Chapter 6
It was Christmas Eve and Carly, Jason, and Morgan had just returned from the party at the hospital.
"Mommy, can Jason help get everything ready for Santa?"
"It's okay with me."
"I'd love to help," Jason told the young boy.
"Can you help me put out milk and cookies?"
"Sure."
After Jason and Morgan put out milk and cookies, Jason said they should put out carrots for the reindeer.
"Jason, do you think we have carrots in this house? Come on, it's me."
"Morgan, check the bottom shelf in the fridge. Bring out two."
"I bought some yesterday," he told Carly.
"You bought carrots to put out for Santa's reindeer?"
"Yeah."
"You're amazing, you know that?"
That night, the three of them sat under the lit tree reading Christmas stories. When it was almost 11, Carly thought it was time for Morgan to go to bed.
"You know, if you don't get to bed soon, Santa might not come. You don't want to miss Santa do you?"
"No. Goodnight Mommy. Goodnight Jason," Morgan said as he ran upstairs.
After they made sure Morgan was asleep, Carly and Jason started putting presents out and filling Morgan's stocking. Carly started to fill hers, but Jason stopped her.
"You can't fill your own stocking."
"I always do. Sometimes Sonny or Jax would put a few surprises in it, but most of the time I would just fill it myself. I'd always act surprised on Christmas morning for Michael and Morgan."
"Well, it just so happens that I have some things to go in your stocking."
"Oh really? You'll have to wait until I finish with yours. But you can't be here while I fill yours."
"Where should I go?"
"Go to the kitchen. Eat those nasty carrots, but save some cookies for me."
It took a while for them to fill each other's stockings and put other surprises under the tree, but they finally finished with all the gifts. Both were standing by the tree when Jason wrapped his arms around Carly.
"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked.
"Almost as much as I love you," she answered.
"I don't think that's possible." He kissed her, and when he was about to suggest they go upstairs, he noticed something was missing from her hand. Her wedding ring was gone.
"You took off your wedding ring."
"Yeah. I thought it was time. I am in a relationship with you, after all."
"Carly, if you want to keep it on, don't feel like you have to take it off because of me."
"I don't. I just… it was time. I'll always love Jax, but I'm so in love with you."
They kissed for a few minutes. "Jase?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go upstairs?"
"You sure?"
She smiled. "Yeah. I'm positive."
"Then yes, I'd love to go upstairs with you."
They went into Carly's bedroom and slowly removed each others clothes. Carly could hardly control herself. He was gorgeous… the most handsome man she had ever seen. She was beyond in love with him… and she could never let him go.
This woman was beautiful. Jason couldn't believe he had waited this long to be with her. But he was with her now, and it was so worth the wait.
The next thing Jason knew, he was being shaken awake. "Come on, Jason, you gotta get dressed."
He looked at the clock and groaned. "It's only 7:30. It's Christmas. Let's sleep in."
"You can go back to sleep after you put on pants. You can just put on sweatpants for all I care. But Morgan gets up early on Christmas, and I don't want him coming in here and seeing you naked."
"Yeah, I didn't think about that." He put on a pair of comfy sweats, and then pulled Carly back into the bed and wrapped his arms around her.
"Last night was amazing."
"It was. I love you, Jason."
"I love you, too, Carly."
Jason swore he had just closed his eyes when he felt Morgan jump into bed between Carly and him.
"Mommy, Jason wake up. It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Morgan," they both said.
"Can we go downstairs to see if Santa came?" he pleaded.
"Sure. Give us just a few minutes, and we'll be down."
Morgan left, and Jason and Carly got out of bed.
"You were right about Morgan, but I guess that's how most kids are on Christmas morning."
.
"Mommy, Jason, he came! Santa came!"
"I guess we'd better go downstairs!" Jason said.
That morning was spent watching Morgan his presents and playing with them. He was almost finished opening them when they heard a knock on the door.
"Merry Christmas!" Spinelli said. Jason and Carly had invited him to spend Christmas with them.
"Come on in, Spinelli. Jason and I were just watching Morgan open his presents."
"I brought presents for little Morgan as well."
"Great, more presents. This kid has more presents than a Toys R Us," Jason said.
"I also brought gifts for the Valkyrie and Stone Cold."
"Aw. Thanks Spinelli. You didn't need to."
Carly opened her gift from Spinelli. It was a framed picture of her, Jason, Morgan, Lulu, Maxie and Spinelli.
"I hope you like it. It was the picture taken when we were decorating the tree."
"I love it. Thank you Spinelli."
Jason opened his present. It was a pair of blue t-shirts. Jason didn't understand why Spinelli gave him more shirts.
"The Valkyrie always says that blue makes you look innocent, so I figured if you ever got into any more… trouble… then you could wear the blue shirts and maybe you would look innocent."
Carly couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, Spinelli," Jason said.
"There's something else in there, too."
Jason found an envelope, and he discovered several gift certificates to different places around town, including restaurants and the movie theater.
"I thought you all could use them to go out with," Spinelli said. "I know it's not much… and it doesn't begin to describe how grateful I am to Stone Cold for taking me in and including me in your life with the Valkyrie, but-"
"Spinelli, I love the gift. And I'm grateful for you, too."
"We have a gift for you, too, Spinelli," Carly said. "Well, actually, two gifts."
The first was some computer game that apparently was "the gift" to give this year. Neither Carly nor Jason understood it, but Spinelli seemed to love it.
"This is what I wanted! Thanks you guys!"
"Open the next one," Carly said.
It was a key. "It's to this house," Carly said.
"I'm going to be spending a lot of time here with Carly and Morgan, so we thought that you could come over whenever you felt like it," Jason said.
"We have two spare bedrooms," Carly said.
"I really don't know what to say. Thank you all… thank you all so much."
The rest of day, Carly and Jason opened their presents to each other and helped Morgan set up his toys and games. Bobbie and Lulu stopped by for a little while, dropping off some food and giving presents for all.
Later, it was just Carly, Jason, and Morgan. Spinelli had left to go meet Maxie and spend time with her. The three of them were sitting by the tree drinking hot chocolate and watching a Christmas movie.
"Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?" Jason asked Morgan.
"Almost."
"What did you not get, sweetie?" Carly asked.
"Michael."
Jason and Carly looked at each other, and then Carly put her son in her lap. "I know, I miss Michael, too. But I know that his spirit is here with us. Wherever he is right now, I know he's watching out for all of us, and maybe someday he will come back to us."
"Yeah," Jason agreed, "And maybe someday you will have a little brother or sister here to celebrate Christmas with us."
Carly raised an eyebrow and looked at Jason with curiosity. They hadn't discussed having a child together.
"Hey, Morgan, why don't you go put on your new pajamas and then you can pick out one of your new movies for us to watch."
"Okay," he said, running upstairs.
"So, did you mean what you said about having a child?" she asked.
"Yeah, if you want to have one."
"I would love to… but… I'm getting older and it's going to hard…maybe impossible to conceive a baby. And even if I did, I don't know if my body would allow me to carry it to term. I just don't want to get your hopes up."
"Carly, I would be so happy to have a baby with you, but if we can't, then I'll still be happy. I'm already so lucky to have you and that little boy."
"I'm lucky to have you, too."
Morgan ran down the stairs with a movie in his hand. After the movie was over, they discovered that he was asleep.
"Let's go to bed," Carly said.
They carried Morgan to his room and tucked him in his bed. "Merry Christmas, Morgan" they both whispered as they left his room. In the hall, Jason put his arms around Carly and kissed her.
"Merry Christmas, Carly. I love you."
"Merry Christmas, Jase. I love you, too."
They walked toward Carly's bedroom to enjoy the what was left of their first Christmas together.