"Okay, are you ready?" Sophie asked the young man standing next to her. He nodded his head a bit shakily, and she noticed that he looked kind of pale. "Steve, it's going to be fine," she said, putting her hand on his arm reassuringly. He nodded again, bracing himself. Looking at him one last time to make sure he was still with her, she pushed open the front door. "Hello, anyone home?"
Ryan came around the corner, the baby in his arms. Sophie ran over to greet her brother and her nephew. She kissed Ryan on the cheek, took the baby from him, and gestured to Steve in one fluid motion. "Ryan, this is Steve. Steve, this is my brother Ryan." Steve wiped his sweaty palm on his pants before reaching out to meet Ryan's extended hand. He was quick to notice that Sophie's brother had a firm handshake, and quite the menacing stare. Steve knew he had been correct in not taking this meeting lightly. "Where is everyone?" Sophie looked around, realizing that the house was very, very quiet, which was unusual for Christmukkah.
"Seth and Summer took the twins and went out for a bit, so Taylor and I get to watch the monster," said Ryan, nodding his head toward the infant in her arms, but still fixing his gaze on Steve. "Mom and Dad are at the movies, but they should be back in about half an hour." Sophie wasn't really paying attention, as she was busy cooing at the baby. When the room got quiet again, she looked up to find Ryan staring at Steve and Steve fixedly looking at the clock on the mantel.
"Okay, well, I'm going to go say hi to Taylor. I'll be right back," Steve looked at her desperately, quietly trying to communicate to her to not leave him. She just smirked and disappeared into the kitchen. Finally, after quite the awkward moment, Ryan broke the silence.
"So, Steve, how long have you and Sophie been dating?"
"Umm, I guess about four months?" Ryan simply nodded. Steve was uncomfortable with his lack of response; the man just stood there, seeming to read him with a simple glance. "Uhh…so I hear you're an architect? In San Francisco?" Sophie had prepared him for this meeting, and he was eager to show off his knowledge.
"That's right." More awkward silence. Ryan, inwardly, was smiling. He knew Steve was a good kid; Sandy and Kirsten had met him before, and they both liked him. He was just enjoying making him sweat.
"How's it going in here, you two?" A very pregnant woman entered from the kitchen. "Hi, Steve! I'm Taylor, Ryan's wife." She shook his hand and waddled over to Ryan. "Dinner is almost ready; I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap. Sophie has the baby. Can you check the oven in five minutes?" Ryan nodded, kissing her on the cheek.
"I can handle it," he said. "Do you want help getting upstairs?" He grinned mischievously; she was due to give birth in less than two weeks, and it definitely showed. She playfully hit his arm.
"I am perfectly capable, thank you." She lumbered away, and Ryan gestured toward the couch.
"Have a seat, Steve," he said, not unkindly. Steve sat down, still a bit uncomfortable. He had been to this house many, many times, but he had never met Sophie's brothers or sisters-in-law before. They were all home for Christmukkah, and Sophie had given him a very detailed history so he would be prepared for dinner. He knew that Ryan and Taylor had been married for four years and that she was a French book editor, he an architect, that they lived in San Francisco in the "coolest apartment ever" and were expecting their first child in a few weeks. He tried to remember anything Sophie had said that he could talk to Ryan about. Luckily, he was saved by Sophie entering with a crying baby.
"He needs a diaper change, Ryan," she said, thrusting the baby forward.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"You know I don't do dirty diapers. Plus, you need the practice!" Sophie pouted, knowing that the puppy-dog eyes worked on Ryan every time. Ryan sighed and stood up, taking the baby.
"I'll be right back." Sophie turned to Steve, settling next to him on the couch. "How's it going? Are you guys getting along?" she asked.
"Uhh…we don't have much to talk about, but he seems cool," Steve answered diplomatically.
"Don't worry. Seth and Summer will be home soon, and they don't shut up. Ryan's the quiet one," Sophie explained.
"You're happy to have them home, huh?"
"Yeah. It's always more fun around here when they're back. I don't feel like so much of an only child, you know? It sucks that they're so much older than me. Plus I love the babies," she replied, snuggling into his shoulder.
"Does Seth look like you and Ryan?"
"No, why?"
"Well, you're both so blonde, and your dad is so dark, I was just wondering if all three of you took after your mom." Sophie smiled. She hadn't told him that Ryan was adopted; there was no need.
"What a weird observation," she teased him. He was a pensive guy; not at all like the boys she usually went for. She was tall, slim, and blonde, much like her mother, and had always attracted the water polo-playing bad boy. But Steve had come along and quietly won her affections, and she had never been happier. At sixteen, she didn't have too much experience with love, but all she knew was that she enjoyed her time with Steve. A lot.
They sat together on the couch in comfortable silence, her head on his shoulder, fingers interlaced. Ryan came down the stairs soundlessly, and slinked into the kitchen so not to ruin the moment. His stealth-ness was for naught, however, when he heard the front door bang open.
"We're home!" Seth called. "Hello, family! We have returned!" Ryan walked back into the living room.
"Uncle Ryan! Uncle Ryan!" Two young boys came at him like twin hurricanes, hurtling themselves at his legs.
"Oof! Hi, guys! How was the mall?" he squatted down to get to eye-level. "Did you get anything good?" Two identical faces beamed back at him.
"It was so cool! I got two new action figures!" Nate exclaimed.
"And I got a new book…it has chapters!" said Jake.
"But they can't open them until tomorrow, that's the deal," said Summer, lugging in what seemed to be all the contents of the entire mall. Seth noticed Ryan looking at the amount of stuff she had.
"I know, man, she went nuts. I was powerless to stop it." Ryan laughed, took a few bags from Summer, and helped her place them under the tree.
"Oh, hi, Seth. Don't worry about saying hi to me or anything. It's not like I only see you a few times a year, or that you haven't been in this house for ten minutes total since you got here," Sophie said, now standing in front of the couch, her arms crossed.
"Oh, hey, do I know you?" Seth asked. Sophie laughed, her faux cold demeanor breaking down. He went over and gave his little sister a hug. "And who is this?" he asked, turning to Steve.
"Uhh…Steve. I'm Steve," he said, holding out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Steve. Seth Cohen. And my wife, Summer." Summer waved from her mess of shopping bags ("Hi, Steve! Nice shirt!"). "These two," he pointed to the two boys shaking the presents under the tree, "are Jake and Nate. Or Nate and Jake. Anyway, they're mine. And I'm guessing you met the baby, that's Cooper. Who is where, by the way?" Seth asked, looking at Ryan.
"Upstairs, napping. Don't worry, I didn't kill your kid."
"Good. I was worried you had punched him or set him on fire or something."
"That joke never gets old, really."
"Some jokes are timeless, Ryan."
"Cohen! Hate to interrupt, but can you help me sort all this out?" Summer called over.
"Coming, my dearest. Soph, can you keep Nate and Jake occupied while I help the love of my life sort Christmukkah presents?" Sophie shook her head.
"Can you talk like a normal person for once?"
"Hmm…let me thi- I'm gonna go with no."
"Actually, Soph, I'll watch the boys. Do you and Steve want to make sure we don't ruin dinner? Taylor would kill us." Ryan asked.
"Sure," she replied, taking Steve's hand and leading him into the kitchen.
"Hey, munchkins, how do you feel about some soccer in the backyard?" Ryan asked the boys, who replied in the affirmative with hearty yells. Ryan glanced over at Seth; his brother understood the look of dread immediately.
"Hey, you volunteered," Seth shrugged. Ryan left with the twin tornadoes, leaving Seth and Summer in peace and quiet.
"Cohen, what time are your parents coming home?" Summer asked, checking her phone.
"Around 6:30ish, why?"
"I just got a text from Julie, asking when she, Max, and Kaitlyn should be here for dinner. Should I tell them 7:00?"
"Sounds good."
"Oh my god," Summer gasped, looking toward the kitchen.
"What is it?" Seth asked.
"Does Max know about Sophie and Steve?" Comprehension dawned on Seth's face.
"I'm not sure. He's been away at boarding school since August. Should we ask if she's told him?"
"No! We can't get involved!"
"Summer, when have we not gotten involved?"
"Cohen, I refuse to interfere with your sixteen-year-old sister's love life. If you haven't noticed, we're old. Those days are behind us."
"Summer, you've been rooting for Max and Sophie since Day 1. Another Cohen/Cooper/Atwood romance, right?"
"I just don't want there to be any drama this year. We don't need any trouble." Summer said.
"Have you met us?" Seth replied. "Like, seriously. Have you ever been around this family before?"
"Is it too much to ask for a nice, quiet Christmukkah?!" Summer yelled, her voice rising.
"Right. Rage blackouts. Got it." Seth kissed his wife quickly and then departed up the stairs to fetch the baby, who had begun screaming at the top of his lungs.
"I will make this Christmukkah peaceful and pleasant, if it's the last thing I do." Summer swore to herself.
Can she make it happen? To be continued…