Hey all, sorry with the delay with this one, my personal life has been a little hectic. There is quite a few characters in this chapter that belong to KikiJuanita, they are as follows, Jeremy, Dylan, Abby, Henry, Brooke, Karen, and Courtney. You need to get permission from her to use any of them. The other unrecognizable characters belong to me and can't be used without my permission. Enjoy.
After they checked into their hotel room and dropping their bags off, they headed out to find a quick bite to eat and enjoy the bit of the Christmas spirit that was decorated throughout town. They called it a night once they grew cold right through to their bones, not having to deal with such cold weather having called Texas home for the better part of the past almost 10 years. At least for Onyx and the few times she's made it back in winter isn't enough to get acclimated for the next year.
With Onyx wanting to spend more than just a few hours with the Smythe's, they headed over to the house after they had lunch, Clint not wanting to deny his girlfriend of the time spent with those she considered family. Onyx beyond excited to spend the last half of her day with everyone who would be there and to see how they took to Clint. While he, on the other hand, became nervous about the prospect of meeting them as he knew how important they are to his girlfriend. He hoped that he didn't turn into his jackass ways when he was a teen when the jokes went flying around the room.
"Come on," Onyx smiled, walking around the side of the house to the backyard where she heard the laughter and shrieks. Clint not wanting to face a family of strangers by himself followed behind his girlfriend.
"Should I ask?" He questioned, watching Onyx pack a handful of snow into a ball.
"Must you?" She tossed at him with a smirk, looking over the fence to see who is going to be her target. Clint shook his head, standing back to watch it unfold because he was sure that whoever she hit with a snowball would retaliate.
"What the what?" Jeremy asked, looking behind him, having been hit in the back of the head from Onyx's snowball. "You think that's funny?" Jeremy asked, scooping up snow to toss at a laughing Onyx.
"I don't think; I know," she laughed, entering the backyard, shutting the gate once Clint entered.
"Yeah?" Jeremy questioned, tossing the snowball.
Onyx ducked, the snowball sailing past her and hitting Clint. Onyx laughed making Clint grab a handful a snow to officially join into the snowball fight.
The second her fingers started to feel numb she headed inside through the backdoor, grabbing her boyfriend as she went, wanting him to meet the elder Smythes.
"I was starting to wonder when you'd grace us with your presence," Abby smiled, working on a pie. She'd heard their car pull in and seen the two of them outside goofing off with the others.
"Like I could pass up a snowball fight," she smiled, giving Abby a hug.
"Don't I know it," she laughed recalling the snow that flew through her house when her three boys and Onyx decided to run through the house to heat outside. "Have you forgotten your manners?" She asked, turning her attention to Clint.
"I'm sure if you asked a few they'd say I never had manners," she teased. "This is my boyfriend Clint," she told Abby. "This amazing woman is Abby, my third momma," she smiled, introducing the two of them.
"Such a charmer you are," Abby laughed, pulling Clint into a hug. "It's lovely to meet you, Clint," she told him.
"It's nice to meet you as well," he said, feeling a bit awkward from the hug.
"You act like I've never brought a guy over here," Onyx teased.
"Because you haven't," Henry said from behind them. "I want to believe they weren't special enough to meet us," he teased.
"I'll let you in on a secret; they weren't," she told him through some small laughs. "Clint this is Henry and Henry this is Clint, and he's the lucky one to meet you guys," she introduced once more.
"Hey," Clint said, shaking the older man's hand.
"Hello," Henry nodded. "I don't know how lucky you are when the troops call it quits out there," he chuckled.
"I've been warned," Clint chuckled. "That and I have seen Jeremy and Onyx at it, and I was promised not everyone is quite," he paused trying to think of the right word to describe one of Seb's brothers.
"We're not and we have a hard time trying to find the right word for that boy," Abby laughed.
"Where's Karen and Brooke?" She asked. Dylan, Jeremy, Sophia, Hollie and Jefferson were the only ones outside playing in the snow. Clint hadn't been introduced to any of them no one calling a truce long enough to do so.
"Wrapping some last minute gifts," Abby told her. "You guys are safe to go up. They're in Seb's old room," she informed them.
She really wished that everyone had been in the same room when they showed up, so she would've only had to do one big introduction of her boyfriend instead of a handful little ones. However, this is what she signed up for when agreeing to bring Clint along with her. On their way upstairs they placed their coats and shoes by the front door.
"Aren't we having a blast hiding away from the in-laws," Onyx smirked, pushing the door open hearing the quiet laughter coming from inside the room.
"Like she's one to speak, willingly joining the family and moving across the country for schooling and work," Brooke teased, holding her hands up for some assistance to get up from the floor.
"Yeah well," she shrugged, helping Brooke up. "I knew you were pregnant, but I wasn't expecting you to be ready to pop," she said, giving the older woman a hug, feeling the baby kick. "Does the little guy ever stop?" She asked with laughter, placing her hands on her stomach to feel the baby some more.
"Never," Brooke sighed, rubbing her stomach. "Dylan believes that he'll be here on New Years, he really wants him to be the first baby born of the new year," she explained.
"He should know with the twins that it doesn't work that way, right?" She asked with a laugh.
"You would think," Brooke nodded. "But enough about me, I do see a pretty sexy guy behind you," she smirked, looking around Onyx.
"Oh yeah, that's just me bringing sexy guys over for Christmas, sexy guys whom I happen to love," she smiled, looking at her boyfriend, as he stepped further into the room. "Brooke here is Dylan's wife, and Karen is Jeremy's girlfriend," she said, explaining who the two women are.
"Actually, I am now Jeremy's fiancée," Karen smiled showing her the 18k white gold Halo ring with a twisted band, the top half-filled with diamonds.
"Wow!" Onyx exclaimed, looking the stunning ring over, before pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations," she smiled.
"Thank you," Karen beamed, looking at her ring with a dreamy smile on her face.
"Brooke, Karen this is Clint, the unfortunate boyfriend who gets to deal with Jeremy and Dylan," she teased.
"Haha," Clint deadpanned. "You think you're so funny," he sarcastically said, giving an eyeroll.
"Yes I do," she smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
"But you're really not, babe," he teased. "This is the same Karen that Jeremy made you and Seb go on a double date with?" He asked, hoping it was the right information, and he wasn't mixing girlfriend's up.
"The one and same," Karen nodded. "He finally after all of these years confessed to the truth about that night," she laughed.
"Oh so he finally told you that he was a nervous wreck about messing up and not the lame excuse that he was on babysitting duties, and that he didn't want to cancel the date, so he brought us with him?" Onyx laughed.
"Yep," Karen laughed. "Though it was a sweet lie. And I had always wondered why he had to baby-sit the two of you for when you were old enough to be home alone," she said shaking her head.
"By now you know that's just Jeremy logic," Onyx shrugged.
"Speaking of, we'd better get down there, I can hear the lot of them entering the house," Brooke said, hearing the noise from three kids and two adult males float up the stairs from coming inside.
"Yeah and this one still needs to meet Dylan," Onyx shared.
"Dylan's a breeze to get along with compared to Jeremy," Karen said, Brooke easily agreeing as they made their way downstairs.
"So I have heard," he nodded, following the three women downstairs.
"See I knew way back when that you would end up with him," Jeremy smirked, from the couch drinking a cup of coffee.
"Oh yeah, among other things, I recall," she stated, giving an eyeroll. "Jeremy you already know and I am sorry for that, babe," she said flashing a smirk in Jeremy's direction. "This here is Dylan," she said, sharing half a hug with the man. "He's the cool one of these two," she said, sticking her tongue out at Jeremy.
"We sure those two aren't really related?" Clint asked smirking.
"We ask that question a lot especially when we were younger," Dylan laughed. "I like this one," he staged whispered to Onyx.
"He's the only one you've met," Onyx retorted with a chuckle. "And Dyl this is Clint; he's kinda my everything," she smiled at her boyfriend, taking a seat on the couch, Clint joining her once he shook hands with Dylan. "The two twin girls are Sophia and Hollie; they belong to Dylan and Brooke, and Jefferson; he belongs to Karen and soon to be Jeremy's stepson," she quietly explained to him. "Hey Jer, congrats on the engagement. Did you mess it up?" She asked with a hint of laughter.
"Haha," Jeremy fake laughed. "I did not mess it up. I'm not my little brother," he chuckled.
"Ouch, he's not even here," Onyx laughed.
"It's the little brother curse," Jeremy shrugged. "You heard from him?"
"Nope," she confirmed. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't be hearing from Seb until after the holidays, and they were all back home.
"So Clint, what is it, you do?" Dylan asked.
"You guys know that Jeff and Seb are already friends with him, so you don't have to go about scaring him off," Onyx stated.
"We know," Dylan nodded.
"Doesn't me aren't going to try," Jeremy smirked.
"We do want to get to know your boyfriend better. I mean, he's the only one that you brought over here. You were with Hunter for a year, and we never got to meet him as your boyfriend, just the teen who went to school with Seb," Dylan pointed out.
"I don't mind," Clint said, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "I own a jazz club; I have a sister; I am deeply in love with Onyx; I have no intention of hurting her ever. Let's see what else; I have no problem with her being best friends with Seb, never had," he rattled off. "What else do you want to know?" He asked, looking around the room.
"I think we need to hear the story of how you two met," Brooke suggested.
"Yeah, no you don't," Onyx stated, shaking her head. She wasn't embarrassed by the way they meet, just hated how Hunter hurting her played into the meeting.
"Is it that bad and embarrassing?" Jeremy asked with a laugh.
"Shut it," Onyx tossed at him. "You know the story," she told him. "But basically it was a bad day that shouldn't have been bad to begin with but Clint here made the bad day so much better," Onyx shared. "He was looking all sorts of miserable at what is now Blaine's bar, and I joined him and we hit off," she explained, leaving the parts about Hunter out of the story.
"It may have been a crappy day moreso for you than for me, but we made diamonds," Clint remarked, kissing her cheek.
"Now I see why you like him," Jeremy smirked. "He's all sorts of cheesy," he laughed.
"I'll take cheesy over the love of my life lying about why he needed his kid brother and best friend to double date with him," she smirked.
"You were told," Jeremy sighed, shaking his head.
"I always forget about that night and how nervous and freaked out he was," Dylan laughed. "Made me wish I didn't have a prior engagement to attend that night, so I could've gone with and witnessed it all," he teased.
"Can you imagine the lie he'd have to come up with as to why his older brother was with him?" Onyx laughed.
"That might have been worth it," Dylan laughed. "It's not like he could've said I was there for emotional support," he chuckled. "What would you have told Karen if I canceled to be there with you?" Dylan questioned looking over to his brother.
"That you couldn't live a second without your little brother, and that he begged and begged to come along and who I am to be mean and say no," Jeremy shrugged. "That work for you, Dylan?" He asked.
"Oh yeah," Dylan nodded with an eyeroll.
"But you know too bad that Silvia and a date at that the pier was more important," Jeremy shrugged.
"Ugh I hated her," Onyx grumbled.
"We know, if looks could kill she'd be dead twenty times over," Dylan laughed.
"Not my fault she thought she was better than me just because she was dating you," Onyx shrugged.
"I feel like there's a whole story to this," Clint commented.
"Oh there is," Jeremy laughed. "Though I am short on details to the whole thing," he shrugged.
"How can you forget?" Onyx asked him. "Dylan was supposed to show up to the sectionals where I was taking on my boyfriend here in Vocal Adrenaline, but he no showed because of a test retake, and Silvia bragged that he stayed behind for her," Onyx rolled her eyes. "That and she thought she was better than me because she was dating Dylan, and I was only friends with Seb," she tacked on.
"Hold up!" Jeremy said, looking at Clint. "You're telling me that your boyfriend here went to your old high school turned enemy?" He asked. Onyx nodded that yes, that was the case. "And you guys didn't know each other when going to the same school?" He asked looking between them.
"Ironically we didn't. We didn't know we went to the same school until we ran into each other at the bar when I received the worst shock of me life," she shrugged.
"You can't tell me that you knew every person you went to school with or that was in the theater with you," Clint commented.
"I didn't," Jeremy sighed thinking back to his high school days. There were the few of them that worked on sets that he didn't know. His fellow actors and actresses he knew because of chemistry and all.
"It was just meant to be when the time was right for them, like us, Jeremy," Karen smiled happily.
"Love does work wonders," Brooke smiled, looking at her husband.
"Alright, I am going to leave my boyfriend, the one that I love dearly in your hands, so if you make him run off, I will hurt you both," she warned, pressing a quick kiss to her boyfriend's lips and walking to the kitchen.
"Don't worry they're more bark than bite," Karen laughed, following Onyx into the kitchen.
"They wouldn't dare tick off Onyx, not with the horrors she knows for blackmail," Brooke smirked, getting her husband to help her off the couch.
"That seals it," Dylan laughed, kissing his wife while rubbing her stomach. "Do take it easy in there," he warned.
"Oh I will," she laughed, slowly making her way to the kitchen where she sat at the table out of the way. "He really must be special," Brooke commented.
"He very well is," Onyx smiled. "He honestly came into my life when I needed him and after everything these past six months he's still here, and he truly does have my heart in his hands," she shared.
"Marriage is on the horizon," Karen teased. "And I am not saying that because I have wedding fever either," she warned.
"Uh huh, we believe you dear," Abby laughed, putting her two helpers to work. Onyx and Brooke sharing in the laughter.
Dinner had been an interesting fair to say the least. Jokes and plenty of laughter went around the table all while Clint took it all in. They treated him like a part of their family, Dylan and Jeremy finding stories, they dared share of Onyx from when she'd spend time at their house growing up. Found out that they had plenty in common they bonded over striking up a friendship. Though at the end of the day he was happy that he only had one Smythe brother to deal with daily.
And poor Sebastian, what with Mikki sending pictures and videos of how his day was going with ranch life. And each picture showed just how terrified of the animals he happened to be. Flinching around the chickens, giving the horses a glare and to everyone's joy, they learned that Mikki's father had purchased a llama and when Seb went to see him, the guy spit right in Seb's face. Needless to say, Seb's Christmas wasn't going as well as it could be.
"I can see why you love them all for," he commented, as Onyx drove them back to the hotel.
"They make it easy," she nodded.
"I get why you spent a lot of time around there; I would've done the same thing," he laughed softly.
"Why's that?" She asked, pulling up to a stop sign.
"Because they put every family to shame and when you're with them, you're a part of the family. Something we didn't really get, not in that way," he shared.
"I didn't, and you're right they make you feel loved and a part of their lives the second you stepped through the door, and it's a feeling I didn't really get at home or at my dads, not the way you get that feeling at the Smythe's," she sighed.
"It's the feeling you want every time you come home," he said. "That and they make sure to keep you coming back, making sure to make you something without onions, making you a special coffee cheesecake," he laughed.
"What can I say, they love me," she giggled, pulling into the hotel parking lot. Her phone ringing cut off any more talk between them. "It's mom," she told him, answering her phone.
"I'll meet you up there," he told her, Making sure to grab the bag that held their presents. She nodded, letting him know that she heard him.
Getting to the room, he got himself prepared for bed, eager for the day to be, over so they could get tomorrow over with as well. He figured that tomorrow morning would be a breeze as he got along with Jade and Lydia. He wasn't worried about what morning brought, but moreso what tomorrow night brought with it. Not that his family would suddenly dislike his girlfriend, at the very least, he hoped that wasn't the case. It just felt weird to bring home a girlfriend for the holidays, because his ex, the one he was upset over the night, he met Onyx at the bar was the last girlfriend he brought home for the holidays, and that relationship failed horribly.
"Mom said we can show up around 8, but anytime after that, they're having breakfast without us," she informed her boyfriend as he exited the bathroom, and she entered the hotel room, taking her coat off.
"We'll be there before then, I am sure of it," he laughed, making himself comfortable on the bed.
"Heck yes, we will be," she stated, dropping her shoes by the door, walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. "I'm not about to miss out on breakfast because you couldn't get up," she told him adding a very pointed look at him.
"I'm setting the alarm now," he laughed. "And let's not forget that you're the one that needs to hit the snooze button in the morning," he countered with.
"That's why I had my alarm on the opposite side of my room when in school, so I wouldn't be late," she laughed.
"See that wouldn't work for me, I'd have thrown whatever I could reach at my alarm clock and bust something if not put a hole through the wall," he laughed.
"Hence why I got up to turn it off, effectively making me be up for the day," she stated. "Tonight wasn't all that bad," she commented, joining her boyfriend in bed.
"It wasn't," he agreed. "I do have to ask why I'm the first guy you brought with you to the Smythe's house?" He asked, reaching out to rest his hand on her hip as she faced him, seriously in thought.
"It would have been weird to take Mason to meet them, even if they are a second family to me. It didn't feel right; it was just strange to think about bringing him around. Not that I put much thought into," she told him. "And Hunter, the guys knew him, and they despised him so it wasn't worth bringing him around for, not when they wouldn't change their minds about him. And even though I had been with him for six months at the time, I couldn't bring myself to ask him to join because I couldn't see a definite future with him," she finished explaining to him.
"What about us? We haven't made it to the 6th-month mark, and you brought me with to meet them. What's the difference?" He asked, his thumb caressing her skin where her top had ridden up.
"We've been together for four months, and I see a future with you. I can see it all with you and if that makes me a fool in love so be it," she told him.
"Then it makes both of us fools in love," he smiled at her. "Because I can see it all, and I want to have it all with you," he confessed, closing the space between them and attaching his lips to hers, as he pushed her onto her back, his hands exploring her body as her hands did the same to his body.
"We were about ready to eat without you," Lydia teased, welcoming the two into the house.
"Lies," Onyx laughed, hanging her coat up. "Where's mom?" She asked, making a note on how the house didn't smell very Christmas like. In fact, walking past the living room she saw no tree or very little Christmas decorations. "And also why isn't their decorations and what happened to the tree?" She asked.
"With Jeff's accident, I hadn't been in the mood to decorate." And she got that, she did, but even though she wasn't at home to celebrate the holiday, she had roped Clint into putting decorations up and a small artificial tree, because it didn't seem like Christmas without her home feeling like it.
"Not only that, with it just being the four of us, we didn't see the hassle of getting everything out only to take it down again. And we do leave for a cruise tomorrow, so it was easier to keep things the same," Lydia pipped up.
"Now let's eat," Jade told them, leading the group through to the kitchen, where a more Christmas feel rested.
"Unbelievable," Clint said shaking his head after having a bite of the waffles that were on his plate. "Really?" He asked, turning his head to the right where his girlfriend sat, a smirk on her lips.
"Is something, wrong?" Jade asked, setting her coffee cup on the table, looking between her daughter and her boyfriend.
"No, nothing's wrong," he said shaking his head, taking another bite of waffle.
"He's learning that when it comes to holidays and family that I get whatever I want and on most cases that has something to do with some sort of food being coffee related," Onyx explained, using her fork to cut a bite-size piece of her waffle.
"To be fair we didn't start making these waffles until after she left for college," Jade commented; Lydia's waffles were normal ones, forgoing the coffee waffles this time around.
"I didn't even know that you could make coffee waffles, and as much as I enjoy eating them, I don't know if I would want them all the time," Onyx shrugged. "But now you know for when you want to do something special," she smiled at him.
"Trust me, it's all noted," he chuckled. He knew that his girlfriend liked coffee, more than anyone he's ever met before, but coming home for the holidays with her, opened his eyes to the fact that she loved coffee and everyone close to her knew it.
Dylan and Brooke and their twin girls and gotten her an elephant coffee mug with some fancy coffee he's never heard of, but she laughed promising to fill him in on the story behind the coffee. Jeremy and Karen had actually gotten her a special blend of coffee from Italy, when they had taken a week away before Jeremy's life became busy with rehearsals and such. When he had opened his presents, somewhat shocked to learn they had gone out and got him something as well, he was stunned and figured pretty quick that his girlfriend had given them some ideas to what he liked.
"There was one point in her life where she hated coffee and drank tea instead," Lydia laughed.
"Yeah, then high school happened, and I needed to stay awake to study for finals and college only followed, and now I love my coffee even if the caffeine does nothing for me," she shrugged.
"She still does drink tea," Clint smiled.
"Just occasionally with you," Onyx smiled, biting into some bacon.
The four of them lapsed into silence as, they finished eating their breakfast. Jeff face timing them as, they had finished eating were sitting around the table drinking coffee and making small talk to what they would be up to and how things have been going for the couple in Texas.
"Someone's up early," Onyx teased, answer the call from her brother.
"A whole hour later than you, how early for me," Jeff sarcastically replied. "Did Mom make her coffee waffles?" He asked.
"Uh huh and they were a hit like always," Onyx smirked.
"Rub it in," Jeff sighed. "Though Courts is making double chocolate pancakes," he smirked.
"Nasty," she choked out. "Here I will let you talk to Mom while eating your nasty pancakes," she told him, handing the phone off. "Let me show you around," she offered Clint, putting her dirty dishes in the sink, Clint following suit.
"I am interested in seeing this childhood room of yours," he teased, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, it's turned into a craft room," she laughed. "I can show you Jeff's room; that is the guest room around here," she told him. "When we hung out here, it was done in the basement, not sure if they have done anything with that space," she told him heading upstairs. In the few times that she's been home she's never ventured down to the basement.
"Is your mom trying to tell us or you something?" He asked, looking into what should have been the craft room. Onyx frowned, looking around him to see what he was going on about.
"I think she might be," she replied, taking in the soft yellow of the room; one wall had a red barn painted on it; little farm animals littered the other three walls. A crib sat in one corner, a change table on the other side of the room. And if she were to open the dresser, she was sure she'd find baby clothes along with other baby essentials in the closet.
She moved from her old room that was now a nursery to Jeff's room across the hall from hers, to see what they had done with his. The walls remained the same blue/gray color they have always been, but instead of the queen-size bed in the center of the room, now there were bunk beds against the wall, and venturing further into the room, she saw a desk by the window, boy clothes in the closest two different sizes on either side, and in the opposite corner from the desk stood a little video game center.
"I'm starting to think they forgot to mention something," Onyx said, spinning around to look at her boyfriend.
"I'm sure we can come to the same conclusion here, but babe, let's not jump ahead of ourselves here and let your moms explain everything fully," he told her, pulling her into a hug resting his chin on top of her head. "You good with that plan?" He asked, rubbing her back in slow circles.
"I am," she nodded against his chest. "Let's go see what they're gonna say, huh?" She asked, making no move to actually leave the embrace of her boyfriend.
"In a few minutes," he told her, relishing in the moment with his girlfriend.
When they had made their way back downstairs, they had moved into the living room, still talking to Jeff.
"Give Clint a tour?" Lydia asked, seeing the couple join them.
"Uh huh," Onyx nodded, lacing her fingers with Clint's. "Couldn't help but notice the remodel you guys did," she commented.
"Uh yes," Jade nodded. "It would've been nice to have Jeff here as well to share the news in person, but this will have to do," mother told her children, looking at Lydia.
"I'm pregnant," Lydia smiled. "The due date is in June, if it goes according to plan. I always thought that I didn't to have kids because I did have you two," she explained, looking from Onyx to Jeff on the phone. "And when I learned that I didn't have much time left to conceive a baby, it made me think, and I do want to experience it all," she smiled.
"It's something we discussed at great lengths, and we agreed that we wanted this," Jade smiled, taking her wife's hand.
"I am happy for you; I really am," Onyx smiled.
"Ditto," Jeff smiled. "Congratulations, Lyd's you'll be a good mom to your little one," he praised her.
"The best mom ever," Onyx agreed.
"Congratulations," Clint smiled, happy for them.
"And?" Onyx asked looking at the two woman whom she loved greatly.
"And what?" Jeff asked.
"And we decided that we wanted to adopt, this was before Lydia got the urge to have a baby, and we want a full house once more so we're adopting two little boys. One is 10, and the other is 8. If everything goes according to plan they'll be here full-time at the end of January," Jade explained.
"You guys sure you're not taking on too much?" Jeff asked, worried it'd be too much too fast.
"We can handle it," Lydia nodded. "We know it seems like a lot, but we wouldn't be doing any of this if we didn't think for a second we couldn't deal," she assured them.
"As long as you guys are happy and can deal with what comes with three kids, then I am happy for you all, and we'll even come stay for a while around the due date," Onyx told her moms.
"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Clint smiled.
"I'll be there too; I want to meet my new siblings, all three of them," Jeff said. "And like Onyx said, if you guys are happy, then so am I," he told them. "I love you all," Jeff said. "And yes, Captain is being well taken care of, and he misses you both, but he's good," Jeff told his sister and friend. "But I'm going to go," Jeff told them.
Onyx put her phone back into her pocket with everyone saying their byes to Jeff and the group moving onto opening presents.
"Now don't be disappointed," Jade said, handing Onyx a box. "We got you guys a little couple's gift," she explained, sitting back down, waiting for them to open the present together.
"A fleece blanket?" Onyx asked a bit skeptical. "You know it doesn't get quite that cold, right?" She asked, loving how soft the blue plaid blanket felt against her fingers.
"Why don't you look under the blanket?" Lydia asked with an amused smile.
Onyx shrugged, handing the blanket to Clint. "You got reservations to the little Bed and Breakfast that you guys adore in the Rocky's?" She questioned, reading the paper over.
"We love it up there, and we figured you guys would as well," Jade nodded.
"Thank you," Clint said. "I do think that we'll enjoy our time up in the mountains," he told them.
"We will," Onyx nodded.
After spending another hour with her moms they headed over to Clint's childhood home, laughing at how close they had been throughout their high school years.
"I almost wanted to believe that you wouldn't be showing up," Puck teased as they joined the group in the living room having already shared hellos.
"And why is that?" Onyx asked, looking at him.
"I heard what happened to your brother. I figured you'd be spending the holidays with him," Puck shrugged.
"I always forget that you're friends with him as well," she nodded. "If he would've needed me, I would have been there. I offered, to be the nice caring sister that I am, but he's got his girlfriend over taking care of him, and he doesn't need his sister to interfere in the middle of that," she laughed.
"I'm going to see if they need any help in the kitchen," Clint stated, leaving his girlfriend, his sister's husband, his niece and nephew and his dad Leroy in the living room.
"What's going on there?" Leroy questioned once Clint was out of sight. He wasn't mad that his son had pretty much stormed out of the room; he was more understanding about the fact couples fight and that something serious had went down between the two of them.
"A major disagreement we let get out of hand," she explained. "Though I thought we had moved past it days ago," she sighed. Everything was excellent between them, better than excellent actually.
"With that reaction, I think it's quite clear that he's not over it," Puck nodded. "Think maybe you should track him down."
"No, really?" She asked sarcastically, heading the direction her boyfriend went.
"He went upstairs," Rachel said, covered in flour. "He looked upset. Anything we need to worry about?" She asked.
"Nope," she replied, noticing the stairs tucked into the corner of the kitchen.
"It'll be the second door on the right," Hiram called after her.
She nodded in thanks and headed upstairs to find her boyfriend and figure out what had just happened. The door she needed stood half open; she pushed it open to see her boyfriend sitting on the bed, his head in his hands.
"So this is your room, huh?" She asked, looking around, not a bit surprised by the posters featuring women in barely there bikinis and the car posters. It did look very much like Jeff's room at her dad's house while growing up.
He remained quiet, sitting up, watching as she walked around his room, trying to get to know the teen him. With a sigh, she sat down next to him on the bed.
"What are you doing up here?" He asked.
"Funny, I was going to ask that very question," she told him. "What's going on?" She asked him.
"Why didn't you say anything about wanting to stay behind with Jeff?" He asked, getting up to shut the door, not wanting his family to hear anything they said.
"Because it wasn't anything important," she told him. "I did it to be nice and Jeff knew that. He knew how important this trip is to me, and us," she started to explain, pushing herself up off the bed and standing before him. "There was no way I would miss these last two days and the days to come with you. However, I did feel a bit guilty about leaving Jeff behind; I can't feel sorry about that," she told him.
"Of course you're going to feel guilty about the situation, but it would have been nice to know before now," he sighed. "It honestly took me by surprise, and it did hurt to think that maybe you didn't want to do this. That you didn't want me to meet Sebastian's family, since hey you're close with them all, and yet they didn't meet a single boyfriend you've had, that you didn't want me to intrude on your morning ritual with your moms, or that you didn't want to come here, knowing how significant this is to me, silly me, I thought it was important to you as well," he said, running a hand down his face.
"Trust me all of this is important to me," she assured him. "My exes, weren't important enough to spend the holidays with me. I didn't love them the way I do you, Clint. I don't want to be anywhere else. I wanted to share with you the things I do for Christmas; I want you to be a part of it," she explained to him, taking his hands in hers.
"What about Mason? You spent a good chunk of high school with him. Even as a teen you loved him, believed him to be the great love of your life, didn't he partake in any of it?" He asked.
"Nope," she smiled shaking her head. "He did offer for me to come to his family's dinner, but I couldn't cancel on mom or dad, and it was just weird as a teen to invite my boyfriend around to my best friend's house," she explained. "I love you and I want to share it all with you, Clint. Every single awkward family moment, I want to do that with you. Maybe it is my bad in not mentioning it to you, and I am sorry for that," she apologized.
"And I am sorry for overreacting," he smiled, cupping her face, drawing her into him to share a kiss.
"I wouldn't mind a quickie here in teen Clint's room, but I am not about to have sex on a bed you've brought your little conquests to in high school," she told him breaking their kiss.
"Actually, I haven't slept with anyone on that bed, so you'd be the first," he smirked, moving backwards to the bed.
"I feel honored," she smiled, nipping his bottom lip. "But again, any one of your family members can come up here and catch us, and I don't want to be remembered as the woman who had her wicked away with their son or brother," she told him. "Trust me, it's only a raincheck until the hotel room," she smirked, making her exit, knowing that they would be okay.
"Oh I know," he remarked, easily catching up to her and tossing his arms around her, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the hallway. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.
"Oh geez, there's a room right there," Rachel muttered, seeing the two of them in a heated lip lock.
"Don't even play that card," Clint snorted, smirking at his sister.
"Oh please, he's my husband," Rachel retorted, giving an eyeroll.
"Your point being?" Clint asked. "Onyx is my girlfriend and I have the right to kiss her where and when I want to," he stated.
"Excuse you," Onyx said, giving him a pointed look. "Do I not get a say in this?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Of course," Clint shrugged. "Though are you really going to turn me down?" He asked with a small pout.
"I think I might," she smiled, turning on her heel, leaving her stunned boyfriend and his laughing sister behind.
"Everything good?" Hiram questioned seeing his sons girlfriend join them in the living room.
"More than," Clint answered, pulling Onyx down to sit in the chair with him.
"Trust me, they only wanted a rouse, so they could make out like horny teenagers," Rachel said, smiling sweetly.
"I can't help that my girl looks this good," Clint smirked, kissing the top of her head.
"Considering the mess I was when we met," she replied.
"Actually, my first thought of you when you came into the bar is how stunning you were and wondering why you were so dressed up for such a place," he laughed.
"Until you learned that Jeff ran the place," she nodded.
"Yep," he agreed. "And when we went back to your place, seeing you in your sweats that's when I saw the beauty that you really are," he confessed.
"Someone is trying to get lucky," Puck teased.
"Lucky for what?" Gracie asked, looking up from where she sat playing with a doll on the floor.
"A very special toy," Puck told his daughter.
"Like my army men?" Isaiah asked, holding one of the green plastic guys up.
"Something like that," Clint nodded, trying really hard not to laugh at the situation they found themselves in.
"Uncle Clint what is it you want Santa to bring?" Gracie asked, abandoning her doll.
"What do I want from Santa this year?" He asked. It may be cliché of him to say but he's got everything that he could ever want. "Maybe some video games," he told his niece.
"Like Daddy and Isaiah," Gracie rolled her eyes.
"We can't all get new baby dolls," Clint chuckled.
"I don't see why not," Gracie shrugged. "They're pretty," she commented. "Aunty Onyx what do you want Santa to bring you?" She asked, unaware of the small tension and shock she caused by calling Onyx aunt.
"I think I would like to have a new baby doll," she told the little girl. "One with a cute little pink outfit."
"Like mine," she smiled big holding up her doll.
"What?" Onyx gasped, feigning shock. "Just like that one," Onyx smiled.
With the spare time they had before the food would be ready they decided to open presents. This time it was Onyx's turn to be a little surprised with the little elephant trinkets she was given. Clint slightly rolled his eyes where his girlfriend couldn't see because at this rate, their apartment would be overran with elephant and safari trinkets and decorations.
It wasn't long after they had eaten dessert that they called it a night, really just wanting to go back to the hotel and call it a night, wanting nothing more than to sleep in the morning.
"I don't want you to think that I had forgotten about you," Onyx said, joining her boyfriend in bed, placing a small package in his lap. "I just wasn't sure when the perfect time was to give this to you and at whose house, so I thought it would be best to give it to you when it was us," she lamely explained.
"I was thinking the same thing," he chuckled. "I thought maybe last night, then thought no today would be better and really figured it would be best now," he told her, grabbing the small box from the nightstand. "Go on open yours," he urged her, not worried about what she got him.
She anxiously unwrapped the Christmas paper, tossing it on the floor to pick up later. She gave her boyfriend a look opening the black box to see the stunning open heart pendant necklace with elegant contrasting black-and-white diamonds.
"Clint this is so beautiful," she whispered. If they weren't in bed, she'd have him put the necklace on her. "I love it," she told him, looking from the necklace to him. "I love you," she said, closing the distance to kiss him. "Now open mine," she told him, breaking the kiss.
"Okay, okay," he laughed, unwrapping the present, faster than Onyx had done hers. "Oh gee how thoughtful," he said looking anything but impressed.
"I thought it was cute," she told him.
"It's cute alright," he said, looking over the phone case with a picture of them on it.
"Don't be like that," she scoffed, placing her necklace still in the box on the night stand next to her, moving to curl up with her boyfriend. "Your real present is at home; I couldn't exactly bring it along," she said. "And you will love it," she assured him. She got him a little oak barrel brewery kit.
"I don't doubt that," he chuckled, tossing the phone case and paper off the bed. "Now I believe I am ready to cash in on that raincheck from earlier," he smirked, pulling her on top of him, attacking her neck.