Taylor's POV
"Maaa!" shrieked Carter, banging his little fists on the table; causing everyone to laugh. I gently removed his hands off the table, "Sweetie, don't do that." Ignoring me, he yelled, "Maaa!" He pointed to my plate of pancakes.
"I think the little cowboy wants some of your pancakes, Tay," giggled Miley. I laughed, "I think so, too. But he has some more in his mouth, really." As if on cue, Carter opened his mouth, revealing all the mush inside. I wrinkled my nose.
"It's Christmas Eve, Taylor. The little man deserves a special treat," said Kevin. I shrugged and cut a small square of pancake for Carter. I teased him; holding the fork inches away from his mouth. Frustrated, he leaned forward and triumphantly gobbled up the pancake. I laughed again.
"Daddy," whined Ava, "I want to play outside in the snow." Kevin shook his head, "No way. Finish your breakfast first, then we'll see." Eager to get out into the white sea of fluffy snow, Ava attacked her stack of pancakes viciously.
"Snow!" shrieked Laurel, putting the newest word in her vocabulary to good use. Nick chuckled, "Alright, alright, cupcake. Let's get all of you bundled up." We cleaned the kitchen table as quickly as we could and headed to the laundry room, where all the winter apparels were kept.
"Daddy, where's my coat!?"
"Mommy, mittens!"
"Nick, have you seen Laurel's scarf?"
"Taylor, where are my boots?" Trust Joe to be the odd one out in a flurry of children.
"Honestly, Joseph," Denise scolded half-heartedly, rooting around on the floor before handing her son his boots. "Hey, Mom, are you sure it's okay to bring Carter out into the snow?" I fretted.
My mother-in-law smiled, "I took Kevin out in the snow when he was just a month old. Your little cowboy here is eight months old; he should be fine. Wrap him up extra warmly, just in case."
Carter was already wearing a dark blue sweater and beige pants; so I got him into his grey winter jacket and zipped him up. After putting on his socks and little black boots, I got to work on his mittens. I pulled up the hood of his jacket tight and wrapped a colorful blue scarf around his neck. "Perfect."
General POV
To anybody looking in from the outside, the sight of the family in the snow was pleasant; normal, even, just like any other family. But it was also obvious that these were no ordinary people. Their presence seemed to light up the world, the children's joyous laughter sounded different than other children's.
Paul was laughing, enjoying the antics of his grandchildren; running in the snow, falling over each other. His long, thick ebony coat brushed the tops of his knees. His black-gloved hands were in his pockets as he contentedly watched his family, which used to consist of only himself, his wife and his boys; but now included daughters-in-law, granddaughters and grandsons.
Denise was in the midst of it all; surrounded by her grandkids as she attempted to build a snowman that they could decorate. Her cheeks were flushed with pleasure, the gray streaks in her dark brown hair barely visible. Her gray coat swished lightly as she kneeled in the snow, patiently constructing a snowman with her nimble, mittened hands.
Kevin grinned when Chad squealed with delight when he was set on his father's shoulders; the hood of his baby blue winter jacket falling back in his excitement. Danielle giggled as she got hit by a snowball that her six-year-old daughter had expertly thrown at her, the white flakes visible against her forest green coat. She chased Ava and they both toppled into a soft pile of snow, arms around each other.
Joe carefully picked off the snowflakes tangled in Taylor's blond curls and held them in his palm for Carter to see. The baby boy attempted to eat them, causing his parents to burst out laughing. Embarrassed, he buried his face in his mother's yellow military coat. Smiling at Carter, Joe looked up and met Taylor's gorgeous blue eyes. What did I ever do to get so lucky? He thought.
Miley wrapped her arms around Madlyn's chest and slowly pulled them both into a pile of snow, attempting to make snow angels. Nick toppled down next to them, Laurel on his chest. He gently dusted off the snow from her lilac jacket and kissed her cold nose. He turned to his wife and she smiled at him, her wool crocheted beanie askew. She leaned in and gave him a kiss.
This is Christmas; Jonas-style.
Miley's POV
"Mommy, Mommy, it's Christmas!" I was woken up from my deep slumber by my daughter, who was bouncing delightedly on our bed. I yawned and stretched; forcing Nick's arms off me. He groaned before burrowing deeper into his pillow, causing us to giggle. Even an earthquake won't wake him if he had no desire to.
"Sweetie, I'm getting Laurel. As soon as I'm out of the room, I want you to wake Daddy up at all costs. Are we clear, Sergeant?" I pretended to sound stern. Madlyn saluted, "Yes, ma'am!" I slowly crept out of bed and made my way to the door.
"Okay. Go!"
I laughed as I sped down the hallway, listening to Madlyn chanting, "Daddy, Daddy, it's Christmas!" and Nick yelling, "Miley!" Ignoring his plea for 'help', I ducked into the bedroom that Maddie shared with Ava and Laurel. Danielle was already inside, Laurel in her arms.
"I figured I'd start Christmas with a good deed. This little cupcake here is all changed and cleaned up," she smiled, handing me my baby. I smiled back gratefully and gave her a big hug, "Thanks, Dani. Merry Christmas."
"You're welcome. Merry Christmas, too."
"Come on, let's open the presents!" shrieked Ava, getting desperately impatient. Laughing, Danielle held out her hand to her six-year-old, "Alright. Let's go see what Santa left for you." They bounded out of the room with me following them.
Kevin was on the landing, looking seriously sleep-deprived. The three men—five, including Frankie and Paul—had stayed up late last night assembling the gifts that needed working on; like Ava's bike and Carter's activity table.
"Hi, Kevin! Merry Christmas," I gave my big brother a hug. He grinned, "Thanks, Miles. Merry Christmas to you, too. Where's Nick?"
"Right here," my husband yawned and stretched as he joined us at the top of the stairs. He hugged his brother and mumbled 'Merry Christmas' before putting his arm around my shoulder; almost as if he needed the support.
"Excuse me? I think the presents that Santa left under the tree need to be opened," Denise called out. Like lightning, Ava, Chad and Madlyn ran down the stairs; eager to get to their Christmas presents. We followed behind; enjoying their delight.
The atmosphere was filled with the sounds of laughter, excited shrieks and wrapping paper being torn. "Oh, Daddy, I love my bike so much!" squealed Ava, throwing her arms around Kevin's neck. Danielle pretended to be hurt, "I picked it out, you know." Her daughter kissed her cheek.
"Maaa!" Carter shrieked, banging on his new Fisher-Price activity table. Joe was dutifully behind the camcorder, after being assigned to 'recording-baby's-first-Christmas' duty by Taylor and his mother.
"Mommy, I'm kinda hungry," admitted Madlyn, her Christmas presents in a scattered pile beside her on the floor. I chuckled, "I bet you are. Opening Santa's presents can make one hungry. All right, princess, let's finish up with the presents then we can go get some breakfast."
After unwrapping my final gift—a set of diamond-crystal jewelry from Nick, that I loved but protested about out of habit—I led the family to the kitchen. It was somewhat of a frenzy in the kitchen, arranging two high-chairs and two booster seats; setting breakfast for fourteen people.
I felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around my waist. "Nicky, we're with your family right now. Remember what your mom said? No PDA," I warned, but it was only half-hearted. And he knew it.
"Oh, so what. They're used to it. Well, at least they should be; by now," he shrugged. I grabbed a plate of pancakes and turned to face him. "Well, whether they are or not, I have breakfast to serve, and you have breakfast to eat."
"But before that……Merry Christmas." He kissed my lips.
"You, too."
Selena's POV
"Hey, how was your Christmas?" asked Miley cheerfully as she greeted me at the door. I gave her a hug, "It was fine. It was fat. I ate too much and got stomach pains. Just peachy." She laughed and led me inside.
"I warned her, you know," chimed in my husband unhelpfully. I shot him a glare, "You know, you should know that when a woman's pregnant, everything she says is right." He backtracked, "Of course."
"Feisty," commented Demi as she got up off the couch to hug me. I retorted, "I'll make allowances for you, but for him"—I glared at Taylor—"is somewhat of a different matter." He rolled his eyes.
I spotted Carter scooting around in his baby walker. "Carter!" I squealed, making a beeline for him. Before I could even touch him, the walker was whisked away; by none other than my irritating, annoying overbearing husband.
"Taylor! What are you doing?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. He sighed gently, "Selena, you're six months pregnant. There's no way I'm letting you carry a sixteen-pound baby."
"Oh, that's getting old," I snarled.
By now, a few of our friends were staring in concern. An absurdly, stupidly hot guy arguing with a fat pregnant woman at a New Year party isn't exactly a normal scene for one to see.
"Selena—" my husband pleaded, grabbing my elbow as I turned away from him.
"Get off of me!" I hissed angrily, shaking him off.
"Selena, we're at somebody's home. Don't kick up a fuss," snapped Taylor, struggling to not blow up at me. I remarked hotly, "Oh, I'm kicking up a fuss? You're not the one who's watching my every move and saying that everything I do is wrong!"
"I was just trying to keep you and the baby safe. Is that so bad?" his voice rose an octave.
"There's a difference between keeping us 'safe' and being overprotective!"
I darted a brief glance around the room. Our friends seemed frozen; not quite knowing whether to intervene or to let us blow off some steam.
"I have to be protective and keep the baby safe because you don't seem to care!"
Oh, no, he didn't.
"I don't seem to care? I don't seem to care? I'm the one who has to go through morning sickness and carry this child for nine months and have to give birth to it. I'm the one who has to endure the back pain and swelling feet! Not you!"
"Well, I have to endure you." His eyes black with anger, he left the room. I heard the front door open then slam shut; followed by the sound of his car remote. Nick silently left the room, probably to go after him; with Joe and Zac behind him. The other guys tactfully pretended to be absorbed in child-entertaining.
"Selena, let's get you upstairs," said Taylor briskly, putting her arm around my shoulder. I obliged, feeling dazed. I was still absurdly angry, but more than that, I was upset. "Stupid hormones," I muttered, tears pooling in my eyes as I went upstairs with the girls.
Taylor's POV
I jammed the key into the ignition, fury overwhelming me. I didn't know where I was headed, by I didn't care. I was too angry to even think. Before I could even back out of the driveway, however, I was stopped by Nick.
"Wait! Taylor, stop," he came jogging down the drive, followed by Joe and Zac. I wanted to yell at them to back off, but I reminded myself—with much difficulty—that they weren't the ones I was mad at.
"Dude, where are you going?" asked Joe. I shook my head, "None of your business." Then I sighed. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I just, I just—I can't go back in there. I need some time to myself."
"I know. We weren't going to force you inside. We just wanted to see if you were okay," said Zac kindly. I sighed again, "I'm clearly not okay." I started to get out of the car, but Joe stopped me.
"There's still an hour before the guests start arriving. I think we can afford to go on a guys' only drive for a bit," he offered. I wanted to get away more than anything at that moment. "Sure."
R&R. The next one will have more Niley, I promise.