Christmas With The Houstons (Acceptance #4)

by D. Kelly

“I’ll see both of you soon,” she says and wraps them in a huge goodbye hug. Jake takes their suitcases to the car while I hug Denise.

  “Thank you for taking care of them,” I whisper in her ear.

  “It was my pleasure, April. I’m sure I’ll see you again real soon.”

  By the time I waddle my way to the car, Jake already has the booster seats in and ready to go.

  “Are you girls ready to go do some shopping?” he asks as he snaps each one of them in.

  “Yes!” they reply excitedly.

  My heart has never been this full.

  A few hours later—after many stores, many bribes, and many phone calls—our shopping is complete. Jake paid ridiculous amounts of money to get furniture delivered and set up today. Connor and Mike supervised everything at the house while Daniel met up with us and took home all the clothes so we’d have room to bring home all the toys Jake was determined to buy.

  Then once we had all the toys, Daniel came and met us once again and took them all home in his truck so we could go on a hunt for pies. Jake was right; the girls were thrilled to go place to place and pick out different pies. He let them go crazy. Thankfully, we have an empty refrigerator in the garage because we now have thirty pies.

  At least there won’t be a dessert shortage tomorrow. First thing Friday, we’re going to have to take the girls food shopping. I know a few things they like but this is going to be a learning process.

  When we walk in the house, everyone is waiting and there’s a big ‘Welcome Home’ banner up on the wall. They all shout out “Welcome Home Mia and Hannah!” while clapping and whistling. The girls are so excited, they are about to burst at the seams.

  Hailey grabs Lucas and runs up to the girls. “My daddy says we’re cousins now!”

  “Yup,” Lucas says, nodding his head stoically. “Cousins.”

  “And that makes us all your aunts and uncles. Just remember, Uncle Connor… that’s me,” he says pointing to himself, “is the best uncle out of all the uncles ever to be uncles.” Mia and Hannah giggle uncontrollably and Connor looks pretty damn proud of himself for eliciting laughs from them.

  “Don’t listen to him, girls. I’m the best uncle ever to uncle. Uncle Mike at your service. I’m Hailey’s dad.”

  “We met you guys at Halloween,” Mia answers thoughtfully.

  “Yes, you did,” Daniel answers, “but on Halloween I was just boring old Daniel, now I’m super awesome Uncle Daniel. I’m also husband of your super amazing Aunt Kate and dad to your awesome cousins Lucas and Haven.”

  “Don’t listen to the boys. We’re all equally amazing but since almost everyone has been covered, I’m your Auntie Jess and this is your Auntie Misty. These are also your cousins Hope, Zayden, and Grant.” She’s pointing to the playpen we have set up in the living room where all the babies are sleeping.

  “You guys are funny,” Hannah says with a giggle and Connor high-fives her.

  “We sure are, sugar plum.”

  His silly nickname makes her giggle even more, even Mia laughs with that one.

  “We’re not going to stay,” Misty says turning to me. “We just wanted to welcome you home. We made dinner for you. It’s in the oven on warm and there’s a celebration cake on the counter.”

  Everyone scatters quickly once Misty says they aren’t staying. With hugs all around, they gather their things and go with promises to see us tomorrow. As the door closes behind them, I turn around and take in the sight before me.

  My family

  As soon as I’m about to ask if they’re hungry, Luvbug begins to bark.

  “You have a dog? Can we see him? Please?” Mia asks happily.

  “Sure, but he’ll probably be really excited to meet you. We’re trying to teach him not to jump on people but he’s just a puppy and he doesn’t always listen yet.”

  Jake opens the door to the den and our rambunctious puppy runs out with his stuffed bone in his mouth.

  “He’s so cute and he wants to play! Mia, we have a dog now, just like we wanted!”

  Luvbug looks so happy to be around them; maybe he needed a playmate other than us.

  “What’s his name?” Hannah asks as he licks her face.

  “It was supposed to be Tank,” Jake says pointedly at me.

  “Like my bear,” Mia answers thoughtfully.

  “Yes, Mia, just like your bear, but he wouldn’t come when we called him that. I called him Luvbug as a joke but he liked it and so it became his name.”

  “It’s cute,” Hannah says sweetly.

  “Just like him,” Mia concurs.

  “Well, it’s obvious you girls think it’s a good name so I guess it was meant to be. Do you guys want to see your room now?” Jake asks them and they clap excitedly. The girls decided for now they want to share a room.

  “Can Luvbug come, too?” Hannah asks so sweetly. Even though Jake worries about him getting hurt because of the stairs, I think it’s a lost cause.

  “Please?” they plead in unison.

  “Of course he can.”

  As we head upstairs to the room we told Connor was theirs, I have to pause to take a breather. I’m exhausted and these stairs are mountainous right now.

  “April, are you okay?” Jakes concerned voice pulls my attention to him.

  “I’m fine, just climbing for two.”

  Once we reach their room, Jake opens the door and the girls squeal in delight. Luvbug runs in and immediately makes himself at home on the beanbag next to Mia’s bed, which excites her to no end.

  The room is beautiful. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, but it seems our friends have been busy. All their clothes are hung up and in their dressers and from the smell of them and the absence of tags, they’ve even been washed.

  The beds are made, each decorated with the sheets and blankets the girls picked for themselves. It looks like a picture straight out of Pottery Barn Kids in here. I’ll never be able to repay them for this, but extra Christmas gifts might be a good start.

  “It’s so pretty!” Mia squeals and runs to her bed, snuggling up with her new pillows.

  Hannah, on the other hand, is pensive as she looks back and forth from me to Jake.

  Jake gets down on his knees so he’s eye level with her. “Is everything okay, Hannah?”

  “Yeah, I just…” Her sentence trails off and she clams up.

  “It’s okay, Hannah. You can say or ask anything and we won’t be mad. This is your home now and we want you to feel comfortable to say whatever is on your mind,” I tell her softly, praying on the inside she doesn’t want to go back to Denise’s already.

  She nods slowly but looks terrified. “What do we call you now?”

  By now, Mia has come to stand next to her and she’s waiting just as patiently for our answer.

  “That’s up to you two. You can call us Jake and April for as long as you want. Eventually, we’d love for you to think of us as your parents. You can call us mom and dad, or mommy and daddy. Whatever feels right to you.”

  Good answer, Jake.

  “And just because one of you might be ready doesn’t mean the other one has to be. You take your time figuring it out. We hope you don’t mind, but we do consider you our daughters already and that’s what we’re going to tell everyone you are.”

  They both smile with my words but it’s Hannah who pulls both Jake and myself in for a hug.

  “Thank you for all my new things and for being my new mommy and daddy.”

  Blinking back the tears doesn’t work this time and the dam bursts open like an El Niño on crack. Jake manages to hold back his tears but just barely. I’m pretty sure I saw one or two slip out before he wiped them away with supersonic speed.

  “You’re welcome, sweetie.” It’s all I can say before Mia crashes in on our hug. This is our first family hug and it’s the best feeling in the world.

  “Thank you, Mommy,” she says, placing a kiss on my cheek.

  “Thank you, Daddy” she says, turning to place
a kiss on Jake’s cheek. He’s a strong man but Mia calling him Daddy after being so standoffish for so long finally pushes his emotions over the edge. He’s crying now, as well.

  “My first daddy used to cry when he was happy,” Hannah says suddenly. “I’m glad you picked me to be your little girl. I bet he’s crying in heaven right now.” Her words make me cry harder but her smile is as bright as any I’ve ever seen. My little girl has been waiting to be loved again for far too long.

  “How about we go put away a few toys in the play room and then have some cake?” I ask, wiping away my tears.

  “Don’t you mean dinner?” Mia asks.

  “Nope, I mean cake. Sometimes you just need to eat cake. If we want dinner later, it will be there.”

  “Yay! Dessert for dinner!”

  You’d think that was the girls but it was my husband, and he’s got our beautiful daughters in a fit of giggles. He runs out the door and both girls follow right behind him and into the room next door. Luvbug stays curled up on the beanbag; he’s almost asleep already. I’ve got a feeling he’s found a new room to live in.

  “April, babe, you’re not going to believe this,” Jake calls out to me. It’s not like I’m not right behind him; I’m just a little slow tonight.

  “Wow.”

  The girls sound like they just stepped into Disneyland. Speaking of, I have no idea if they’ve ever been; we have to plan a trip as soon as I recover from Jaxson’s birth.

  “Mike and Daniel said they had a surprise but I had no idea,” Jake whispers as the girls explore their new castle. It’s a handmade wooden castle painted purple and pink and it looks like it’s been sprinkled in pixie dust. It’s breathtaking and matches Hailey’s exactly.

  “They should start making these for the general public. They’re amazing.” He nods in agreement.

  They outdid themselves in here, too. All the toys are sorted, and there’s a reading nook with a book shelf and beanbags. There’s a kitchenette and tables for tea parties, the castle, and toys galore. We bought so much stuff today, my head was spinning. I’m not even sure if we bought all of this or if they contributed to it. Most likely the latter.

  “Does Jaxson have a room yet?”

  “He sure does, Hannah. Do you want to see your brother’s room?”

  She nods happily and she and Mia once again follow Jake down the hall. They look like little ducklings following their mother.

  “Aw, it’s so cute. He’s got baby Winnie the Pooh everything!” Mia cries out. It hasn’t even been an hour since we got home but she seems to be coming out of her shell.

  “Alright, guys, Jaxson is really hungry so let’s go eat!”

  Once Mia and Hannah had their baths, we read them each a story and they fell asleep at the end of Little Red Riding Hood. Jake showed them our room before bed so they know where we are, but we also snuck a baby monitor in there just in case. Like I suspected, they asked if Luvbug could sleep with them from now on. So Jake brought his bed up and put it on the floor in between their beds. I’m so glad he’s fully housebroken.

  In the morning, we wake up to two little girls crawling into bed with us—Mia on my side and Hannah on Jake’s.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Daddy!” Hannah says excitedly as Jake pulls her in for a hug.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Mommy,” Mia says timidly as she crawls into my arms.

  We end up rolling both girls into the middle of the bed between us and I swear this is the best feeling I’ve ever had. I can’t wait until Jaxson joins us.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, girls, did you sleep well?”

  The both nod and Jake decides to tickle them. I’ve never heard so many giggles at one time. My husband is going to be the best father in the world.

  “So are you guys ready to put on your new Thanksgiving dresses, fill up the car with pies, and go meet more aunts, uncles, and grandparents?”

  “There are more aunts and uncles?” Hannah asks with wide eyes. Jake laughs and fills her in.

  “Oh yeah. Mommy has five sisters and a brother and you guys haven’t met any of them yet.”

  Mia is counting on her fingers. “Your mom had seven babies?”

  “She did, and she’s the best mom in the world.”

  “I think you’re the best mom in the world,” Hannah says, officially stealing my heart for the first time today.

  “Thank you, Hannah.” Jake squeezes my hand but releases it quickly.

  “Alright, let’s go let Luvbug out and make some pancakes. Then we’ll get ready to go. We’ll let your mom start getting ready while we cook since she’s a little bit slower these days.”

  “Yay!”

  The girls rush out the door and down the stairs before Jake is even out of bed. He kisses me sweetly before racing down after them.

  Life couldn’t be any better.

  After everyone ate breakfast, showered, dressed, and loaded the car with pies, we were finally on our way. The whole way to Linda and Brian’s, the girls chattered away to each other. At times they asked questions and as much as I wanted to talk to them, I was more interested in hearing what they like to talk about.

  One thing I noticed: they seemed apprehensive about is school. Jake and I were able to get them into the same kindergarten class. We talked to the principal months ago and he agreed when they were ready to transfer he’d place them together. Putting siblings in the same class isn’t something they typically like to do but in this case, they’re making an exception.

  When we finally pull into the long driveway up to the house, both girls are in awe.

  “This is like a mansion,” Hannah blurts out.

  “This was your house when you were little, Daddy?” Mia asks Jake sweetly. I’ll never get over hearing them call us mommy and daddy. I never thought it would happen this soon. We’re so absolutely blessed.

  “No, it wasn’t, but I can show you that house one day. My parents moved here after I was out of high school.”

  Jake and I haven’t told anyone we have the girls yet—other than our usual crew who would never say anything—so today will be an interesting day.

  After Jake parks the car, the front door flies open; as usual, Linda and Brian are keeping watch. We’re the first ones here because we wanted them to meet their grandkids without an audience. Unfortunately, my parents couldn’t get here early so they don’t get the same courtesy.

  “Jake, April, Happy Thanksgiving!”

  Jake opens the back door and the girls climb out of the car. Linda gasps and covers her mouth and Brian has a huge smile on his face.

  “Well, who do we have here?”

  “Dad, these are your granddaughters, Mia and Hannah. Girls, these are my parents… your new grandparents.”

  “Hi,” they both say shyly with small waves. Brian pulls Jake in for a hug but not Linda; she’s crouched down in front of them, taking them in.

  “Can I have a hug?” She’s nervous but she’s got nothing to worry about; our girls are happy to have all the love they can get.

  “Aren’t you the prettiest little girls. Your grandpa and I are going to spoil you rotten.”

  The girls are beaming. I’m still a little worried about throwing them into the huge family Thanksgiving so fast, but they’re going to have to meet everyone eventually. Besides, it’s better to just rip the band-aid off and get it over with. Once they meet everyone, there’s no trepidation about meeting someone new.

  “Look who beat us here,” Connor says as he pulls his car up next to ours.

  “You’re silly, Uncle Connor. It wasn’t a race!” Mia replies to him. Jake’s eyes catch mine; he’s just as relieved as I am she’s continuing to open up.

  “You tell him, Mia. Sometimes Uncle Connor doesn’t think before he speaks,” Jess tells her as she bends over and pops a kiss on her head.

  Connor passes Zayden to Jake and goes to the other side of the car to get Hope. The twins are smiling away. They’re so cute with their two top and bottom teeth showing.

  “
Oh my, look at all these beautiful grandkids. Let’s go inside and take some family photos.” Linda leads the way into the house for picture time. It might be the first time I’m actually happy she’s such a photo nut.

  Not too long afterward, Daniel and Kate, Mike and Misty—and all their kids—arrive with Chad and Marc right behind them. Marc’s new girlfriend was supposed to come today but I guess she’s sick. She’s a sweet girl; I was looking forward to seeing her again.

  The girls are the belles of the ball today. Everyone is paying attention to them, talking to them, and loving on them, and they’re thriving off of it. Especially Hannah.

  Maryanne and her husband, Daniel’s parents, and Mike’s mom and Kate’s dad all arrive at the same time. As usual, my family is running late. It’s because my mom insists everyone meet at her house and they all carpool.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention for a moment?” Mike says, clinking the side of his glass with a spoon. Misty moves to his side and she looks happy as can be. After we’re all gathered around him, he continues.

  “Normally, we’d wait until everyone arrived to share the news, but little miss Hailey knows our secret and I’ve got a feeling it’s about to burst out of her.”

  “Daddy!” she cries out with her hands on her hips. “I did the pinky swear and everything!”

  “I know you did but it’s okay. Mommy and I want to tell the secret. I know some of you are going to be disappointed and I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to suck it up and be happy for us.”

  “Spill it, Mike, we don’t have all day,” Connor heckles him.

  “Bite me, Connor.”

  “With pleasure, bend over, big boy.” Jess slaps him on the arm

  “Stop it. Come on, Mike, what’s this secret?”

  “Yesterday morning, Misty and I took the kids to the courthouse and got married!”

  Immediately, my eyes go to Claire, Mike’s mom, and she looks like she’s about to pass out. She’s definitely not happy.

  Kate’s crying tears of joy and is the first one to hug them and congratulate them on their news.

  “This calls for champagne. Connor, Jake, come help me bring it out,” Brian calls from the other side of the room.