So this jumps a little backwards in time from where we were at as I wanted to do a Christmas chapter (sorry it's late) and if I kept moving forward, it would have been a c. 8 month time jump - there's just too much important stuff in that time period to skip.
Thank you for all your beautiful reviews.
Guest ~ money-wise, Caleb already sold his company to Google for a lot of money, they don't have to worry for quite a while
FrenchBenzo ~ lol I know, that was probably pushing it
Halebxxx ~ Caleb and Everly might be my new favourite relationship to write
Guest (about Caleb's past in foster care) ~ yes, absolutely something I will explore
In the meantime, enjoy below...
Relativity
22nd December
"Okay," Caleb sighed tiredly as he placed a bag of food on the kitchen island countertop, "This is the last one," He harrumphed, letting out a heavy breath. Hanna had dragged him grocery shopping for two hours for all the food they'd need both over Christmas and for the party they were throwing on Christmas Eve. He'd never seen such a large bill. But it was important, and he got why they were doing it – for the first time ever, all five grandparents would be in the same room at the same time. It was going to be a Christmas miracle.
"I guess now, we have to find somewhere to keep it all," Hanna raised her eyebrows in slight disbelief; she couldn't see anything but brown paper bags.
"And before pix wakes up because I'm out of action as soon as she pays me any attention," Caleb said, taking the plunge and reaching for the first bag.
Hanna glanced over at the baby who was still snoozing in her car seat, "I think we've got enough time," She smiled, opening up the fridge. "Thank God my Mom said she'd take one and two for the day."
"I think she knows that if we're hosting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day then she needs to pay us back in a way that doesn't involve giving presents to our already spoilt children."
"You sound so bitter," Hanna laughed as she continued to pile the food into the fridge.
"The playroom is overflowing," He rolled his eyes, tidying the emptying bags up. "Lo does not need another lego set."
"So we should send back the one we've bought him?"
"On top of the one we've bought him," Caleb corrected himself, "I picked it out – he's gonna love it."
"We should do some wrapping after this," Hanna told him, moving onto her tiptoes to put random condiments away. Caleb couldn't resist moving over to her as he sweater rode up, his hands rubbing her waist as she fell back against his chest.
"Like I said," He murmured in her ear, "Once pix wakes up I'm gone."
"She can help us wrap," Hanna tried, "She won't know we're pretending to be Santa."
"But I'll know," Caleb said, heading over to the baby who was still asleep in her car seat, eyes shut and mouth open as she clearly dreamt about something contently.
"Hey," Hanna demanded, "Her eyes aren't open yet," She pouted, looking at him longingly, "I've still got your attention for now."
He smiled over at her, "You've always got my attention."
Hanna couldn't hold back a scoff as she reached for the last bag of groceries, "Only after 7pm maybe."
"That's when it's dedicated," Caleb laughed, holding his arm out for her once she'd finished unloading the fruit they'd bought. She moved over to him and wrapped an arm around his middle, feeling relaxed as he pressed kisses against the side of her face.
"I can't believe your Mom's actually coming," She said, stroking his chest as he looked down at her.
"I know," He squeezed her tight, "Especially with my Dad staying two nights too. To be honest, I think her and Will might be having some problems."
"What?" Hanna stood back, completely in shock, "Caleb, you don't mean that."
"She hasn't said anything," He shrugged, "But I can tell she's not very happy on the phone and his Mom's not very well so he's had to fly out to spend Christmas with his parents."
Hanna was unable to keep the pain off her face, reaching for his hand and stroking soothingly, "Talk to her when she gets here tomorrow," She encouraged him, moving back into his arms, "You know she loves talking to you."
He sighed, his eyes on Everly as she stirred, her little face scrunching up. "I will," He agreed, reaching out a hand to stroke the baby's tiny foot. "Christmas with three kids," He turned his head to shoot Hanna a wry smile, unsubtly changing the topic of conversation, "I think we've done pretty well."
"Three beautiful babies," Hanna agreed, staying close to him as he pulled Everly into his arms, "Two of which are expecting presents wrapped from Santa."
"We lie about the Easter bunny, we lie about Santa…"
"If I'm not getting out of it, you're not getting out of it," She shook her head at him knowingly, running a hand down the baby's back as she came round from her nap on Caleb's shoulder. "Daddy's trying really hard to not help, Evvy," She whispered, smiling as their blonde bundle opened her eyes and cooed back.
"I'm kidding," Caleb murmured, pressing a kiss against the back of the baby's head, "Of course I'll help. Let's go and start it now whilst the terrors are out."
"Thank you," Hanna rubbed his forearm, stealing a kiss before she disappeared down the hallway, heading for the stairs.
Caleb lingered, grabbing Everly's blanket and warming up a pre-emptive bottle. He heard Hanna yell for him and sighed, kissing his daughter as he made his way up the stairs and down towards one of the spare bedrooms where they'd hidden all the presents. He really hadn't been kidding.
23rd December
Hanna smiled as she walked into the kitchen the following day to find Caleb sat with Logan, Mila and his Mom at the table, a giant gingerbread in front of each of them and a variety of decorations spread down the table. "Mama!" Mila yelled as she spotted Hanna, before she shoved a handful of M&Ms in her mouth.
"Hi baby," She smiled, making her way over to them to place a kiss on Mila's head. "What are you doing?" She asked, taking a seat next to Caleb who was half decorating his gingerbread man, half playing with Everly as the three-month-old stared at him from Claudia's arms. Whilst James and Clay had headed off to check out the local skate-park, Claudia had unpacked and settled herself down at the kitchen table with her son and grandchildren.
"We're making gingey men Mommy," Logan squealed, reaching for a tube of icing.
"Are you making one for me?" She asked him, making her way round to him to give him a kiss and cuddle.
"Daddy is," He answered, concentrating intently on the icing that was lsowly coming out.
"Daddy is?" Hanna said hopefully, shooting Caleb a knowing glance across the table before she stood up and wandered round to his side, taking a seat next to him and wrapping an arm loosely around his neck.
"We can share it?" He suggested, stealing a kiss before Everly diverted their attention to her as she began to coo.
"Hi," Hanna grinned at her, leaning across the end of the table to brush her sweet cheek, "Are you having fun with Nana?"
"I can't really get over her Hanna," Claudia smiled as the baby let out another coo.
"It's love at first sight, right?" Hanna sighed dreamily, gazing at her youngest daughter with her head propped on her hand.
"It definitely was," She agreed, bouncing Everly gently, "It makes me miss having a baby in the house."
"I don't think you'll be saying that when she's waking you in the middle of the night."
"Evvy," Caleb called, trying to grab the baby's attention, "Is that your Nana?"
"Nana," Mila gave up with her icing, flinging her arm out for Claudia's attention and hitting Everly in the process. The baby screwed her face up, a cry escaping her mouth as she reacted to the shock more than any pain.
"Oh," Hanna pouted, leaning forward to steal Everly, "It's okay," She whispered, kissing her forehead as she cradled her head and settled her on her shoulder, "Sissy didn't mean to."
"Mila, we need to be careful," Caleb told her gently, standing up and moving round to resettle her with decorations for her gingerbread man, "Nana can help you," He said, brushing a hand through her hair before he sat himself back down next to Hanna.
"Logi," Hanna smiled, rubbing his back as he focused intently on his gingerbread, "That looks so good."
"Thank you," He said proudly, reaching for a sweet as he continued to make his the best it could be. He was such a perfectionist.
Claudia sat back and simply observed as they all moved in-sync, Hanna and Caleb doing their best to make sure everyone was happy as Mila and Logan found entertainment and frustration in their decorating session. They were a family unit, and Claudia had never felt more proud of her son.
"She's happy," Caleb whispered, leaning forward to press a tender kiss against Everly's hair as she smiled from her position on Hanna's chest.
"Are you excited for Santa?" Hanna held her up so that their eyes could meet, "Is that why you're so happy?" She cooed, bringing her forward so that she could kiss her face.
"Mommy I'm excited," Logan called, "Santa brings presents," He stated, reaching for some of the jelly buttons Caleb had put in a bowl in the middle.
"But only if you're..." Caleb trailed off expectantly.
"Good!" Logan exclaimed on cue, "If you're bad then Santa doesn't come and you get a stick."
"A stick?" Hanna raised a questioning eyebrow as she turned Everly around so that she could watch her brother and sister.
"And it's dirty," Logan added.
"A dirty stick?"
"With poo," He giggled, sneaking a sweet into his mouth.
"A dirty stick with poo," Caleb murmured, reaching across the table to help Mila with her icing that was now going everywhere. "Where does he get it from?"
"Who told you that Logi?" Hanna asked, standing up and moving back round next to Mila so that she could help her try and strategically place candy on the icing she was coving her gingerbread in.
"Poppa."
"That sounds like Jamie," Claudia smiled – her relationship with him had grown hugely since Caleb had come back into both of their lives.
Caleb shot Hanna a look, "They talk on the phone once a week," He muttered, "How does he manage to get this stuff stuck in their head?"
"Poppa makes them laugh," Hanna said, holding Everly tight as Mila reached for some jelly sweets.
"Mama!" She called, "Look."
"Wow," Hanna exclaimed, stroking the toddler's blonde hair out of her eyes as she stuck the sweets randomly across her gingerbread.
"Nommy," Mila commented, shoving the rest of them in her mouth, "For Ewie," She said, keeping one back to hold out for the baby on Hanna's lap.
"She says thank you," Hanna exaggerated, stealing the sweet on the baby's behalf.
"Kiss," Mila abandoned her gingerbread man, leaning forward to press a sloppy kiss against Everly's head.
"That's so nice," She encouraged her, accepting her daughter's lips as she stood up and threw herself at Hanna. "Are you done with your gingerbread?" Hanna asked, keeping one arm round the baby as the other looped around Mila's waist and held her in place.
"I'm done," Logan piped up.
"Do you think mine's finished?" Caleb asked him, placing another sweet on the front of his.
"What does it say?" Logan asked, trying to read the upside down letters that Caleb had written across the front of the biscuit in icing.
"It says C," He explained, "And this is a heart," He pointed at the red blob of icing, "And this says H."
Logan frowned, "That's weird."
"It means I love Mommy," Caleb explained, standing up to start clearing things away, "And that's not weird at all."
"A Daddy should always love a Mommy," Logan pouted, climbing down from his seat to run round to the other side of Hanna and Claudia. He hated missing out on any type of loving.
"Not always," Hanna explained gently, doing her best to show him some affection whilst she held onto their other two children. "Sometimes a Mommy or a Daddy only love their baby," She explained, more than a little conscious of the unknown details surrounding Claudia and Will. "And that's okay too."
"Mommy," Logan tilted his head to the side, looking like he was pondering a big question.
"What?" She asked, helping Mila down onto the floor with one hand as she began to fidget. "Babe, can you just watch her," Hanna murmured quietly to Caleb as she watched their eldest daughter head straight for their Christmas tree.
"Please can we go to the park?" Logan pleaded, leaning on Hanna's legs and reaching out his hands to cup Everly's cheeks, "Do you want to go to the park too sissy?" He asked, leaning forward to give her a kiss.
Hanna smiled at the pair of them, brushing the baby's hair as she cooed, "Because you asked so nicely," She agreed, "And I think Mila wants to go too," She said, glancing over at the two-year-old who was trying to pull decorations off the bottom branches, "And Uncle James and Uncle Clay are there, we can go."
"Yay!"
"Go grab your shoes," She told him, standing up with Everly on her hip and heading straight for Mila who Caleb was doing his best to contain, "Lo asked if we could go to the p-a-r-k," She said, "She needs to burn off some energy for her n-a-p anyway."
"O-k-a-y."
"You're not funny," Hanna rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face said otherwise.
"You know I am," He grinned, scooping Mila up much to her annoyance, "Hey," He tried to stop her as she gave him the telltale signs of a tantrum, "Don't start," He said, "Mommy wants to take us to the park and you know you shouldn't be pulling the decorations off."
At the mention of the park, Mila's emotions turned in an instant, "Go pak!" She squealed, bouncing excitedly.
"We're going," Hanna nodded at her, "Can you help Daddy with putting your shoes on?"
"Choos," Mila tried, pointing at her feet.
"That's right," Hanna praised, reaching a hand out to tickle her foot that was clad in a pair of pink tights, "Your shoes goes on your feet," She encouraged her, "And Jimmy Choos are a good pair of shoes."
"Hanna!"
"What?" She grinned at her husband.
"You need to start them young," Claudia chipped in, making her way over to them. Mila smiled at her before burying her head in Caleb's neck as embarrassment tinged her cheeks.
"Mila," He looked down at the little girl in his arms, "Don't listen to your Mommy or your Nana."
"'Immy Choos!"
"Jimmy Choos," Hanna agreed excitedly, "Shall we go to the park?"
"Pak!"
"Shoes first," Caleb tickled her before holding her close as she flung her arms around his neck. They disappeared off down the corridor giving Hanna a chance to do her best to clean up what was left on the table as Claudia stole Everly back for some precious wide-awake cuddle-time. Hanna always thought it was crazy how much mess they could make in such a small amount of time.
"Mommy, I'm ready," Logan came charging back in, pausing at the table to try his luck at stealing another sweet to eat.
"Good job," Hanna said, lifting the final gingerbread man onto the kitchen island to let them dry. "Can you ask Daddy to get me Evvy's coat?"
"Daddy!"
Hanna rolled her eyes as Logan stayed standing at the table and yelled as loud as possible, "I meant go and see him monkey."
"What?" Caleb appeared again with Mila walking alongside him, holding onto his hand.
"Evvy needs a coat," Logan explained, holding a piece of candy out for Mila.
"Please," Hanna shot him a grateful look as she wiped down the table.
"I can get her a coat," He agreed, moving over to his Mom who was looking very content with a baby in her arms.
"Hey pix," He cooed, "You enjoying Nana?" He ducked his head to press a gentle kiss against her blonde hair before he stroked a tender hand down her back.
"We're enjoying each other," Claudia smiled, bouncing her in her arms.
"Babe," Hanna encouraged Caleb gently, "Her coat."
"On it," He agreed, heading off to track down the three-month-old's winter coat as Logan and Mila began to climb all over the kitchen table. They needed to get outside and burn some serious energy.
"Okay," Hanna intervened as they began to fight, Mila taking all of a split-second before the fake tears were out in full force, "Stop," She told them, picking Mila up and placing her back on the floor, "Logan, get down."
"Mama," Mila whimpered, holding her arms up wanting to be picked up.
"No crying," She shook her head, "Or else no park."
"No," She began to cry even more, "Pak."
"Hey," Hanna hushed her, holding out her hand for her to take, "I mean it," She added, "No tears."
"I'm sorry," Logan did his best to cuddle his sister, the thought of the park being ripped away from him too much to even consider, "We don't need to cry."
"No cwy," Mila whimpered, sniffling with self-pity.
"Can you say sorry to Logan too?" Hanna knelt down and encouraged Mila as the little girl flung herself at her. "We don't fight, do we?"
Mila shook her head, "Sowy."
"Lo," Hanna whispered, "Give your sissy a kiss."
He happily did as he was told before scampering off down the hallway, leaving Mila still whimpering with Hanna, "Okay," Hanna rolled her eyes, scooping her up, "No crying," She murmured gently, cupping the two-year-old's cheek as she looked up at her with big watery eyes. "Breathe," She whispered, kissing her forehead before she made sure everything was turned off and headed down the hallway with Claudia to find the rest of her family.
"I'm guessing she's a bit young for Santa threats?" Claudia asked, handing Everly to Caleb for him to wrap her up warm before he strapped her to his chest in the baby carrier. Hanna tried not to let the fact that her husband had a baby strapped to his chest sway the plan she'd put in motion with the park. It was hard though; seeing him like that push a lot of buttons. Really good buttons.
"Mommy, is Santa getting me a scooter?" Logan asked, not giving Hanna a chance to respond to Claudia's question as he danced around their feet.
"Did you ask him for one?" She feigned ignorance, knowing full well that there was an unboxed scooter upstairs that she'd forced Caleb to wrap the day before.
"Yes," He nodded, letting her do up his coat before she moved to tackle Mila, strapping her into her stroller against her will. "I drew him a picture on my letter."
"If you've been good, I'm sure Santa will be getting you one."
"Han," Caleb looked at her expectantly, sensing her reticence to join them.
"Your Dad will be here soon," She moved over to him and murmured quietly as Claudia pushed the stroller outside, encouraging Logan out too. "And my Mom's staying tomorrow night, plus we've got the party," She brushed his arms, kissing Everly gently, "I need to stay here and get the house ready."
"It's already ready," He tried.
"I'll finish off the wrapping too," She knew that would convince him.
"Fine," He agreed, giving her a kiss before he did his best to zip up his coat with Everly tucked inside, "We'll see you later."
Hanna sighed as she watched him leave to catch up with his Mom, Evvy all bundled up against his chest. She wanted to go with them, but she had more important things to do. Because whilst she was finishing off the kids presents, she was also wrapping Caleb's and seeing him happy on Christmas morning was definitely worth sacrificing one trip to the park for.
24th December
Hanna smiled as she looked around her kitchen living room. It was Christmas Eve and by some minor miracle, every grandparent and friend had decided to show up for the party. Well, it wasn't a miracle with their friends – it felt normal now for them to spend part of Christmas together – but the fact that Jamie, Tom and Claudia were there made it feel kind of special.
"Han," Aria called her over, "You are turning into a seriously good hostess," She smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "And with three babies, seriously?"
"Thanks," Hanna grinned, as Mila sprinted at her in her pink tutu, "I've got the best helpers," She said, scooping her daughter up so that she could kiss her face before she let her run off again to play again with Eleanor. They were both going through the stage where they went gaga over anything to do with dolls and Caleb had set them up with their own little family to play with – they were in heaven, especially when Ted gave into Mila's big puppy dog eyes and sat down with them. "Where's Harps?" She asked, looking around for Aria's only daughter.
"The guys are playing with the three of them," She nodded over to the corner where Toby, Caleb and Ezra had set up a base with their three baby daughters.
"I love seeing them together," Hanna murmured, deciding to head over there.
But before she could, Logan came charging towards her with two of his friends from preschool hot on his tail, "Mommy," He tugged on her black jeans excitedly, "Can we go outside to see the lights?"
"We can go outside," She agreed, rubbing his back gently before she guided him and his friends outside.
"Look!" Logan pointed up to the fairy lights that Hanna had wrapped around their balcony, "It's so Santa knows where I live," He explained, his voice full of wonder as he leant back against Hanna's legs.
"Daddy did a pretty good job, huh?" She agreed, running a hand through his hair as he pointed at the other set of lights that trailed through one of the trees in their backyard.
"They twinkle," Logan giggled, before he and his friends were racing back inside and onto their next adventure.
Hanna followed them in and locked the door back up again, making sure everyone had a drink before she started to make a beeline for her husband again. She managed to take three steps before her Dad stopped her, "Hey kiddo," He smiled, pausing from his conversation with Claudia.
"Hey," Hanna said, glancing around the room to make sure all her children continued to be accounted for, "Do you guys need drinks?"
"No," Claudia smiled warmly, "We're fine. We were just talking about what we've gotten the kids for Christmas."
Hanna groaned, "Not too much I hope," She almost pleaded, her eyes deviating to the growing pile of wrapped gifts underneath the tree, "Seriously," She said when neither of them said a word, "They're the most spoilt kids in Rosewood."
"They're our grandchildren," Tom reminded her, "It's our job to spoil them."
Hanna bit her tongue. She really believed that they only spent so much money because they weren't present regularly – guilt in other words. "I told you guys, you really didn't have to."
"We wanted to."
"They're gonna have so much to open," She worried slightly.
"It could be worse," Tom reminded her.
"Yeah," Hanna smiled at him before she excused herself and carried on her path towards their other halves. "You three so need a picture," She said, placing her drink on the side and pulling out her phone.
"You guys look adorable," Spencer agreed as she appeared beside the blonde, reaching forward to adjust Olivia's outfit as she lay in Toby's arms.
"And so do our girls," Aria had made her way over to them too, grabbing her own phone to capture the moment. "Babe," She directed at Ezra, "Hitch her up."
"We were enjoying a nice quiet beer," Caleb reminded them all, "And no we're being man-handled for a picture."
"But it's three baby girls and their Daddies," Hanna pouted, "You'll cherish it when you have the same photo every year."
"No comment," Toby laughed as they all moved closer to each other to pose for the picture.
"Wait, wait, wait," Aria told them as they tried to disperse, "One more," She pleaded, "Harps was staring off to the side."
"They're babies Aria," Spencer said, "They do that."
"Okay," The brunette conceded, "You can relax," She agreed once she was satisfied with the pictures on her phone.
"Thank god," Caleb rolled his eyes, moving towards Hanna, "Before you say it," He started, "There's no way that's a new tradition."
"Why?" Hanna frowned, giving Everly her hand to play with, "You look so pretty together."
"Guys," Aria called, "Look this way."
They both turned towards her and smiled as she held her phone up again, "Now she's just gone into photographer mode," Ezra remarked, "If I pass her the baby, she'll stop," He joked, handing her Harper.
"It's Christmas," Hanna smiled, "We're supposed to have cheesy pictures."
"Are you guys doing pictures?" Claudia walked over, having caught the tail end of Hanna's comment. Caleb opened his mouth to say no, but he didn't have a chance to make a noise before Claudia continued, "Can we have one of you two and the kids?" She asked Hanna and Caleb.
"Mom…"
"Sure," Hanna cut him off, feeling sympathetic to Claudia's cause. She wasn't here for that long; she clearly wanted to make the most of it. "We just need Logi and Mila," She murmured, looking around for them as the rest of their friends slinked off to avoid a photography session. Hanna rounded her two littles up, encouraging Caleb to sit down so that he could hold both Everly and Mila on his lap. "Lo," Hanna called him over, pulling him in between her legs so that he could perch on the edge of the sofa, "Everybody wants a picture of us," She explained as Ashley, Ted, Jamie and Tom gathered around to get their own snap. "Are you smiling?" She asked them, glancing at Mila.
"I think she is," Caleb said, holding her little tutu-clad body close, "One more and then we're done," He commented, pressing a kiss against both his girls' hair. "That's enough," He let Mila go again, standing up as Hanna let Logan run off towards his friends again.
"They're beautiful," Ashley smiled at the pair of them, showing them her phone as she swapped it for the baby. "Evvy," She whispered, bouncing her excitedly, "It's so exciting isn't it? Santa's coming tonight and bringing you presents!"
"She has no idea what's going on," Ted laughed, offering up his finger for the baby to cling onto.
"You'll definitely need to send me that," Jamie remarked, hovering near Caleb as he flicked through the photos.
"We will," Hanna promised him, rubbing Caleb's back before she stepped away with Ted and headed off towards the kitchen to get them both a drink.
"Five grandparents," He nodded towards her as she reached into the fridge. "I'm impressed."
"Me too," Hanna smiled, handing him a new bottle of beer, "Even if it does mean endless pictures and spoilt grandchildren."
"That's what Christmas is all about – family."
"I know," Hanna sighed, looking around the room again, "And we're here and we made it."
"You've done more than make it," Ted reminded her, "Three beautiful children are what people dream of at Christmas. I just feel privileged to be in their lives."
Hanna sent him a knowing grin, "They adore you," She said, "You know they do. I just wish their other grandparents were as present as you."
Ted was about to say something when Mila came running over, her head thrown back with giggles and shrieks as she tried to escape Clay who'd started chasing her, "I've got you," He scooped her up, keeping her safe in her arms.
"Gwanad," She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Was Clay chasing you?" Hanna asked, smiling as Mila nodded but still clung on to her Grandad. "He was?"
"He da monsta!"
"Oh no," Ted gasped, holding her close as she settled her head on his shoulder, "We'll keep you safe." He turned back to Hanna, "Relatives can be hit and miss," He told her, "But everyone in this room's family."
"They are," Hanna agreed, her eyes darting from her friends who were laughing as Alison tried to get Eleanor to finally walk, to her parents who were cooing over Everly, to Claudia and her two boys who were actually having a conversation with Jamie. Yes, relatives and family were exactly what Christmas was about.
Since I last updated this I've posted 2 new stories:
- Christmas & Chill: a prequel to Growth with a oneshot for every year Caleb and Hanna have spent Christmas together. Baby Logan's making an appearance soon...
- Nobody Love: a oneshot based on cast bts snapchats from 7x20 with implied spoilers for Haleb - lots of smutty, wedding goodness
Go check both of them out if you haven't already!
But for Growth, 6 chapters left. If you really really want to see something, request it now! Review? xoxo
