and now we might be too big of a family to use it for long. We can figure all of that out another time. My greatest wish is for you to accept this gift with an open heart.”

  My poor Jake seems really nervous about this gift. Whatever it is, I’m going to love it.

  Inside of the envelope is a card, and inside of the card is a photo of Daniel’s beach house with a note.

  Dear April,

  For Christmas, Kate is getting an upgrade a bit further down the shore. I thought—with our first baby coming—having a local vacation home would be a great idea. Our family has grown a bit since I bought it, but I’m sure we can get some good use out of it for the next few years. If not as a family, perhaps a weekend getaway for the two of us. Please don’t be angry. This is a gift for the entire family.

  All my love,

  Jake

  P.S. Please don’t tell Kate. I don’t know when Daniel will tell her.

  Using both of my hands, I pull his face to mine and kiss him softly.

  “I’m not used to this money thing but I love you, Jake, and I know your heart is always in the right place. Thank you for the gift. Our family is going to m
ake precious memories there.”

  The relief on his face is evident and he smiles wide. My present isn’t nearly as grand, but I think he’ll like it. I had a really hard time figuring out what to get Jake and it dawned on me at the last minute. Thankfully, Daniel was able to help me put it together.

  “Girls, can you give Daddy his present from me? It’s the one propped up on the tree branch.”

  Mia brings over the card and hands it to Jake. When he opens it up, he looks happy. He’s been wanting to get the kids’ names tattooed on him somewhere for a while so I got him a gift certificate to go see Ben. He’s had my name tattooed on his arm since our freshman year of college. I thought he was crazy, but I don’t think I’d ever seen him more proud of something.

  “This is one awesome present, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Although a bit cheesy, the girls picked out quite a bit of stuff for Jake that says ‘number one dad.’ I let them go overboard because I know Jake will love it. Fatherhood was always a huge part of his plan and now he finally has it.

  After he opened his gifts, he pulled them into huge hugs and tickled them silly. This is what it’s all about.

  When all the presents are opened, Jake and I are snuggled up together on the couch while the girls sit on the floor playing and Luvbug rolls around in all the discarded paper. If I could sit around all day in my pajamas like this, I would. At least we still have a few hours before we’re bombarded with family.

  Last night, after setting out all the presents from Santa, Jake also set up the extra tables and chairs. Since Jaxson is so little I don’t even have to cook today, so we got put in charge of pies again.

  “Do you want to go take a nap before everyone gets here? I know you were up with Jaxson a lot last night. The girls and I will do some cleaning up and relocate all these toys and gifts to their room and playroom.”

  “A nap sounds heavenly, thank you” When I lean over and give him a kiss, the girls start giggling uncontrollably.

  “You guys are always kissing,” Hannah spits out through her laughter.

  “When you grow up and fall in love, you’ll kiss a lot, too.”

  “How old is a grown-up?”

  “Twenty-five,” Jake answers firmly, and I can’t help laughing as I walk away. Before I can even get to the stairs, though, the doorbell rings. I’m sure it’s Hailey coming to play; she’s been a nearly permanent fixture lately.

  When I open the door, the last people in the world I would have expected are standing on the other side.

  “Oh my God! What are you guys doing here?” My squeals bring Jake and the girls running to see what is going on.

  “We couldn’t stand the thought of missing our grandkids’ very first Christmas, so we flew out yesterday and arrived this morning.”

  My mom pulls me into a giant hug and then passes me to Dad as she makes the rounds. I can’t believe they’re here but I’m so happy they are.

  “You must be exhausted.”

  Mom waves her hand in the air. “We slept wonderfully on the plane. First class is heaven.”

  “Well, come on in and meet your grandson.”

  They follow us into the living room and I take Jaxson from the bassinette, handing him to my mom once she and my dad are settled on the couch.

  “Oh, April, he’s beautiful,” she cries out as tears stream down her cheeks.

  “He looks like his daddy,” my dad remarks thoughtfully.

  “He definitely looks like, Jake. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I wasn’t his mother.”

  “You’re silly, Mommy. Of course you’re his mother. We saw him grow in your belly,” Hannah replies and Mia nods in agreement.

  “How do you girls like being big sisters?” my mom asks as she pats the couch so they’ll go sit next to her.

  “We love him so much,” Mia says softly.

  “He can be pretty loud when he cries but if you plug your ears it helps,” Hannah tells her unabashedly.

  These two little girls could not be more opposite in personalities. It’s probably why they mesh so well.

  “April, go nap, babe.” Jake leaves no room in his voice for arguing but that’s exactly what I want to do—too bad my mom interjects before I’ve got the chance.

  “Yes, dear, go nap. You, too, Jake. You guys deserve a bit of uninterrupted sleep. Are the bottles in the refrigerator?”

  “Yes, I pumped last night.”

  “Go rest. I raised seven of you, so I can handle my grandkids for an hour or two.”

  “Okay, Mom, thanks.”

  When Jake and I get in bed, we curl up together and fall right to sleep.

  It’s been six hours since my parents arrived and they’ve spent almost the entire time with the kids. It’s nice to see them bonding.

  Everyone is here and we just finished dinner. Family, friends, and lots of kids—this is what the holidays are all about. Mia, Hannah, Hailey, Haven, and Hope all have matching Christmas dresses and they look absolutely adorable. The cameras have snapped so much today; I’m surprised they even still work.

  “How are you feeling, April?” Kate asks kindly.

  “I’m feeling much better. Still a bit sore at times, but you know what that’s like.”

  “Try feeling it after carrying twins for nine months,” Jess chimes in.

  “That’s why you don’t want to have any more kids, right? You’re afraid of having twins again?” Misty hits the nail on the head with that one.

  “Yeah, sort of. I love Hope and Zayden but they’re a handful. We still have the terrible twos to get through. They’re trying to pull up on things now, and they’ll be walking soon. It’s incredible how they grow and I do miss the newborn stage, but I think on the off chance we do have twins again, we should wait until they are in Kindergarten at the very least.”

  “You make complete sense,” Misty replies with a yawn. “I’m so tired all the time since having Grant and Hailey keeps me on my toes twenty-four-seven. Mike wants at least one more, but I keep suggesting he borrow your kids when he needs a fix. Between the four of us we’ve got enough.”

  “Amen, sister.” Jess high-fives her. Kate just shakes her head.

  “This has been the best Christmas ever,” Daniel says, coming up and wrapping his arms around Kate from behind. “What do you say to leaving the kids here and going home to create some Christmas magic?”

  “As in a baby?” Connor asks excitedly.

  “I’d be down to get in on that action, too. Not with you guys, although I’m sure you still sound fucking hot during sex, but with my wife. Come on, Jess, I’m sure my mom will watch the kids.”

  Both Kate and Jess laugh at their husbands and shake their heads no.

  “It’s Christmas, you guys. You can give up sex for a few hours to spend time watching the magic of Christmas through your children’s eyes.”

  Misty makes a valid point. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday but over the years, it’s lost its spark. This year it’s back, and I know the kids have everything to do with the joy I feel in my heart.

  Jake’s arms are around my waist and he places a kiss on the top of my head.

  “You all need to take your sex-having-asses out of my house if you’re going to keep talking about getting laid and making Christmas magic. If I can’t have magic, I don’t want to hear about it.”

  “Big brother, you can have all the magic you want with your hand or if April’s in the Christmas spirit with her mouth.”

  “You’re such a dick, Connor, my wife’s magical mouth is not up for discussion. My hand, on the other hand, is aching to knock you upside the head right now.”

  “Hey now, enough of the brotherly love for tonight. It’s Christmas and we’re being completely anti-social,” Kate says as she pulls Daniel into the other room where everyone else is mingling and having a good time.

  Linda and Brian brought a lot of champagne and when we’re all together in the living room, they pop it open and pass
out glasses to everyone.

  “If I could have your attention for a few minutes, please.” Brian lifts his glass in a toast.

  “Jake and April, thank you for opening your home to all of us today and making Christmas a true family event. All of you have filled our hearts with love over the years but especially this year. Being able to observe all of you with your families and seeing how you are raising your children with compassion and love has meant the world to us.”

  He pauses to clear his throat; he’s getting emotional.

  “As parents, you want to raise your children the best way you can. You shower them with love and attention, and try to guide them to be moral, empathetic, responsible adults. Then you sit back and pray with every breath it actually happens. All of you have exceeded our wildest expectations, and we could not be any prouder of you. Now it’s our turn to watch you mold our grandchildren into the amazing people we already know they’ll become. It’s going to be an absolute pleasure to watch them grow and flourish under your guidance. Merry Christmas to you all.”

  “Merry Christmas!”

  There are a lot of happy tears falling right now—some of them are even mine. Damn hormones. I’m swiping them away as the doorbell rings.

  “I’ll get it,” I call out.

  “Merry Christmas!” my brother and sister scream as I open the door.

  “What are you guys doing here?” I ask as I pull them both into a massive hug.

  “When Mom and Dad said they were coming to see you guys and took off straight to the airport, we were shocked. Johnny and I decided we wanted to see you more than spending three more days in Greece.”

  I’m absolutely touched. I can’t believe they came all the way home for Christmas.

  “Yep, so we took the next flight out and here we are. Everyone else sends their love but Mom and Dad were hovering the whole trip and I honestly think they want to get their freak on.” Johnny always knows exactly how to put things.

  “Besides, how am I supposed to hold onto the favorite uncle title if I miss their first Christmas?”

  “Good point. Come on in, everyone is in the living room.”