Day 25: Homecoming (pt 3)
Zander woke up to the scent of fresh waffles wafting through the house. He jumped out of bed, going to the bathroom and brushing his teeth quickly, then rushing down the stairs. It was Christmas morning, he was twenty four, and he was loving being home.
His mom and dad were in the kitchen, enjoying breakfast, and Zander greeted each of them with a kiss before sitting in his old seat, serving himself breakfast.
"How'd you sleep?" Addison asked.
"Great, I love being home," he said, his leg bouncing in anticipation. "When can we open Christmas presents?"
Addison and Zed both chuckled. "Will you ever grow up?" Zed teased.
"No way, where's the fun in that?"
Addison shook her head. "You know the drill, presents come after breakfast. Your sister isn't even awake yet."
"Why don't you go wake her up?" Zed suggested.
Zander scoffed, shaking his head. "You do realize that that is my sister. Who's in her bedroom, with her husband. You couldn't pay me to go in there."
"Zander, go get your sister," Addison said.
He groaned, sliding out of his chair and trudging up the stairs. Luckily, Zenia and Jack were just sleeping, decked out in the Christmas pajamas Addison had bought for all of them.
Twenty minutes later, they were all fed and sitting around the Christmas tree, opening the gifts left under the tree. Zander managed to sneak away, grabbing his gift for his mother from his room and retaking his seat next to her. "For you," he said with a smile.
"Oh, Zander, you didn't have to get me anything," she protested.
"Open it!" he insisted.
Addison laughed, popping the lid off the box and squealing at the sight of a tiny puppy with short gold fur, drawing everyone's attention. "Zander! You little shit! You got me a puppy!"
Zander laughed, hugging his mom. "I found him when I was on leave in England a few months ago. A little friend for you. His name is Ziggy."
"Oh he's so cute!" Addison gushed, lifting the pup out of the box. "Zed! Look how cute he is!"
Zed chuckled, leaning over to pet the puppy.
"Aw, Zander," Addison said. "Why would you get us a puppy? There's no one home during the day!"
Zander laughed nervously, rubbing his neck. "Well, that's another part of my gift to you guys. If you two are okay with it, I wanted to move back home."
"Oh my god," Addison breathed, her eyes watering. "What am I gonna do with you, Alexander?"
Zander chuckled, giving his mother a hug. He went around and hugged Zed too. "Best Christmas ever," Zed told him.
"Can I give you my gift now?" Zenia asked impatiently.
Zed, Zander and Addison looked at Zenia expectantly. She grinned, passing each of her family members a flat, wrapped box. Zenia and Jack watched them open their gifts, the folded sweaters, Zed and Addison's reading "Promoted to Grandpa" and "Promoted to Grandma," with the coming year along the bottom, respectively. Zander's sweater was more gamer themed, reading "Leveled Up to Uncle."
Addison lifted her gaze to her daughter. "Oh my god," Zed muttered.
"Is this for real?" Addison asked.
Zenia smiled shyly, her husband's arm finding its way around her shoulder. "Yeah," Jack said. "We only found out a few weeks ago."
"We wanted to surprise you guys, you're the first to know," Zenia said.
Addison sniffed, putting the gift down and cuddling her puppy. "You two are—this is literally the best Christmas ever."