NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thanks for your patience! Life just got in the way!
If you're wondering where I came up with the idea for this story, well… there's two sources of inspiration. The first one, of course, is the Sally-falls-down-a-Christmas-tree story from Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales. The second is from the Christmas aisle from my local supermarket. For two months, King Soopers/Kroger sells toys and candy and other easily gift-able items. Some of these are dollhouses, dolls, bathrobes (I have one of the bathrobes! So cozy!), and bath and shower sets. That got me asking, "Who would appreciate gifts like those, and who would buy them?" The story flowed from there.
Well, when we last left off, the not-so-unhappy homeowner-Kevin Owens, BTW-offered to make up for being such a jerk earlier by offering to help Jay and Dean and the others put together the best Christmas ever. Looks like Family Dollar is still open...
DISCLAIMERS: Please see the previous chapter.
Chapter Four
"Oh, sweet! They've got my lucky body wash!" Jay plucked the gift set of Axe body wash, complete with travel bag, off the shelf. "Luke'll love this!"
"It's your lucky body wash?" Dean tilted his head, puzzled. He was studying a display of Christmas cards and gift wrap. He already had Bray's gift, he just needed something to put it in. "Why is it your lucky body wash if you're buying it for Luke?"
Jay's answer was short, sweet and to the point. "Because, when he showers with it, I'll get lucky."
Kevin, who was looking for some gifts for the kids, snorted in laughter, and Dean turned two shades of red. The big man dropped a pack of giant Reese's cups into the shopping cart Jay was pushing (he figured he could slice the giant cups into pieces for everyone to share). "You kinda walked into that one, Dean."
"You certainly did. So… what are you getting for Bray?"
"Let's just say it's something he's wanted for as long as we've been together." Dean found a small box, the kind you put gift cards in to give at Christmas, and a red bow. It was the perfect size for his gift.
~~~XMAS~~~
When Dean, Jay and their new friend finally pulled into the Denny's parking lot, Bray was about to borrow Anna's truck again to go looking for them. He and Luke had been worried sick, and they were confused by Kevin's appearance, but it took a few minutes of explanation, and they were soon conversing like old friends.
Anna set another place at the table, and brought several new packages into the employee breakroom to wrap.
Dinner was delicious, the quintessential Christmas feast. Sliced turkey breast, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, a choice of sides, and a dinner roll. Adam and Chris got some extra plates so that they could divide the food up between the kids. There was pumpkin pie for dessert, and coffee afterwards.
The boys learned quite a bit about their new friend. Kevin worked at JR Simplot's which was a successful and large agribusiness company. He had two weeks off for the holidays, but his plans to visit his family for Christmas had been derailed because of the incoming bad weather. So, he was trying to catch up on things around the house. Speaking of which...
"You guys are more than welcome to stay at my place tonight," he graciously offered. "I have lots of room, a couple couches that fold out into beds, and plenty of hot water if you guys wanna wash up in the morning."
"Are you sure?" Adam asked the obvious question, as Chris shot him a look that read, Don't go looking a gift horse in the mouth! "We don't wanna impose upon you. You hardly know us."
"Least I can do. My way of saying, Sorry I've been such a jerk."
"He's got cats, Luke," Jay grinned, turning expectantly towards his spouse. "Three of them."
Dean sensed his own spouse's hesitation. "C'mon, Bray! When's the last time we've slept in an actual bed?"
"And neither one of us have anything to deliver," Jay chimed in.
Luke shrugged. "I guess it beats sleeping in our truck."
The gratitude on Chris and Adam's faces spoke volumes. They'd have no trouble taking Kevin up on his gracious offer, Adam's original hesitation notwithstanding.
That left Bray. After a pregnant pause, he said, "Well, since you guys insist on casting Luke and me as the heavies… then we can just lock up and take Kevin up on his offer."
Just then, Kevin's cell phone vibrated. With a sheepish look on his face, he glanced down at his phone, and then shut it off. "Sorry, guys, I gotta cut this short." He climbed out of his chair and put on his coat. "My neighbor across the street texted me, said he thought he saw someone breaking into my garage. I'll be right back, and you can follow me to the house."
~~~XMAS~~~
"Hey, thanks for helping out on such short notice!" Kevin grinned as he stowed the gifts that Anna and the waitresses had wrapped in the back of his SUV. Anna had sent the text to give Kevin time to prepare for his new guests. Kevin would take the wrapped gifts back to his house and put them under the tree, which he, Jay and Dean had decorated before heading back to Denny's.
"No problem," Anna said, graciously. "The girls and I got these all wrapped in fifteen minutes. By the way, sorry I got in your face earlier."
"You were just doing your job. I was being a giant Grinch."
"Eh, day's almost over. It's practically Christmas." And Anna was right about that. Her shift was up in a few minutes, and she was going to swing by Family Dollar herself to pick up some body wash. Then, she'd head home to spend Christmas with her roommates.
This Christmas was turning out better than Anna had ever hoped. She hadn't expected anything, and yet she was part of something special. After years of waiting on families stranded on Christmas for one reason or another, she was doing something to give back. It was better than anything material.
"And you're not a Grinch, Kevin. You get to spend Christmas with some new friends. Trust me, you'll like them."
"You think so?"
"I know so. I don't think I've ever met such a lively, entertaining bunch of characters. The kids are adorable, and they're very well-behaved. Waiting on them was a pleasure." She paused. "So, uhmmm… you doing anything New Year's Eve?"
"There's a New Year's party at the Carousel Bar in the Best Western. Would you be interested in being my date?"
Anna was pleasantly taken aback. "Forward much?"
"I don't see a point in nancying around," Kevin shrugged. "I think you're kinda cute."
Anna couldn't stop the cute blush from flashing across her cheeks. "Well…" she said, flattered. "Uhmmm, thanks."
"So, would you be interested?"
Anna smiled. Kevin was kinda cute, too; in the plaid flannel shirt he was wearing, he looked big and almost cuddly. "Sure! Pick me up at eight. But... just one question."
"Okay."
Anna cocked her head and raised an eyebrow in genuine puzzlement. "There's really a bar in the Best Western?"
Kevin chuckled before he climbed into his SUV. "For someone who's around people for a living, you really need to get out more," he chuckled, before starting up the vehicle. "Enjoy your Christmas, and if you wanna swing by my place tomorrow, door's open. Call me."
Anna smiled and waved as Kevin's SUV pulled out of the Denny's parking lot. She continued to wave until the SUV was out of view before going back inside. New Year's Eve couldn't come fast enough now.
~~~XMAS~~~
When Kevin returned to Denny's, the truckers, the Mods and their kids were all waiting at the front. Bray, Luke and their spouses piled into Kevin's SUV, and Chris and Adam bundled the kids up and followed closely behind.
At the house, which was big and comfortable and simply furnished, Kevin helped everyone get settled in before he brought them all downstairs. "Y'know, the guys were worried that you y'all didn't have a Christmas," he said to Adam, Chris and the kids. "I know you had your ski trip and all, but that's not the same. So… Bray and Luke and Anna the waitress decided to give you something special."
He smiled and flipped on the light. "Merry Christmas."
Tempest's jaw dropped. "OH, WOW! Look at the tree!"
"You guys did this all for us?" Adam looked almost ready to cry in joy. This was a very unexpected, and wonderful, surprise. "Thank you!"
Chris gazed at the tree in wonder. "I don't… I don't know what to say."
Jay grinned. "You don't need to say anything. "We just wanted to do something special. Just felt like the right thing to do."
The tree that had fallen over in Kevin's yard was now decorated and standing in the corner of Kevin's finished basement. The ornaments and tinsel twinkled merrily in the multicolored glow of the LED lights. Underneath the tree lay brightly wrapped packages and bags.
"Rocky!" Ruby Sue squealed. "Look at the tree! It's prettyful."
"Don't you mean beautiful, Ruby Sue?"
"No, I like prettyful better."
"It was a pretty small tree," Kevin pointed out. "Only took one box of lights to decorate it."
"Guess we can take the extra box back," shrugged Bray. "Or, if you want them for next year, Kevin, be our guest. They were half-price at the Family Dollar."
"Thanks. Actually, there's two boxes left over."
Bray and Luke silently counted the number of boxes. With a stunned look on his face, Bray turned to his friend. "I thought we had two, now we got three boxes?"
"How'd we end up with three? What, did they get romantic or something?"
"What are we gonna do with two extra boxes of Christmas lights?"
The kids looked at each other and grinned. Ruby Sue had a mischievous look in her eyes that nobody noticed.
~~~XMAS~~~
"Kids, I just got an alert on my phone," Kevin announced later, as the kids ate cookies, drank hot chocolate and played with Kevin's cats (all three of them gravitated towards the kids, Luke and Jay, who were enjoying a few holiday goodies as well). The presents could wait until morning. "I've got the NORAD app, and the alert just told me that Santa's in United States airspace. He was spotted in New York City."
Rocky squealed. "Ruby Sue and I were tracking him all day on Uncle Chris's iPad!"
"Cool!"
"Santa's gonna bring us something!" Ruby Sue exclaimed.
"You think so?" Jay asked, as he scratched one of the cats behind the ears.
"Uh-huh!"
~~~XMAS~~~
Meanwhile, Bray sat on a big couch in the basement, telling Tempest the Christmas story. "There were three wise men, see? They came from the east and they were looking for Bethlehem. You know how they found it, Tempest?"
"How'd they find it?"
"They followed a star."
Tempest looked completely serious. "Who was the star? Was it Taylor Swift? Or was it Justin Bieber?"
~~~XMAS~~~
Dean sighed and sat up in bed, wide-awake. It was almost midnight now, and everyone else was nestled all snug in their beds and foldout couches. "Bray?" he whispered, shaking the big man. "Bray?"
Bray groaned and rolled over to face his spouse. "Dean, what is it? Go back to sleep!"
"I hate to wake you up on Christmas Eve, but I need your advice. I was sound asleep when all of a sudden, visions of sugarplums danced in my head. What are sugarplums?"
Bray was incredulous. "You woke me up to ask me that?"
"It's a perfectly legitimate question."
Bray had to wrack his brain for a minute. "They're sort of round pieces of candy, I think."
"Oh. Good," Dean sighed in relief, laying back down. "I was afraid I was freaking out."
~~~XMAS~~~
Christmas morning began with Kevin and his guests-with the exception of Bray and Luke, who were both still asleep-seated at the kitchen table eating cereal and engaging in idle chitchat. It was quiet and peaceful until the shouting started:
"JAY!"
The kids pointed their heads towards the kitchen doorway in amusement.
"DEAN!"
Two pairs of footsteps clomped down the hall into the kitchen. The angry voices continued.
"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!"
"YOU BETTER TAKE THESE OFF ME!"
Bray stomped into the kitchen, followed closely by Luke. They both looked like giant Christmas ornaments, with the merrily blinking lights that were wrapped around their bodies. Kevin's houseguests were having a hard time trying to keep a straight face, and Kevin let a snort or two escape his closed mouth.
Adam asked the obvious question as he sat down at the table with his now-filled coffee cup. "What did you guys do?"
"Y'know those two extra boxes Christmas lights that we didn't know what to do with?" Dean snorted.
It suddenly dawned on Adam. "Oh, you didn't!"
"Well... We wrapped Bray and Luke up in them and plugged them into the wall."
The kids giggled as Chris gasped. "Won't those hurt the guys?"
Jay shook his head "They're the LED lights, they don't get hot."
"Bray and Luke'll be perfectly fine." Dean chimed in before he took another sip out of his coffee cup. "Morning, Luke."
"Hi, Bray, you sleep well?" Jay added. "Wow, blinking lights! You look so festive!"
Bray managed to angrily unwrap the lights from his body. Luke followed suit, looking no less angry. "Alright! Who did this?!"
A pregnant pause followed, and then Dean pointed at Jay. "It was his idea!"
"No! He did it!" Jay fired back, pointing at Dean. "I tried to stop him!"
"Don't throw this on me, Pal!" Dean snapped.
"Okay, screw it! You're both in trouble!" Bray stomped over to the table and yanked Jay out of his chair. Luke grabbed Dean and threw him over his shoulder. "Move out of the way, kids."
"Hey! Put me down!" Jay smacked Bray on the back with his fists (Jay had been slung over Bray's shoulder as well), but it was like a Jack Russell terrier taking on a Rottweiler.
"Hey! Let go!" Dean struggled in Luke's grasp. "We were just having fun!"
"Where's your Christmas spirit?" Jay demanded as he was carried outside. "Better yet, where's your sense of humor?-OOF!" The blonde trucker's protests were silenced as he was dropped face-first into a snowbank. "Bray, it's cold!"
"Well, DUHH! It's snow."
"Luke, I got snow up my nose!" Dean whined as he flailed about; he'd gotten the same treatment from Luke.
"Serves you guys right!"
~~~XMAS~~~
"Mr. Kevin," Tempest asked as she watched the snowy hijinks from the warmth and safety of the kitchen (the Mods had gone to change into some clean clothes). The storm had blown several inches of snow overnight across town, covering everything in a blanket of white. "Should we tell Mr. Bray and Mr. Luke that we wrapped them in the Christmas lights?"
"You guys did it?!" Kevin laughed in shock. He couldn't keep the grin from stretching across his face.
Ruby Sue nodded. "Don't tell our Mods. We'll get in trouble!"
"I won't. Really, this is funnier. But you better thank Jay and Dean for taking the fall for you guys."
"We will!" Rocky nodded.
"Uh-huh!" Ruby Sue chimed in before she gazed out the window. "Look! Jay and Dean are making snow angels face down so they'll have smiles!"
~~~XMAS~~~
Later, after Jay and Dean were dried off and warmed up, everyone sat down around the tree. The kids flitted around like snowflakes and handed out gifts before sitting down to open theirs. Needless to say, they were all thrilled with what they got:
"Ooh! She's prettyful! Nobody in my class has a Princess Karissa doll!"
"This robe's so cozy! Thank you!"
"Hey! A dinosaur set! Cool!"
"It's a dollhouse! I got a dollhouse!"
"I've been looking for this brand of body wash for months! Where'd you get this?"
"Thanks, Jay! It's your lucky body wash! How'd you know I wanted that!"
~~~XMAS~~~
Dean turned off his smartphone and shoved it back into his pocket before stepping back out onto the front porch to join his husband. CDOT had just posted on their website that I-70 was about to be reopened after snowplows ran last night to clear away the snow from the storm. Inside the house, Adam, Chris and the kids were packing up to head back out onto the road. Jay and Luke were helping Kevin clean up before heading out as well. Kevin would take the truckers back to Denny's to collect their rigs before heading over to Anna's to celebrate Christmas with her and her roommates (she'd sent him an invite by text).
"The interstate's gonna be open at noon today," Dean announced. "Snowplows were working double time last night." He paused and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "I really don't wanna go back out on the road."
"We have to, Dean. We got a schedule to keep," Bray explained, gently. "We stay off the road any longer, we lose money."
"I know. But I've had such a great time here, I really don't want it to end. This could have been a disaster, what with the snowstorm and Jay and me stealing the tree."
"It fell down-" Bray corrected his spouse.
"Let's not go there right now. Anyway, like I said. It could have been a disaster, but it turned out to be the best Christmas we've had in years."
"You're right. This was the best one we've had in a long time, Dean. Christmas I think has a magic that brings together people that need each other the most. All of us would have been Christmas orphans if it wasn't for this snowstorm …" Bray's voice trailed off when he suddenly remembered something very important. "Awww, dammit!"
"What?"
"In all the excitement, I forgot to get you a Christmas present."
Dean wrapped his arms around Bray and pulled him close. "It's okay. I don't need one. I have everything I need right here. But…" Dean broke the embrace and fumbled through his jacket pocket until he pulled out the little box he'd bought at Family Dollar. Placing it in Bray's hands, he said, "I have something for you. I didn't wanna give it to you until we were alone. Open it."
Bray cocked his head in puzzlement as he opened the box and gazed upon its contents. "A pregnancy test? No, wait. It's a... a positive pregnancy test." He glanced up at his husband, who was grinning like a fool, and put two and two together. "How… how long have you been—"
"Four months," Dean answered. I wanted to be sure it stuck before I told you. I told the OB/GYN to keep everything on the down low."
Bray set the gift aside and facepalmed. "Dammit, and I let Luke toss you into a snowbank! If I'd have known you were pregnant-"
"Bray, I wouldn't have let Luke toss me into that snowbank if I didn't think I could handle it," Dean assured his husband. "Baby's fine. And just think, in five or six more months, we're gonna have a little Ruby Sue of our own."
"It's a girl?"
"Uh-huh."
With a joyous whoop, Bray picked his spouse up and spun him around gently. "I've wanted a have a family for as long as I can remember!" Grinning like a fool himself, he set Dean down on the porch before taking him back into his arms and pulling him close. "Merry Christmas… Mod."
"Merry Christmas… Daddy," Dean smiled before Bray pulled him into a kiss.
THE END
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Like I said in the beginning, sorry this took so long! Life got in the way, and it made it hard for me to finish this one! But, better late than never! I hope your holidays-whichever ones you celebrated-were happy and restful.
I'll be taking some time off to get An Army Of Angels cranked out. I'm going to try and write Book One first and put it out in one fell swoop. Thanks for all your support, and I'll see you soon!
DON'T FORGET… REVIEWS = LOVE