Once Loren was gone, Sully shook his head and went back inside the church to attend to his loved ones. He hugged and kissed Snowbird and Olive, and wished them both a Merry Christmas, and then he turned his attention to Michaela.
"Is everyone ready to go?" he asked Michaela, who had the children settled and seated on the back pew.
"Yes," Michaela replied. She wanted to ask him how he felt being back in church and ask him if he enjoyed the service. She decided that she would wait until they were alone together to have that talk, "I just received a text message from Honey Baked Ham. Our order is ready to be picked up."
"Good," Sully responded, but then made a request, "Darlin' would you mind if we brought Wolf to your house with us? I've never brought him to your house before, but I kinda feel bad for leavin' him alone on Christmas…um…He's housebroken. "
"Certainly," Michaela said with a laugh, thinking it was sweet how he cared for his dog, "Did you get him a present?"
"Yeah," Sully admitted, shooting her a boyish grin, "I got him a great big bone, some meat sticks, and some Greenies to take care of his doggy breath."
Bones and meat sticks made Michaela think of one thing, her three new pets in the basement that could possibly be a meaty little treat for Sully's dog. She whispered quietly and asked, "Is he okay around small animals?" Michaela wanted Sully to bring his furry best friend to the house, but she didn't want the large dog to try and eat the small guinea pigs. She remembered Sully telling her that Wolf can become vicious, but only if he senses a threat. She wondered if he also became vicious if he was hunting for a meal.
"Yeah," Sully confirmed with a nod, but lowered his voice as he explained, "He seems to have a soft spot for small animals; I don't know what it is. We've had chickens before, and he's never touched them. He's a big snuggler, especially with the kids, but I've seen him snuggle with stray kittens, bunnies, and even coyote pups that wander onto the ranch. I try to keep him away from the coyotes though, I don't want the grown ones thinkin' that it's okay to trespass on my property."
"Let's go pick him up," Michaela said, satisfied with his answer.
Sully smiled and gave her a kiss. Then he turned his attention to the children and said, "Alright guys! Let's get outta here and keep this party goin'!"
Sully and Michaela loaded all of the children into the Mercedes, then they returned to the ranch to pick up Wolf, and finally they picked up their family dinner from the Honey Baked Ham store. When they got back to Michaela's house, Sully handed her the keys and turned around to address the children.
"It's real cold outside, so this is what I want," he said, his coach voice taking over, "Colleen, Hanna and Brian are to go straight into the warm house with Mommy," He assumed it was okay to refer to Michaela as Mommy, even though Hanna was in the group that he wanted to go inside. The two other children were her's after all. "Zachary and Matthew, you're old enough for me to give ya both some manly duties…"
Michaela stifled a laugh when she heard Sully say that Zachary and Matthew were getting "manly" duties.
"You two are gonna brave the cold and help me get all of the food inside," Sully continued.
"Yes, Sir," Zachary responded.
"Yes, Sir," Matthew quickly followed suit.
Michaela got the toddlers and Colleen into the house with Wolf following behind them. Sully's four-legged best friend seemed to feel like it was his duty to look after Michaela and the younger children while Sully was occupied with something else.
Sully placed a bag of side dishes in each of the boy's hands. Then he followed them inside with a box that held a cooked and pre-cut turkey and a cooked spiral cut ham. Afterward, Sully returned outside to lock-up Michaela's vehicle and also to carry in the bag of presents that Loren had given him for the kids.
The day before, on Christmas Eve, Sully had brought over sternos and chafers from the banquet hall at the ranch to keep the food warm once it arrived. Michaela left them on her kitchen island for Sully to deal with but retrieved three crock pots that she owned and turned them on to keep some of the side dishes warm.
Sully walked into the kitchen, "The children are occupied with Wolf," he informed her, "How about you set the table and I will deal with the food?"
"Sounds perfect," Michaela agreed with a warm smile. She was happy to allow him to handle any food preparation duties, even if the food was already cooked.
Sully lit two of the sternos and then retrieved his largest chafer dishes for the turkey and ham.
"How do you want to handle the guinea pigs?" Michaela asked him as she got out her pretty china from the dishwasher. She wanted to use her good china for dinner; it was Christmas after all. She'd run her favorite set in the dishwasher to make sure it was dust free.
"What do ya mean?" Sully asked with a chuckle. Now that the turkey and ham were set up, he turned his attention to the side dishes. He soon realized that Michaela had ordered the motherload of side dishes: Loaded Smashed Potatoes, Tuscan-Style Broccoli, Country Cornbread Stuffing, Roasted Turkey Gravy, Double Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Baked Cinnamon Apples, Maple Sweet Potato Souffle, and last but certainly not least the Green Bean Casserole, "And why did ya order so many side dishes?"
"It's Christmas," Michaela said, now worried that she ordered too much, "I wanted to supply a good meal, even if I'm not cooking it myself."
"I'm sure it will be great," he replied. Noticing the slight change in her demeanor, he winked at her, not wanting her to feel defeated. She was a confident and beautiful woman, but for some reason, anytime she had to prepare a meal, she seemed to second guess herself. He decided to make it one of his New Year's resolutions to try and get her past that.
She smiled back at him and then said, "As for the guinea pigs, I am worried because I didn't buy one for Zac and Hanna." They were going to be eating buffet style with the exception of drinks. Michaela thought it was best to stack the plates on the kitchen table and set the dining room table with everything else.
"Why does that worry ya?" Sully asked. He turned on two more sternos and placed his sectioned chafers, in stands, over them. Then he started loading the side dishes in, "Ya know, I don't think we'll need the crock pots. Everything will fit in the chafers."
"That's great," Michaela replied, she was perfectly fine with having less dishes to wash at the end of the night. Then she discussed her feelings about Zachary and Hanna, "I'm worried because they're young. They might feel left out because Matthew, Colleen, and Brian are getting live animals as gifts and they're not. I probably should've thought of that before."
Sully honestly didn't think they'd care about having little cavies as gifts. His children had a dog that was celebrating Christmas with them, and they had horses at home. Additionally, they were always allowed to play with the baby cows. Sully viewed pets such as guinea pigs, goldfish, or hamsters as training pets. His kids didn't need training pets, they had real pets already.
"What do ya wanna do?" Sully asked. He finished pouring all of the side dishes into the chafers. Then he decided to gather all of the disposable to-go boxes that the meal came in and put it inside of the large box that originally held both meats. He wanted to get everything together so it would be ready for him to take outside to her large trash can when they were done eating.
"Perhaps I can take Matthew, Colleen, and Brian downstairs so they can see the guinea pigs, and you can pick out some bigger gifts for Zac and Hanna to open in the living room," she suggested.
"I don't think Hanna and Zac will be upset," Sully said again, "but, if ya wanna do it that way, then I think that would be a good time for them to open their presents from their grandfather. I looked inside the bag. Loren didn't wrap anything, but he did put names on everything in the bag. He got my kids some really nice stuff. He did throw a few things in for your kids, but they're just little stockin' stuffers."
"What did he get for my children?" Michaela asked, she wasn't expecting Loren to buy them anything at all.
"He got some Uno cards for Matthew. It's that new game that only has the wild cards," Sully explained.
Michaela smiled, knowing Matthew would enjoy playing that.
"He got a little train for Brian," Sully continued, "and do you remember Polly Pocket?"
"Yes," Michaela said, remembering that she had a purple Polly Pocket compact when she was a little girl.
"He got somethin' like that for Colleen, but it's an off brand," Sully told her, "The small house is a shell, and inside are tiny mermaids."
"That sounds cute," Michaela commented with a laugh. She believed that her daughter would really like that.
"I thought they can open those when they open their gifts from me," Sully said, "They're just little add-ons."
"Fine," Michaela replied with a nod, "What did you get for my children? I know you got Colleen the doll house."
"No," Sully corrected her, a smirk that was already on his face started growing into a wide smile. He didn't paint the dollhouse with his son so he could take credit for it, "I helped make that into what you wanted, but that's your gift to give."
"Very well," Michaela answered. She truly didn't mind giving Sully credit for the house, but she also loved how selfless he was. He was so loving and kind. "But I still want to know what you're giving them," she inquired a second time. She'd already told Sully what she got for Hanna and Zachary. She purchased a sweet gray dress with a white peter pan collar for Hanna, and a gift card to Color Me Mine for Zac.
"I got a tee-ball set for Brian," Sully explained and began to describe his Christmas presents for her children, "It's just like the one that he plays with at my house, but it ain't pink like Hanna's. I got Colleen a set of ponies and a play corral. It matches the scale of her doll house. I got Matthew a baseball equipment bag, most of the boys that play under me have them. It's made to carry his bat, ball, glove, and everything else he needs."
"Do you think Matthew is ready to play on your team?" Michaela asked, now that he'd brought up little league. She was worried about Matthew not being ready. Many of the boys that played on Sully's team had been playing since they were three or four. Matthew just started playing a few months ago.
"He still needs practice," Sully informed her, feeling that honesty was the best policy. Most of the boys had been playing since kindergarten or younger, but Matthew wasn't too old to start, "but he works hard, and he wants it. I don't see any reason why he won't be ready by February."
"That's a relief," Michaela replied. She wanted Matthew to play but didn't know enough about little league to know how competitive it actually was.
"I got everyone a brand-new Rockies t-shirt and sweatshirt," Sully announced proudly. Then he helped pick-up Michaela's nice glasses and sippy cups. Michaela held her shiny silverware in hand and the pair walked to the dining room to finish setting the table, "Next season, I've gotta get everyone to a game."
Michaela smiled at him as they set the dining room table, "Matthew will be thrilled."
Finally, it was time to sit down for their Christmas meal, and once everyone was served, Sully offered to say grace. Michaela was pleased that he wanted to do that, and immediately agreed. Typically, she was the one who said grace when they ate together. Though, every once in a while, Matthew said it in her stead. She hoped this meant that Sully was ready and willing to get through his anger at God.
The family of seven held hands and Sully started, "Thank you, Father, for this meal and this glorious day. Thank you for lettin' us celebrate the birth of your son, Christ the Lord. Mostly, Father, thank you for bringin' us together. We're two small families that get to celebrate as one big family. In your wisdom and grace, you knew that we all needed each other…um… amen."
"Amen," Michaela echoed, looking up at Sully warmly. She liked what he said, but she felt that he was holding back a little and wanted to thank God for more. She concluded that he probably didn't want to do it in front of everyone. She could imagine that it may be uncomfortable for him. That was okay, she thought to herself, it was a start. Just like going to church earlier that day was a start.
"Let's eat," Sully said.
Once dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up and put away, Michaela took her children downstairs into the basement.
"What are we doing down here, Mom?" Matthew asked.
"Since we don't live at the ranch," Michaela started to tell her children. She felt in her soul that they would be living at the ranch someday, but they weren't living there yet, " and you've been begging your poor mother for pets…"
"Pets?" Matthew and Colleen questioned in unison.
"...for weeks. Especially after you leave the ranch," Michaela continued, gesturing to the C&C cage by the window, "Well, Merry Christmas."
Matthew and Colleen both gasped in delight. Colleen immediately skipped over to the cage to see the animals, but Matthew threw his arms around Michaela's waist.
The sudden action startled Michaela and she jumped at first, but then hugged her son back, "So… I did good?"
"Thank you, Mommy," Matthew said, still hugging her tight, "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Honey." she returned as she hugged him and tried to hold back her tears. It had been a long time since Matthew had called her mommy. She missed it, but had to accept that as her kids grew, she was going to hear mommy, less and less. She liked being called mom too, yet there was something that was just so sweet about hearing mommy, especially from her oldest son.
Michaela and Matthew walked up to the cage next to where Colleen was already standing. The little girl asked her mother, "What are they?" She'd never seen an animal that looked quite like those ones before and the wheels in her head began turning. She thought that they sort of looked like small bunnies, but they didn't have large ears. They weren't kittens or puppies, that was for sure. She'd certainly never learned about the animals that she was currently focused on at school. None of her friends back in Boston had pets that looked quite like those. Colleen had made some friends in Colorado Springs, but she hadn't been invited to any sleepovers yet. In her six-year-old mind, she silently wondered if these animals were only found in Colorado Springs, perhaps she'd see more of them when she started going to sleepover birthday parties.
"They're called guinea pigs," Michaela informed her children, "The salesclerk at the pet shop said they could also be called cavies."
"They don't look like pigs," Colleen commented, becoming confused.
"I've heard of them, but I've never seen one before," Matthew announced, "Cohen said that he had one at his grandfather's house."
When Colleen heard the name Cohen, she quickly questioned, "So they do have them in Boston?"
"I think so," Matthew said with a shrug and then tried to remember what his friend from Boston had actually said, "Well…Actually, I don't remember if he said guinea pig or mini pig."
"They aren't pigs like the ones you see on a farm," Michaela attempted to make clear for her children, "They are actually large rodents."
"Rodents? Ew!" Colleen complained, eyeing her mother strangely and wondering why she would allow them into the house. To the little girl, rodent equaled rat, and she was taught that rats are disgusting.
"Large rodents," Michaela clarified, knowing exactly what her daughter was thinking, "They aren't rats. If they were, I wouldn't have them in the house. They are friendly and nice pets as long as they are cared for. I thought we could care for them."
"Which one is which?" Matthew asked, "Who belongs to who?"
"I haven't decided that yet," Michaela explained, "The one with the shiny, solid, black coat is the only boy. The white, black and brown striped one is a girl, and the solid, cream colored one is another girl."
"I want the boy," Matthew announced first.
"I want the striped one," Colleen announced second.
"Go ahead," Michaela coached, "You can take them out of the cage."
Meanwhile, upstairs, Sully was giving Hanna and Zachary their presents from Loren.
"Grandpa got ya this fun game," Sully told his daughter, showing her, "Feed the Woozle is what it's called. You wanna play that with Brian later?"
"I want Barbie!" Hanna demanded. She was becoming sassier every week, and Sully knew he was going to have to start cracking down on her, or she would become spoiled-rotten and uncontrollable. He just didn't have the heart for it yet.
"Okay," Sully answered with a chuckle. Loren got her a collector's edition doll that was likely supposed to stay in the box, but Sully didn't care. He was going to open the Barbie and let Hanna play with it. He carefully removed the doll from the box and gave it to Hanna.
Once Hanna was occupied with her doll, Sully shifted his attention to Zachary.
"What did you get, Son?" Sully asked.
"I got a backpack, lunch box, water bottle, desk lamp, and I think this is a cell phone holder," Zachary explained and showed his father what he'd received.
Sully looked over the items carefully. The backpack and lunch box were shaped like baseballs. The water bottle and the desk lamp were shaped like baseball bats. The last item that Zachary thought was a cell phone holder, was shaped like a baseball glove. Sully honestly didn't know what it was. It was a weighty, pewter, sculpture of a glove. Sully supposed that Zachary could set a phone on it, or maybe he could use it as a paper weight, but he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was just meant to be decorative.
"Do ya like what Grandpa got ya?" Sully questioned, "It looks like some nice stuff."
"Yeah," the boy answered.
Michaela sat on the basement floor leaning back on her hands with her legs out straight in front of her. She was currently watching Matthew and Colleen. Each of them had a cavy in their arms.
"What are you going to name them?" Michaela inquired.
"I wanna name mine Saibot," Matthew announced.
"What kind of a name is Saibot?" Michaela questioned, thinking that was an odd choice.
"It's a video game character," Matthew explained.
"Which video game?" his mother asked.
"Um…a game…" he responded, not wanting to tell his mother which game it was.
Michaela's eyebrow raised immediately in response, almost like an involuntary action. When her son was intentionally vague, that usually meant he was trying to hide something from her. Perhaps this video game was something that she didn't want him playing. Deciding not to press him, she shrugged and turned her attention to her daughter.
Colleen was holding her guinea pig like a baby and was rocking the pet like she would rock a baby doll.
"What are you going to name yours, Colleen?" she questioned.
"Princess," Colleen said with a giddy smile on her face, as she continued to rock her cavy.
Michaela smiled. She should have known that Colleen would pick a name like that. She turned to look at Brian next and found her son standing near the cage, watching his new pet. He was clearly interested, but he didn't seem to know what to do next.
"Are you alright, Sweetheart?" Michaela asked the young toddler, scooting closer to him on the floor, "Do you want to hold her?"
"I…I…I no… know how," Brian confessed.
Michaela giggled at her son and then turned her body so she could reach into the cage to retrieve his pet, "Let me help you," she said as she placed the small animal into her little boy's arms, "Just hold her close to you."
Brian held the guinea pig sweetly, and softly kissed her head.
Michaela didn't know if she was imagining things or not, but the guinea pig looked like it was trying to snuggle with her young son. Perhaps the animal knew he was young, and she was treating Brian like he was her baby? That was probably a silly thought, but there just seemed to be something about this animal's personality and temperament.
"What do you want to name your new little friend?" Michaela asked.
"Bubba," Brian said, now getting the hang of holding the small animal.
Michaela smiled warmly at his choice. Her father once chose the name Bubba for a large fish that lived in his office fish tank at the hospital, "That's a great name, Sweetheart."
While Sully was sitting with his children in the living room, Michaela came up the stairs with her three, all of them with a guinea pig in hand.
"Hey guys!" Sully greeted them with a smile on his face, "Do you like having pets of your own?"
Brian was the first to answer, "Yes! My piggy!" He proudly showed off his new guinea pig to Sully, "Bubba!"
Sully crouched down and softly petted the little animal in Brian's arms, "You need to take good care of your little piggy, Brian."
Matthew met up with Zachary and showed him his cavy. Colleen found her place on the couch and began rocking her guinea pig like a baby again. Michaela simply smiled at the scene in front of her. She took a deep breath, happy with her choice of gift for the children.
While Sully was explaining to Brian that he needed to feed his cavy every day, his attention was soon drawn elsewhere by his young daughter who was tugging on his shirt.
"Yes, Baby?" Sully questioned, thinking she needed him for something.
"Daddy, I want piggy," Hanna told her father, pointing to the cavy in Brian's arms.
Sully let out a chuckle, "We don't need piggies," he explained to the sassy two-year-old, "We've got horsies, cowies, and Wolfy."
"I want piggy!" Hanna demanded, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Hanna," Sully tried to reason. Then he stood and scooped his little girl up into his arms. As he was going to explain to Hanna that it's not nice to pout, his son ran up to him.
"Dad," Zachary said, getting Sully's attention, "Can we get guinea pigs at our house?"
Sully wanted to ask him, For what? They had pets. He didn't get the chance to even ask because Hanna broke down crying in his arms.
"Hanna," Sully tried to reason again. He bounced her a few times.
"I want piggy!" she cried in his ear.
"We have Wolf here," Sully told his daughter, "You're gonna hurt his feelings."
As Michaela watched Sully dealing with his children, she suppressed the urge to shout the words, I told you so! She had a feeling that this could turn into a problem, and now it was one.
Noticing that Hanna was holding a Barbie, she walked over to them and attempted to distract the small child, "Hanna, what a pretty Barbie doll." She held out her arms and Hanna paused her tantrum and willingly went to her. She brought her over to the couch where Colleen was sitting, "Colleen, doesn't Hanna have a pretty Barbie doll?" When she looked up, Michaela shot Colleen their secret signal by winking twice and then she looked pointedly at the guinea pig.
"Yes," Colleen said. She was trained to handle her little brother's tantrums. When her mother gave her their secret signal, she understood to play along so they could avoid a screaming fit, "Hanna, can I have a turn holding your Barbie? You can have a turn holding Princess. That's my guinea pig's name." Colleen didn't mind giving Hanna a turn holding Princess. It was better to give the child a turn, than to have to listen to a tantrum. Besides, Hanna's Barbie did look pretty, and Colleen wanted to get a closer look.
"Oh, I think that's a great idea," Michaela said, attempting to encourage Hanna to trade.
Hanna handed her Barbie over to Colleen, and Colleen gave Hanna a turn holding her guinea pig. The little girl who was sitting on Michaela's lap, petted the cavy softly and then smiled at Michaela.
"She's so soft," Michaela said with a smile, "Now…Tell me, Hanna. Is Wolf soft?"
"Yes," Hanna answered with a nod, "Wolfy very soft."
"He's so much bigger than Princess," Michaela continued, "he's probably a better snuggler."
"Yes," Hanna replied, "Wolfy good snuggles."
"Can you show me how you snuggle with Wolf?" Michaela asked, hoping the small child would respond positively. When she excitedly said yes, Michaela added, "Let's give Princess back to Colleen and you show me how to snuggle with Wolf."
Hanna nodded and calmly returned the small guinea pig to Colleen and then hopped off of Michaela's lap. She waited for Michaela to stand up, so she could show her how she snuggles with Wolf. Hanna then skipped over to Wolf and threw her arms around him.
"Oh," Michaela cheered, "What a good and sweet girl you are."
Sully stood back watching how natural Michaela was with Hanna. She stopped Hanna's temper tantrum before it turned into a full-blown meltdown. Gosh, he thought, Michaela was so beautiful, and kind, and warm, and such a great mother. He loved her so much. As he was getting lost in thought, he was soon brought back to reality by his eleven-year-old son, who tapped his arm.
"Yes, Son," Sully said.
Zachary pulled his father's arm so he would bend down and he could whisper in his ear, "That trick may work on Hanna, but I'm too old to fall for that. I still want a guinea pig."
Sully scoffed and whispered back, "We'll see."
After a while, the children occupied themselves by racing the guinea pigs. More accurately, Colleen and the boys were racing the cavies, and Hanna was using Wolf as a pillow and playing with her Barbie.
They creatively used the cardboard from the presents that they'd opened and built a track that stretched from the sofa to the staircase. Matthew ran downstairs to the basement and retrieved a handful of food to entice the guinea pigs to race.
Sully viewed the fact that the children were distracted as an opportunity for him to sneak up on Michaela. She currently had a black trash bag in hand and was picking up shreds of gift wrap and tissue paper that were all over the floor. Sully stealthily walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her cheek and then rested his chin on her shoulder, "Thank you for handlin' Hanna for me." he whispered in her ear, "You're such a natural mother."
"You're welcome," Michaela said. She was still holding the black trash bag in her hands but stopped cleaning up. She didn't see the need to rub it in that she was right about the guinea pigs, instead she just enjoyed being in his arms.
Sully kissed her neck and whispered something else in her ear, "How about tonight, after we get the kids to bed, you and me get in that nice, jetted tub that ya have in your bathroom upstairs. I saw that ya have a built-in heater in there this mornin'. Wouldn't it be nice to spend some quality time in a steamy hot tub again? I don't know about you, but I think I'd love a second hot tub date."
Michaela knew she would certainly take pleasure in a second hot tub date. "That was an addition that I opted for when I bought the house," She explained to him in a low voice, "I love hot baths, they are very relaxing."
"Of course they are," he agreed, lightly nibbling on her earlobe. He chuckled softly when her shoulders raised. He knew his action sent shivers down her back.
"Unfortunately," Michaela said as she moved her shoulders. She was still tingling and getting little chills, "Even after the builders showed me how to use the heater, and gave me detailed written instructions, I've never quite figured it out."
Sully chuckled in her ear, "Can ya give me a chance to figure it out?"
"Certainly," Michaela agreed. She hoped he would figure it out. She wanted to get in the bath with him that night, and honestly, she would love to take hot baths and unwind even when he wasn't there.
Sully kissed her cheek. He couldn't wait until later that night.
It was the end of the night and the children had opened up all of their gifts. Michaela made the executive decision to tell her kids to put the guinea pigs back in their cage so they could rest for the night. The children had been racing them for a long time, and Michaela believed that the animals were likely exhausted.
Hanna and Brian were both leaning on Wolf now, but the large dog didn't mind. He simply laid down and closed his eyes. He was content to allow the children to use him as a pillow.
Hanna, calm as could be now, was playing with two fourteen-inch baby dolls that Sully had given her. Sitting right next to her, Brian quietly played with a set of dinosaur figurines that was sent to him by his grandmother.
Colleen was sitting off to one side of the room and was playing with her new doll house. She set up the corral and ponies that Sully gave her. She also had a set of six-inch dolls that matched the scale of her doll house to play with.
Matthew and Zachary sat at the bottom of the staircase and were playing Matthew's new Uno: All Wild game. They became so enthralled with the game that they got really loud from time to time. Neither Michaela nor Sully had to tell the boys to quiet down, however, Colleen took care of that for them.
All of the presents under Michaela's tree had been opened, except for the ones that Michaela and Sully got for each other. Now the time had finally come for them to exchange gifts with one another.
Michaela wanted Sully to go first, and she handed him a beautifully wrapped box. Michaela picked brown kraft paper to wrap Sully's gift in and she tied a forest-green, cloth ribbon around it. She thought her present looked very masculine and handsome, just like him.
Sully carefully unwrapped his gift and found a white garment box. He smiled at her and then opened the box.
"This is great, Darlin', I love it," Sully said genuinely when he saw the brown suede bomber jacket that she had purchased for him a few weeks ago. He stood up and tried the jacket on over his white button-up shirt that he'd worn to church. He'd put on a suit that morning, but after church was over, he took his suit jacket off and had been wearing only his white shirt and tie.
"It looks good on you," Michaela said and stood up. She zipped his jacket so she could check the fit. She hadn't measured him and didn't know with certainty any of his sizes the way he knew hers. She eyeballed it when she chose the jacket, and she was happy she guessed right.
"Thank you," Sully said and gave her a quick kiss, "Now it's time for you to open my gifts."
Sully moved to retrieve five different gift bags from under the tree and set them down in front of Michaela.
"Sully," Michaela scolded, sitting back down on the couch, "What did you do?"
"Why don't ya open them and find out?" Sully said with a laugh. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and handed the first bag up to her where she was sitting on the couch.
Michaela felt a little uneasy about this, as she only had one gift for him. She'd seen all of those gift bags when he'd set them under the tree the previous night, but she never looked at the tags to see who they were for. She'd just assumed they were for his children. Why did he do this?
As if he could sense her thoughts, Sully lifted his eyebrows at her and said, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. You already gave me the best gift of all yesterday," Then he shot her a mischievous smirk.
Michaela felt some tingles go down her spine, and knew she had to be blushing.
Colleen, who happened to look up from her doll house at exactly the right moment, shouted loudly, "Mommy, your face is pink!" Her comment made both Matthew and Zachary stop playing their card game and turn around and look.
Now that Colleen had confirmed that she was blushing, and she had an added audience, Michaela knew her face must be turning from pink to red. Thank goodness, the children didn't know what Sully was actually referring to.
"It's almost time to go to bed!" Sully yelled, "It might be a good idea to get back to playin'." It was only 8:00, so it wasn't really true that it was almost bedtime, but he wanted to get the children's attention off of Michaela. "Open your gifts, Sweetheart," Sully said when the children's eyes were off of her. He reached his hand over to rub the back of her calf. Now he felt guilty. She was really blushing, and he didn't want to embarrass her. He was just trying to tell her that he was appreciative of what she gave him already. Besides, the way he felt about her made him want to shower her with gifts; he didn't care what he received in return.
Michaela opened the first bag, and inside was a box that read Dr. Martens on the outside. She opened the box and inside was a pair of brown leather, lace-up boots, "These are very nice, Sully." she said, now becoming aware of what he was doing. They had discussed her getting boots like this before.
"I have to make sure that my lady is outfitted for the ranch," Sully explained sweetly.
Michaela opened three of her other gifts and found a pair of brown leather, cowgirl boots with a beautiful floral pattern embroidered into the leather, two pairs of skinny jeans to wear with the boots, and two long sleeved, plaid flannel shirts. The shirts were identical except for the colors. One was blue, black and white, and the other was pink, gray and white.
"I like all of your clothes that ya have already," Sully explained when she didn't say anything. He didn't want her to think that he thought she had no fashion sense or something like that, "I just thought you could use some new stuff, 'specially 'cause I wanna get ya out on a horse again."
Michaela smiled softly at him and then turned her attention to the final present that was in front of her. Michaela opened it and found a hooded sweatshirt. She could tell by the looks of it that it was fitted and not baggy. It was purple and white and looked oddly feminine for a hoodie. Michaela had always considered hooded sweatshirts to be very masculine looking. This one wasn't and it was also strangely familiar. Michaela unfolded it and realized that she did recognize it. It was the same Colorado Rockies hoodie that she saw herself wearing in one of her dreams of the future with Sully. She didn't say anything, she just gazed down at the sweatshirt.
From Sully's point-of-view, she looked lost in thought, "Do you like it, Darlin'? There's a t-shirt in the bag for ya too. I know ya probably thought I only got those for the kids, but I'd love to take us all to a game."
"I love it," Michaela said truthfully, and he was right about that. When he told her that he purchased Rockies shirts and sweatshirts for everyone, she did think he was only talking about the kids, "I love everything, it's all just perfect. Thank you, Sweetheart."
"You're welcome," Sully said, both pleased and relieved. He'd been sitting on his bottom, but he lifted himself up to his knees, leaning toward Michaela. She met him halfway and kissed his lips sweetly. "Merry Christmas, my darlin'," Sully whispered against her lips.
"Merry Christmas," Michaela echoed, "I love you."
Sully lifted himself so he was taller, his knees and shins were holding his weight, and he had a straight back. He took Michaela's face in his hands and caressed her cheeks as he deepened their kiss.
Michaela kept her hands in her lap but reciprocated by kissing him back. She enjoyed the deep kisses but didn't want to let things get too steamy because they had company in the living room. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to pull away and end their mini-make-out. His mouth was intoxicating, and addictive and she just didn't want to stop though she knew they should. However, when she felt his tongue pressing against her lips, asking for entry, she knew they had to stop, "We're not alone," she mumbled. She stopped kissing him but rested her forehead against his.
Sully sighed, he opened his eyes and glanced at the children who were all still enthralled with their games and toys, "They ain't payin' attention," he whispered.
"I know, but if one of us accidentally lets out a sound… indicating pleasure…you know what I mean, they will hear us," she warned quietly, "You know as well as I do, that certain things that happen between a man and a woman need to be kept private."
Just as Sully was going to respond, they heard a knock at the door, "You expectn' someone?" he asked.
"No," Michaela replied, "I'm not expecting anyone."
Michaela started to stand, but Sully stopped her. He gave her a light peck on the lips and then stood up himself, "I'll get it." he said.
They weren't expecting anyone. It wasn't late, but it was after dinner time, and his protective instincts were kicking in. Unless it was carolers on the other side of that door, or someone they knew, he didn't want her answering it.
Sully walked to the door and looked through the peephole, when he saw who it was on the other side, he growled to himself and covered his face with his hand.
Michaela first glanced at the children, and saw they were still playing. She immediately got up from her spot on the couch and was standing behind Sully in a flash, "Who is it?" she whispered, as the person on the other side of the door knocked again.
"It's Hank's grandmother," Sully whispered back, "Miss Ilsa."
"How does she know where I live?" Michaela asked, feeling a little uneasy, "How did she know you'd be here?"
"I don't know," Sully said, "I guess she's got her ways of findin' stuff out."
When Ilsa knocked on the door a third time, Michaela said with a shrug, "We might as well answer it."
Sully cringed, but then opened the door.
"Hello," Ilsa greeted them with a strong Norwegian accent, "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Michaela said, from over Sully's shoulder. Sully simply stood there, in a protective pose, quietly.
"I know you not expect me," the older woman said with a smile.
"What are ya doin' here, Ma'am?" Sully questioned.
"We want wish Zachary and Hanna and you, Sully, Merry Christmas," Ilsa explained.
"Who's we?" Sully asked, mentally preparing himself to punch Hank in the face. He better not have decided to show up at Michaela's house. Sully didn't even like that Miss Ilsa was there, but he wasn't about to punch her in the face.
"Me," she said and then stepped aside, "and my granddaughter, Mia."
Sully turned around and looked at Michaela, truly astonished. When Ilsa stepped aside she revealed a little girl who couldn't be more than seven. She had auburn hair and a trail of freckles covering her nose and cheeks.
What was truly horrifying to Michaela was that the little girl was shivering, and her lips were turning blue. It was freezing outside, and she didn't have on a coat, hat, or gloves. She wore a very generic thin pink sweatshirt that did not have a hood and she wore it with thin black sweatpants. On her feet were worn out sneakers.
"Please come inside," Michaela said. Her instincts told her that she had to get that child warm, "Would you like something to eat?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Ilsa said.
"May I please feed your grandchild?" Michaela asked. She wanted to get food, and a hot drink inside of her. Then she was going to wrap the child in a blanket and sit her by the fireplace.
"Yes, thank you," Ilsa agreed.
Michaela held out her hand and the small child looked at her nervously. Then she gave her a warm smile, and the girl shyly took her hand, and horrified her yet again. The little girl's hand was ice cold.
"What's your name again, Sweetheart?" Michaela asked, rubbing the child's little hand between both of hers as she led her through to the kitchen.
"Mia," she replied timidly. Michaela was a stranger to her, but she was nice, and Mia felt that she could trust her. In addition, she was happy to get out of the freezing cold weather and into the warm house.
"Are you hungry, Mia?" Michaela questioned. Then she repositioned herself so she could hold Mia's opposite hand. She was sure it was ice cold too, and Michaela wanted to warm it.
"Thank you and you girlfriend very much," Ilsa said to Sully, "I know Mia cold. I dress her in warmest clothes she have."
Sully was about to ask her why the little girl didn't have a jacket but was interrupted by Zachary.
"Nana?" Zachary questioned, looking up when her very distinctive voice and accent finally registered to him.
"Merry Christmas, Zachary," Ilsa held out her arms and waited for Zachary to give her a hug.
"Merry Christmas," Zachary said. He wasn't scared of his great-grandmother, so he left his game with Matthew to give her a hug, "Hank's not here, is he?"
"No, Daddy not here," Ilsa informed them, correcting the young boy. Ilsa then made eye contact with Sully and said, "He refuse to come."
Sully quietly thanked God for small favors.
"Good," Zachary said under his breath, but Miss Ilsa heard him.
"You should no talk about father like that," The older woman scolded, "You need give Daddy another chance."
Zachary didn't answer, he simply hugged Sully and buried his face into his chest.
"Can we close the door?" Sully finally asked, "I don't want to let in all the cold air."
Ilsa nodded and stepped further into the house so Sully could close the door. When she saw that Zachary still had his face buried in Sully's chest she said, "Come now, Zachary. I not say you leave Sully. I not say you leave Hanna."
"But you have said that before," Sully said nonverbally in his head. Then he spoke aloud and asked a second time, "What are you doing here, Ma'am?"
"I want wish everyone Merry Christmas," Ilsa said again, "I want Zachary to meet Mia."
"Who's Mia?" Zachary asked, looking up from Sully's chest. The boy wasn't paying attention when Sully and Michaela had initially answered the door.
That's what Sully wanted to know. He knew that Miss Ilsa just said that she was her granddaughter, but how could that be? Abagail had never mentioned Hank having a sibling. Sully figured that he could have a cousin that Abagail didn't know about but thought that was unlikely.
"Mia is your sister," Ilsa told Zachary with a smile.
Zachary said nothing and looked up at Sully.
"What?" Sully asked, truly astonished. If she was Zachary's sister, that would make the little girl Hank's child. He'd been in jail for the past six years, so what woman would he have to impregnate? Moreover, the little girl looked like she was about six or seven. If that was the case, then she was conceived before Hank went to jail and he knew she wasn't Abagail's daughter. Furthermore, Abagail had told him a lot of things about Hank, but she had never once said anything about him being a cheater, "How?"
To be continued. Please review. =)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice holiday! For me, the holiday goes through January 6th.
Michaela and Sully certainly make a great team. When one of them needs help, the other is right there for support.
So…it turns out Hank may have been a little busier than everyone thought. Hmm?
Who can guess the video game that Matthew is not supposed to be playing?