Figured I'd write a little something special for Christmas :)
Enjoy!
• • •
On December twenty-fifth, I woke to my favorite Christmas present snuggling against my chest.
Avery's half-lidded eyes were marred by a pair of dark circles. Surely the aftermath of wrapping presents until three in the morning. Her legs twined around mine, stealing away my warmth.
"It's a miracle," I rasped, "that the sun is up and the kids haven't rampaged our room."
"Yet," she warned.
Smirking, I pulled her closer. Avery draped a leg over mine and I shifted her face to mine. "May as well enjoy it while it lasts." I kissed her good morning.
"Merry Christmas," she said, kissing me in return.
"Merry indeed," I murmured, twisting us until I was practically on top of her. My plans were rudely interrupted, however, by two yelling kids.
"Santa came!" Our four-year old daughter screamed — at the same time our two-year old son struggled to open the door to our bedroom.
Sighing, I rolled off my wife and let our little boy, Adrien, barge in. He looked about as much like me as a toddler could, although Avery was convinced that he'd be a carbon copy of me by the time he reached his teenage years.
Our daughter, however, seemed a perfect mix of us. Sparking green eyes and high cheekbones that reflected Avery more than I. She'd been named after her grandmother, and Hannah looked a lot like her late predecessor.
At least I guessed so, considering I'd never had the chance to meet Avery's mother myself.
I was relying solely on photos for reference.
As our two kids burst through the door, Avery sat up and slid to the floor. She scooped up Adrien mostly because he was still too little to keep up with his sister, although I sincerely expected that she'd prefer to ride the banister down stairs.
True to my suspicions, as I joined my family, Hannah asked me to boost her up onto the twisting banister that led a story down.
Although our house might be considered a mansion to regular people, it was nothing in comparison to Hawthorne House.
Still, there were reminders of my youth everywhere.
There was even a secret passageway to Avery and I's bedroom. With two kids, it came in handy.
Grinning, I helped my daughter onto the banister. Giving me a dirty look, Avery reminded me that she might fall.
"I might fall too," I murmured, lifting myself up behind my daughter, "but here we are."
As we both slid to the bottom, I could practically feel my wife shaking her head. But there was a soft, barely imperceptible laugh that had surely come from her mouth.
At the landing, I lifted Hannah down and watched, smiling, as she rushed past the foyer into the living room. Her brother soon joined her.
Our Christmas tree was nearly 12-feet tall and about as extravagant as you could get. Ornaments and tulle filled empty space and presents arranged themselves in a circle on the carpet.
"We're raising two mini Jameson's," Avery muttered behind me. I followed her gaze and realized that, despite only half of the family being ready, our kids had already begun shredding their wrapping paper.
Smirking, I grabbed her hips. As we joined our little ones, I said, "What's wrong with that?"
"I can only handle one of you."
"Too bad, Heiress." I led her to the couch crowning our Christmas tree. "You got a three-for-one deal."
"Not much of a deal, is it?"
Grinning, I kissed her hard. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what?" Her eyebrows were raised in a challenge.
Before I could respond with something sure to make her blush, Hannah deposited a fistful of wrapping paper on my lap.
"Here you go, daddy."
I smirked. As Hannah and Adrien tore into their new toys, giggling ferociously, Avery draped her legs over my lap. "Jameson."
"Yes, Heiress?" I murmured.
"Did you get me a present?"
"I'm offended you have to ask," I scoffed.
Avery studied our tree and frowned. "I don't see one for me."
"That's because I hid it."
Avery's lips pulled upward. "A scavenger hunt."
"I'm a Hawthorne, Heiress. Could you expect anything less?"
"What I expect," Avery said, "is a clue."
I tuned out our toddlers. "You'll find your gift," I murmured, "where the snow drifts."
Avery quirked a brow. "It hardly snows in Texas."
"Precisely." I smirked.
Avery peered out the large, circular window showcasing our acre of a backyard. Green grass shone for miles.
"It hasn't snowed in months," Avery said.
"So," I said, removing two plane tickets from my pocket. "Let's go somewhere where it does."
The biggest smile filled her face. She'd been wanting to see the Swiss Alps for years. "Switzerland?"
I nodded, confirming her happiness.
I was sure, had there not been two little kids running around our room, that Avery might have pushed me down on the couch and covered me in kisses. But she settled for a short, hard kiss.
"Jameson Winchester Hawthorne," she mused, awed.
"Bet you can't beat my present," I challenged.
But Avery grinned mischievously. "Actually, I can."
"Try," I snorted.
There was a short pause before she met my eyes. "You and I aren't the only ones going to Europe."
I stared, uncomprehending, before Avery took my hand and placed it on her stomach.
My eyes widened in surprise. "Heiress?"
"Two kids wasn't enough, I guess." She laughed nervously.
I found myself smiling. Although Avery and I had never planned for a third, my heart had already expanded by the thought of our car being full. Of an extra chair being added to the dinner table.
I gently scooped her into my lap. "Wow."
"Say something, Jameson."
I fingered our plane tickets and had to laugh. "I was wrong," I murmured, smiling. "Your present definitely beats mine."
And if that wasn't enough, the smile that she gave me perhaps tied for the best gift I'd ever received.
