Jewel's Life

5

"Where's the birthday kids?" Mary Ann calls out as she comes in the door. She isn't carrying any gifts and the kids rush in and stop in their disappointment. They can always count on grandma to have a gift for them.

Mary Ann pretends to be hurt, "Oh, I see how it is. I only get hugs if I give you something."

The adults had followed the kids in and muffle their guffaws at the dramatics Mary Ann is displaying. The kids rush forward and mob her. The other kids wait until their older siblings are finished before they go forward and give their grandmother a hug.

"Where's dad?" Alex asks noticing that Mary Ann is alone. Andres never lets her go anywhere alone, except shopping, sometimes if she's lucky.

"He's directing the driver of the truck that has the gifts for the kids." Mary Ann says smirking. She loves hearing the groans from everyone of the adults and the cheers from the kids. Even the non birthday kids will have gifts from her, just not as many.

Mary Ann ushers them out the door. Julie puts her hands over her face and does her best to not cry. The nursery help has been busy boxing up old toys and clothes getting them ready to be donated to various orphanages and foster homes. This time some of the new stuff will likely need to be donated as well.

With as much as Mary Ann spends, it's a good thing they have a lot of money.

"It'll be alright, Jules," Alex tries to console her.

"Your mother, is a sweetheart, but has no concept of limits." That is true, not financial or personal. The boys all agree with her as do most of the other wives, but not Sophia or Callie. They personally can't stand Mary Ann and the feeling is mutual. They get rid of all the gifts Mary Ann gives them as soon as they can.

They don't know that Mary Ann knows this and so Mary Ann goes out of her way to get them gifts that she knows that they will like. She knows that by doing this they won't be getting that item because their husbands will want to know why they didn't just keep the one she got them.

It's petty, Mary Ann knows this, but her sons aren't happy with their wives and she can't interfere, but she can have fun with them. She does restrain how much though. She can be a right bitch when she wants to be and she's fast losing patience with those two.

Later after the last gift was opened and the last piece of cake was eaten, Sophia and Callie escape from the house. The boys, Julie and the rest of the wives and the grandparents put the exhausted children to sleep.

"You need to stop giving them so much. Even after emptying shelves, drawers and closets we don't have the space for everything." Julie valiantly tries one last time to make her mother understand to not spoil the kids so much.

"They deserve to be spoiled." Mary Ann waves away Julie's words.

"I'm serious, Mary Ann. I love you dearly, you know that, but if you don't learn some restraint when it comes to gifts I'll have to restrict your visitations to them. I don't want to do that, so please don't make it come to that."

At Julie's words all conversations in the room stop and they all stare at her in shock, including Mary Ann.

"You wouldn't?" Mary Ann says hoarsely.

"I don't want to, but if you continue like this I'll be forced to. I'll allow it for the other kids' birthday since it's only a month away, but after that no more than ten gifts per child. I'd prefer even less." Julie is quick to say as Mary Ann starts to protest at the amount.

"Very well," Mary Ann says caving in. The thought of not being able to see her delightful grandchildren is enough to do what her husband hasn't been able to do.

Andres pulls her aside before they leave, "I thank the universe every day that Adam found you and had the brains to bring you into the family. I also thank the universe every day that you are foolish enough to put up with all our shit and stay. Thank you, Julie, for staying. I know it wasn't easy for you to see Adam with that conniving bitch. I do assure you that she'll never pull a stunt like that again."

Julie gives him a smirk, "Oh, I know that she won't. Adam let me have some special time with her. Even if he allows her to go free, she won't ever be able to pull a man into her clutches. Her and her parents bank accounts are gone and she won't be able to use her body to entice anyone."

Andres gives her a slow smile in return. Adam comes up and puts his arm around Julie. He had heard what his father said to her and what she told his father. "I knew that Julie could hold a grudge after what my brothers did to her ten years ago, but no one better get between her and her family and heaven help anyone that hurts or insults her kids."

Adam had decided to put that female out of her misery two weeks after Julie got done with her special treatment. Not even his mother was that vicious. All in all he is rather proud of his Jewel.

Andres is even more delighted about having Jewel in his family now. How she has retained such a pure aura after what Adam just told him he has no idea, but he's not complaining. Beauty, brains and a vicious side. She makes the perfect queen for the vampires and all the supernaturals.

"I have never seen anyone able to rein in my mother when it comes to shopping," Adam says kissing her temples as they watch his parents leave.

"No one has ever had power over something she wants more than anything else before, either," Julie says smugly. 

Adam looks at her, "Would you really have denied my mother time with the kids?" They had decided early on that most of the decisions regarding the children would be hers since she's the only one that is the parent for all of them. Adam only interferes if he sees a need and then he'll do so privately where he can talk to Julie about it first.

He had countermanded her orders once and he still shudders at the results from that. Never again will he forget himself. The others never even tried to interfere, not even his parents and they were there to witness the whole fiasco.