by Pixie Chica
“Nothing, how are you? Did you bring me some cookies?” He asks the last part in a whisper, knowing I only bring them for him. I show him my oversized purse, out of place for an event like this, and he peeks inside. Spotting the cookies, his eyes light up, and I see the boy he is instead of the PhD recipient everyone else treats him as. My heart breaks in two, and I know I have to do something. Whatever it takes, I’m bailing my brother out of here. He’s been emancipated since he went to college, so I don’t have to ask for my parents’ permission. I make more than enough to take care of him, so he won’t need for anything.
“Thank you! I’m being sent out to some job Dad wants me to take, and I’ll save these cookies. I’ll have one every night and think of you,” he says, further breaking my heart. I can go without having contact with my other siblings for a long time, but not him. I make it a mission to spend one day every week with him.
“Runaway with me,” I tell him and realization hits him. He starts to shake his head no, fear consuming him.
“I can’t. They’ll disown me. They control all my money, and I...I can’t do that to you.”
I shrug, telling him I don’t care. “They can’t touch you. I’m here for you, and I make enough for the both of us. You can finally be a kid.”
Indecision clouds his eyes, but I can see him start to mull the information over. “Just think about it, okay?” He nods, and I can only hope he takes my offer.
Just then, my father comes over, pulling Patrick away with him. Probably to show off the child prodigy, just like he has always done. With a sigh I walk away, hoping these hours will pass quickly. I ask myself why I keep coming to this event, and my siblings are the only answer I can come up with. It’s the only thing that attaches me to this family and their social politics.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the odd ball. You still on the market? I hear no one has been able to tame that cold, shrew heart. I bet I could, just takes the right type of handling.” I hear the voice that makes my skin crawl. I’d been able to avoid Jordan Montague, the son of my father’s biggest business associate, for the last couple of years, but it seems my time has come.
“I’m sorry, I think you’re confusing me with a barn animal. Lord knows, that’s the only thing you’d be able to tame. No woman in their right mind would sleep with you willingly,” I reply sarcastically, and the displeasure pouring out of him is evident.
“You little bitch, that’s what’s wrong with you. Your parents could never take that attitude out of you. I promise I won’t be as nice,” he says as he grabs my arm hard enough that I know there will be a handprint. He starts to squeeze.
“You have two fucking seconds to remove your hand, or I’ll remove it for you and cause a big scene.”
“You wouldn’t... Everyone knows you keep coming to this event because you still want approval from your parents. You’re the child who never quite measured up to the others,” he says, and in a small part of me, it stings to hear the words out loud. While I never cared for their approval, it always hurt that they couldn’t love me for me, but there’s no love lost there now.
“I warned you.” I knee him in the balls, and he falls to the ground, screaming profanities at me. The whole room goes silent, eyes on me. Suddenly, I want the floor to swallow me. Everyone is staring at me, judging me. My own parents fly toward the incident and help him up, and I lose track of all the profanities they send my way. I have no one. No one to defend me, and I start to shake.
Until I see him. My man, dressed in the best looking suit I’ve ever seen, and he smiles at me. I watch as he takes in the scene in front of me then rushes to me. He engulfs me in his arms, asking me if I’m alight.
I breathe him in and feel the comfort of his arms around me telling me it will all be okay.
Chapter 8
Joe
Waking up in the middle of the evening after making love to the woman who will be my wife is pure bliss. Not finding her next to me and instead discovering a note saying she’d be back later, not so much. While I knew she was probably okay, something kept eating at my insides. She needed me, and it was up to me to find her. Which is how I ended up at the mercy of two very skeptical friends.
They were the only ones who knew where she was, and they were giving me the third degree, but for two vastly different reasons. Grace wasn’t happy when she learned why my sister had left the North Pole, although she did thank me for being an asshole. Kent didn’t quite appreciate loud Christmas-inspired sex, but mostly, he didn’t want me to end up hurting his best friend. The two of them are hugely protective of her. And of course, my sister enjoyed seeing me squirm under their scrutiny, but I guess I deserved it after being a douche for so many years.
“So, did you have sex on my sofa?” he asks again.
“No, I promise. She said you’d kill us. I’m not going to lie; I wanted to, but I respected the boundaries.”
“And you’re going to be a less shithead brother?” Grace asks, pointing her finger at my face.
“I promise scout’s honor,” I reply honestly because I don’t ever want to be at odds with my sister again.
“Fine, she’s at the Sugarplum Ball. I got an invitation, as her plus one, you can use. I refused to go because the last time I went, Crystal had to pull me out. I almost sucker punched an idiot there. Jordan Montague is a major dumbass, and he’s been trying to get at Crystal for years. But first, you need something to wear. Come on I know just who to take you to.” Kent tells me leading the way.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I hope you know I plan on forever with her. I’m not just some guy who’s going to leave tomorrow.”
He looks over his shoulder at me as we step out of the apartment. “Oh, I know that. I’ll take your balls and hang them as souvenirs, with a nice sign that says, ‘here lies the balls of Santa Claus’—yeah, I heard all about your little name.” Shaking his head, he continues, “I don’t even know why I’m believing this shit, my two best friends in love with the Claus siblings, but it’s Florida, and weirder shit has happened.”
Thirty minutes later, I’m fitted for what is probably the fanciest party I’m ever going to. I thought I could pull miracles out of my ass, but this guy got a perfect-fitting Armani suit and a limo ride over. Whoever the Sugarplum’s are, they must be made of money. My parents would never wear something like this, not even for their biggest party of the year. What I do know is there isn’t a kid in the bunch who’s believed in Santa for a very long time. Something I excelled at it was family histories and knowing when children stopped believing. Crystal had been the oldest in that the Sugarplum family at ten. That was when her skepticism had gone into overdrive.
It’s one thing knowing they have money, and it’s another seeing how ostentatiously they display their wealth. Their house isn’t a single mansion. They have several on the property. No one needs that much housing. Getting out of the limo is also an ordeal. There are door handlers, butlers, and service people by the boatload, and each one looks as miserable as the next. My heart hurts at the thought that this is what Crystal grew up with, and it answers so many questions about who she is.
Finally making it through security and ‘the list,’ I spot her, and I give her my best smile. That is, until I take in what’s happening. There’s a guy scrunched over, and people are yelling at her. I run to her, her safety my first concern, and pull her to me.
When I’m convinced she’s okay, I know it’s time to deal with the asshole in front of me. I just know this is the Montague guy, and I am going to fuck him up. I grab him by the shirt collar and lift him off the ground effortlessly, and the man looks like he’s about to soil himself.
“Did you lay a hand on my fiancée?”
“Fiancée? Her? The snow queen? Please I wouldn’t touch her if you paid me.”
I hear the gasps all around me as Crystal tries to hide behind me. All of these people have made her feel less than, and I’m not going to stand here and take it.
“See, I don’t
believe you, and that’s a problem.” Throwing him on the ground, I kick him in the side, and the man goes to the fetal position. Fucking coward. I go to grab him again, my intent on fucking this guy up, when I feel her soft hand on my arm.
“Please, Joe, take me home. Please,” she begs, her voice trembling. All the anger inside me, that would normally turn into red-hot violence, seems to seep away. My need to protect her is greater. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. “As you wish, but I can fuck him up.”
“I know, but that would land you in jail, and I need you tonight,” she says, and I can’t bring myself to deny her.
“Okay,” I say simply, and we make our way to the door, everyone looking at us in shock. No matter how angry I am at what happened to her, I’ll always put her needs above my own. She’s mine to take care of now, and while I don’t deserve her love, I can only hope she feels that way towards me eventually.
We’re almost to the door when I see a guy as tall as me run towards us, and I immediately pull her behind me, my body on high alert.
“No, it’s okay. It’s my brother. He’s just a child.” At her words, I take him in, and while he does have the height of a man, I can see he can’t be older than a teenager.
“Does your offer still stand?”
“Yes, always.”
The exchange between them seems almost transcendent, as if I’m in the presence of another magical moment that only Christmas seems to provide. She leaves my side, and they both exchange a hug I can tell is so much more. When they pull from their embrace, a fuming couple heads our way. I can see the slight resemblance to Crystal, although they look like they’ve had more cosmetic procedures than anyone should have in a lifetime.
“Patrick, you get away from her right now. She’s no longer welcomed here, and she’s dead to us,” the woman says.
Patrick just laughs. “Good, add a son to that list. I’m leaving with her, and there’s nothing you can do legally to stop me.”
With nothing left to say, the three of us exit, and I couldn’t be happier. As soon as we get home, I’m getting my ring on this woman, and apparently, taking in a new brother. Which is fine by me, if there’s something I’ve started to understand, it’s that family is everything.
Chapter 9
Crystal
December 15th
Two weeks ago, I was ready for the Christmas season to be over, and now, I’m the fiancée of the next Santa. It still blows my mind, and I admit, I was a bit shell-shocked once I was actually confronted with the North Pole. A bit of my skeptic heart still wanted to beat louder, until we had to take that magical ride that brought us here. Although, I think my brother, Patrick, was the most shocked. He kept screaming “oh my god” over and over again. He was so upset with my parents for all the Santa gifts he’d missed that it may have surpassed how upset he was by the years they treated him badly.
My soon-to-be mother-in-law took him right in and made him feel like one of the family. To the point he’s taken up residence in their home, and she seems to be like a surrogate mother. Not that I’m any better. When I first met Molly, the owner of The Lounge, we instantly bonded.
Now her son, John Alexander, was a different story. He’s sweet, even helpful in his welcome, but he’s a bit too straight-laced. Which is why I had my eyes set on making him a perfect match. My best friend, Kent, would be perfect for him and vice versa. I even told Molly about it, and she was bursting at the seams with the possibility. Her son was a self-imposed bachelor, with no intentions to date in the coming future...just like Kent.
Now, I was heading over to see Grace, so we could work out the last bit of my plan. Since it was so close to Christmas, both Joe and Brandie would be in the shop all day, which meant girl time. I was getting cabin fever and wanted a much-needed Mojito and Harry Potter date, all we were missing was Kent, but he’d be here in spirit. Considering we were deciding his fate, it was close enough.
Knocking on Grace and Brandie’s place above the workshop, I wait for an answer. When the door opens, I’m not sure who is on the other side of the door.
“Hey, girl! Come in! I was just brewing some hot chocolate. I miss the damn Florida sun. Why did I complain about how hot it was during the summer?” Grace’s mousy voice, sounds muffled from behind her closed up hoodie.
The woman is covered in so many layers of clothes, it’s as if I’m talking to a pile of laundry instead of her. She’s wearing so much she’s waddling, and it’s comical.
“You covered up enough there?”
“Shut up. I’m used to the cold with my parents being in New York and all, but this? This is some other level shit, but you know what?” she says, pushing her face through the hole so I can finally get a glimpse of her. “It’s all worth it, because I’m going to be Mrs. Claus.”
“You mean we’re going to be Mrs. Claus. Imagine the odds that we’d share a last name,” I say, taking a seat on the barstool at the breakfast counter. She pours me a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and it’s to die for. Between my cookies and her hot chocolate, I think we have a winning combination for a dessert shop up here, but I’ll bring up that idea later.
I have to get her on board with Kent and John Alexander first. After catching her up to speed on my plan, she jumps up and down doing some weird dance that consists of her waddling from left to right and clapping her mitted hands.
“So what do you need me to do?”
Within the hour, we have our plan concocted, and we head to the living room feeling pretty smug about it. When those two meet, it’s going to be perfect. The rest of the afternoon is spent drinking Mojitos and acting like we’re Hermione Granger. Two weeks later, we succeed in making another couple for the North Pole, but that’s a story for another time.
Epilogue 1
Joe
One year later...
“I am going to murder you. Dead...dead...dead!” she screams in my ear as she’s rushed to the hospital room. Since I need to be here for her in all ways, I’m trying not to freak out on the outside because it’s my first child, but I’m internally spazzing out. When she screams again how much she hates my guts, I know she doesn’t mean it, but it still has me flinching from the previous assault on my area.
My wife, being the stubborn woman she is, decided she’d officiate John and Kent’s surprise wedding, and just as they’d finished their I do’s, her water broke. Thankfully, we moved quickly, but not before she promised to cut off my dick for causing all of this. Just the reminder of it had me grimacing, as did the memory of having it squeezed almost lifeless just minutes ago.
“I love you,” I tell her, coming beside her as they wheel her into a room and to the hospital bed.
“Yeah, fuck off. Factory closed, motherfucker. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let you near me again.”
They push her all the way in the room, and Dr. Maldonado barks out a bunch of commands. Everyone immediately following her orders. She was one of two doctors who delivered babies, the other being Dr. Lantern, but as professional as he was, there was no way he was looking inside my wife’s area. I’d specifically asked to have all-female nurses, too. If that makes me a barbarian, as my wife tells me, then so be it.
There are only two people allowed in the hospital room, not including the nurses and the doctor. Me and my twin sister. And that’s who stands on the other side of my wife, holding her hand as the contractions come, and come quickly.
In the months that followed our reunion in the North Pole, we’d grown close again, finally realizing that we were a unit. Together, we’d made the necessary changes to make it run more efficiently, with a mix of old school and new school.
“It hurts!” My wife screeches, and her death grip on my hand causes all circulation to stop. I look over, and it seems Brandie is in the same predicament.
“Okay, breathe. Just relax and breathe,” Brandie says, and I’m so glad she’s here with me. Her calmness and ability to work through any stressful situation is on
e of the things I admire most about her.
“Baby, we’re here. I love you. You’re doing great. We’re going to start pushing, okay?” I whisper in my wife’s ear. I kiss her temple that’s drenched in sweat, and she’s gorgeous even like this. Still, seeing her in such pain, I wish I could switch spots with her and take the pain for her. I’d more than willingly lay my life down for her, just as long as I knew she’d live forever safe with our child.
“One last push,” the doctor announces after an agonizing half hour. My wife barely has any strength left to do so. “You’re doing great, Mrs. Claus. Just one more, okay?”
My wife’s eyes go straight to me, and I squeezed her hand, telling her I’ve got her, hoping it gives her the strength she needs. We share a moment between us, one she gives me when she’s ready to be the badass she is, and she pushes again.
The sound of a screaming baby has us all looking down as Dr. Maldonado brings out a beautiful child. Waiting anxiously for her to announce what I already know is my son, I move closer.
“It’s a healthy baby boy.”
I stand there proud and anxious to hold him, but my wife will get that privilege first. Bringing him up to her, I see Crystal crying, actually sobbing, as she puts him up to her chest. The beauty in this moment, at seeing my wife holding our son, is breathtaking. I move up to the head of the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her forehead and then kiss my son.
“Fuck!” I stare at my wife, not expecting those to be the next words out of her mouth. Then I look at the doctor, who immediately goes back to the position between Crystal’s legs.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I’m panicked, and I search for answers in her eyes and then glance at my sister, who’s also at a loss for words.
“Oh boy, seems like we’re are having another baby. Chandra, take the first child, and let’s get ready to push. This is why I wanted to do ultrasounds, but you were both so very against it. Maybe, next time, you’ll listen to me. Now, let’s get ready to push again.”