17 & Pregnant [ORIGINAL VERSION}

Chapter 44|The Night Before... Christmas!

LIV

One, two, three...

Flip!

"Aha!" I exclaim, placing another successfully flipped pancake onto the plate. It went along with the others.

I looked over at Rob, with a smug smile plastered onto my face, "I've got fifteen and counting. What about you?"

He smiled down at his frying pan, and uttered without looking my way, "sixteen."

"Wha-... But-"

"He's lying," Ronan commented, sitting down at the island counter. "I can see that he only has ten on his plate. And there's no way he flipped them all without breaking a single one.

Rob shot daggers at his brother with his eyes, making the betrayal clear.

"Thanks, bro."

I laughed at their banter, scooping up some more batter and pouring it into the pan, "good morning, Ronan."

He sat up, giving me his best smile, "good morning, Olivia. Beautiful as always."

I giggled, waving him off in a 'pish, plan's type of way, "oh stop-"

"Yeah, please stop," Rob interjected, glaring at his brother.

Ronan held up his hands, "chill. Everyone else is still sleeping, just so you know."

"Hmm," I thought, successfully flipping another pancake, "they must be tired from the drive."

Ronan, taking a bite of an apple, shook his head, "of two hours? Besides, I'm the one who drove the whole way."

Rob and I laughed, finishing up the last of the pancakes. Many eggs were next, along with fruit salad and some fresh orange juice.

I got excited as I thought about all the people we'd have over at our place today. There was my aunt Fey, her daughters and their four kids. Fawn and her daughter, Ami. Then, Aunt Jen, uncle Aaron, and their three kids. Maddi and her new husband, my sisters and parents, and a few more families. They'd all be split between our house and my parent's, which works out perfectly.

Rob's family was the first to arrive, at midnight yesterday. They were so tired, they just gave me sluggish hugs and went up to their rooms.

I stared into the large bowl I was holding as I beat ten of the thirty-two eggs I was planning to scramble. Two more families would be here in the next hour, no doubt joining us for brunch. After I made sure we'd have more than enough food in my head, I thought about what else I had planned for this Christmas Eve.

Guest rooms are done, brunch, clean up, prepare the ingredients, grocery store run, put gifts under the tree, collect secret Santa presents and put them under another tree, fill the stockings, bake the cake and cookies, set up the movies...

Something's missing...

OMG!

"Rob!" I exclaimed, stopping mid-mix and looking over at him.

I could see him jump in the corner of my eye, and Ronan stifle a laugh.

"Yes?"

"Today is picture day..."

******

"Mm, mm, mm. Leviathan, that was delicious. You and Robert outdid yourselves," Maddi said, giving me a bone-crushing hug. She was so excited when I opened the door for them earlier, she screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped me with the same tight embrace.