The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Shannon's P.O.V:

I checked my watch; it was 6pm. Everyone was due to arrive in only a couple of minutes. I was restless and kept getting up from my seat at the kitchen table. Everything was ready and I hated having to wait. Not to mention I was starving because I hadn't had much to eat all day - my mother had barely let any of us sit down for two seconds, let alone waste time on something as 'useless' as eating.  

I was wearing a dark green sweater dress over tights and I kept fidgeting with the sleeves. I just wanted to get on with the rest of the day; I didn't like just sitting around, waiting. We'd been cleaning, helping with the cooking and generally just getting things organised all day.  

Once about three hours ago, when my mother had been getting particularly shrill about something, Nick had leaned over and quietly asked if we had Christmas at home every year. I'd laughed and told him that no, we didn't - nobody could handle the stress, so we took it in turns with the rest of the family.  

I smiled slightly as I looked at my mother now - she was the picture of the perfect hostess in her smart clothes as she transferred vegetables into ornate bowls. This was how the rest of the family would see her when they got here, rather than the terrifying woman who bit your head off if the cutlery wasn't placed just so.

Finally, I heard the bell ring. "I'll get it" I said to no one in particular as I jumped out of my seat. I hurried to the front door and threw it open. "Shannon!" a familiar voice cried happily.  

"Charlie!" I smiled as I stepped back to let her push a buggy into the house. When she was inside, she pulled me into a hug. "I haven't talked to you in ages! You need to call more often" she chided gently. Charlie was twenty-six, and my favourite cousin. We were close, despite the age difference.  

"Well, if it isn't my favourite niece" Charlie's dad, Tom stepped inside and shut the door after him.  

I laughed; "don't let Tam hear you say that."  

He hugged me quickly and placed a kiss on my forehead. Tom was divorced and though we still occasionally saw Michelle, she spent Christmas with her new family. Charlie however, still chose to have Christmas with us, despite her mother's begging to stay with her.  

Next, I crouched down in front of the buggy. "Hello Caleb" I crooned.  

Caleb smiled and grabbed at me with his pudgy fingers. He was eight months old and was one of the cutest babies I'd ever seen. I gently unbuckled him and lifted him up and out of the buggy. I placed him on one hip and he immediately reached out to grab my hair. I laughed as he giggled happily to himself.  

"You take him on in Shan, I'll just leave this stuff here" Charlie smiled at me. Tom and Charlie went to drop the many bags they'd brought with them over by the stairs while I walked into the kitchen, jiggling Caleb slightly to make him laugh.

Everyone looked up when I entered the room. Nick was filling up the water jugs and looked from me to Caleb with both eyebrows raised. "How long were you gone for?"  

"Obviously longer than you thought" I grinned. He just snorted and went back to what he was doing.  

My mother swooped over to me and lifted Caleb into her arms. I walked over to the sink and used my hip to push Nick over. He had a large tray of ice beside him so I started to put the cubes into the full jugs while he filled the last one. When I was finished, I grabbed the two jugs and went into the dining room. I set them on the table and Nick joined me seconds later with the third one. "Who's the baby?"