Chapter 55: Christmas
Santana's POV
*Saturday 9th December 2023*
Brittany and I are taking the day off work so we can do some Christmas shopping. On the one hand I'm glad we have because we need to get things sorted out and get all of our gifts bought. However, on the other hand I don't really like being away from work at the moment when it's such a crucial time with Christmas on the way so I feel I should be in the office when I'm not with my children. Christmas is a very busy time of year for me at work especially when our biggest increase in sales happens this time of year so this is when we make the most profit.
"Let's go into this jewellery shop" Brittany says as she pushes the stroller towards the shop.
"Honey, I want my Christmas gift to be a surprise so don't buy it just now" I tease.
"We're not going in here for you" Brittany smiles as I hold the door open for her and the kids. "I've got an idea for what I can get my dad for Christmas" she adds.
"Ok, cool" I smile.
"One of his favourite watches broke so I thought I would get him a new one for Christmas" she says.
"Sounds like a nice idea" I smile. "Do you want me to take the stroller so you can have a proper look at everything?" I ask.
"Yeah, thanks" Brittany smiles at me as I take the stroller from her.
We spend the next 10 minutes looking around the store at all the different options. Brittany then picks out a few and asks the salesperson to see some of the watches so we can compare them. We spend another 10 minutes with Brittany deciding which one she prefers the most. I do my best to help her but at the end of the day it's her dad so I think she should have the final decision on what one we want to gift him for Christmas.
"Do you think my dad will like this watch?" Brittany asks me.
"Of course he will, I don't see why he wouldn't because it's a lovely watch" I tell my wife.
"Yeah, I did think that myself" Brittany smiles.
"You have good taste when it comes to picking out presents so I'm sure your dad will love it" I smile back.
"Thanks" she replies.
"Shall we get it wrapped up and buy it" I say.
"Yeah, let's do it" Brittany nods.
As soon as we're finished, we head out and hit up a few more shops. I managed to get some gifts for my brother and his girlfriend; and also, my sister and Jessica. Brittany also bought a few more gifts which were for her sisters and their families which was good. We've both definitely been productive so far today with our Christmas shopping so missing work doesn't feel as bad anymore. I don't mind it as much anymore since we've done something worthwhile with our day.
"Hey, have you gotten my Christmas present sorted out yet?" Brittany asks me teasingly.
"That is something I cannot say right now" I smile.
"Can you at least say if you know yourself what you want to get me or if you still don't know?" she asks.
"I do know what I'm getting you but I won't say whether I've bought it or not yet otherwise you might go looking for it if I had said I've bought it" I point out.
"Ok, fair enough" Brittany smiles.
"Anyway, let's move on from this conversation in case we mention something we shouldn't" I say. I would hate to let slip something I am getting her for Christmas so it's best we don't talk about it.
"Ok" Brittany nods.
"So, where to next?" I ask my wife.
"I still have a few things to buy Mercedes and Tina but how about we go somewhere for lunch first. I'm getting hungry and I think it's about time Xavier was fed again" she replies.
"Yeah, let's do it" I agree.
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*Friday 15th December 2023*
Our annual work Christmas party is being held tonight so that's going to be exciting. Brittany and I are organising it as usual and it'll be held at work like it usually is. We've got a team of caterers coming in and we've hired some people to tend bar so they should all be arriving soon to set up. I'm just at work right now with Brittany making sure all the decorations and everything are sorted. Jaxon and Xavier are already at Brittany's parent's house where they'll spend the night while Brittany and I are at the party.
"Everything looks good so far" Brittany says as we walk through the building.
"Yeah, it does" I agree.
"As soon as the caterers and staff are here, it'll be even better" she states.
"Yeah, it will" I nod. "Hopefully it's not too long to wait because some of the guests will be arriving soon and I'm not making drinks for them all. That's the bar tenders' job" I add.
"I think it'll be ok" Brittany laughs.
"Why are you laughing?" I smile.
"Because you're so cute and I love you so much" she smiles. "It's just such a Santana thing to say especially when we're at work."
"Well, it's true. Everyone works for me in this place and I'm not in habit of making them something to drink so I won't start now. I draw the line at making you coffee when we're working but that's it. You're the only person I do something like that for" I explain.
"I know and I appreciate that" Brittany says as she kisses my cheek. "Hey, you look amazing tonight" she tells me.
"Thank you" I smile. "You also look smoking hot tonight" I add.
"Thanks. My wife actually picked out the outfit for tonight but I do really like it too" Brittany smiles back.
"Your wife has great taste" I say smugly.
"Yeah, she really does. I mean look at who she married, that just proves it" Brittany jokes.
"I know you're joking but it really is true. You are one beautiful woman I am lucky to be married to" I smile.
"Ditto, babe" Brittany shrugs with a smile.
After hanging out for 10 minutes together, the caterers turn up. We make sure they're all set up ok and by that time the people we hired for the bar arrive. The drinks station gets all set up and Brittany and I just get a chance to order ourselves a drink before the guests arrive. We mingle with everyone for a while before the party really gets started and the drinks start flowing and the dance floor starts heating up.
"I'll be back in a second Britt; I need to talk to Jack" I say as I get up from my seat.
"You aren't talking about work right now, are you?" Brittany asks me.
"We are but I promise I'll be quick. I just want to check in with him for a second about something because Christmas is almost here so there's no time to waste" I reply.
"Fine, ok" Brittany nods.
After catching up with Jack about a few work things, I joined my wife again, promising her that I wouldn't discuss work anymore tonight and that I'll have fun. I've just got Brittany and I some drinks from the bar so I'm waiting at a table for her to come back from the bathroom. I was talking to a few people to begin with but now I'm hoping Brittany will be back soon and we can have a little fun together because we haven't really seen much of each other tonight.
"Hey" Brittany smiles.
"Hey, you're back" I smile back.
"Come and dance with me please" Brittany says as she holds her hand out to me.
"I've just got us some drinks though" I point out.
"We can drink them after because right now, I want to spend a little time with you" she replies.
"Ok" I nod while taking her hand.
"We have been so busy making sure the party was set up and entertaining our guests, making sure they're all having fun that we haven't had much time to hang out with each other" Brittany explains.
"You're right so let's hang out now" I say as we make our way towards the dance floor.
"Oh my god, we have to dance to this song" Brittany says excitedly.
"Why?" I ask, amused at her excitement.
"Because we had this played at our wedding so I really like the song" she tells me.
"Did we?" I ask. I really don't remember that.
"Yeah, but it was played near the end of the night so you were maybe a little too drunk at that point to remember what music was on" Brittany says as we start dancing together.
"I don't remember being that drunk at our wedding" I say. "I mean I remember drinking but I don't remember overindulging in alcohol."
"I don't know then why you don't remember but it was definitely played" Brittany says.
"Ok, I believe you" I smile.
XXX
"What a busy night it's been" Brittany says as she joins me in bed. "It was definitely fun but really busy since we were the ones organising the party" she adds.
"I know" I agree. "I am just glad we're finally in bed now and can relax" I say in relief.
"Me too" Brittany replies as she spoons me from behind and wraps her arms around me. "By the way, I never got a chance to mention it earlier tonight but you looked amazing in your dress" she adds.
"Thanks babe but you did actually tell me that already" I smile as I place my hands on top of hers.
"See what I mean, it's been such a hectic night that I can't even remember what I've said and what I haven't" Brittany chuckles.
"It's ok though because I don't mind hearing you tell me again" I say as I lift our intertwined fingers and kiss the back of Brittany's hand.
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*Saturday 16th December 2023*
I have a bit of a hangover this morning so I'm not in the best of moods. I honestly don't know what is going on with me these days because I used to be able to handle drinking and not really have bad hangovers. These days I sometimes just sip my drink and I'm drunk already. I mean if I had to guess then I'd blame it on my age but I don't really know. My plan today was to do a little work from home while the kids were still with Brittany's parents but I don't know if that's going to happen now.
"Morning" I say to my wife as she walks into the kitchen.
"Hi" she mumbles.
"Do you want some coffee; I know I need it" I say.
"Yeah" Brittany says as she sits down at the kitchen table and puts her head in her hands.
"Are you hungover too?" I ask Brittany.
"Yeah, so please only whisper to me" Brittany says quietly.
"This is going to be so much fun when the children get home since they're little balls of energy" I chuckle.
"Yeah, I know" Brittany laughs before instantly regretting it, since it triggered her hangover.
"Here's your coffee babe" I say as I place coffee down in front of her.
"Thanks" Brittany smiles. "So, how is your day looking?" she asks.
"I really don't want to do anything too energetic today and just go back to bed to sleep but I think I have to do something. I'm most certainly not in the right headspace for work but I think I need to be somewhat productive with my time so I'm going to wrap some Christmas presents" I tell Brittany.
"Why do we have to be productive?" Brittany groans.
"Because if we're not working then we'll need to work more in the coming days so we'll not have time to wrap Christmas presents next week" I point out. "It's either work now and do Christmas things next week or work most of next week and do the Christmas stuff today" I add.
"My boss is so strict; she never gives me a day off" Brittany teases me.
"Honey, you can go back to bed if you want. All I am saying is that I need to do something worthwhile today" I say.
"No, I'm not sleeping when you're not. I'll help you wrap some Christmas presents" she tells me.
"Ok" I smile.
After we finished our coffee, we went back upstairs and started wrapping some Christmas presents. Neither of us really enjoyed doing it but it probably will be worth it when we're so busy next week. Brittany and I are just talking to her parents now who have just arrived home with our kids. I have missed my boys so much so I am so glad they're home now. I'm not entirely glad about the noise though they've brought since I'm hungover but I just need to deal with it.
"How was the party?" Alison asks Brittany and I.
"It was good fun" I say.
"We drank a little more than our bodies could handle, but yeah it was fun" Brittany adds.
"You do look a little worse for wear, Brittany" David points out amused.
"I am" Brittany nods. "Any tips for overcoming a hangover in old age?" she asks.
"I see the hangover hasn't suppressed your cheeky and teasing side" David states.
"Yeah and, less of the old. Your dad and I aren't that old and neither are you two" Alison laughs.
"Fair enough" Brittany laughs.
"As for the hangover tips, I find it best to just let them pass on their own. I know it's not ideal right now but I always find taking painkillers and stuff makes me feel worse for longer so I just let my hangovers pass themselves" David tells us.
"I suppose we should do that but it's going to be tough with these little ones" I say as I scoop Jaxon up in my arms, stopping him from tearing my living room apart. Honestly, the minute he got in the door, he started pulling cushions off the couch and throwing his toys around.
"Yeah, I mean Jaxon is extra energetic today" Brittany says laughing.
"Was he like this at your house?" I ask Brittany's parents.
"Not really" Alison tells us.
"You haven't been feeding him something you shouldn't, have you mom?" Brittany asks.
"No of course not" Alison replies.
"Dad?" Brittany says, asking her dad the same thing.
"Um…no" David replies hesitantly.
"I know that nervous voice, dad have you fed my son a sugary snack?" Brittany asks David.
"Ok, he saw me eating some candy so what was I meant to do?" David replies.
"Just not give him some or even give him some fruit instead" Brittany points out.
"Yeah, I could see that going down well" David says sarcastically. "There was no way Jaxon would be happy with that. I couldn't sit there and eat in front of him so I had to share. His little face would be so sad if I didn't" he adds.
"I get it dad, I really do. Next time just try and stay away from too much sugar when he's around" Brittany says.
"Ok" David nods.
We caught up with Brittany's parents for a while more before they left to go home again. Brittany and I then spent some time with our children which was really nice. We finally managed to get them to take an afternoon nap after that so Brittany and I managed to get a little time to rest and recover from our hangovers. We're both in the kitchen with the kids now as Brittany starts to make dinner while I entertain our children.
"Is Carly staying here tonight or with Jessica again?" Brittany asks me.
"She'll be back here tonight" I reply.
"Do you think she'll want some dinner then?" my wife asks.
"I'm not sure if she'll be back at dinner or after, she didn't say" I tell her.
"Ok well I'll make enough just in case she wants something to eat and if she's already eaten then I can freeze the rest of the food to use another time" Brittany says.
"Sounds like a plan" I smile.
Brittany's POV
*Tuesday 19th December 2023*
Santana and I have just finished getting ready for the day so we're now in the kitchen giving the kids some breakfast. Santana has just finished feeding Xavier his milk and I've just made Jaxon some eggs so I'm helping him eat that right now.
"I thought Jessica would be here by now" Santana states.
"Jessica is already at the office and working babe" I reply.
"She better not be because I'm working today so I need her to watch the kids for us" Santana tells me.
"I'm not working today though so I'll have the kids" I shrug.
"Why are you not working today?" Santana asks confused.
"Because I want to spend the day with my children" I smile.
"I get that but we're quite busy at work at the moment with it being so close to Christmas" she tells me.
"I know and I will make the time up, don't worry" I smile.
"Ok" Santana nods. "I guess if you're taking the day off and we don't need to wait on Jessica then I can leave as soon as I want to" she adds.
"You can" I smile.
"Actually, I might just leave now and hopefully if I start work early then I can finish earlier" Santana says.
"Sounds like a good plan" I smile.
"Ok, mommy is going to work now" Santana says as she kisses Xavier's head and then gently places him in my arms. "I'll see you both later" she adds as she leans down to Jaxon and kisses him.
"Bye, mommy" Jaxon replies.
"Bye, sweetie" Santana replies with a smile.
"Don't work too hard and stress yourself out today, I will be back tomorrow to work" I tell her as she turns to me.
"Ok, I'll catch up with you later" Santana says as she kisses my cheek.
"Ok, talk soon" I smile and then Santana leaves.
"Just you and me, boys" I tell my children. "We're going to go out on a little adventure so let's get ourselves ready to go out" I add.
As soon as we're all ready, we leave and head out to my car where I drive off. As much as I want to spend time with my children today, the real reason I'm not working is because I need to go shopping. Santana and I have been inseparable recently which is great because I love her, it's just not great when you still need to buy her Christmas presents. I need to take a few hours away from her to buy some gifts so that's why I've decided to take the day off work while she works.
"Ok boys, I need your help. I need to find mommy a really special Christmas present but I'm running out of ideas so that is where you both come in" I tell my sons. "I can think of the usual Christmas gifts you give people but mommy is special so the presents can't just be something ordinary, they need to be special too" I explain.
"Doggy" Jaxon giggles as a dog walks past on the sidewalk.
"Yes, that was a doggy" I say, smiling at my son in the rear-view mirror. "I was thinking of jewellery for mommy but I don't know because I always buy her some type of jewellery. Maybe something else" I say.
"Hat" Jaxon replies as he points to his hat.
"I'm not sure mommy would appreciate me gifting her a hat. I think she would tell me off because it would likely mess up her hair" I point out.
"Toy?" Jaxon suggests as he holds up his toy.
"Mommy doesn't really play with teddy bears and stuff. She only does that with you, buddy" I say.
"Cat!" Jaxon shouts.
"Definitely not a cat, she doesn't like them" I say with a chuckle.
"No, cat outside mommy" Jaxon tells me.
"Oh yeah, so there is" I smile at my son again. "We've seen a dog and now a cat so I wonder what else we might see on our journey" I tell him.
"Bird" Jaxon says as he points outside.
"Yeah, we've seen a bird now too" I reply. "Do you think mommy might want some perfume?" I ask.
"Park!" Jaxon says excitedly as I drive past a park. "Play, mommy?" he asks.
"Not right now sweetheart but maybe later" I say.
This is getting harder and harder by the second because Xavier can't talk yet and Jaxon is quickly losing interest in what we're doing so I'm still no further forward. I can't blame the boys because they are only young but I am panicking now. I think I need to call Carly or Quinn for help. I could just buy something online because that would be easier but Santana is my wife. I just can't buy her the first thing I come across. The gift has to be something I haven't given her before.
"I am going to call auntie Quinn from the car real quick" I tell my children as I pull into the parking lot of the mall.
"Ok, mommy" Jaxon says smiling.
"I won't be a second" I say before dialling Quinn's number.
"Hey Britt, what's up?" Quinn replies almost instantly.
"Hey" I reply. "I kinda need a favour from you" I say.
"Ok, what is it?" she asks intrigued.
"I'm really struggling to find the perfect gift for Santana for Christmas so I need some ideas from her best friend" I explain.
"Oh, ok" she replies.
"I'm panicking, Quinn" I say, stressing out.
"Why?" Quinn chuckles. "You know Santana better than anyone so this should be easier for you than me" she adds.
"You're her best friend though. You know her in ways I don't" I reply.
"I mean yeah we are still best friends but we're not around one another nearly as much as we used to be. I would say, you do know her better than me nowadays" Quinn says.
"Ok, maybe. But I still need ideas because I've given her pretty much everything on this planet. She's had perfume before, expensive candles, all types of jewellery. Like you name it and she'd had it from me for like a birthday or a Christmas or a push present or something" I state.
"How about you buy her a boat or something?" Quinn teases.
"Absolutely not" I say seriously. "For one we don't really do boats that much and two, Santana doesn't pay me enough at work to be able to afford to buy a boat" I add.
"Canoes can't cost that much" she jokes.
"Could you imagine my wife's face if I told her I bought her a canoe for Christmas?" I chuckle.
"Yeah, she'd probably divorce you" Quinn laughs.
"Exactly" I say.
"Look, in all honesty there is nothing wrong with a nice bottle of perfume or some nice jewellery" Quinn points out.
"I feel like that's all I ever buy her though so isn't it boring?" I sigh.
"Come on Britt, you know Santana. Has she ever not been happy with a gift you've given her. Anything Santana gets from you she always loves, even if it's her favourite bottle of perfume you've given her before" Quinn says.
"I guess. I just feel like it's not as special when it's something she gets all the time" I add.
"How about you get her something that involves the kids then. Something maybe personal or engraved because she won't have received that before" Quinn suggests.
"That might be an idea" I say as I ponder it.
"Like I say, Santana will love no matter what you get her so don't stress about this. As long as you get her something she likes or is meaningful then it'll be the best Christmas present she gets" Quinn says.
"Ok, thank you. I better go now" I say as I notice the boys getting restless.
"Ok, talk to you soon" Quinn says and then we hang up.
"Let's go and get mommy a Christmas present, boys" I say as I get my kids out of the car.
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*Saturday 23rd December 2023*
Santana and I are having dinner with our friends tonight. We figured since we won't see them during Christmas since we'll all be with our families then it might be nice to get together tonight to catch up and celebrate Christmas early. We started off talking about Christmas as we began to eat dinner but now things have taken a different turn. We've ended up talking about random stuff which is quite amusing. We're right in the middle of a conversation about vacuuming.
"Yeah, vacuuming isn't Santana's strong point" I state.
"Bitch, I vacuumed this morning" Santana replies, glaring at me. "Granted I didn't like it but I still did it to keep the house clean" she adds.
"I know babe but you're someone that does one socket vacuuming" I point out.
"She does what?" Quinn asks confused.
"She always plugs the vacuum into the same electrical socket and vacuums only the areas that the vacuum reaches from that one socket so the corner of our living room never gets vacuumed and neither does parts of the kitchen" I reply.
"Wait, I thought you owned a cordless vacuum" Mercedes states.
"We do now, that's the funny part" I laugh. "Even though we don't need to plug the vacuum in anymore, Santana still just vacuums the areas she used to and not the whole rooms."
"That does sound like Santana" Quinn laughs.
"Ok, let's stop picking on Santana" Santana states.
"We're not picking on you as such, we're just sharing some information about you that we find very endearing" I smile.
"Well, I don't like it" Santana shrugs.
"Ok, we will change the subject" I smile.
"Good" Santana smiles back.
"So, is everyone ready for Christmas?" I ask my friends.
"Yeah, James and I seem to be" Quinn smiles.
"We are too" Mercedes says.
"Tina and I do still have a few things to do" Mike points out.
"What about you, are you both ready for Christmas?" Mercedes asks Santana and I.
"We are, all thanks to this wonderful woman" I say as I kiss Santana's cheek. "She's been super organised so she's really got us ready on time."
"Is this you buttering me up to make up for the fact you said I can't vacuum properly?" Santana asks me curiously.
"I mean I do want to make it up to you but I am being genuine right now" I say.
"Ok, that's good" Santana smiles.
XXX
After a fun night out with our friends, we all headed home. Santana and I have just walked into our house so we're going to find everyone. Carly was looking after Jaxon and Xavier tonight and I think Jessica was coming over to keep her company. I'm guessing the kids will be in bed now so technically we're just looking to see where Carly and Jessica are so we can catch up with them about their night.
"Hey, you're home" Carly smiles as we enter the kitchen where she and Jessica are.
"We are" I smile.
"How were the kids tonight?" Santana asks her sister.
"As good as ever" Carly smiles. "Jaxon is at such a fun age that everything he does is just so cute and Xavier is just equally adorable" she adds.
"Yeah, our kids are rather adorable" I say. "I assume they're asleep now?" I ask.
"Yeah, they are" Jessica nods.
"We might sneak in and kiss them goodnight when we go upstairs" Santana says.
"Yeah" I agree.
"So, how was your night out?" Carly asks.
"It was fun. We had some good food and drinks; and got a chance to spend time with our friends and catch up with them" I say.
"Yeah, it was really nice to meet up tonight and spend time with them before Christmas since they'll be having Christmas with their families" Santana agrees.
"What about you two, did you both have a nice night once the kids went to sleep?" I ask.
"Yeah, it was nice" Carly smiles.
"Carly asked me if I wanted to stay over on Christmas eve so we could spend Christmas morning together so is that cool if I hijack your morning?" Jessica asks.
"Yeah, of course. You don't need to ask" Santana smiles.
"I just didn't want to turn up if you guys had something special planned with the kids for the morning with it being a special time of year and everything" Jessica explains.
"Honestly, it's fine. You're more than welcome to join us" I smile.
"Thank you" Jessica smiles back.
"Anyway, we're going to head upstairs now and kiss goodnight to our children and then go to bed" I say.
"Ok, night guys" Carly smiles.
"Night everyone" Santana says.
"Yeah, goodnight" I say and then Santana and I head upstairs for the night.
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*Monday 25th December 2023*
It's Christmas today and it's going to be so much fun. It's Xavier's first Christmas which will be interesting. Also, it's Jaxon's second Christmas and as much as his first last year was really special, this year will be just as special because he's a little bit older now so he's understanding it a bit more which makes it fun.
We did bite off a little more than we could chew by hosting thanksgiving this year so I'm kinda grateful that my parents are hosting Christmas. Everyone will participate and all help make some of the food which is obviously a lot less stressful but I'm still glad I'm not hosting. Dinner isn't for a while yet so we won't leave until later so in the meantime, Santana and I are just going to enjoy having Christmas morning with our boys.
"Morning everyone" Santana says as she walks into the kitchen where I am with Jess, Carly and the boys.
"Morning, honey" I reply as I kiss my wife's cheek.
"Are you all starting Christmas morning without me?" Santana teases.
"No, of course not" I say. "I was just up with the boys when Jess and Carly came downstairs so we were just chatting" I explain.
"Cool" Santana smiles. "Can mommy get a little Christmas kiss from her little ones?" she asks Jaxon and Xavier as she walks towards them.
"Kiss, mommy" Jaxon says happily as he kisses Santana.
"Thank you, buddy, that was a nice kiss to wish me merry Christmas" Santana smiles at Jaxon. "Can you give mommy a kiss too Xavier" she asks our youngest son.
"I think that means yes" Carly laughs as Xavier smiles brightly at Santana.
"I think so too" Santana says as she picks Xavier up and kisses him.
"So, I'm thinking it's time for presents now" I tell everyone.
"I agree" Santana says excitedly.
Santana and I get the kids and then we all gather in the living room. Carly and Jessica start opening their presents while Santana and I go back and forth between opening our own presents and helping Jaxon and Xavier open theirs. Jaxon is really getting the hang of it and seems to be loving the fact he's getting some presents whereas Xavier is just too young at the moment so my wife and I need to open all of his gifts for him.
"We're down to the last few gifts now" I say.
"I know and I think this last one I have is from you" Santana says excitedly.
"It is" I smile. "You've opened all of your normal gifts from me so far but I'm hoping this is your favourite one" I add.
"I love them all so far so I am sure I will love this one too" Santana says as she tears the wrapping paper off to reveal a medium sized black jewellery box.
"I know I have given you jewellery before but I am hoping this is something special" I tell her.
"It looks super special" Santana smiles as she opens the box to reveal a gold bracelet.
"Look on the back" I tell her so she turns it over.
"Britt, I love it" she says as she hugs me.
"It's got our names inscribed on the back as well as Jaxon and Xavier's names" I say.
"I love that, thank you so much" Santana says as she kisses me.
"I was really struggling this year because I didn't want you to just open the same thing you always get but I think this might be ok" I say.
"Brittany, I love everything you give me even if I have been gifted something similar before. If it's something from you then it's always going to be special" she tells me.
"I know and I get that now" I smile.
"Good" Santana smiles back.
"I actually have another Christmas present for you" Carly smiles at Santana.
"Sounds interesting" Santana says curiously.
"My present to you is that you'll get your house back soon because after today, I am moving out and back into my apartment" Carly tells us.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Santana asks concerned.
"I mean I am better than I was before but perhaps I'm not totally ok at the moment. I do need to go back to my apartment though because I can't stay with you guys forever. It's giving me a false sense of security and that can't happen. I need to get used to living alone again since that is my reality so the quicker I do the quicker I can get through this phase I'm in and recover" Carly explains.
"You don't have to go back to living alone" Santana points out. "You can honestly stay here for as long as you want to, right Britt?" she says, turning her head to look at me.
"Yeah definitely" I smile.
"I can't live with my sister all my life, it's not practical" Carly shakes her head.
"It won't be forever but what we're saying is that you don't need to move out right now. We're happy to have you here, honestly" I say.
"As much as that apartment has bad vibes, I need to move back there and be independent again otherwise I'll never fully be myself again. Like I say, I can't have this false sense of security because it'll make me think I'm better than I am" Carly states.
"Do you want to rent out my apartment instead of going back to your old one?" I ask.
"Huh?" Santana looks at me confused.
"I am asking if she'd prefer to stay in my apartment than go back to her old one where she said there were bad vibes for her" I say.
"Since when do you have an apartment?" Santana laughs.
"Honey, I've had my own apartment since the day we met" I say. "When I moved in here, we didn't sell my apartment. I've been renting it out ever since, you have to know this" I say amused.
"Maybe I do have some recollection, I don't know" Santana laughs.
"What do you think the other income is on our bank statements?" I ask.
"I don't look at stuff like that. I leave all of the finances to you; I just make sure we have money and you take care of what actually goes in and out of our bank accounts" Santana shrugs.
"Ok well the tenant I have at the moment is moving out in the new year so honestly Carly, if you want a new place to stay then take it" I say genuinely.
"I don't know" Carly says unsure.
"I mean it sounds like a good apartment Carly since I know nothing about it and I mean that in no way sarcastically whatsoever. I mean it's obviously maintained well and doesn't have any issues otherwise I would be more aware of Brittany going back and forth to fix things or whatever" Santana states.
"Yeah, it's well looked after by the renters at the moment so you won't need to call me up to sort out a leaky pipe or something. I very rarely need to visit the apartment so it's in good condition" I say.
"Sounds kinda ideal especially when you already know the owner" Santana smiles.
"It'll also give you a fresh start so to speak because you probably spent some time in your apartment during those tough moments so you might not feel mentally happy being back there" I say.
"Or Jess could just move in with you" Santana shrugs.
"Honey" I say surprised.
"What?" Santana says, shrugging again.
"They may not have discussed that type of thing yet so let's not make them uncomfortable. Moving in together is a big step for a couple" I say.
"Yeah, I don't think we're there yet but we're happy to trade off nights at each other's places" Jessica smiles.
"Exactly" Carly nods in agreement.
"Look, the offer is there so it's up to you. Just think about it and let me know. If you do want to move into it then you might need to stay here until the other tenants move out but it is definitely the new year so you'll have your own place soon" I say.
"Ok, I'll let you know" Carly smiles.
XXX
Our whole family have all been at my parents' house for some time now so we're just sitting down to eat Christmas dinner together. It's been such a fun day so far between spending the morning at home with my children, opening our presents and then coming here and seeing the rest of my family and spending time with them. I really wouldn't want to spend my Christmas in any other way so I'm really fortunate to be able to have this.
"So, I wonder if there will be any more children at the Christmas table next year" Santana says with a smirk as we all continue eating.
"I thought you had enough on your plate at the moment with two?" my mom points out.
"Oh dear god, I didn't mean me" Santana states, a slight hint of panic in her response.
"Yeah, we're busy enough right now" I laugh.
"What I meant was that I'm thinking some siblings might start or even expand their families by next Christmas" Santana shrugs.
"If you're talking about me then it's not happening. Everyone knows I want children but not this early in a relationship" Carly says defensively, looking at Jessica embarrassed.
"I wasn't really thinking about you. I was thinking that Grace or Haley might want to expand their family or Marco might even want to start a family since he and Laura have been together for so long" Santana says.
"Santana, don't bring me into this. It is not your business when we have children" Marc replies annoyed.
"Yeah, let's not make people discuss things they may not want to discuss" Santana's mom says.
"I'm just saying, 12 months is a long time so things might have changed by then. I mean look at me, I was pregnant twice and had two kids in the space of 19 months" Santana shrugs.
"That is true" I agree.
After dinner together, we all went to the living room to relax and spend some more time together, some of us having a few more drinks along the way. I'm just making my way back from the bathroom and checking on the kids to see if they were still napping. I'm thinking though since I have a moment to myself then I might check my phone before going back to join everyone else in the living room. I've been so busy all day with opening presents, spending time with family and preparing and having dinner that I haven't really checked my phone all day.
"See you and that phone, I swear to god I will break it" Santana tells me as she walks into the room.
"I've only just picked it up" I shrug.
"Well, you can only just put it back down. Christmas as I have said before is for families, not random people on the internet" she states.
"You don't even know what I was doing on the phone" I point out.
"I don't need to know; I just know it wasn't giving your wife attention which is about the only thing you should be doing right now while the kids are napping" Santana replies.
"I gave you my undivided attention earlier so now I'm just taking a second for myself" I say.
"Well, I demand more attention" Santana says seriously.
"Ok, I'll give you attention in a second" I smile.
"No, you'll give me attention now otherwise you're sleeping on the couch tonight" Santana replies.
"Ok" I smile before turning to look at my phone again.
"Britt, I said you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight if you didn't pay attention to me" Santana reiterates.
"I know, I heard you" I smile.
"So what, you do really want to be on the couch tonight?" she asks surprised.
"Yeah, I don't mind if I am" I shrug.
"I swear to god, Brittany I will…"
"Relax, I am messing with you" I say laughing as I put my phone down and wrap my arms around Santana's waist.
"So, you do want to sleep in bed with me tonight?" Santana asks.
"Yes, I do, so I will pay more attention to you right now" I assure her.
"Good" Santana smiles.
After Santana and I spent a little time together, we decide we should go back to the living room to hang out with everyone else. We're now just chatting with our family and hanging out when I pull my phone out of my pocket. As soon as I do it, I can see Santana glaring at me from across the room but in a second or two, I guarantee she won't be glaring anymore. I pull up my messages on my phone and find the conversations between Santana and I. I then start to type something out to her.
To Santana: you're beautiful
As soon as Santana's phone pings with the text, I can see her acknowledge she has a text but she doesn't seem to read it right away. I decide that since she doesn't know it's from me then I will text her something else.
To Santana: I love you more than is physically possible because you're so amazing
To Santana: you're also so funny and talented that I'm just in awe of you all of the time
To Santana: I mean the way you parent our two children is just simply amazing. I wish I could be as good as you. You're the best mom ever
To Santana: you're also the best wife ever. I've really lucked out
To Santana: you're beautiful and insanely hot
There is a slight smile on her face when she opens up the messages, seeing they're from me. Once she actually reads the content of the texts, she looks over at me confused. She stares at me for a moment before mouthing something to me. I don't know what it is right away but after the 3rd attempt, I realise she is just asking me what I'm doing and why I'm texting her this stuff so randomly. I don't verbally respond; I just shrug while smiling at her. She doesn't take too kindly to this response, instead she gets up from her seat and comes over to sit next to me.
"You confuse me" Santana tells me.
"How so" I say amused.
"Because you message me all of this stuff but can't tell me why. I asked you why and you just shrugged. This is not really a response that explains to me what's going on. If anything, the response made me a little irritated because you didn't exactly answer me" she explains.
"Do I need a reason to tell you why I said all of that stuff?" I ask. "I mean can't I just tell my wife how much I love her" I smile.
"Yeah, I guess you can" Santana smiles.
"I do really love you" I say before kissing my wife's cheek.
"I do really love you too" she says.
"I know" I say as I wrap my arm around my wife.
"Hey, does anyone want to play some games?" Santana asks.
"If it's soccer like thanksgiving then it's a hard pass" Marc states.
"For the last time, my team won fairly" Santana shrugs. "Anyway, I didn't mean a physical game tonight. I thought we could all play something that doesn't involve as much energy since we've all eaten so much food tonight" she adds.
"What do you suggest?" Carly asks Santana.
"I don't know, charades maybe?" Santana suggests.
"I mean that is a good game to play when there's so many people because it's a team game so everyone can play" I say.
"Ok, we'll give it a shot. Who's in?" Carly says.
"I'll play" Jessica says.
"Me too and Jaxon and Xavier" I say.
"I think we're all in" Santana says as she looks around the room.
"There is 18 people here so shall we do 3 teams of 6?" I ask.
"Sounds good" Santana smiles.
"Does anyone want to be a team captain or shall we just arrange ourselves into teams of 6?" Carly asks.
"Let's just arrange ourselves into teams because it's less messy that way" Maribel says.
"Ok but we still need team captains for each team" Santana points out.
"We can have team captains then" I smile.
"Ok, who is in who's team?" my dad asks.
"I want to be in a team with at least Santana, Jaxon and Xavier" I say.
"That's right" Santana smiles at me.
"Mom, dad, do you want to join us?" I ask my parents.
"Ok" my mom smiles at me.
Everyone else begins to arrange themselves into the other two teams of 6. My two sisters and their husbands and children form one team while Santana's parents, her brother and sister plus their partners form the other team. We then get started on the game with my team playing first with my mom acting out the part.
"Ok, it's a TV show" I say.
"Ok, we're doing the second word" Santana says as my mom starts to give us clues.
"Uh…people?" I guess as my mom points to my wife and I but she shakes her head.
"Woman?" Santana guesses but my mom shakes her head again before pointing to us again while including the kids.
"Family?" my dad guesses and my mom nods.
"Ok a TV show with the second word family" I say.
"Modern family" Santana screams out excitedly.
"That's it" my mom smiles.
"Ok, dad you're up" Santana says as it's her dad's teams turn to guess.
"I'll do the acting" Jessica says as she takes a card from the pack and starts.
"Ok, it's a book" Carly says.
"First word" Maribel says as Jessica holds up one finger.
"Girl?" Marc guesses as Jessica points to Laura.
"Female" Carlos guesses since Marc was wrong but it's incorrect.
"Green?" Carly says as Jessica points to Laura's dress.
"Yeah, green" Jessica nods.
"Ok so it's a book with the first word as green" Maribel says.
"Ok, second word" Carly says as Jessica starts again.
"It rhymes with…what are you doing?" Marc laughs as Jessica kneels down on the floor.
"It rhymes with kneeling?" Maribel asks but Jessica shakes her head. Jessica then clasps her hands together in front of her as she kneels on the floor.
"Are you begging?" Carlos asks and Jessica nods her head.
"So, it's rhymes with beg…oh egg?" Carly says excitedly.
"Yeah" Jessica nods.
"Oh, I know it" I say excitedly.
"That's good but it's not our turn honey" Santana smiles.
"I know, I'm just saying" I smile back.
"Ok it's Green egg and it's a book?" Marc states.
"Green eggs and ham" Carlos shouts out.
"Correct" Jessica says excitedly.
"Ok, a point each to the first two teams. Can you guys get your first point?" I ask the other team.
"We're going to try" Haley smiles at me.
After playing the game for a while, my team were victorious. I'm not surprised though because we had Santana as our team captain and she's just the best. She's so quick and smart that we practically nailed all of our answers within the time frame. Trust me, if Santana is on your team, then you're guaranteed to win, no matter what game you're playing. Some of the others did try and say she cheated but honestly, I think they're just sore losers and are jealous of my wife.
We're all back in our own homes now so Santana and I are just in our bedroom getting ready for bed. As soon as we got home, we put the kids to bed. The kids went straight to sleep as soon as they lay down so we didn't even get a chance to read to them before. I'm not surprised though because it has been a long day and it's already late so it was it was only understandable they would be tired and need to sleep.
"What are you doing?" Santana asks me as I stand behind her.
"Wrapping my arms around you" I tell her as they sneak around her waist.
"I know but I meant why are you doing it when you can see I'm trying to change for bed" she says.
"I'm giving you attention like you asked for" I shrug.
"That's cute" Santana smiles as she turns around in my arms and wraps her arms around my neck.
"If I were to help you undress right now, would that count as me giving you attention?" I tease.
"Definitely" Santana nods.
"In that case, I am going to help you undress" I smile.
That's it for another chapter. The story doesn't seem to get much traffic anymore but hopefully you're all still liking it.