Jet's POV
"Oh my GOD! WILL YOU SIT STILL PLEASE?!" I shout, shooting daggers at Riley, Nyx, Heath, and Austin.
They freeze instantly, looking at one another and putting down the balls of wrapping paper that they've been throwing at each other. "Sorry..." they mumble.
"I just want one nice picture of all of us before everyone gets too drunk off of the eggnog that I know Mac snuck moonshine into," I say to the group, adjusting my Canon Rebel T7 camera on its tripod.
Mac snickers a few times, "Yyeeaahhhh."
"I knew this shit tasted too good," Hayes grumbles, looking at his moose-shaped cup of eggnog. Yes, just like the ones in "Christmas Vacation."
What? I'm a sucker for the classics.
"Alright, everyone look at the camera," I say as I focus the lense and start the ten-second timer. "And, GO!"
I run around the tripod and practically throw myself in Jackson's lap, a grunt mixed with a laugh sounding from him when my body makes impact. I smile as wide as I can, the hooched-up eggnog definitely helping, as Jackson wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my shoulder. I can feel his smile against my cheek while he despretly tries to hold in the laugh that threatens to spill over his lips.
"Cheese!!!" Riley yells, making us all laugh as the flash goes off and the shutter clicks.
"Fuckin' kid!" Jackson chuckles, shaking his head at him.
"Shut the fuck up gramps," Riley retorts, sticking his tongue out at Jackson.
Jackson flicks him off.
"I am so offended!" Riley gasps, holding his chest.
"I fucking can't with you two," Penny snickers, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, but you love me," Riley tells her.
"... yeah..." Penny replies shamelessly.
Riley pulls her in by her chin for a kiss. A genius idea pops into my head.
"The tension in the room doubles as their lips meet," I start, deepening my voice.
"You can practically feel the sexual energy between the two young lovers," Jackson continues.
"She melts into his touch as he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue into his mouth," I tease, making an overexaggerated French kissing noise.
Riley and Penny break their kiss, shooting me a dirty look.
"Their gaze locks, sending a shockwave of electricity through the room," Jackson adds.
"Seriously?" Riley asks, sounding unamused while cocking his eyebrow at us.
"The tonsil tennis match commences as she wraps her fingers up in his hair," Connor joins.
"His familiar taste overtakes her senses as she has to physically retrain herself from mounting him in front of everyone-" Nyx laughs.
"Alright! That's enough! Assholes!" Penny snaps.
"Ah, so I was right," Nyx says proudly.
Penny and Riley both blush deeply as the entire room bursts out into laughter again.
"Alright! Let's do white elephant now! Please!" Riley begs.
"What's the matter, kid? Can't take the heat?" Jackson inquires.
"Did the picture turn out?" Penny wonders.
"Ooohhh, good point," I agree, pushing myself up onto my feet, rushing over to the camera and hitting the display button.
Surprisingly, the picture is basically perfect. I'm honestly kind of astonished that we managed to get such a great picture on the first try. I smile at the screen. We all sit in our living room in front of our fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows. A fresh carpet of snow is covering the ground outside, frosting the windows. A fire burns brightly in the fireplace, casting a warm orange glow throughout the picture. Our Christmas tree stands in the far corner, lit and decorated with care.
Across our various couches, loveseats, and lounges is our family. Mac, Hayes, Theo, Anna, Adelaide, Lucy, Evans, Margaret, Heath, Holly, Avi, Sarah, Connor, Brian, Susie, Riley, Penny, Nyx, Jordan, Steve, Austin, Verna, Jackson, and I. We're all smiling brightly with our arms wrapped around the people next to us. Even Hayes and Mac are smiling. Tears start to well in my eyes as I continue to stare at my family in front of me.
Jackson stands and walks over to me, kissing my temple and wrapping his arms around me. "That's a really good one," he mumbles in my ear.
I nod in agreement.
"Come on, princess, let's go do white elephant," Jackson urges, pressing a quick peck to the exposed part of my neck.
Avi and Sarah end up leaving, Christmas not really being their thing (obviously). We wish them a happy Hanukkah on their way out. Adelaide and Lucy also leave, needing to start their drive to their family in Virginia. Evans and Margaret end up leaving as well, something about it being 7pm and needing to get to bed soon. We tease them harshly for this.
White elephant very quickly becomes violent and hostile, people stealing others' things and threatening someone else to try to take it. The whole thing takes about an hour and a half to finish, with final steals being used and gifts getting locked in.
Theo managed to snag a children's doctor play kit. Anna got a night light in the shape of a potato. Heath is stuck with a pair of crew socks that look like dog paws. Holly got a "Redneck Back Scratcher" (a piece of wood with three bottle caps glued onto it). Connor got "Little Hoe Peep" and her sheep miniature sex doll inflatables. Brian is the proud new owner of a bust of some man that we have no idea who he is. Susie got an expert-level jigsaw puzzle (a bag of sawdust).
Riley has a make-your-own tattoo kit (a package of markers from the dollar store). Penny, ironically, ended up with a bag of pennies or "money tree seeds." Nyx stole the redneck "yeti" (an aluminum can with the word "yeti" written on it) from Verna, who ended up with a "stool sample" (a tiny stool inside of a jar). Jordan got a toilet golf putting set. Steve has a Life cereal box full of lemons. Austin has a rainbow butt plug. Hayes got some nipple tassels. Mac has a giant dildo (he kept getting his stuff stolen from him). Jackson has an empty ziplock bag with "whole lotta nothin" written on it. And I got a little statue of a bulldog in a robe that says "The Doggy Lama wishes you eternal happiness."
Everyone is very happily buzzed, given that about halfway through the white elephant exchange, Riley insisted that we play a drinking game where we take a drink every time the word "fuck" or any of its variants comes from mine or Jackson's mouths. That got us real drunk real fast.
Heath and Holly are the next to leave, taking an Uber home just like they took here. Verna, Jordan, and Steve leave shortly after them, Steve being a straight edge and the DD. I decide to make some of my famous boozy hot chocolate, filled with Fireball and Baileys. Mac and Hayes come say goodbye to me in the kitchen, both of them hugging me tightly and kissing my cheek.
Loud laughter explodes from the living room, making a smile appear on my face. The house being so full of life and laughter makes me so fucking happy. This is exactly what Jackson and I wanted when we bought this house; a place where everyone is welcome and feels like they're home. A place that you feel safe in and know that the door is always open. A soft place to land, no matter how far you stray. A door that's always open and a guest room that's always ready when you need a place to crash.
"Whatcha up to, Mom?" Penny asks as she joins me in the kitchen.
"Making boozy hot chocolate. Whatcha up to, kiddo?" I reply, cocking my eyebrow at her.
"Oh you know, chillin'," she shrugs lazily. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."
"Hmm?" I hum, adding the Baileys to the mugs we have laid out for everyone.
"Would it be stupid of me to move in with Riley?" she wonders.
I glance at her through my eyelashes, "Well, do you want to?"
"Yes. 100% yes. Not a single bone in my body has a shred of doubt," Penny muses, a smile pulling at her lips.
"Then what's the problem?" I question, confused as to what the issue here is.
"Well... aren't we... moving too fast?" Penny asks hesitantly, her smile fading and her gaze cast to the ground.
"Do you think you're moving too fast?" I inquire. I start adding the Fireball to the mugs.
"I mean, sorta..." she suggests, plopping herself down onto a bar stool. "All of this has been such a fucking whirlwind. Like that shit happened with Jason and then I moved in and then Riley moved in and then we somehow missed each other for a few days and then I came into the kitchen that morning and I feel like I've blinked and here we are, you know?"
"Ohhhh yes. I know exactly what you're talking about," I agree, nodding. I start adding hot chocolate to the mugs with a ladle from the stockpot on the stove. "Pretty much the same exact thing happened with Jackson and I."
"Really?" she asks, a tone of disbelief in her voice.
"Yeah. We didn't even have a date. Like he came in as a trauma victim, I did my human Xanax shit to him, he punched me when he was coming out of sedation, and then screamed at me to get the fuck out of his life," I explain.
"... so you married him?" Penny sasses. "How the fuck is this supposed to help me?"
"You didn't let me finish," I snip, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Sorry..." she mutters.
"Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," I tease. "I couldn't get him out of my head, I was torn up over him. And then I was playing a show at the Roosevelt and we were taking a break and there was this poor girl who was way too fucking drunk and tripping all over herself sitting in Jackson's lap. I couldn't believe that he was there. And then Riley's asshole brother tripped her and so I helped her to her feet. And then Jackson pissed me off so I got in his face and told him off and helped the girl to the bathroom. Her friends finally showed up and I went outside to get some fresh air and there he was, pale and bleeding out.
"So I brought him back, I stitched him up, he wiped my tears, and I knew that I was fucked. He came into the ER to get his stitches taken out and we kissed. That kiss... I don't even know, it was like nothing I had ever felt before. It felt like everything clicked into place. It felt like I was home for the first time in my life, and that home was with him in his arms. It all just felt... right.
"A few days later, I went to one of their hockey games for the first time. Riley got hurt really badly so I fought a ref to get on the ice to help. Caroline and I got him stabilized and we took him to the ER for treatment. Jackson took me home, I invited him up to watch the Blue Jackets game, and then our bodies just kinda melted into each other's slowly and we ended up entangled. He made me feel so safe and warm, something I hadn't felt in years. We fucked for the first time that night and I haven't slept by myself for more than two nights at a time since. We said 'I love you' at three and a half weeks and he asked me to marry him two weeks after that. And here we are."
"Holy shit... here I thought that you two have been together for like eight hundred years or something," Penny admits.
"Nope, just about four, actually," I smile. I drop handfuls of marshmallows into the mugs. "I wish we had found each other sooner, but he came into my life when I needed him the most. He saved me from myself. He is my favorite human."
"And she's mine," Jackson says from the doorway.
My eyes widen as a deep blush overtakes my cheeks, "How much of that did you hear?"
"I came in at the part about the Roosevelt and Riley's asshole brother," Jackson smiles. "You have to do what makes you happy, Penny. Who gives a shit about what anyone else thinks?"
"He's right. Things are going to happen how things are going to happen. The only thing you can control is your reaction to them," I lecture.
I pick up the can of whipped cream, squirting some into my mouth and then motioning to Penny and Jackson to open theirs. I give them both mouthfuls and laugh when some of it comes flying out of Jackson's mouth because he's laughing so hard. I add a pile of whipped cream to each of the mugs, followed by a cinnamon stick in each as well.
"I'm scared..." Penny admits.
"Falling in love can be scary, especially after everything you have been through," I empathize. A smile pulls at the corners of my lips as Sandy's voice floats into my head. "But I'll tell you what one of the greatest women I've ever known told me: if your heart knows that something is right, you'll feel it in your whole body. If your entire body is screaming yes but your brain is screaming no, that's just your fear talking. Don't let fear rule your life."
"That... actually makes me feel a lot better... thanks, Jet," Penny smiles.
"No prob, Bob. That's why I'm here," I shrug.
I grab a few mugs in my hands, motioning with my head for Jackson and Penny to help me carry some of them out into the living room. We walk down the hallway, armed with mugs of boozy, chocolatey goodness.
There is a very intense argument over which movie to watch happening when we get into the living room. Austin and Nyx are chest-to-chest while Connor and Riley shout at each other across the living room. Brian and Theo argue in pressed voices while Susie and Anna sit between them, shaking their heads and laughing at the boys.
"What the fuck are you dried dingleberries doing?" I snip.
The arguing ceases immediately, all eyes falling on me.
"What the fuck did you just call us?" Austin asks.
"Dried dingleberries?" I repeat.
"Well, that's rude..." Nyx mumbles, sitting down.
"Why are we arguing?" I wonder.
"We can't decide on a movie," Connor sighs.
"Okay, so let's put all of our names into one of those random name-picker things on Google and whoever it lands on picks the movie," I offer.
"That... makes sense..." Theo mutters.
"Good idea, Jet," Anna smiles.
"Thanks, girly pop. I have those sometimes," I laugh. "Now I got boozy hot chocolate for all of us, so perk the fuck up."
Connor takes control of the TV to mirror his phone screen, filling in our names on some random website. I hand a mug to Theo, Anna, Brian, and move onto Suise. I reach the last mug out to her with a smile.
"Oh, I'm okay, Jet. I have to be the DD, but thank you," Susie smiles.
My eyebrows knit together, "You love my boozy hot chocolate though."
"Yeah, I do. I'm just not feeling it tonight," she explains.
"Are you okay?" I ask, raising a concerned eyebrow at her. "One mug of boozy hot chocolate won't get you so drunk you won't be able to drive."
"I know... I just..." She huffs, looking to Brian.
Brian smiles back at her and nods.
"Alright, well we were gonna wait to tell everyone, but... we're pregnant again," Susie announces.
Her words settle on me like a ton of bricks, knives stabbing into my chest as I keep the smile on my face. What the fuck? "Wow! I, uh, didn't even know you guys were trying!"
I hope they can't hear how fake my enthusiasm is.
"We weren't! Total accident! We didn't even think we wanted another kid, but I guess the universe had other plans for us," Susie beams. "I literally missed one week of my birth control pills and this happens. I swear, it's like Brian just looks at me and he gets me pregnant."
Must be fucking nice.
I force strained laughter, setting the mug down on the coffee table. "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you guys!"
Suise stands and I wrap her in a hug, blinking away my tears quickly as the pain settles deep within my heart. I swallow the lump in my throat as Susie pulls out of our hug, moving onto Nyx. Brian and Jackson do that weird guy thing where they grab hands pull each other in while smacking their backs. Jackson's eyes land on mine, his facade slipping for just a second, the smile faltering and the pain flashing in those amber orbs.
I clear my throat and excuse myself, saying I left the pot on the stove. My feet can't get me out of that room quickly enough. I slip on my shoes at the back door and rush out into the cold snow without thought, just needing air for a second. The first sob pulls my breath from my lungs, my body shaking from the force of it. The door opens behind me and I stifle my sob with the back of my hand, sniffling my nose quickly.
"Sorry, sorry, I'll be in in a second, I just-" I explain before being cut off.
"Jet, it's me. You don't have to pretend," Jackson's voice assures.
I turn to face him, "I... Jackson..." I stumble, letting the sob out.
"I know... I know, mon ange," he mutters, pulling me into him.
"It's not that I'm not happy for them, I am, but..." I stutter.
"But it's the fucking way she said it, completely insensitive to everything we're going through," Jackson finishes for me.
"Exactly," I agree, pulling in a breath. "I don't want to be that person that says 'what about us,' but, what about us?"
"What about us?" Jackson echos, resting his chin on my shoulder. "What about Avery?"
We stay out here, crying out our feelings and letting ourselves be the bitter assholes that we know we are. Eventually, the back door slides open again, catching Jackson and I off guard. Connor stands before us, slipping on his own shoes and standing in the snow.
"Figured you guys would be out here," he starts, wrapping his arms around himself. "That shit wasn't cool. I just wanted to make sure you are both okay."
"We'll be fine," I claim. "Don't worry about us, Connor. We're fine."
"Bullshit, but okay," Connor replies, rolling his eyes. "Jet, your name got pulled, it's your pick for the movie."
"Oh, okay," I sniffle.
"You ready to go back inside?" Jackson asks me.
I nod. His hand falls to the small of my back, guiding me back into the warmth of our house with a gentle push. I wipe the tears from my cheeks and smack my face lightly a few times, trying to hide the fact that I was just crying. I pull on a fake smile as I enter the living room, settling into the loveseat with Jackson under a blanket with my hot chocolate in my hands.
I pick "White Christmas" for our movie. It's my favorite. Always has been. I think it's because it was Sandy's favorite. Nyx is curled up with Rosie, Theo with Anna, Brian with Susie, Penny with Riley, leaving Connor and Austin to sit in recliners by themselves. Much to my surprise, Connor sings along to the movie with me, knowing every word. The movie makes me feel a little better, but there's still a deep pain ebbing and flowing in my gut. Jackson kisses my head and tries to get me to smile, looking at me sadly when I don't budge.
When the "Sisters" show comes on during the movie, I find myself perking up just a bit. Watching Wallace and Davis prance around with the feather fans and do the Haynes sisters' routine kills me every time. Davis helps the girls escape, giving them their tickets. As they're trying to figure out how to give them more time to get away, Connor calls Jackson's name. Jackson stifles a laugh but nods, sneaking out from underneath me. He probably just needs a refill or something. The two head out into the hallway, leaving the rest of us in our previous positions. I can hear them giggling like maniacs from here. Maybe I poured a little too heavy...
"Ladies and gentlemen, an impromptu surprise for you... the Haynes sisters!" the conductor says on screen.
Jackson and Connor come running back into the living room, shit-eating grins on their faces, scarfs around their waists like sashes, sparkly clip-on ornaments from the tree in their hair, their pants rolled up, and frying pans in their hands.
"What the fuck are you guys doing?" I ask, bursting out into laughter immediately.
"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters," they lip sync with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, copying their movements, frying pans as fans. Connor, of course, is Danny Kaye and Jackson, of course, is the serious Bing Crosby.
"Never had to have a chaperone, no sir," Connor sings, batting his eyelashes excessively.
"I had to keep my eye on her," Jackson finishes, smacking Connor in the abdomen with his frying pan. A satisfying and hollow clank sounds, Connor grunting on impact.
This only makes the room laugh harder. Jackson's eyes find mine immediately, his smile growing wider once he notices how hard I'm laughing.
"Caring, sharing," they continue, walking together. "Everything little thing that we are wearing," they sing, bumping hips on the beat.
"When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome," Connor continues, handing Jackson his frying pan, which he immediately drops.
"She wore the dress and I stayed home," Jackson laughs, picking the frying pan up while Connor pops his hip to the beat. I'm laughing so hard my stomach aches.
"All kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in the rain or sun," they sing, shaking their frying pans behind their heads. "Ewuah!"
"For fuck's sake," I snicker.
"Two different faces, but in tight places, we think and we act as one, eh-huh," they nod.
"Those who see us, know that not a thing can come between us," they continue, prancing around the room with their frying pans. "Many men have tried to split us up but no one can." They do the little dance and skitter back over to one of the corners. "Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister." They smile widely at each other. "And lord help the sister who comes between me and my man."
They break out to the dance, Jackson taking this awkward kind of jazz square while Connor puts everything into it, looking like a damn Rockette. Connor smacks Jackson in the stomach with his frying pan, making Jackson grunt in surprise and then burst out laughing, "Sisters!" Jackson shoots daggers at Connor, who laughs even harder, still dancing around. Jackson shakes his head, "Sisters!" Connor smacks him again.
"Mother fucker!" Jackson yells at Connor, who absolutely loses it.
"Sister..." another smack, Jackson turning toward Connor and smacking him upside the head with his frying pan, the metallic clank vibrating through the air. "Don't come between me and my man!"
They hit their final pose, laughing their asses off, faces bright red. We're all in stitches, grabbing at our stomachs as Jackson smacks Connor with his frying pan again. Connor bops Jackson on the top of the head with his, snickering even harder.
"Put the fucking ornaments back on the tree, you crackheads!" I laugh.
Jackson and Connor de-butify themselves, putting things away. Jackson is still laughing when he settles back into the couch next to me.
"How did you know that?" I ask him, still chuckling.
"There was this girl in college that Connor really liked that loved this movie more than anything. So, to impress her, Connor learned all of the songs and dances. He begged me to learn that one with him and then perform it with him as well. She fucking loved it and now it's the stupid thing we do together when we're drunk," Jackson explains, shaking his head at himself.
"How have we been together this long and I didn't know about it?" I wonder.
"Come on, I have to keep some tricks in my belt," he replies, winking at me.
"Thank you," I say lowly to him, a smile still plastered on my face.
"Merry Christmas, my love," he mumbles back, kissing me sweetly as the music from the movie swells in the background.