"Mummy, I think Brody would really like that one". Courtney pointed from her spot in the shopping cart, and Beca lifted the box off the shelf.
"This one?"
"Yeah. Brody would like that one". Courtney nodded, grinning.
"What about Dean and Ben, Courty? Do you see anything Dean and Ben might like?"
With ten days until Christmas, Beca and Courtney were making the most of the other two girls being in school and making a day out of it. Whilst the girls' presents were safely stowed out of their reach (and eyesight- Natalie was sneaky), Beca was stuck on what to get the boys. But she knew that all three of them loved Lego, and the walls of Lego in Target seemed like a good thing.
Courtney studied it seriously, before reaching out for a box. "This one is for Ben".
"Good girl. Thanks, kiddo". She grinned and Courtney beamed back at her.
When Jesse heard that Beca had gone Christmas shopping with only one child, he was jealous.
(And then he realised that he probably should have followed suit.)
So, instead, he roped in Benji to help him wrangle Ben, Dean and Brody in the Christmas crowds.
"I thought you'd finished shopping?" Benji said, as he tossed Brody into the shopping cart and making him giggle.
"Alright", Jesse said, as he pushed the shopping cart into Target. "Tell me. You know the girls, tell me. What are we getting them for Christmas?"
"Daddy", Brody said emphatically, "Courtney LOVES The Little Mermaid! Can we get her something Ariel?"
"Natalie likes jokes", Dean said quietly, Ben shrugged.
"I dunno what Rosie likes".
"Ben", Benji scolded gently.
"Alright, we'll get this Little Mermaid stuff out of the way first", Jesse decided. "What about Rosie and Natalie? Ben?"
"But-"
"If you tell me you don't like Rosie, I'll-"
"I don't know her that good!"
(Rosie and Ben, while they were never going to be the best of friends- unless there was some magical twist of fate- had been getting along without too many arguments. Ever since their 'proposition', they tolerated each other and even cracked a smile in the other's direction.)
"We've just got to think", Jesse decided.
"Benji", Jesse said, sliding Benji a wad of dollar bills. "Go and get them milkshakes and donuts, they've been good. I'll be back in a minute, alright?"
"Where are you off to?"
Benji's eyes followed where Jesse was heading, his eyes widening when he saw the jewellery store. Jesse had flat out told him that Beca was not a jewellery person, and he had told him that he wanted to marry Beca. Jesse was potentially looking at engagement rings.
"What flavour milkshakes?" he questioned.
"Strawberry!"
"Chocolate!"
"Strawberry! Hey Uncle Benji, did you know that Courtney likes strawberry too? But not the other girls. They like chocolate".
"Yeah?" Benji said distractedly, as he put in his order for milkshakes and hot cinnamon donuts. "Go and sit down, Benny. Dean, go with your brother".
The two boys selected a table, as Brody sat in the shopping cart.
"Is Daddy getting something pretty for Beca?" Brody questioned, as Benji accepted the tray of milkshakes and donuts.
"I think so Brody".
"I think she'll like it", he predicted. "Beca always likes what Daddy gets her".
Benji grinned at his youngest godson. "I bet she will like it".
"Jesse Swanson", Benji said, once the kids had disappeared into the house. "Are you proposing to Beca?"
"Huh?"
"Are you proposing to Beca? Did you get an engagement ring?"
"What?"
"You heard me". Benji narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Am I gonna be a best man?" he broke into a grin, and Jesse laughed.
"No. not yet, anyway".
"But you will?" he said hopefully.
"I want to". He nodded. "I want to".
Courtney flung open the door, wearing green jeans, a Christmas shirt and a Santa hat, her braids bouncing. "Hi!" she threw her arms around Jesse, and Jesse laughed.
"Hey there munchkin!"
"Come on!" she let go of his legs, tugging Brody inside. "Come and meet Nanna! Nanna! The boys are here! Nanna?"
"In here honey", Beca's mother called, coming out of the kitchen. "Mummy and I were just getting something ready".
"Jesse! Can we watch Merry Christmas Charlie Brown?" Natalie checked.
"Of course we can". Jesse grinned. "Hey Nat! Hi Rosie posie".
"Hi!"
"Nice to meet you", he said, presenting Beca's mother with a bottle of wine, before pecking Beca on the cheek. "I'm Jesse Swanson".
"Hello sweetheart, I've heard so much about you". Cathy Cooke smiled at him.
"These are my sons, Ben, Dean and Brody".
"This is my nanna", Courtney said proudly. "Nanna, this is my best friend Brody".
Brody grinned. "Courtney's my best friend", he repeated.
"Hey, do you guys want to go and watch Charlie Brown? While we talk to Nanna?" Beca suggested. "Rosie posie, can you put the DVD on?"
"When are we doing presents?"
"After Charlie Brown", Jesse decided, silently conversing with Beca with his eyes (making Cathy grin).
(She'd never seen her daughter like that before. She liked Jesse. She had never liked Luke.)
"Phone's ringing!" Rosie bellowed, and Beca leapt up from her spot at the table, heading down the hallway to get it. "Hello?"
"Hey Becs, Aubrey and I are throwing a last minute New Year's Eve party. You coming?"
"Hello Michael".
"Hi. Are you coming? Aubrey wants to know numbers".
"When did you make this decision?"
"Twenty minutes ago. Chloe and Tom are coming, and Fat Amy and Lily. Lily's bringing Donald, so Aubrey's informed me to tell you to tell Jesse to come".
"Hold on". She covered the mouthpiece of the phone, coming back down the hallway into the kitchen. "Jess- sorry to interrupt, I'm sure my mother is filling you in with all the embarrassing stories from my childhood, and if so, she needs to stop immediately- what are you doing New Year's Eve? Want to come to a party at Aubrey and Michael's?"
"Depends, I'll see if someone can watch the kids".
"Hold on". She put the phone to her ear again. "Can the kids come?"
"Who?"
"All six of them".
"Sure. Tell the girls they can sleep over too, if they want. We're going to Mum and Will's on New Year's Day and they always want to see the kiddos".
"Awesome". She grinned. "Yeah, we're in. hey, can Benji come too?"
"So Stacie can grind up against him?"
"Probably".
"Why not. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright? Be good, pint sized".
She frowned (because Michael had a never-ending list of nicknames, all pointing to the fact that she never grew taller than five feet, and Aubrey only fuelled those names). "Bye Michael. Merry Christmas".
"What was all that about?" Cathy chuckled.
"Michael called me short and invited me to his New Year's Eve party". Beca shrugged. "So nothing out of the ordinary".
Cathy chuckled (while she might not have gotten on with her ex-husband or his wife, she had gotten on quite well with Michael on the occasions that she had met him. Beca had been an only child before Will and married Sheila, and Michael had been good for her). "Nothing out of the ordinary", she repeated with a grin.
(Jesse couldn't get over how much Beca looked like Cathy. When they were standing with Rosie, they looked like the same girl.)
"That sounds great", Jesse said honestly.
"Mum!" Natalie and Ben appeared in the doorway.
"Dad!"
"Yes?" Jesse raised an eyebrow at them, and Natalie slid into his lap, while Ben slipped into the seat beside Beca.
"What are you two up to?"
"Charlie Brown finished, Beca", Ben told her brightly. "Can we open presents now? Please?"
"I don't know, Jess, what do you think?"
"Wait!" Courtney came screaming out of the living room, yanking open the fridge. "Mum! We didn't get to open our advent calendars!"
"We didn't do it yesterday either!" Natalie's eyes widened, as Courtney passed around the three ch0colate calendars. "Hey Ben, want my one from yesterday?"
Rosie opened the little door for the twenty third, offering it to Dean, and Brody and Courtney huddled over the youngest girl's.
Once all six chocolates were gone, the nine of them moved into the living room, surveying the presents that they were to open that night.
Shouts of excitement came from all six kids, because the gifts that were chosen for them were so uniquely just them that it made Beca and Jesse laugh. Ben knew that little Courtney was in charge of deciding which Lego they received (having told her off for touching his spaceship only weeks before), and there was no doubt that the Little Mermaid play set was chosen by Brody.
"Thank you!"
Once Jesse and the boys, wishing Beca, Cathy and the girls a very merry Christmas indeed, made their way home, Cathy put Courtney in the bath while her daughter did the washing up in the kitchen. But once all three kids were washed and in bed (Cathy having read The Night before Christmas to them twice), the mother daughter pair sat down in the living room.
"You love him, don't you Bec?" Cathy said (as more of a statement than a question), and Beca nodded.
"I do, I really do". Beca grinned shyly, and Cathy squeezed her shoulders.