***Christmas Eve***
Jennifer was up early, baking Christmas cookies. They had a full day planned with the kids. Jonathan wanted to take them ice skating. Jennifer had suggested decorating sugar cookies, and having a pj party that night watching Christmas movies. They were also going to open their stockings.
McKenna had given everyone the best Christmas present ever, by sleeping through the night.
Jennifer had 6 batches of cookies made before Jonathan and the kids woke up.
She made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and fresh coffee for her and Jonathan. She squeezed some fresh orange juice for the kids.
"Someone wants you this morning".
She tried to take McKenna from him but she wouldn't go.
"Guess she changed her mind".
"It wasn't her".
He leaned over and kissed her a few times and then they heard the kids come down.
After a sweet breakfast with Savanna being extra snuggly towards Jennifer, they started decorating the sugar cookies.
Luke gave up first, and then it was just Savanna and Jennifer.
Jonathan put McKenna in her highchair and came and joined them.
He made a few J+J cookies and a J with a heart. He made a J+S cookie and gave it to Savanna.
After all the cookies were decorated, Savanna went to watch TV and Jonathan helped Jennifer clean up the mess.
McKenna had fallen asleep in her highchair.
Jennifer took her and moved her to her crib and then went to the laundry room to start laundry.
Jonathan came into the laundry room and wrapped his arms around her waist.
He started kissing her neck.
"Jonathan, the kids-"
"aren't going to see us. Savanna is watching her movie and Luke is upstairs and McKenna is asleep".
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up and placed her on the washing machine.
"Do you think we can convince the older kids to go down for a nap?"
She kissed him.
"Highly doubtful".
He started kissing her neck again.
"What if we snuck away to our room?"
"We could try-"
Just then, McKenna woke up.
Jennifer sighed.
"Let's revisit this after the kids go to bed tonight, ok?"
She kissed him and he helped her off the washer.
"I'll go get McKenna".
She stepped out of the laundry room and went and got her out of her crib, and then brought her back to the laundry room.
"Say Uncle Jonathan, do you want to feed me a bottle, or do you want to finish the laundry? Aunt Jennifer will do the one you don't pick".
"Uncle Jonathan wants to do something with Aunt Jennifer".
"Jonathan! That was not a choice".
"Ok, ok. I will feed her".
"Thank you".
She kissed McKenna and then handed her to Jonathan, and went and heated up the bottle for him to give her.
She finished up the laundry and took the clothes from the dryer to their bedroom. She tossed them on the bed and started to fold them.
The doorbell rang, and Savanna ran to see who it was.
Jennifer ran after her.
It was Abby and Mike and their boys.
"Hi, Merry Christmas".
"Hi. We are a little early, but the boys were so excited, so we came on by".
"No problem".
Everyone sat down and Savanna immediately climbed in Jennifer's lap.
"Ok, so we didn't cook anything for dinner tonight because we didn't know what you guys like. We were going to order something in. So, we can do pizza, we can do Chinese, we can do custom orders from another restaurant, whatever you guys want".
They all agreed on Pizza. Jonathan ordered two large cheese pizzas for the kids, a small veggie for Jennifer, and 2 large supreme pizzas for him and Abby and Mike.
They spent the evening eating pizza and playing games and then Abby and Mike said they would be there at 10 the next morning.
After they left, they got out their stockings and Jonathan passed them out.
Savanna got to go first. Jennifer had gotten her a bunch of nail polishes and a kids makeup set and a new doll.
Luke went next. He had gotten a new video game and a new art set.
McKenna had a couple new pacifiers and a new mesh teether, and some new cups.
Jonathan was next. The kids had gotten him a new pair of gloves and a scarf. Jennifer had gotten him some more of his cologne that he wore and some of his favorite candy.
"Ok it's Aunt Jennifer's turn."
He took McKenna from her so that she could open her stocking.
The kids had gotten her a gift card to her favorite store, and a really nice steering wheel cover for her car. At the very bottom, there was a small black bag. She pulled that out and found a plain silver key.
She looked at Jonathan for an explanation.
"Well, it's in the garage."
They all traipsed out to the garage to see what it was. He made her close her eyes before she got to it, and he took her hand and led her the rest of the way.
"Now hold on, while I move something out of the way".
"Ok, open".
Sitting there in the garage, was her old Corvette.
"How did you-"
"I tracked it down through the dealer and told them I would move heaven and earth to buy this car back for you. It was delivered yesterday while you and the kids were sleeping".
"Jonathan, I love the car I have now".
"Yeah, but you loved this one more. This car was your baby. So it won't fit the kids, that's ok. This can be the car you drive when it's just you, or when it's just you and me."
She wiped the tears away from her cheeks and leaned up and hugged him.
Savanna started trying to climb up her legs, so she leaned down and picked her up.
"Why are you crying?"
Before Jennifer could answer, Savanna turned and yelled at Jonathan.
"Why did you make her cry?"
"He didn't make me cry, honey. Not the way you think".
"So why are you crying?"
"Because I'm so happy".
They walked back inside and sat on the couch. Jonathan put on a Christmas movie for them and Jennifer made everyone hot chocolate.
She was in the kitchen making the hot chocolate when Jonathan came over to her.
She pulled him out of sight of the kids and pulled herself up on the counter and kissed him.
"Thank you for my surprise. You really got me".
"You deserve it".
"As soon as the kids fall asleep, you and I get to play Santa".
"I can't wait".
"Where is McKenna?"
"In her Jumperoo."
"Ok. We should probably put her to bed in the bassinette tonight. We can move her to the crib later".
He nodded and kissed her again.
"Do we have a lot of stuff to put together?"
"Her big gift has to be put together. The rest of it has to be wrapped, though."
"Awesome".
Jennifer hopped down and finished making the hot chocolate. They went and sat down on the couch and snuggled up under a blanket.
Before the movie even ended, both kids were asleep. Jennifer picked Savanna up and took her upstairs, and Jonathan took Luke. They got them all tucked into bed, and then came back downstairs and started getting the Santa gifts out.
Jonathan put together the Barbie house while Jennifer wrapped the other gifts.
She was sitting next to him when his stomach started growling.
"Want me to get you some more pizza?"
"Yes, please".
She got up and made them each a plate of pizza and brought it to the coffee table.
"So, after the kids are no longer in our care, what are your plans?"
"I don't want to think about that. I am going to miss them".
"Yeah, me too. But we have to plan for the future".
"I know. I don't really have any plans. I guess I will go back to work, and find a place to live, since I gave up my apartment. What about you?"
"I will be doing the same, although I didn't give up my apartment. I decided to keep it."
"Are you going to be based more in California or here?"
"Wherever you are, that's where I'll be".
"Aww…how sweet".
They finished their pizza and got everything squared away. Jonathan closed the doors leading to the hallway by the stairs and put a decoration with bells on it.
"What are you doing?"
"If the kids come down, we will hear them".
"Good idea".
Jennifer transferred McKenna to her crib successfully, and then they locked up the house and headed to bed.
She had on a short bright blue nightshirt and some gray pajama pants.
She took the pajama pants off to sleep and climbed into bed.
He turned on the electric blanket for them and climbed in next to her.
They made love and then fell asleep together.
He kissed her cheek as he held her.
"Merry Christmas, Darling".
"Merry Christmas, Darling".
***The next morning***
They woke up at 6:45, when McKenna woke them up.
Jennifer got up and got her out of her crib and changed her and gave her a bottle.
Jonathan made coffee while Jennifer gave McKenna a bath.
She was smiley and happy and in such a great mood.
He held her while Jennifer took a shower and got dressed and then she took over so he could shower.
Savanna woke up at 8, and Luke woke up at 8:15.
Savanna ran to Jennifer who was sitting on the couch and climbed in her lap.
"It's Christmas!"
"It is!"
After they opened their Santa gifts, Jennifer made them pancakes and bacon.
Abby and Mike got there at 10, and had breakfast with them.
After another round of opening presents, Jennifer got the kids bags packed for them to go with their aunt and uncle.
They were all sitting on the couch and Jennifer was telling Abby about their routine things.
"The feel better song is Bushel and a Peck. Her other favorite is You Are My Sunshine. And sometimes she just wants you to hug her and scratch her back. She loves to color, and she's a big help with McKenna in the car. Luke loves to read and play his video games and he's more of a loner. He rarely gets upset or scared, so when he does, it's pretty major".
Abby was writing all this down.
"McKenna is the easiest. She has just started sleeping through the night, so that's a bonus for you guys. If she's teething, she loves frozen mango chunks in the mesh teether. She takes her bottles warmed up for 23 seconds and she loves her jumperoo. And most of the time, she needs to be burped ½ way through her bottle and then at the end. If she sucks it down in record time, then I just make sure to burp her really well. If you don't burp her ½ way through, that's usually when she will puke all over you. And she prefers to sleep in total darkness, with her pink blanket."
Jonathan helped Mike load up all the bags. They decided to take the pack n' play and the jumperoo with them.
"Ok guys, you can each pick two toys to take with you, but they have to be small".
Savanna climbed up into her lap.
"Did you tell her all the things?"
"Yes, I did."
"What are you and Uncle Jonathan going to do while we aren't here?"
"We haven't decided. We'll probably do something boring, like work, and go to bed early".
"Did you tell Aunt Abby how chocolate pudding is good for me?"
Jennifer chuckled.
"No, I didn't."
"Can we have some when we get back?"
"Certainly".
Savanna looked at her aunt.
"Uncle Jonathan buyed Aunt Jeffer a car".
"He did?"
Jennifer nodded.
"When he and I started caring for the kids, I had a Corvette that I had purchased many years ago and restored myself. I don't mean I built it physically myself. I mean I researched the parts and ordered them and had them put in and spent a lot of money having it restored and rebuilt. But it's not the best car for a family of 5, or even a single mom of 3. So, I traded it in and bought the Explorer. And last night in my stocking, there was a plain silver key, and he walked all of us out to the garage and there it was. He had bought it back for me".
"Aunt Jeffer started crying."
"Yep, I sure did, lovebug".
Abby and Mike announced they were ready to leave, so Jennifer gave Savanna lots of squeezes and kisses.
"You're going to be a good girl, right?"
"Yeah, I will".
"Good."
Luke promised to behave as well and then they got in the car.
They gave McKenna tons of kisses and hugs and she put a few extra bottles of formula in a bag to give to Abby.
"We will see you guys in a week. Have fun".
They waved goodbye to them as they pulled out of the driveway and then went back inside.
Jennifer cleaned up the wrapping paper and then cleaned out the refrigerator and took the trash out.
Jonathan was taking the tree down, and putting the ornaments and lights away.
He carried the tree outside and put it on the curb and then took the lights and ornaments upstairs to the attic.
Jennifer found them a movie and sat down on the couch.
He came and joined her.
"We never exchanged our Christmas gifts".
"Oh yeah, we didn't".
She got up and went and got his and came back.
He pulled hers out of the cabinet from under the TV.
He opened his to find a new black leather jacket, and several pairs of pajama pants.
"Thank you darling".
He leaned over and kissed her.
"Your turn".
She opened hers and found a gorgeous gold bracelet with diamonds and garnets.
"Jonathan, it's absolutely beautiful. I love it, thank you".
Her second package was a new leather purse and tote bag.
"How did you know-"
"I saw your old one in the closet. Looked a little worn, and thought you might want a new one".
He leaned over and kissed her temple.
"Thank you. It's absolutely perfect".
"And now, we have one more, and it's really a gift from us to us".
She looked at him confused, and then opened it.
It was a piece of paper, folded into thirds.
She unfolded it and saw that it was a hotel reservation for two for a hotel and resort.
"Where is this?"
"Aruba".
"You want to take me to Aruba?"
He nodded.
"When do we leave?"
"Our reservations start tomorrow".
She leaned forward and kissed him.
"I cannot wait to spend a week in Aruba with you".
They got up and went and packed.
Jennifer packed as much as she could, and then stopped.
"I'm going to run to the storage unit and get a few things. I'll be back soon".
"I'm going too".
"You are?"
"Yeah, I don't want you going alone".
She nodded.
They got in the car and headed to the storage unit. He was very patient as she dug through boxes and found her summer clothes and then decided what to take on their trip.
They held hands as they drove back to the house and finished packing.
"What time is our flight?"
"In a few hours".
He loaded their bags into the Mercedes and then they pulled the Explorer into the garage and locked the house up really well.
He had put some valuables in the master bedroom crawlspace, just to be on the safe side.
They drove to the airport and he pulled them into a special lot, and then they boarded a shuttle.
"Why are we taking a shuttle?"
"Because, we aren't flying commercial".
The shuttle drove them around to the tarmac where his plane was.
His pilot, Jack was waiting for them.
"Jack, this is Jennifer Edwards. Jennifer, this is Jack, the best pilot in the business".
"Nice to meet you".
"Same to you, ma'am".
He led her up the stairs and they got settled.
"Jonathan, I cannot believe you chartered a private plane for our trip. You never cease to amaze me".
"I didn't. I own this plane. It's the company jet".
"Wow, this is really nice".
"Thanks. I wanted to fly comfortably. This is the cabin, and there's a bathroom, a bedroom and shower back that way".
"A bedroom, bedroom? Like with a bed?"
"Yes, like with a bed". He was grinning at her.
She stepped forward and embraced him.
"So if we wanted to, we could….sleep….on the plane?"
"If we wanted to. But when we are taking off and landing, we have to be buckled in these seats out here".
"Got it".
"We have total privacy out here, and the mini-kitchen is stocked with whatever you need. I made sure that your favorite sparkling water is on board".
"Thank you".
They sat down and buckled up, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I love you, darling. I cannot believe you did this for me and for us. You are the most wonderful man ever".
She leaned over and kissed him. He returned the kiss and increased the passion. They continued kissing through the take-off, and weren't aware the plane had leveled off until they heard Jack coming over the loudspeaker telling them they could take their seatbelts off.
"How long is our flight?"
"About 4 hours. We will be there about 11, which will be midnight their time".
They relaxed a little and watched some TV on the flight, and Jennifer fell asleep for a little bit.
He woke her up just before they were going to land.
"Have a nice nap?"
"Yeah, I did".
As soon as they landed, they got their stuff together and then took a cab to their airport.
They pulled up and got out and went inside.
"Hi, we have a reservation for two for Hart".
"No, you don't".
"Yes, we do".
Jennifer handed him the piece of paper he had given her in the present that confirmed their reservation.
"I'm sorry, our hotel was sold a week ago, and the new owners aren't honoring any previously held reservations. We are only here to clean out the old equipment. You will have to stay somewhere else".
"How do I get a refund?"
"You don't. The new owners didn't take responsibility of the old owner's debts when they bought the place. And the old owners filed for bankruptcy. So, there won't be any refunds".
"Can you at least call us a cab to take us somewhere?"
"Phone is in the lobby by the couch".
Jennifer looked heartbroken. Jonathan was pissed.
"What do you want to do?"