Everybody familiar belongs to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine. Olive's gift I saw online.
"Hey, didn't I just see you leave?" Atlas asked Olivia's doll-Tank.
"Very funny," Steph told him. "But not very original. I already made a joke about Tank talking less than usual at breakfast. Olive didn't get that one either."
"She's got that guy for a dad," he said, jerking his thumb towards me. "So her sense of humor is probably gonna take decades to develop."
"Now that was actually funny," my wife said. "It deserves a fake-Tank high five. Doesn't it, Olive?"
Our daughter rearranged her stuffed GodTank in her arms so she could raise its mitt to tap against Atlas' palm.
"Wouldn't it have made more sense to get the kid a model Army 'tank' instead of a doll?" He asked.
I shrugged. "Not to the women who love the guy. He's more marshmallow than metal to them."
"You should've seen Olive's reaction to getting a toddler-sized version of him," Steph told him. "Olive, can you show Uncle Atlas what you did when you pulled doll-Tank out of the box Auntie Mabyn gave you?"
She dropped doll-Tank so she could cover her cheeks with her hands while her big brown eyes became the size of double full moons. She then grabbed him up again to get the doll in a life-threatening chokehold that she swears is just a hug. The doll's almost as tall as she is, so while she was being rocked back and forth by the force of her 'hug-hold', she was completely hidden for a beat and then revealed to us once again.
"God help the recipient of that kid's love," One Shot said almost to himself.
"She just feels things strongly," Steph said, bending down to hug both Olive and doll-Tank. "She loves so enthusiastically, she even sacrificed time with her grandparents just to put Band-Aids on what she thinks are boo-boos on doll-Tank, not the scars left over from past ones."
"Sounds like a waste of first aid and Band-Aids."
"You would say that. If she grows up to be a paramedic or saves people like her Daddy as an Army medic, that would've been practice. If not, I'm happy just knowing she cares a lot about other people's hurts. It happens to the best of us."
"I'll take your word for it."
My wife snorted, which we heard being copied from within the depths of the cloth doll. "Says the guy who quickly committed himself to the woman he ran out on 'for her own good'."
Those four words were said in a tone that matched how angry I know they make Steph. People making decisions for her is a surefire way of pissing her off.
"What are you two doing for Christmas?" She asked Atlas.
"Waking up and I guess saying Merry Christmas to each other."
"That's it?"
"More or less. What else is there?"
He should know he's stupid for asking my wife a loaded question like that.
"Aren't you guys going to spend the holiday with Amari's dad?"
"Hell, no. First, I take off on his daughter. And the next time I turn up in her life … she moves away from him just to be with me. Not exactly 'Happy Holiday' dinner-material."
My wife snorted. "That isn't even in the top ten of the worst Plum convo-starters. Even if you aren't traveling somewhere, you and Amari can still celebrate."
"By …?" He asked.
"Ummm, by buying each other gifts and then unwrapping them together. Eating too much of the kind of food that typically takes too long to make unless it's a holiday. Constantly laughing and/or shrieking whenever a dog, cat, or toddler, steals an ornament off the tree that sets a high-speed chase in motion? Or is that just us?"
"Just you freaks," he answered.
"Just for that, you and Amari are invited to Seven for some friggin' holiday cheer on Christmas. Try to match ours when you show up," she ordered.
"Do you have a German command to call her off?" He asked me. "Like you do with the mutts?"
"No. You'd be smart to remember there is no stopping my wife when her mind is made up about something."
He made a face before shaking his head in bemusement. "I don't know how you do it."
"It's easy. I wake up every day and thank every God there is that I convinced her to marry me."
"A kid will do that to you," was his reply.
"No … the right woman will do that to you, as Steph just pointed out with you and Amari."
"I should've shot you when I had the chance just to prevent this kind of crap from being shoveled at me."
I punched his shoulder, which was supposed to be in a teasing way, but I put more force behind it to drive home the point I was about to make.
"It's amusing that you think you had a chance the first time. Anytime you'd like to try again, I'll be ready to take you down before you get anywhere near me. It'll be just like old times. In the meantime, keep your ass out of trouble and in Amari's good graces so she'll agree to join us for Christmas."
"I love you so much right now," Steph whispered, after we had wrangled Olivia and her cloth GodTank into the elevator.
"I thought you might."
"He's a tough nut to crack, and I find myself wanting to knee those nuts more than I want to soften his edges."
"Do I need to contact Julie so she can remind you to give him a break?" I teased.
"No. I'm feeling more charitable than usual. I'm confident that the feeling will last at least until Christmas morning. Though I'm curious how pleasant you'd be to someone who actively wanted to kill me. I'm betting you wouldn't be inviting them to a holiday dinner."
She's damn right I wouldn't. Any one even thinks about harming her and they'll be joining Morelli in the bowels of hell. Being better than me, she did remain in good spirits throughout the week. On Christmas morning, she wasn't even attempting to sleep in. She woke up only minutes after I gave up all pretenses of sleeping.
"Merry Christmas, Babe."
"Right back atcha," she said, before rolling towards me and running a line of kisses along my throat and then up and across my jaw.
"What are you doing?" I asked, even as my hand disappeared into her curls to make sure she wouldn't move too far away from me.
Her mouth pressed briefly against mine. "The kids may be interested in Santa today, but there's only one 'big guy' I want to draw the attention of."
"Mission accomplished. You have my - and my body's - undivided attention."
I rolled her onto her back to prove that every inch of me is wide awake and wanting her.
"Do you think Olive will give us enough time to do this right?" She asked, circling her arms around my neck and curling one leg around my hip.
It isn't appropriate to ask a fictional man to allow for some adult time with my wife, but if that wish were a sure thing, I would have asked for only that this Christmas. When my hands started moving beneath the T-shirt Steph's wearing, I stopped thinking and wishing all together and just felt everything we build and release together.
Twenty-eight minutes later, we were continuing to breathe in each other's air to calm two still racing hearts. I was feeling content and relaxed enough to not only handle our daughter's impending unwrapping fury, but Atlas' whining as well.
I wouldn't call my wife a miracle worker, but she's as close to one as a person could get.
"Mama! Sanna dere!" Was Olivia's reaction, after running down the hall towards the living room instead of her usual trying to get to our room before I got to hers.
My percentage is better than my daughter's, and Steph was right behind me, Olive, Gunner, and Ammo on our way to the tree where we found Mado perched in the middle of again.
"Santa must've left half his sleigh here," Steph noted, sitting down beside our baby and letting Olivia use her as a chair while she grabbed at boxes.
My cell, which I'd palmed in reflex before I left the serenity of the bedroom, made noise. I opened the video call and said good morning to my eldest daughter.
"Merry Christmas, Jules!" Steph shouted after me. "Why aren't you still asleep? You're an hour behind us, which means it's still o' hell no dark-thirty there."
"I wanted to see Olive open the present I got for her."
"We were planning on saving yours until you called," I told Julie. "We can't fully celebrate Christmas without you."
If I had to guess, I'd say she was blushing in embarrassment, but she had turned away so I wouldn't be able to see her face. "Thanks, Dad. I love you guys so much. I wish I could be there with you."
"But it's alright that you're also glad that you're with your parents and siblings in Miami."
"I am, but I miss you, Steph, and Olive … plus the fur-nuts."
Steph heard that and leaned into me to wedge herself into the shot. "Only two more days and you'll be back here with us for a few more. That should quickly cure you of being homesick for Trenton."
"Not likely," Julie told us. "Did you pass Olive my present?"
"It's in her hands as we speak," I told her, turning my cell so she could watch her baby sister go 'Destructo' on the snowman paper covering the gift.
"Uh-oh. It's a backpack," Steph said, showing Olivia how to unzip it. "This feels like we're going somewhere. Wait, a backpack doesn't automatically mean hiking or camping, does it?"
The flower-printed bathing suit, sunscreen, sand molds, and bubble-blowing gun, was a dead giveaway to us heading somewhere away from Jersey.
"No," Julie replied. "I was hoping you guys would come back home with me, and we could spend some time together down here."
"I'm in," Steph said. "We're almost a week into winter, and I'm already ready for some sun and warm weather. Plus, this will cut down on the missing you when you're set to go back to Miami."
"Why don't I think you're kidding?" She asked.
"Because Steph isn't kidding. There is a definite hole left behind when you leave us. Ah, Olivia just found your actual present."
"Good. I hope she likes it. I know it's for slightly older kids, but I thought she could handle it."
While Olivia may enjoy a 'Rocktopus', I could do without blasts from multiple electronic instruments interrupting my day, but seeing how both of my daughters appreciated the plug-and-play concept of the toy … I had to say it was an appropriate, although loud, choice.
"She LOVES it, Jules," Steph replied. "I'm sure you can hear how much. Maybe with enough practice we can learn an actual song to play for you when you're with us again."
"That's being reeeeeally optimistic, Steph. I was just hoping Olive would have fun trying out different sounds with it."
"She will ... and is," I told her. "I wish you were here to hear it."
"So I'd have to suffer with you?" She teased.
"Yes."
"I love you, you know."
"I do. And I love you more than I can say."
"I know you and Steph won't open your gifts until tonight, but can you call me after you open my presents?"
"I can open mine now if you'd like."
"No. Call me selfish, but I want my own time with you."
"Consider it done. Our father/daughter time is locked in."
"Good. Hug Steph for me."
"I will."
"But not for too long or Olive will butt in and break it up."
"She is the perfect chaperone," Steph added. "She and I love you too. It's not just your Dad."
"I know. I miss you guys, but I'll be back bugging you soon."
"You'd better be," my wife ordered.
And the call ended with another round of 'I love yous' and Olivia playing us off with something resembling music that she had forced out of her new toy.
"Can you order more hours for the day?" My wife asked, while Olive was working her way through the rest of her gifts. "We have to make and eat breakfast, since your parents didn't sleep over again. Play Santa downstairs for the guys with Olive's handprint Christmas trees, head to Newark for a late lunch/early dinner Christmas party, and then play nice with Atlas."
"You invited him, Babe."
"Yeah, because I wanted Amari to have a nice Christmas since she's kinda marooned with him here in Jersey."
"There's that holiday spirit you've been on me about all month."
Her hand gripped my face and brought me in for a quick kiss that ended before it even began. "If you weren't so cute, you'd be really annoying."
"Sticks and stones," I teased.
The smile she gave me stayed on her face throughout the chaos of getting Olivia fed and dressed, dealing with Santos bitching that someone ate his Ella-made cookies when we'd stepped onto the fifth floor to deliver gifts and Christmas bonuses, and navigating yet another chaotic Manoso get-together.
I was feeling optimistic that we'd survive the holiday even when Atlas rang our doorbell.
"Shit. Did you leave any lights in the stores?" He asked, stepping into our apartment but not moving beyond the front door as he checked out the hallway leading to the kitchen.
"I was assured that the more lights there are, the 'merrier' guests will be," I replied.
"And you believe that shit?"
"Atlas," Amari chided, trying to elbow him into shutting up.
If she were more familiar with my family and my people, she'd know that speaking your mind is appreciated far more than being polite is.
"No," I answered. "But whatever my ladies want, they usually get."
"Which is why I'm here, I'm guessing. Your wife wants to torture me … and you're going to let her."
I felt Stephanie appear behind me before her arm snaked around my midsection while the other was stretched out towards our guest.
"Relax," Steph told him. "Come in because I really do come in peace. My gift proves it. Julie made it but made me promise to give it to you."
"Thanks?" He asked, unsure if he should be thankful or offended. He passed the box Steph gave him to Amari. "Here, maybe you should open it in case it bites or blows up."
"You'd let your girlfriend open a potentially dangerous gift?" Steph demanded.
I'd be just as upset as my wife at that prospect, but I already know what he's going to say.
"Fuck, no. I just know you'd snatch it back if it was something that could harm her."
Steph looked pacified for the moment. "It's just a black and silver friendship bracelet. Completely innocent and supposedly symbolic … according to Jules. And just for the record, I wouldn't let you open a dangerous gift, either."
Stephanie is only comfortable expressing her emotions around our family, so to admit that to One Shot is the equivalent of a pinky swear, spit shake, and signed blood pact, to always watch out for him.