MADDIE
SAFE TO SAY I won't be going to many more parties.
While the boys didn't yell at me like I expected, I was still in trouble for sneaking out, lying, and drinking underage, which means I'm grounded for a week.
They were gonna ground me the week it all went down, but I think they forgot it was literally the week before Christmas, so I'm gonna be grounded the week after New Years, but I think I'll be able to get out of it.
Extra peppermint hot chocolates for the twins, fluffy socks for Parker, lots of eggnog for Ollie and Ricky, and a back rub for Maya, I think I'll be able to get away with no punishment.
Fingers crossed.
The day after it happened was a little tense, but everything slowly went back to normal, and now, Christmas Eve morning, it's almost like nothing even happened.
It's six am and Lia is blaring Christmas music, screaming along as well, while she makes Christmas tree shaped pancakes and hot chocolate.
"Meelie, it's like technically still nighttime." Ollie grumbles, walking down the stairs from where he crashed in the twins room, which is the biggest bedroom, so it wasn't too cramped.
"It's not, Oliver Jarred, it's Christmas! Here, have some pancakes, they have whipped cream and sprinkles." She says cheerily, putting a plate of food down on the table, and he yawns, dragging his feet as he walks over to her.
He kisses the side of her head and she beams, handing him a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
"What a sweetheart." He teases, messing up her bed head, and she smiles even wider.
"Maddie over here hasn't complained about the time once. In fact, she was up when I woke up," Lia chirps, and I nod, still half asleep as I chew on my pancakes.
"Why were you up so early?" Ollie asks, and I shrug.
"Oh, you know, I couldn't fall asleep until three because the happy couple next door were up all night getting saucy, and then I forgot that I planned to surprise Sam early this morning, so it's not like I ever really slept." I tell him, and he scrunches his nose up.
"They're so gross," He mumbles, plopping down on the chair beside me, and I hum in agreement.
"Alright, I'll be back in a bit," I mumble, standing up from the chair and stretching, swatting Ollie's hands away when he pokes my belly.
"Hey, is Sam coming over today?" Lia asks, still stunning me for how hyper she is this early in the morning, and I send her a thumbs up.
"Oh, okay, I'll make more pancakes." She nods, but Ollie waves her off.
"It's okay, Meels, we have enough. How about you sit down and have some pancakes, you gotta work on growing them babies." He motions to a chair and she smiles, flipping over a pancakes on the griddle.
"In a sec, Ollie, I gotta finish these one."
"Okay, I'll be back." I repeat, walking out of the kitchen, and they both wave at me, syrup dripping down Ollie's chin.
Gross.
Grabbing the tray of warm cinnamon rolls I made last night then baked this morning, I snag another pancake and head out the kitchen door.
I blindly shove some slides on, looking fantastic with my fluffy Christmas socks, and put the tray down for a second so I can shove a coat on.
Snow is fun, but snow is not fun when it's soaking through your socks and making your toes cold, but I brace it as I walk across the sidewalk to the Olson's house.
I already told Phoebe about my plan to bring cinnamon rolls over yesterday, so she told me where their house key was, and I find the key hidden underneath their doormat.
Classic spot.
As quietly as I can, I slide the lock into place and turn it, the door unlocking with a soft clink.
Putting the key back in its spot, I shut the door behind me, thankful for the warm house.
Still trying to quietly creep through the house, I let out a small squeak when I see Grayson barrel into the room.
"Hi!" He squeals, and I almost drop the tray when he slams into my legs, hugging me tightly.
"Hey, buddy, is your momma or daddy awake?" I ask him, holding his hand and balancing the cinnamon rolls on my other arm.
He nods, leading me into the kitchen, where I see Mr. Olson half asleep as he nurses a cup of coffee, a wide awake baby Rory in his arms.
"Dada, Maddie is home! And she brought a cake!" He says happily, tugging on the bottom of Mr. Olson's shirt, making me laugh and wince a little.
"It's uh, it's cinnamon rolls actually. They're still warm, and they have cream cheese frosting with way too many Christmas sprinkles on top." I set them down on the counter, and Gray claps his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide.
I swear him and Lia are the same.
"Daddy, look!" He demands, hastily climbing onto a barstool, and I quickly reach to help him up.
"Thank you, honey, that was very sweet of you." Mr. Olson says, sending me a smile as he helps Grayson settle into the stool.
"Oh, it's no problem, I had a lot of fun making them." I wave him off, grinning when Gray starts to practically hyperventilate when he takes the plastic wrap off the top.
"Sprinkles!"
"Well, if you very politely thank Maddie and ask with your best manners if you may have one, then I could help you get one." He replies, stifling a yawn as he moves Rory so he's sitting on his hip.
"Thanks for the sprinkles cake, Maddie! May I please have one?" Gray looks at me, a big smile plastered to his face, and I laugh, nodding.
"Of course you can."
So, barely even a full minute later, Grayson is practically bouncing as the food is set in front of him.
He doesn't wait for Mr. Olson to grab his fork to start eating it, just pulling off a chunk from the corner and making me bark out a laugh.
"Hold on, sweetie, we gotta grab you a fork." I laugh again, gently grabbing his hand and stopping him from taking any more fistfuls of food.
"You know what, it's Christmas, have at it, kiddo," Mr. Olson shrugs and drops the fork down on the counter, Gray already digging his hands into it again.
"Alright, bud, I'll be back in a second, I'm gonna wake up Sammy so he can have breakfast with us." I kiss his cheek, sending a smile to Mr. Olson before I head up the stairs, and Gray waves emphatically.
"These are the yummiest!" He says around a mouthful of food, making me grin.
"Thank you." I snort, still grinning.
Quietly creeping through the halls, I don't knock on Sam's door, gently pushing it open, a smile breaking over my face when I see him.
He's flopped out like a starfish, how he usually sleeps like the bed hog he is, the blankets barely even covering his lower half, his bare torso on display.
Taking my shoes off, I tiptoe around clothes and random pieces of crap thrown on the floor, then slide into the bed beside him.
Pulling the blankets around myself, I cuddle into his side, my head on his chest.
Without even waking up, he pulls me closer and hugs me to him, his face burying into my hair.
Soon, my lack of sleep catches up to me, my eyes getting heavier and my breath evening.
He keeps his warm body pressed to mine, our legs tangling when I snuggle closer to him, and I finally let my eyes flutter closed.
Definitely the best Christmas gift yet.
~•~•~
I'm woken with a start when a kiss is pressed to my lips, followed by the sound of laughter.
Blinking a couple times, I come face to face with my grinning boyfriend.
"Merry Christmas, pretty girl." He says happily, before kissing me again, and I smile against his lips, pushing my fingers into his hair.
"Merry Christmas." I murmur when he pulls back, laughing a little when he pecks my nose.
"What are you doing here?" He rolls off of me, but doesn't give me any time to even stretch before he's pulling me back to him.
"I came to surprise you, but I fell asleep. You're so warm and cuddly, and I was tired." I yawn, dropping my head on his shoulder and throwing my leg over his hip.
He rubs my leg, asking, "Did you not sleep well?"
"Leo and Parker were at the hanky panky all night, I should've slept here," I grimace, tracing shapes into his stomach with my index finger, smirking when I see goosebumps rise over his skin.
"Sheesh, Mads, you really should've crashed here." He mumbles, grabbing my hand from his stomach and dropping it on his chest instead, tangling our fingers together.
"Gray Gray loved your cinnamon rolls, by the way," he kisses my temple and I smile, reaching up to peck his lips.
"I'm glad. I added extra sprinkles for him and Lillie."
He just smiles down at me sleepily, a chunk of his messy that I absolutely love falling over his forehead.
"Hey, promise me you'll never cut your hair, okay?" I crawl on top of him, running my hands through the soft strands, and he grins.
"You bet."
"You're so handsome." I mumble, pressing little kisses to his lips and jaw, making him laugh.
"You're not too bad yourself." He grins, his hands sliding around my waist as I continue to kiss him.
"Stop talking and kiss me now," I mutter, kissing down his neck, and he squeezes my hips.
"Yes, ma'am,"
Dragging my lips back up to his face, I fit my mouth to his, my fingers pushing into his hair again.
He doesn't hesitate to kiss me back, soft and gentle like always, making butterflies swarm in my stomach.
He tastes like coffee and cinnamon, his lips parting mine, and I sigh into his mouth.
Suddenly pulling back from me, I whine at the lack of contact, but I shut up the second I feel him kiss down my neck.
A quiet groan leaves my mouth when he gently nips at my skin, his warm hands sliding under my shirt and resting on my ribs.
"It seems unfair that I'm not wearing a shirt and you are." He teases breathily, barely glancing up at me through hooded eyes.
Damn.
"Mmm? Who said I had to keep it on?"
"I was kidding." He rushes out, finally leaving my neck alone and properly looking at me, scanning over my face.
I scrunch my nose up, "Hey, I'm not that bad,"
He pushes me off of him, climbing over me instead, his hands pinning mine above my head. "Never said you were."
"Then why can't I take it off?"
He smirks. "Never said you couldn't."
Pulling my hands from his grasp and pushing him up, he sits on his knees as he watches me sit up.
I grab the bottom my shirt, but stop short, wincing, "Your family,"
He flicks my nose, still smirking. "They went to grab some last minute stuff from the store, we have at least another hour before they're back."
"So, nothing's stopping me from taking this off?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows at him, my fingers reaching for the hem of my shirt again.
He just shakes his head, the smirk falling from his lips as his eyes flit between my face and my hands.
"It's okay if I just-" I pull the shirt over my head and toss it on the floor, it joining the other random articles of clothing, "do this?"
He nods, his eyes studying me as I lay back down, my heart going nuts in my chest.
Unfortunately for me, it's not my prettiest bra, I wasn't really planning it stripping down, but here I am.
It's a plain tee shirt bra, but it's dark red, Sam's favorite color on me, so I've got that going.
Goosebumps rise over my skin when he gently traces the strap, murmuring, "I like this one."
I just nod, unable to form words when he keeps looking at me like this, his fingers moving to brush over the dip in my collarbone.
"You have freckles everywhere." He laughs lightly, nervously even, his fingertips moving butterfly soft over the top of my chest, making my heart pound so hard I'm almost positive he can feel it too.
"You should see me in the summer." I say quietly, and he laughs again, his hands moving up to cup the sides of my neck.
He presses a lingering kiss to my lips, but it's over much too soon, him pulling back to scan over me again.
"You're beautiful." He murmurs, dropping kisses down my neck, his hands finding mine.
"So are you," I mumble, my eyes fluttering closed as he makes his way to my collarbone, his lips soft and warm.
Just as he presses his lips to the middle of my chest, a sharp ringing sound shatters our perfect moment.
"Ignore it." I snap, groaning when he reaches for it, making him stop short.
"You know what, you're right. I'm gonna spend right now with you, you're more important than a phone call." He grabs my hands again, pinning them above my head, and I smile widely.
"Good."
"Where were we?" He flirts, smirking when he sees me grin.
"I believe you were about to get back to me." I offer, and he laughs, letting go of my hands and resting his hands on my ribs, his lips meeting mine.
Barely even a solid thirty seconds later, my phone rings again, and he grunts into my mouth.
"This better be fucking important." He snips at the phone, grabbing it and answering the call for me when I make no move to take it, his lips red and swollen, his hair absolutely ruined.
Holy hell, he's gorgeous.
"Yes, Parker, what's so important?" He asks, and Sam scowls when he replies.
"Because Maddie is busy right now and she doesn't care if I answer her phone."
I snort when he rolls his eyes at my brother, sitting beside me again, a peeved look on his face.
"First of all, we were not. Second of all, don't call it 'fucking', she's my girlfriend not some random person, it wouldn't be meaningless sex you asshole. And third of all, you have no room to talk, poor Mads got no sleep because of you and Leo." He rants, making me bust out in a laugh, covering my mouth.
"We'll be over in a minute," he snaps down the line, hanging up before Parker replies.
Much to my dismay, he stands off the bed. "Come on, bubba, you're stupid brother wants us over."
"I don't wanna go, I like it here," I pout, pulling the blankets around myself tightly.
"Yeah, I like it here too, but I guess it kinda is Christmas." He offers me a hand and I begrudgingly take it, pushing the blankets away.
When I stand up, he tugs me to his chest, his skin warm against mine.
"I love you." He murmurs, kissing the top of my head, his fingers messing with the waistband of my joggers.
"I love you most." I stand on my tiptoes, and he meets me halfway, kissing me once.
~•~•~
"It's not that bad." Leo says, tugging up the collar of her turtleneck sweater.
"Yeah, you're right, it's just a purple hickey. On your boob." Lia replies, making me cover my ears and hum loudly, and Leo shake her head vehemently.
"It's not on my boob! It's on my collarbone!"
"You have an extremely low collarbone then." She hums, frosting another cookie.
"Please, for the love of everything good and great, please stop." I complain, hiding my face in my hands.
"You're the one who brought up hickeys." Leo mutters, snagging a cookie and biting into it, still pouting.
"I did not. You guys are the ones who demand to know every somewhat intimate moment of my relationship, which led to you talking about your damn boob hickey." I shudder, and she elbows me, rolling her eyes.
"Oh my gosh, is that why you're wearing a turtleneck?" Lia snorts, brushing her hair out of her face and getting green frosting in it, and Leo shakes her head again, blushing.
"No, I just like turtlenecks."
"Sure."
Roman walks into the room, thankfully stopping the torturous conversation, and says, "Oh! Cookies!"
"Don't touch the pretty snowflake one, that took me forever," she rushes out, slapping his hand when he reaches for it.
"Sheesh, baby, you're so mean." He frowns, grabbing the broken snowman instead.
"No, I put a lot of time into that one and I don't want it going to waste. On you." She shrugs, and he gapes at her, walking around the island to grab her, making her grin.
She turns in his arms, cupping his face and getting frosting on both of his cheeks.
He jumps back, saying, "Hey!"
"Look, now you're sweet." She giggles, smearing more on his nose, and he pushes her away, pouting.
"Amelia Marie Caroline," he complains, making her laugh even louder.
"Roman, my middle name isn't actually Caroline."
"I know, I just like it." He shrugs, washing his face in the sink.
"You guys are so cute." I hear from the kitchen door, and I turn to see Leyland standing there, looking adorable in a fluffy Christmas sweater.
"Leyland!" I say happily, walking across the room to hug her, and she smiles widely.
Leyland is a very pretty girl, with her auburn hair, big green eyes, and little sprinkling of freckled over her cheeks and nose.
Not to mention her gorgeous curves, she even manages to make her ugly sweater look flattering.
No one should have that much power.
"Leyland, this is Leo and Amelia and Roman. Guys, this is Leyland, Ollie's lady." I say, bumping my hip into hers, pointing at them each in turn.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Ollie's friend." Leyland snorts, pushing my shoulder, and I just grin.
"Don't even pretend, Leyland, my brother is a catch and you know it." I whisper, and she laughs, rolling her eyes.
"Alright, that's enough playing matchmaker for you."
"You know it, Leyland." I repeat, walking backwards out of the kitchen, and she playfully glares at me.
Walking into the living room, I find Sam and my brothers chatting, an easy look on all their faces.
"Whatcha talking about?" I crawl next to Sam, putting my head on his lap and stretching out on the couch.
"Nothing much. What are you up to?" He replies with a smile, his hands brushing over my hair.
"About to take a nap because I'm still tired." I spare a glance at Parker who's suddenly found his phone very interesting, rolling my eyes.
"Hey, Maya, when can we have the cupcakes?" I ask, referring to her famous chocolate cupcakes, they are amazing.
She's sitting on the recliner, nursing Livia, so she motions to the nursing blanket over her. "I'm a little busy, Mads, but maybe in a minute."
"Maya, Maya, you're a cow." Winn snorts, Emmett joining in his laughter a second later, Maya frowning at them.
"I'm spitting on your cupcakes."
"That's rude, boys," Ricky chimes in, but they don't stop laughing.
"Cause she makes milk, Ricky!" Emmett defends, howling.
"We all get the joke, Emmett," Maya chucks a pillow at him, making me giggle.
"Roman ate my pretty cookie!" Lia walks out of the kitchen, a pissed look on her face and cackling Roman following her.
"I didn't mean to, I just grabbed one and it happened to be that one." He shrugs, and she elbows his ribs, walking over and sitting on my legs cause I've taken up most of the couch.
"Don't sit on me," I kick her leg and she pinches my calf, making me squeak and sit up.
"Sometimes I get really worried, because you guys are babies and you're gonna have babies." Maya says quietly, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes.
"It's fine, Maya Joy, we'll work on it." Roman shrugs, sitting on the seat closest to the recliner.
"Roman. Joy isn't my middle name." She turns to him, and his eyes widen.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Dude, why do you suck so much with middle names? Like, I bet you think Maddie's middle name is Janice." Amelia chucks a pillow at him and he glares at her, throwing one back.
"I'm great at middle names, I know that Parker's middle name is Jay, and Ollie's is Jaden, and Winn's is Jarred and Emmett's is Jasper." He says, looking confused when everyone laughs loudly, even Sam knowing that's wrong.
"You got mine right, that's it." Parker snorts, and Roman just mumbles curses under his breath.
"Okay, let me try." Leo sits up, and Ricky nods with a smile, encouraging her to go on.
Pointing at them each in turn, she says, "Elwin Jasper, I love your name, it's giving me major Harry Potter vibes by the way. Emmett Jaden. Oliver Jarred. Maverick Jason. Madeline Jane, I know that one cause you guys say it a lot. Parker Jay." She finishes by tapping his nose and he smiles, hugging her to him, making her laugh.
I'm brought back to Sam when he gently pokes my side, and I turn to him, smiling. "Yes?"
"I have to go, all my cousins are coming over again, but you should come over soon." He pecks my lips when he sees me pout.
"I don't want you to go."
"You'll survive, my love," he teases, pressing another kiss to my lips, his nose bumping mine.
"I'll see you in a bit, love you," he says, before standing off the couch, and I jut my bottom lip out.
"I love you." I mumble, still being as whiny as ever, and he just flicks my nose, smiling.
"Thank you for having me, but I should probably head home, we have a load of family over. Merry Christmas, I'll be back to piss you all off again soon enough." He announces to everyone, walking to the front door and grabbing his coat off the rack.
"Hey, tell your family I said Merry Christmas." Leo rushes out, standing up on her knees, and he nods, sending her a thumbs up.
"Bye!" Sam calls, dragging the word out until everyone replies, and he grins as he shuts the door.
The second it shuts, Leyland says, "I'm not into younger men but holy shit, Mads, he's so cute,"
"I know right," I turn to her, grinning.
Ollie, who's sitting beside Ley with his arm around her shoulders, scrunches his nose up and playfully glares at her. "Ouch."
"Never said you weren't cute, you big drama queen," she snorts, poking his ribs and making him break out in a smile.
"Do you know what time it is?" Maya says, standing up from the couch with a sleeping Livia in her arms, handing her off to her husband.
"Cupcakes and Elf?" I demand, sitting up, and she points at me.
"Yes, except for the twins, they get nothing but diaper duty."
"No, I did it last time!" Winn whines, throwing his head back like the four year old he is.
"You also called me a cow, so it's fair." She shrugs, and I grin, flopping down so my head is on Lia's lap instead.
"Amelia, Maddie, I'm getting my nails done for New Years, which color?" Leyland says, handing me her phone which is showing two photos.
One set of nails is bubblegum pink, and the other is a light lavender color.
"Lavender." I say, and Lia nods.
"Definitely."
"Bunny, which one?" She turns to Ollie, and he looks up at her from where he's talking with Via, holding her carefully.
"Oh my gosh, she called him bunny, that's so cute." I whisper to Lia and she grins, watching them talk along themselves.
"Um, that one," Ollie points at one and she nods, still smiling.
"Don't trust him, Ley, he's colorblind." Parker chimes in, and she laughs, waving him off.
"No, he's literally colorblind, he can't help you with that." Lia chimes in, making Leyland snort.
"Wait, actually?" She giggles, turning and looking at him.
He smiles. "Maybe."
"Oh my gosh, Ollie, I've gone to you for advice on my nails so many times!" She laughs, punching his arm, and he grins.
"I just pick the one you look at the longest, you always seem to like them." He says, shrugging, casually throwing a pillow at me when I 'aw' loudly.
"Cupcakes!" Maya announces, walking into the living room with a tray of cupcakes, and Emmett and Leo simultaneously scream.
"Yes!" Emmy jumps up, grabbing three, but putting one back when Maya slaps the back of his hand.
"There needs to be enough for everyone."
"I get three cause I'm eating for three!" Lia says happily, and Maya lets her take three, sending her a glare and making her grin sheepishly.
"What does that mean?" Leyland laughs, thanking Maya when she hands her one, and Roman excitedly sits up.
"She's having my kids, how cool is that?"
"Wait, you're pregnant?" Leyland asks, and Lia nods, already shoving half the cupcake in her mouth.
"Twins." Rome adds happily, holding up two fingers, and Ley raises her eyebrows, clearly smiling at how excited he looks.
"Hey, that's awesome, congrats,"
"Thanks," Roman says around a mouthful of cupcake, making me scrunch my nose up.
Gross.
"Elf!" Winn says happily, holding Auggie who has a red bow tied around his neck, tossing the remote to Ricky, and he laughs when he catches it, quickly turning it on.
"Hey, I didn't buy that for him," I comment, and Winn shrugs, fixing it a little.
"I did."
"Winnie, you are so obsessed with that cat." Lia coos, and he shakes his head adamantly.
"I'm not, I just saw it and thought Maddie might like it. The cat is annoying," he says, setting Auggie down on the couch, but he just crawls right back into his lap.
"Dude, it sleeps with you every night." Emmett grins and his twin rolls his eyes.
"That isn't true."
"You're a liar." Roman says, and Winn just glares at him.
"We weren't talking to you, asswipe,"
"You're just ticked cause he's right." Lia giggles, laying across Rome's lap, and my brother chucks at pillow at her face.
"Can we just watch the movie?"
"Fine, you big baby," I laugh, and Ricky plays it, a smile stuck to his face.
~•~•~
Two hours, three dozen cupcakes, another argument over Auggie, and way too many cups of peppermint hot chocolate later, it's ten thirty and I'm flopped out on the living floor in a sugar coma.
"How many candy canes did I eat?" Leo mumbles, her face pressed into the rug on the floor.
"About four too many." Parker supplies, grabbing her under the arms and picking her up, and she slumps against him.
"I can see peppermint swirls, Parky," she closes her eyes tightly, her lips puffed out since her cheek is smushed against Park's chest.
"Doesn't your mom want you home?" He plays with her hair and she scrunches her nose up.
"She had a load of online meetings all day, she said the only rule is that I have to have Christmas lunch with her."
"I'm sorry," he murmurs, kissing the side of her head, and she nods, opening her eyes and looking up at him.
"I love you."
"I love you too." Parker smiles, dipping his head down to kiss her, but Lia making a loud screeching noise stops him.
"No! Boys are gross!" She says, and Roman, who's sitting behind her and pressing little kisses to her neck, stops.
"Pardon me?" He snorts, and she shrugs, reaching behind her to rub his cheek.
"You are gross too but I like when you kiss me,"
"Okay, well, I'm done." Rome just nods once, lifting her up and sitting her beside him.
"Hey!" She whines, turning and lifting her arms up so he'll hug her again, but he just pushes them away.
"I'm gross, remember?"
"Maddie! Save me!" Sam busts into my house, picking me up off the floor and throwing me over his shoulder, and I let out a stunned yelp.
"Sam! What the hell?" I demand, squealing and wriggling when the cold air nips at my skin as he walks out my front door.
"You gotta save me from my family, they're overwhelming," he says, and I scream when he roughly shifts me into a bridal position.
"I'm in my penguin pajamas!" I wiggle around even more, mortification setting in as we get closer to his house.
"And they're adorable." He comments, and I shake my head, grabbing his chin to make him look at me.
"I refuse to go into your damn house, with your entire family there to judge me, while I'm wearing my penguin pajamas that I bought when I was fourteen, Sam, I'm not doing that!" I snap, getting downright pissed when he narrows his eyes at me.
"Half of them are in their pajamas already, you'll fit right in."
"Half of them are under the age of seven!" I say, giving up on wiggling since I'm not wearing shoes and the sidewalk we're standing on has a good amount of snow and ice on it.
"Actually, I was about to change into my PJ's," he shrugs, and I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest, glaring up at him.
Both of us stay silent until a shudder ripples through me, the cold chilling me to the bone, and he finally relents, "I'm giving you five minutes to change into something casual, don't come out here in a dress, young lady, and if you're longer than that I'm taking you whether you're ready or not."
Walking right up to the house, he pushes the door open and drops me unceremoniously.
"Hey, fuck you," I poke his chest, but a smile grows on my lips, and he smirks.
"When?"
Blushing, I punch his arm, quickly rushing out of the living room and into the kitchen.
Five minutes. I can do something in five minutes.
As soon as I'm in my loft, I dig through my closet and pull out anything casual, warm, and presentable.
Going for a classic, I grab some light wash jeans, a red crew neck, and a white collared shirt underneath.
Just as I'm buttoning up the shirt that goes underneath, Sam pokes his head up the loft, announcing, "Your five minutes is up, kid,"
"Okay, okay, I'm almost done," I laugh, and he takes over doing the buttons for me.
"You're just doing this cause you wanna look at my tits." I deadpan, and he smirks again, doing up the last couple buttons.
"What's there to look at, sweetie pies?" He sasses, making me pinch him, and he grins.
"I'm kidding, I'm sorry!" He laughs, grabbing the red crewneck from where it's sitting on my bed, and he shoves it over my head.
"You look perfect, let's go," he tugs on my arm, and I tug back, quickly grabbing my high top converse from beside my bed.
"Okay, we can go now," I grin, showing off my shoes, and he nods.
"Great."
I almost fall down the stairs since I'm trying to put my shoes on and keep up with Sam's pace cause he's in such a rush for some reason, but I'm fully dressed and ready to go by them time we reach the door.
"Okay, bye, I'll be back in not too long." I tell anyone who's willing to listen, but Lia and Roman have seemingly made up and are cuddling, Parker and Leo are full blown making out on the couch, and Ollie and Leyland are chatting over a cup of eggnog at the table, looking cute as ever with their hands intertwined across the table.
"Parker, I'm staying over with Sam tonight."
I offer, just to see what he'll do, but nothing.
Nasty.
"Leo, I took the last of the hot chocolate." Sam tries, and she doesn't even react, still thoroughly distracted.
"Parker, I'm pregnant."
He doesn't even acknowledge me, his attention on my best friend he's currently sucking face with, and I clear my throat, pulling out my last reserve.
"Parker, I forgot to make the Oreo truffles."
He pulls back from Leo roughly, making the most disgusting suction-y sound I've ever heard, and demands, "You forgot?"
"Yes." I nod, and he shakes his head in disbelief, a still stunned Leo sitting halfway on his lap, her face flushed bright red, blinking a couple times.
"That's the very thing that makes Christmas Christmas, and you forgot?"
"No, you stupid head, I just needed you to acknowledge me for like three second. I'm going to Sam's, I'll be back later on tonight, use a condom." I point at him, grabbing my coat, and Leo blushes.
"Shut up," Parker snaps.
"Don't have a baby!" Sam points at them too, grabbing my waist and pulling me out the door, slamming it shut a second later.
"I think he liked that one." I offer, walking down the steps hand in hand with Sam, his warm hand dwarfing mine.
"Oh, he definitely did. Now, when he decides to keep you up all night again cause apparently the Christmas season makes him horny, he'll think of you."
"That's disgusting!" I shudder, and he grins, swooping down to kiss my cheek.
"So, Bentley and Landon are here again, as well as my Uncle Liam, Uncle Jake, Uncle Mark, Aunt Cassidy, Aunt Nikki, and Auntie Iris. Uncle Liam and Aunt Cassidy's kids are Bentley, Graham, and Olin. Uncle Jake and Aunt Nikki's kids are Genevieve and Caleb, but Genna is going through a stage and only responds to Princess Genna, so yeah, that's good to know. Auntie Iris and Uncle Mark have like a hundred kids, which is fun and you probably won't remember their names but that's fine cause I don't really either." He says, and I nod, trying to tuck away all that information for later.
"Their eldest is Landon who you've already had the displeasure of meeting, and then they have Kade, Eden, Andrew but he goes by Andy, Claudia and Matthew, you know them, and the baby is Camry. I wish I could tell you their ages but I just can't." He says, and I nod again, completely forgetting almost all their names.
"Landon," I start, and he frowns, making me laugh.
"Kassie?" I offer, and he shakes his head.
"Kade."
"Oh, okay. Um, Eden, Andy, and Matty." I mumble, counting them on my fingers and he nods.
"And then there's Claudia and Camry, Cam is only like a few months old, so it doesn't really matter if you remember her name or not." He says, walking up the front steps of his house, and I can already hear how loud it is inside.
"We're gonna be fine." He assures me, pecking my lips, before opening the door and pulling me inside.
I barely get the chance to take my shoes off before I hear, "Maddie!"
Looking up, I see Landon who's holding his arms out for a hug.
Snorting at the pissed expression on Sam's face, I kiss the back of his hand before walking over and hugging Landon.
"How have you been, gorgeous?" He asks, shoving his hands in his pockets and smiling at me when I step back.
"Good, you?"
"Ah, I'm okay. Still haven't quite met another lady as stunning as you but I'm working on it." He smirks, tapping my nose, and I laugh.
"Do not touch," Sam instructs Landon, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him, and I roll my eyes.
Reaching up and pinching Sam's nose, I say, "It's fine."
"He's just worried I'm gonna steal his lady." Landon tells me.
"His lady is very happy with him." I tease, making a big show of kissing Sam's cheek, and Landon waves me off.
"Fine,"
"Maddie, sweetheart, it's great to see you." Bentley walks over, an easy smirk on his face.
"No touching or kissing hands or calling her 'sweetheart'. None of that." Sam rushes out, already sounding pissed off, and I reach up and cup his cheek.
"Calm down." I mumble, smiling, and he just nods begrudgingly, murmuring, 'Okay'.
"I'm surprised he convinced you to hang around this long. How long have you two been dating, anyway?" He asks, and I smile proudly.
"Two months."
"Hey, if things don't pan out make sure to call me." He holds his hand up to his ear like it's a phone and I roll my eyes, snorting.
"Sure, Bentley, I'll keep you posted on that."
"I'll kick your ass." Sam threatens, and Ben rolls his eyes, still smirking.
"Can't fight people on holidays, house rules, remember?"
"I'll kick your ass outside." He says, making me laugh and cover Sam's mouth.
"Honey, shh," I giggle, and he glares at Bentley again, my hand still over his mouth.
"Yeah, honey, shush." Landon teases, making me snort, dropping my hand from Sam's mouth and to his side, pulling him closer to me.
"We're leaving, my warning still stands. Keep your damn hands to yourself." Sam points at both of them, before I drag him away, giggling the whole way.
"Sam, sweetheart, it's fine. I don't know if you noticed, but I kinda have a thing for you. And that thing is that I'm in love with you, just a little." I tease, grabbing his chin and making him look at me.
"I just- I don't like when they talk to you like that, Mads. It bothers me." He mumbles, his eyes flitting between me and the boys who I can hear whistling behind us.
"Why should that bother you?" I ask softly, and he shrugs, huffing out a little breath.
"I don't know, you're with me. I don't like when they flirt with you, it's not- it's just not okay." He gently grabs my elbow, directing me to the couch and getting me to plop down beside him, almost on his lap.
Scooting away a little, cause his entire family is here, I grab his hand, smiling. "You know you're the only person I want, right? You're the only one who I want to wake up to, fall asleep to, cuddle, share my food with. You're the only person I see an actual future with. And a good one, too."
The tense look on his face melts and a smile tugs at his lips.
"You think so?" His eyes flit down to our connected hands, his thumb brushing over the top of my hand.
"Mhmm. I plan on spending a very long time annoying you and forcing you to rub my back when I'm on my period." I say, laughing softly, and a full on grin comes over his face, pink dusting his cheeks.
"Well, I plan on spending a very long time making you play with my hair when I'm tired and hogging all the blankets at night." He replies, and I grin with him, nodding.
"Sounds like a plan." I mess up his slightly neater curls, and he catches my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm.
"I love you." He whispers, his words almost impossible to hear over the sound of his family chatting and laughing.
It sounds ike warmth and love.
"I love you most."
We stare at each other like idiots for a few more moments, until I hear, "Maddie!"
Lillie quickly climbs into my lap, wearing cute little snowflake footies, her curly hair hair in the sweetest piggies I've ever seen.
"Hi, Lillie! I missed you," I hug her tightly, and she giggles, giving me a big smile when she sits back.
"I have so many cousins, did you know that? There's Matty and Claudia and Genna and Andy and Edie and lotsa other ones too!" She says emphatically, and I see Sam smiling in the corner of my eye.
"We're all painting our nails, you wanna come?" She asks, and I nod, making her grin.
"Sammy, you too?" She stands off the couch, tugging on his hand, and he nods.
"Yeah, of course, Lee,"
She leads us into the dining room where a bunch of kids are sitting, giggling and talking, looking cute as heck as they paint their nails and each other's.
"Sammy! Look!" Gray Gray says, lifting up his hands and showing off the bright pink nail polish on his fingers.
"Oh, I love it, buddy! Good job." Sam smiles widely, kissing his cheek and sitting down in the chair next to him.
I pull another chair over to the table and sit between Lillie and Claudia who I met last time, helping Claudia paint her nails when she obviously struggles.
Even over the loud talking, I can hear one of Sam's uncles ask Mr. Olson, "Are you really letting him do that?"
Being the nosy person I am, I glance up to see a man standing next to Mr. Olson, the man staring down at Grayson.
"I don't see the issue. He's my son, Mark, and I'm gonna let him do what makes him happy, this is making him happy. It's harmless and he loves it." Mr. Olson replies, his tone a little defensive, and I silently agree with him.
Gray hasn't stopped smiling the whole time I've seen him, why should someone take that away from him?
"I mean, it's all clumpy, Louis. Give the boy a proper one, it's just mean to have him use one that's gone bad." he says, and when I look at Grayson's hands, I notice the polish is a little old.
Mr. Olson looks surprisingly relieved, the tense look on his face dissolving. "You're right."
"Gray Gray, this one is a little old, do you want daddy to get you a new one?" He squats down next to Grayson's chair, and he nods, still giving him a toothy smile.
"Here, Gray, you can use my one. My mommy just got it for me for Christmas." A little girl across the table for him says, handing over a navy blue color.
He grins. "Thanks, Genna."
"I'm Princess Genna, remember?" She reminds him, and he giggles loudly.
"Sorry, Princess Genna."
"Maddie, I wanna paint your nails," Sam says, bringing my attention back to him, and I see him holding a dark red color.
Pressing a kiss to Claudia's cheek, I say, "All done, sweetheart. Let them dry, okay?"
She nods, smiling sheepishly.
Standing up, I walk over to Sam, blushing furiously when he tugs me down so I'm sitting in his lap.
"Sam," I hiss, shaking my head and he rolls his eyes playfully, grabbing my wrist gently and examining my nails.
"No one cares, it's fine,"
"But everyone is gonna stare at us," I mumble, and he just glances back at me.
"They're jealous."
"They're all either married or under the age of ten, they aren't jealous, they're judging." I shove his head and he grins, kissing my cheek.
"Let me paint your nails and stop overthinking things, darling," he opens the bottle, pulling the brush out and wiping the extra off.
Dropping my cheek on his shoulder, I watch him very carefully paint my nails, all of them pretty short.
My nails grow fast, but break easier, it's terrible.
"I love this color on you." He mumbles, his face set in a concentrated look, his eyebrows furrowed.
"You told me so this morning." I giggle softly, my lips close to his ear, and I see goosebumps come over his arms, only making me laugh again.
"I think it contrasts your skin beautifully." He shrugs, moving to my next finger.
"I love green on you, like dark green. Your eyes look gorgeous in that color."
He smiles. "I'll have to wear that more often."
"I guess you'll have to." I tease, and he turns, pecking my smiling lips.
"I guess I will."
"So, my parents are very obviously hiding something and I need to figure out what it is. I think it's a Christmas present, but I'm not sure what." Sam says, back to painting my nails.
The Florida trip. I talked to my brothers about it the other day and they were hesitant, but I eventually talked them into letting me go.
I can't wait for Sam to find out, he's gonna be so excited.
"Oh, really? Why do you say that?" I ask, trying to keep the smile off my face, and he tilts his head at me.
"You're a terrible liar, Madeline Jane, you totally know what it is."
"I do not!" I laugh, pushing his face away when he narrows his eyes at me, and he rolls his eyes.
"That is bullshit if I've ever heard it. Spill." He whispers, and I snort, rolling my eyes.
"Sam, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Listen here, you little shit, I'm your boyfriend, you are not allowed to lie to me." He points at me, then pokes my nose, making me giggle loudly.
"Samuel Everette, watch it," I poke his nose back, and he just scowls at me.
"Tell me what it is."
"No, wait until the morning."
"Tell me," he draws out the last word, and I smile widely.
"No." I drop my chin on his shoulder and he pouts, grabbing my hand and painting my nails again.
"I'm not talking to you until you tell me what it is." He grumbles, and I kiss his cheek.
"Promise?" I tease, and he finally breaks out in a smile.
He just elbows me, making me laugh loudly.
"Don't be bratty, your parents want to surprise you." I grin at him, kissing his cheek again.
"Fine, I can wait," he relents, back to doing my nails.
~•~•~
"Merry Christmas!"
I jerk awake, my eyes snapping open at the shout and landing on my boyfriend who's clad in flannel pajamas, his curls still messy like he just rolled out of bed.
"Merry Christmas!" Sam repeats, climbing into bed with me, cuddling up to me and putting his cold feet on my bare legs.
"It's like six, go away," I groan, pushing his feet away, rolling over and burying my face into a pillow.
"No can do, bubba, it's Christmas!" He grabs my waist from behind, tugging me closer, and I close my eyes again.
Any protest I have dies on my lips when he starts to press warm, sweet, kisses to my neck and jaw.
"Our first Christmas together, Maddie, how exciting is that?" He says, his voice muffled since he's still kissing down my neck and to the collar of my shirt.
"So exciting," I murmur, tilting my head to give him more access, and he takes full advantage of that.
Apparently my collar gets in the way, cause he tugs it down and kisses the dip of my collarbone slowly.
My eyes closed tightly, I pinch my lips to stay quiet when he moves up and kisses under my ear a couple times.
I yelp when Sam rolls us so I'm sitting on his waist, my bare legs on full display, his tee shirt I stole hiked up on my thighs.
My pajamas always either consists of no pants and a big tee, or a hoodie and shorts, it's just what I usually stick to.
Guess which one I picked last night.
He holds himself up on his elbows, his olive eyes scanning over me slowly, and I watch him swallow hard.
Maybe it wasn't such a bad choice.
When they finally land on my eyes again, he murmurs, "Maddie, I-"
"Christmas!" Lia calls, interrupting him, and I hear her start to climb up my ladder.
Sam clearly panics, grabbing my waist and twisting us on our side, tugging the blankets over us.
"Christmas-!" Lia pokes her head up the ladder, a big grin on his face, but stops talking when she sees us, definitely taking notice of my still irregular breathing.
"I said wake her up not sleep with her, sheesh Sam, my instructions were simple."
"I woke her up, didn't I?" Sam stands off the bed, tugging me up with him, and I whine.
"I wanna sleep, it's cold," I hide my face in his shirt and he just rubs my back, his other hand holding my waist to him.
"Put pants on and you won't be so cold." Amelia suggests, my ladder creaking as she climbs down, and I roll my eyes.
I'm taken off guard when Sam grabs my arms and puts them around his neck, before hooking his arms under my thighs and lifting me up.
Out of instinct, my legs wind around his waist, holding myself up.
"So Mom and Dad finally told me what they were planning." He grins.
"Are you so excited?" I ask eagerly, a big smile etching onto my face, and he nods.
"I can't believe you're coming with us, it's gonna be amazing," he says, and I laugh when he kisses me suddenly.
"I'm gonna get to see you looking all gorgeous in a bikini, how great is that?" He teases, making me giggle loudly.
"And we can have picnic dates and swim together and watch the sunrise on the beach. I'm so excited." I blurt out, beaming.
"And sleep in and lay in the sand and get ice cream when it gets too hot." He replies, with equal fervor.
"The kids are gonna love building sand castles, oh and they're gonna love the water! I don't want to wait until February." I drop my forehead on his, biting my bottom lip.
He just kisses me again. "I can't believe you kept it from me for so long."
"It was only a few days, you drama queen,"
"Still! It's our first official family vacation, and we're staying at a fucking beach house, bubba." He replies, making me gasp.
"Are we actually?"
"Yeah," He says emphatically.
"I have to tell Leo about it." I slide down from where he's still holding me, and rush to the ladder.
He catches my arm, stopping me. "Wait, you haven't told Leo?"
"No, she's terrible at keeping secrets." I laugh, and he nods, shrugging a little.
I love her, but she's really bad at that.
When I move to climb down the ladder again, he pulls me back.
"I wanna give you your gift before we go downstairs." He says, pressing a butterfly soft kiss to my lips, and I smile, walking back to him.
"Okay, but I wanna give you yours first. I wrapped it and everything."
He laughs, nodding. "Alright, deal,"
We walk over to my bed, him grabbing my hands and kissing me slowly the whole way, before pushing me onto my bed without warning.
"Stop doing that!" I giggle, my lips still tingling, tugging the shirt down so it covers my underwear again.
"Sure, now go get my present." He urges, and I laugh, quickly climbing off my bed and walking into my closet, grabbing two carefully packages, his name spelt out in my nearest handwriting on the paper.
I run back and plop down on the bed, laughing when he pulls me into his lap, eagerly grabbing the boxes from me.
"This one first," I point at the smaller one, the other large one sitting on the bed beside him, and he nods, grinning like a little kid as he rips the paper.
His smile somehow gets wider when he sees what I got him, his finger tracing the cover of one of my favorite books, Little Women.
"It's my favorite book. I just think it's beautiful." I explain softly, my heart rate picking up while he carefully examines it.
"It's not the best gift but I know you love to read, and I wrote you a little note inside. You've probably already read it cause you've read literally everything-" I ramble, getting cut off when he kisses me, his hand cupping the side of my neck.
"I love it, Maddie. Thank you so much." He whispers, his forehead on mine, and I flush deeply.
"I'm glad."
He opens the book, and starts to read the note I left him, and I reread what I wrote, my cheek pressed against his shoulder.
Bubba,
These last few months with you have been the greatest of my life, you're such an amazing person and you have the most beautiful heart. You're so kind and selfless and patient with me, even when I don't deserve it. You love hard and you love without restraint, thank you for being my best friend and my person.
I can't wait to see where we go. I love you so, so, much.
XX Maddie
I chew my thumb nervously as I watch his eyes flit over the slightly lopsided handwriting, his face unreadable.
When he finally looks back at me, I rush out, "It's really cheesy, but I do, I love you-"
He cuts me off again, his lips pressing against mine, and I relax into his touch.
He barely pulls back, his lips still brushing mine as he whispers, "I love you so fucking much, Madeline."
"I love you most." I smile, cupping his jaw and rubbing my nose against his, any anxiety from earlier dissipating.
"I love it so much, Maddie, thank you. I can't wait to read it." He says, sounding genuinely excited, a big grin on his face.
"Open the other one now." I insist, and he nods, pecking my lips three or four more times, only stopping when I push him away, giggling.
"Come on, open it,"
He does as he's told, pulling the paper away and opening the box to find a neat collage.
In the frame is loads of photos of us Leo has taken over the months, ranging from the one where I'm scowling at him in the diner only days after we first met, to a photo of us I didn't even know existed until the other day.
We're sitting in the kitchen, my mouth open like I'm talking about something, and the biggest dopey smile on his face as he watches me.
There are others, like me laying on the floor next to him as we played monopoly. Us sleeping on the couch, the night after I first realized I really, actually, loved him. Sam carrying me on his shoulders as he helped me put the star up on top of our tree. Him and I talking at my locker, my hand holding onto the lapels of his jacket like I was stopping him from leaving. Us grinning in the Thanksgiving photo Maya demanded we take, Sam's hand dangerously close to my butt just to piss off my brothers, and so many other random ones.
"This is- holy shit, Mads, this is amazing. I love it." He says, laughing a little as he glances at each one in turn.
"Fucking hell, you're so beautiful." He says softly, and I notice his eyes trained on a photo of us that he actually took and I found on my phone days later.
I was half asleep, my head on his chest with a sleepy smile on my lips, my hand curled up next to my face to cover half of it.
He's clearly awake by the cheeky grin he has, his nose scrunched up all cute, but his eyes are half open like he just woke up.
"The only reason I kept that one is because you looked cute as shit in it." I giggle, and he shakes his head, looking up at me again.
He carefully sets the book and collage aside, pulling me close to him and putting his forehead on mine.
"I can't even explain how much I love it, I can't wait to hang it up in my room, Mads. I get to wake up to your gorgeous face every single day, whether your with me or not. That's the best Christmas present I've ever gotten." He says, kissing me between words, his hands sliding under my shirt and resting on my lower back.
"I'm glad you like it." I'm blushing like an idiot, my stomach all fluttery, and he just kisses me again.
"I love it."
"Okay, where's mine?" I ask teasingly, and he nods, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small black velvet box.
It isn't wrapped, but I have a feeling it's one of those gifts that don't have to be.
He opens it, showing off a gorgeous ring, and my heart starts to race as I take it in. The band is thin and golden, and right in the center is a simple, little diamond, early morning sunlight catching it when he moves to gently takes it out of the box.
It's beautiful.
"I want more than anything to promise you that I'll spend the rest of my life being your other half, but I can't. I can promise you I'll love you till the day I die, I don't think I could ever un-love you, but I can't promise that it will be as your boyfriend and eventually, hopefully, your husband. So, that being said, this ring isn't a promise ring. It's a reminder that I love you so, so, much. That you're my best friend, the person I trust the most, and my love." He says, his voice shaking a little at the beginning, before slowly gaining confidence.
Gently grabbing my hand, he slides it onto my left hand, ring finger.
It fits perfectly, almost like it was made to sit there.
Glancing up at him, my vision goes blurry as tears build up in my eyes.
"Thank you," my voice cracks, and he smiles, pulling me to his chest.
"I take it you like it?"
"It's perfect," I mumble, full blown crying at this point, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
He laughs, pulling back and wiping them away, before cupping my cheeks in his hands.
"You know, I tried really hard not to like you," I say, giggling through the tears, wiping my eye with the heel of my hand.
"It's hard to deny the undeniable, Mads." He teases, and I break out in a watery laugh, sniffling a little.
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
****
guys. this is it. the epilogue is the only thing left.
i'm crying and i can't stop, oh my gosh.
thank you for reading and commenting, please vote, it makes my day <3
i made this one extra long for you guys, it's roughly ten thousand words, almost double what i usually write, so uh, you're welcome lol
love youuuuuuu (most)
- f a i t h y