by Pixie Chica
We expected one child, and my wife hadn’t wanted to know anything going on with the baby, the whole process scaring her. I’d respected her wishes, but two kids... Would we be able to do it? Two boys running around like crazy? Even scared, I already felt the excitement of having a pair of twins who would grow up together.
I was having twins.
Realization hitting me, I instantly glance up at my sister. The knowing smile we share puts me at ease. I can do this.
“Okay, here we go. Let’s have us another baby,” the doctor says, and I hold on to my wife’s hand.
“That’s it, baby. You got this. I love you, and I’m going to love both our boys so much,” I tell her as she pushes another new life into the world.
When I hear the cry of the second one, my heart grows that much bigger. I’m going to love these two more than life itself.
“Congrats, you have—”
“Another healthy baby boy,” I finish for her, ready to hold him in my arms.
She shakes her head at me.
What does she mean no? Panic sets in and I rush over, looking at the baby. “What? Is he not healthy?” I plead for answers, and my wife is freaking out on the other end.
“Yes, the baby is healthy, but this one is a girl. Congrats you have a boy and a girl.”
The floor starts to spin, and I have to hold on to the railing. A girl? No, that couldn’t be. I don’t know the first thing about raising a girl. Visions of sending little boys to naughty lists and needing to find shotguns to keep them away fill my head.
I glance over to my sister. Shit I had to worry about girls, too. That’s it. Every kid was going on the naughty list. I start to feel faint, and one of the nurses has to sit me on the floor against the wall. Head between my knees, it takes me a minute to come back to.
When I finally feel like I’m not going to pass out, I stand and approach my baby. Half scared shitless to hold one little girl, I almost back away. It’s pretty comical. The doctor reminds me she isn’t going to bite, before I finally hold her. When that sweet bundle of joy lands in my arms and opens her eyes at me, I’m fucking done. I can see it now, the whole factory being at her feet as she runs around pissing off her brother, and I’ll fearlessly defend her every time.
Then she takes a sigh before closing her eyes, as if she’s comfortable just lying there, and everything inside me melts. I kiss her forehead, whispering how much I love her and her brother. I already know she’s going to be the apple of my eye, then it dawns me why my father was always so protective of my sister. It’s not that I love my son any less. It’s that she’s so precious I want to give her the world and protect her from everything.
My sister comes, looking over my shoulder, and I pull her into a side hug. “I love you, Sis. I get it. I truly get it now.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Why Dad always needed to be protective of you. There’s just something about a little girl in your arms that just brings that out in a father.” I say the last part to my daughter while my son is lying against his mother. The doctor steps out for a moment, giving us privacy.
“Yeah but that little fella needs all the love, too. Maybe, Dad was just a little too protective of me and neglected you,” my sister says to me, and I vow not to make the same mistake. I’m going to make sure both my kids are equals. I’ll teach them that one can’t function without the other and to care for one another. They’ll know competition between them is just unnecessary. As parents who both saw the ugly side of that, Crystal and I know it only harbors pain and resentment.
Epilogue 2
Crystal
10 years after that...
“You’re a buttface!” My littlest daughter says to her older siblings, before spraying them with water from the hose.
“Crystal Genevieve Claus, don’t make me ground you! If you land on the naughty list again this year, your dad won’t be happy!” I yell from the kitchen window. My other two kids, the twins, are soaking wet and shaking like leaves.
Those two are saints and always looking out for their little sister, who’s hell bent on making their lives miserable. But push as much as she does, they never falter from looking out for her or sharing their gifts on Christmas Day when she ends up on that naughty list. Joe, Jr. and Brandie Grace, come over to their sister, and instead of getting angry, they pull her into a hug and wet her along with them. All three start rolling in the dirt, and the argument is soon forgotten.
Grabbing my cup of coffee between my hands, letting the heat soak through, I watch them from my spot. On the horizon, I see their father come running, and fall to the ground wrestling the kids one by one. He seems to have the upper hand until all three get that glint in their eyes, and with a nod, they attack all at once. I can’t help but laugh, all the joy I’ve received in the last few years always making me count my blessings.
The irony isn’t lost on me that for as much as I hated Christmas, it was what gave me my forever. I wouldn’t change a thing and my loving husband has grown not only as a man, but as a brother and leader. He even became a mentor to my brother, who was dealing with a lot of anger issues from my parents. With the help of Joe, Patrick has become an outstanding man. In fact, he’s started working as Joe’s right-hand man and put his engineering degree to good use. He’s made a life up here, and we only go see our siblings once a year, but never go near our parents. I never want that much evil to touch him again or influence the progress he made at a stable life.
I sit there for a few minutes more, just basking in the sight of my loves being so close, and loving. I take the last sip of my coffee then walk out to wrangle my little, dirty minions and the head minion himself.
“Come on, let’s get you all cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in a half hour, and we don’t want all that dirt at the table.”
“Mama’s a party pooper,” Mini-me pipes up, putting her hands on her hips, obviously unhappy with my direction. That child is going to be my biggest headache, and I can just see it now. She’s already been calling the Cupid’s kid her boyfriend. Her daddy had a field day when he found out, marching all the way to Romeo’s house, demanding answers. Shy Raymond, hiding behind his daddy, retold the story of how Crystal demanded he be her boyfriend.
“Shoot, babe, can you help me? I think I hurt my back,” I hear my husband call to me, and I rush over fearing he got hurt.
“Okay, sit still. I’ll call the doctor; give me one sec. Okay, babe?” I ask him, but he shakes his head at me.
“No, I just need you to help me up. Give me a hand.” Doing as he says, I place mine in his, getting ready to pull.
“Now attack!”
“The Claus Clan is ready for attack!” I hear all my children scream, as I’m pulled down to the ground and forced to roll around in the dirt. All three of them, and my husband, tickle me into submission.
“Wait until I get up from here! I’m going to send you all to the corner!” Struggling to my feet, I growl at them, and they all go running upstairs. My husband stays behind, pulling me into his arms and lifting me. His lips descend on mine, and it quickly turns heated.
“You being naughty, Mr. Claus?” I ask against his lips, my hand pulling at the hair on the back of his neck. His clean cut haircut always makes me want to run my hand through it.
“You know it. I figured since you were all dirty, I’d take you upstairs lather you up, and then dirty you all over again.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him again, this time more playful than passionate. “I’d like that. I haven’t had that candy cane in a while.”
“Is that so? I thought I gave you a nice big one this morning. Guess not. We have to remedy that right away. Can’t have you thinking Santa doesn’t follow through.”
Pulling me into his arms, we march up to the bathroom, taking a bit of extra time in there. Our kids are all playing on their video games, affording us a little alone time, even if it’s in the confines of our bathroom walls. Later, when they fall asleep ea
rly after a long day of playing games, we retire to our room, and my husband shows me just how much I love his candy cane.
His Christmas Delivery
Prologue
John Alexander
The week before Christmas...
I’m used to waking up by myself but doing so during the holidays makes me feel more alone than usual, especially now that the Claus twins have found their ones. They left for a few weeks and came back with their respective soulmates, and I am happy for them, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous too. I’ll be thirty in a few months, and while that’s still young, I’m losing hope each day of meeting my one.
Deciding not to worry as nothing can be done now, I get up and stride toward my closet where I choose from my suits, each a carbon copy of the other, then make my way to the bathroom. Turning the water on, I let the heat of it cascade over me, hoping it can warm my soul. I love it here and remind myself I have a great life, so I shouldn’t be ungrateful, fully aware many have it worse.
My own mom, for example. Prior to coming to the North Pole, she struggled to raise me by herself. There were times we were practically homeless while she worked part-time as a gift wrapper. Thankfully, Genevieve Claus happened upon her and offered her a job then and there.
After that, I grew up surrounded by love and was given the opportunity to be someone because of their generosity. Moving here gave us so much, including Tony, the man who would not only become the only dad I ever knew, but he also treats my mom like a queen. Their love so true, anyone could see it a mile away. I want that. The yin to my yang, as my mom loves to say. She prefers structure, as do I in life. Tony is the exact opposite. He loves to do whatever it takes to make her laugh. They complement each other, and I refuse to settle for less than that.
Once I’ve finished my strict morning routine, I head towards the shop. Things are finally getting back to normal following the chaos that ensued while Joe and Brandie were gone. Well, except for my crew, of course.
Tony made it possible for my mom to fulfill her dream, so she now owns the local diner, The Lounge, though she still wraps at times to help out. I stop in, and am greeted by the patrons, some wanting a handshake, others a hug. I grin and bear it. They’ve become my extended family over the years, but I’m not good with affection...just another reason I’ll still be single when I’m eighty.
“John Alexander, come see your mom!” I hear her shout, and turn to see Crystal right behind her. They’ve taken a liking to each other since the latter came here with Joe, and I’m glad. My mom will never admit it because she wouldn’t want to risk hurting my feelings, but I know she wanted a daughter too. She’s found the next best thing in Crystal, the soon-to-be Mrs. Santa Claus, since Gregory and Genevieve retired.
“Hi Mom, Crystal,” I say, giving my mom a peck on the cheek, and Crystal a nod. Dad, rarely far from my mom, gives me a hug and asks what I’m up to. I tell him I’m off to the shop to ensure the toys are ready to go.
He gives me a pat on the shoulder, saying how proud he is of me. It may sound strange, but he always does it, and it never fails to stay with me. I grab breakfast to go and am subjected to another hug from my parents. They know how I feel about it but refuse to let a day go by without letting me know I’m loved.
“Can I have a word with you?” Crystal asks as I walk to the door.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“My friend is moving here permanently, but I’m unable to help him do so. I spoke with Joe and his parents, and they said you’re the only one with a team on track. I was hoping I could ask a favor, but only if you want to. Also, I know I’ve been hanging around your mom a lot. I hope that’s not a problem,” she blurts out, the spunky woman I met a few days ago seeming suddenly vulnerable. I’m sure there’s a story behind it, but I try to keep out of people's business.
“Not at all, she’s amazing. And it’s nice that she has you to spend time with since I’m at the shop all day.” I chuckle, adding, “I should thank you. She finally has someone who enjoys baking and cooking as much as she does. What exactly do you need me to do?”
“Grace and I are really the only family he has and we’d like him here as soon as possible so he isn’t alone for Christmas,” she begins, her smile holding a glint of mischief to it, then asks, “How does a week in Florida sound? You can help him pack at the end of it.”
I don’t answer immediately, preferring to take a minute to weigh my options. First, I’m reluctant to accept as I don’t really trust my crew to keep on track without me, plus I’m a control freak and everyone knows it. The flip side to that is number two. What if they actually follow through while I’m gone? Then what’ll I do with myself? But the third is clawing its way forward, reminding me I could have time to myself, when I’m not helping some guy pack. I usually opt out of taking my vacation, choosing to remain behind to clean up. I want to say yes, to do something so far out of character, that I agree before I change my mind.
“I’ll do it."
Chapter 1
Kent
Fuck it’s hot! Wiping off the sweat dripping down my face with the towel in my pocket, I want to curse out my two best friends, Grace and Crystal. Those two witches left me all the work while they ran to the North Pole with their soulmates. That left me in charge of packing all our stuff, as well as closing down both of their businesses for the winter. The best part being I only had a week to do it. Can you feel my sarcasm? Apparently, I was some miracle worker, and never got the memo. Pfft. Add to that the couple of shifts I still had to work as a DJ, and this was going to be a week to remember. Yet, for those two I would do anything, including moving my ass all the way to the North Pole.
No one would miss me here, other than the few drag queens I work with who have become good friends. My own parents had stopped talking to me years ago, and I have no extended family. Up until the day I met the girls three years ago, I was a loner. Now they were all I had, and I wasn’t going to miss out on becoming Uncle Kent when they had their own babies.
I was still a bit shocked at all the developments, it wasn’t everyday someone found out the North Pole was real with Santa, reindeer, elves, and lord knows what else. In fact, Crystal was sending me one of the workshop workers this way shortly to assist with the packing. My over imaginative mind could almost picture it, an elf with pointed ears, and a ridiculous outfit roaming around these parts. Not that we haven’t seen our own fair share of crazy in this town.
I reach for the water that I took out of the fridge not even thirty minutes ago and press it against my face. It’s lukewarm at best, doing nothing for how heated I am. Instead I pull off my shirt and throw it to the side. I’m in the middle of lifting the heaviest box when a pounding on the front door starts. It’s been like this all week, unhappy clients asking where Crystal is, the same over at Grace’s shop. It seems every person in town has forgotten how to read, since there are perfectly good signs saying Closed For Winter in the front of each one. Deciding that it’s best to just let this one go, I go about my business moving more boxes to the front.
Pound.Pound.Pound. This time the sound louder, longer, almost urgent. Whoever it is, must be on a mission to get a lashing from me, because I’m about to let them have it. All my frustration comes rushing to the front when I storm to the door swinging it open.
“Do you not see the fucking closed sign? It clearly says closed. C-l-o-s-e-d! As in not here, not gonna be here today, or tomorrow, not the next day....” I’m mid-rant when I finally notice who is on the receiving end of it. Well hello there. The first thing I notice is his piercing blue eyes, that keep me hostage for a moment. The next thing I notice is his appearance, he reeks of business and all things uptight. From the tailored suit, to that neat brown hair that’s cut so short with a perfectly trimmed beard to match, he’s the poster child for GQ. I usually can’t stand men like him, always so full of prudish attitudes, looking down on others. It was my mission to stay away from men like this one. Which only makes me an
gry that he’s affecting me as much as he is.
“Sorry, I ah... I didn’t mean to bother you. I was sent here by Crystal Sugarplum, maybe I’m in the wrong place.” He says in a gravelly low voice, stepping back to look at the number on the door. This was my helper. Since when did tall, devastatingly handsome men become Santa’s elves? The stories had fooled us all.
“No, you’re in the right place, um... come in. I wasn’t expecting you just yet, and not anyone that looks like you, that’s for sure.” I mumble the last part opening the door to let him through, his subtle expensive cologne hits me. Holy fuck, yeah, this man is not a damn elf.
“What exactly were you expecting?” He stops mid stride turning to face me.
“You know. Pointy ears, pointy shoes, dressed in a green, or red felt outfit.” I admit, feeling a blush creep up. I’m not one to embarrass easy, but I had just stereotyped Mr. Gorgeous-and-knows-it.
“Sorry to disappoint, Santa Claus demands that the college graduates wear suits. I, unfortunately, had to give up the jolly good outfit. As for the ears, well they retract when I’m out in public.”
“Really? Can I see? And is it like a real elf university?”
Amused with my response, he lets out a full-blown laugh, that’s so rich, I want to hear it again. Only then do I realize he’s pulling my chain. Pissed off, I walk away, not bothering to show him the way. Of course, he’s hot on my trail and I want to punch him in the throat, or maybe his face, so he could be less attractive. Or more, considering he might look like a badass.
“Hey, hey, wait. Listen I was just messing around, I don’t get to meet a lot of people who know about us. It was cute to see you believe my bullshit.”