Part Four
The door stood open, captured in CJ's hands, and she grinned when she identified her visitors.
"Stockings, CJ?" Toby called from the living area, then walked to the hall. He matched her expression, whispering, "Merry Christmas, Claudia Jean," into her hair, a hand resting on her shoulder.
CJ looked at him, astonishment in her gaze, as she stepped from behind the door to envelope the oldest of her visitors in her embrace. "Daddy!" she whispered, smiling at the remaining two men over her father's shoulders. "Thank you."
"Never thought I'd leave Napa for all this snow, did you sweetheart?" His voice was strong and full despite his advanced age.
She laughed, pulling back, and answered, "No, I suppose I didn't!"
"Thank your Toby. We're his Christmas present to you," he pointed at his daughter's lover, and she smiled at him again.
"Beanpole, are you gonna let us in or not?" her youngest brother asked, balancing several gifts on one arm, the other hand at his hip.
Indignantly, CJ sighed, "I'm hardly a beanpole anymore, Matthew," as she stepped away from the door, indicating her midsection.
All three men moved further into the room, and CJ's father grinned at his sons as she moved closer to Toby, kissing his cheek. "You give me so much," she whispered into his ear, refusing to let tears prick at her eyes. "And these hormones are going to kill me."
Toby chuckled and slipped his arm around her back as CJ's family, her men, exchanged conspiratorial glances.
"Look at my daughter," the elder Cregg laughed, smacking his hands together, "And I thought I'd never be a grandfather!" His words held a certain amount of sincerity even as he laughed, something Toby identified as a familial trait. "You should be sitting, sweetheart."
"I'm not a child, Daddy, nor am I an invalid," she rolled her eyes, fighting the twitching of her lips.
"He knows," her previously silent brother spoke. "But it's easier for us to talk to our little niece or nephew if you're seated, not to mention the opening of presents…"
"You should relax, CJ," Toby concurred, "especially with the leg cramps you've been having lately."
"That's normal, Toby," she sighed, but she winked and led the way to the living room. "You know, while you four conspire and wait for Josh and Donna, I'm going to take that shower I missed while oversleeping." Her hand came to rest self-consciously against the fabric of her robe.
Matthew smiled as he and William sat, "Okay," he answered, then began spreading presents around him, an interrogative gleam in his eyes as his gaze fixed on Toby.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart," her father added, and she squeezed Toby's hands before departing for the bedroom.
She'd seen the look in her brothers' eyes, the one that used to scare away the neighborhood boys, but would only make Toby chuckle uncomfortably; the one that belied her brothers' occupations as police officer and reporter. Throwing off her robe, she turned on the shower and adjusted the spray, moving to the dresser and answering the bedroom phone as it rang.
A hand fell to her stomach as she felt her daughter shift. "Hello?" she sighed into it, but received no answer. "Hello? Hello?" Finally, she dropped the phone back into the cradle, annoyed, and returned to the bathroom, clearing her mind.
And another hand gripped a different phone across the city, never tearing it from his ear.
"How's our baby, Claudia?" he began to say, before realizing that no one was there. "You hung up on me," he hissed, dropping the phone back to the base. "You won't keep me away from my daughter."
The door stood open, captured in CJ's hands, and she grinned when she identified her visitors.
"Stockings, CJ?" Toby called from the living area, then walked to the hall. He matched her expression, whispering, "Merry Christmas, Claudia Jean," into her hair, a hand resting on her shoulder.
CJ looked at him, astonishment in her gaze, as she stepped from behind the door to envelope the oldest of her visitors in her embrace. "Daddy!" she whispered, smiling at the remaining two men over her father's shoulders. "Thank you."
"Never thought I'd leave Napa for all this snow, did you sweetheart?" His voice was strong and full despite his advanced age.
She laughed, pulling back, and answered, "No, I suppose I didn't!"
"Thank your Toby. We're his Christmas present to you," he pointed at his daughter's lover, and she smiled at him again.
"Beanpole, are you gonna let us in or not?" her youngest brother asked, balancing several gifts on one arm, the other hand at his hip.
Indignantly, CJ sighed, "I'm hardly a beanpole anymore, Matthew," as she stepped away from the door, indicating her midsection.
All three men moved further into the room, and CJ's father grinned at his sons as she moved closer to Toby, kissing his cheek. "You give me so much," she whispered into his ear, refusing to let tears prick at her eyes. "And these hormones are going to kill me."
Toby chuckled and slipped his arm around her back as CJ's family, her men, exchanged conspiratorial glances.
"Look at my daughter," the elder Cregg laughed, smacking his hands together, "And I thought I'd never be a grandfather!" His words held a certain amount of sincerity even as he laughed, something Toby identified as a familial trait. "You should be sitting, sweetheart."
"I'm not a child, Daddy, nor am I an invalid," she rolled her eyes, fighting the twitching of her lips.
"He knows," her previously silent brother spoke. "But it's easier for us to talk to our little niece or nephew if you're seated, not to mention the opening of presents…"
"You should relax, CJ," Toby concurred, "especially with the leg cramps you've been having lately."
"That's normal, Toby," she sighed, but she winked and led the way to the living room. "You know, while you four conspire and wait for Josh and Donna, I'm going to take that shower I missed while oversleeping." Her hand came to rest self-consciously against the fabric of her robe.
Matthew smiled as he and William sat, "Okay," he answered, then began spreading presents around him, an interrogative gleam in his eyes as his gaze fixed on Toby.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart," her father added, and she squeezed Toby's hands before departing for the bedroom.
She'd seen the look in her brothers' eyes, the one that used to scare away the neighborhood boys, but would only make Toby chuckle uncomfortably; the one that belied her brothers' occupations as police officer and reporter. Throwing off her robe, she turned on the shower and adjusted the spray, moving to the dresser and answering the bedroom phone as it rang.
A hand fell to her stomach as she felt her daughter shift. "Hello?" she sighed into it, but received no answer. "Hello? Hello?" Finally, she dropped the phone back into the cradle, annoyed, and returned to the bathroom, clearing her mind.
And another hand gripped a different phone across the city, never tearing it from his ear.
"How's our baby, Claudia?" he began to say, before realizing that no one was there. "You hung up on me," he hissed, dropping the phone back to the base. "You won't keep me away from my daughter."