Falling Effect

30. Christmas Eve-Eve

"I love Christmas!" She says in a giddy tone. I pull up next to Chris's car, switching the ignition off.

Closing the car door, I slipped my puffy black jacket on before opening the back door, grabbing Asher's carseat. I press the button as the automatic trunk door slowly opens. Evelyn comes around, the diaper bag flung over shoulder.

I hear the front door creak open before Liam comes running out in a snow suit. "Uncle Greyson!" He yells as Aiden comes walking out about behind him.

"Here, let me help." Aiden says, grabbing a couple of bags.

I pat Liam's head as he looks up at me, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, buddy." I say as before he goes over to Evelyn and she scoops him up in her arms, resting him on her hip.

"How are you?" I ask Aiden as we make our way inside.

"Tired." He says as I chuckle.

My nose is greeted by the smell of gingerbread and cinnamon when I walk through the door. The familiar sound of laughter meeting my ears.

Setting the carseat on the floor right by the door, Asher started to wake up, stretching his arms above his head before he started to get fussy. I unfastened him before gently pulling him out, rubbing his back as he started to calm down, taking in his surroundings, his big blue eyes lighting up.

Evelyn heads towards where the laughter is coming from, which would be the living room. I walk in, a fire going in the fireplace in the middle of the room with a wreath hanging in the middle of it, the big Christmas tree already decorated and lit up.

Evelyn sets Liam down as we make our way over towards the couch, Gracie looks up from the recliner, a smile growing wide on her face, "Hey!" She stands up as everyone's attentions turns to us.

We greet everyone as Gracie reaches her arms out, "Give me the baby." She says as I chuckle before handing Asher over to her.

"Where's your baby?" Evelyn asks, coming up beside me.

"Napping, with the other two hooligans." She says nodding to the baby monitor screen that was sitting on the coffee table.

Evelyn nods her head up and down before Chris comes over and Asher smiles up at him. Gracie pouts as Chris takes him from her arms, "Sucks doesn't it." I say, smiling cheekily at her as Evelyn rolls her eyes.

"You two..." She says as we both grin. "Will be the death of me." She says before walking over to join everybody else on the couch.

✳︎

"Evy, come here. Hurry!" I yell from the living room as she walks in from the kitchen with what looks like flour on her hands. Her dark brows furrowed as a worried look covers her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Listen." I say before blowing raspberry on Asher's stomach and he lets out a big belly laugh. "He laughed for the first time."

A sweet smile covers her face as she kneels down beside Chris and I on the floor. "Do it again." She says as I do so and another laugh escapes his mouth.

"What's going on?" Ellie asks, peeking her head through the doorway, followed by Gracie's head, worried looks on their faces.

"He laughed for the first time." Evelyn says, tears threatening to leave her eyes.