Christmas morning, 6am
"Its snowing!" Amie yelled from down the hall.
Lucas moaned. "Doesn't she know how early it is?"
"Can she tell time, babe?" Elizabeth asked, snuggling closer into his arms.
"Good point. I don't want to get up. Its warm and you're here."
"But if you don't, she will wake everyone up and then we will all have to get up."
"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he said, kissing her over and over.
"Merry Christmas to you."
"Mama!" Nora yelled from outside the door. Then she wiggled the door handle. "Mama in?!"
"I'll be right out, Nora."
"Kay, Mama!"
"The kids all voted for pancakes for breakfast and everyone wants to help," Lucas told her, laughing. "Be prepared for a mess."
"Its going to be a perfect Christmas," she responded, getting up, putting on her robe and fluffy socks and daydreaming about Lucas proposing. She would say yes, of course.
"It is."
"Who's ready for pancakes?" Lucas yelled as he walked into the hall.
He peeked into the boy's room. Kyle was sleeping on his stomach on Ace's bed. Ace was not in the room. Apparently Kyle sleeps hard.
"Hey bud, you want to help us make pancakes?"
"I'm tired," he mumbled.
"It's Christmas so try not to sleep too long."
"Its Christmas? Did Santa come?"
"He did and he ate the cookies you kids left him."
Kyle sat up, his hair sticking up everywhere. Lucas smoothed it over and smiled.
"Did he drink the milk too?"
"He did."
"Okay, I think I'm ready for pancakes."
"Great. Let's go."
"Can I call you Mommy?" Amie asked, from the counter where she was watching Elizabeth, kicking her legs.
"I'd love that, sweetie."
"Okay! Mommy? Can I help you make breakfast?"
"We are all going to make breakfast," Lucas told her.
"Where are Nana and Grandpa?" Amie asked.
"Right here!" they said, walking into the room with their bags.
"Are you leaving?" Ace asked. "Please, can you stay?"
"There's a big snowstorm coming, bud," Martin said, hugging the boy. "We want to go home before it gets too bad."
"Oh."
"We will come back and visit, we promise," Helen told him.
"Can we come visit you too?"
"Of course," Lucas told him. "We won't wait too long."
"We will leave after breakfast and presents," Martin announced.
"Dad? Could you maybe stay an extra hour or so? If a big storm is coming, Beth and I should grab some supplies."
Martin looked at Helen who shrugged. "Sure, son."
"Thanks, Dad."
They did need supplies but his main reason was a bit selfish. Any time he could get alone with Beth was wanted and appreciated.
Elizabeth looked over toward the living room and saw Kyle playing by himself. She walked over to him and sat down on the floor with him. "Kyle?"
"I want my Mommy."
"I know, bud."
He sniffled and kept building a tower with the Legos. "Is she bad?"
"Bad?"
"She went to jail. Bad people go to jail."
Elizabeth opened her arms to him and he crawled onto her lap. "You know what, Kyle?"
"What?"
"Mommies make mistakes just like everyone else. Your Mommy says she made a mistake and now she is being punished."
"Like a time out?"
"Yep." A very long time out but yes. The boy was smart.
He sighed, understanding and leaned back against her chest, closing his eyes.
"Did you sleep okay, Kyle?"
"I had a bad dream. Ace lets me sleep with him when that happens."
"That's kind of him."
"He says he used to have bad dreams too."
"He did."
"And that he doesn't have a mommy either."
"That's right."
"But you are going to marry Mr. Lucas and be his mommy."
"I hope so. That's the plan."
"Then I'll be all alone again." Kyle started sniffling again and Elizabeth rocked him back and forth.
"No you won't. You have us now and we won't let you be alone."
Kyle was six. He didn't understand why he had to live with people that he didn't know. They were nice enough but they weren't his mom. From what they said the other day, it was going to be a really long time until he saw her again. That made him sad and in all his dreams, she didn't come back at all and he was all alone.
"Its okay, Kyle. You are safe here. We will keep you safe until your mom can be with you again."
"Promise?"
"Yep, cross my heart."
"I'm hungry. Can we have pancakes now?"
"You bet. Let's go help Lucas make them."
….
Everyone ate a lot of food for breakfast. Apparently enough to make Kyle pass out after breakfast and before presents.
"Does Kyle have presents, Daddy?" Amie asked Lucas.
"Yep, Elizabeth bought him a few things."
"Can I give him some of my toys?" Ace asked.
"Of course you can."
He scooped both kids into a hug. "I'm so proud of you guys. I'm the luckiest Dad in the whole wide world."
Ace wiggled away and ran off to his room and to his closet to find the monster truck that he didn't play with anymore. He would give it to Kyle, even put it under the tree.
As far as gifts go, Elizabeth and Lucas bought one gift each for each child and one for each other and the kids had bought each parent something too.
Nora loved her dinosaur slippers that roared when she walked and a new book. Ace gasped at his very own iPad with a program that would help him read even with dyslexia and a new bike. Amy, of course, loved her new unicorn blanket and unicorn backpack for school.
"Daddy! For you!" Nora yelled, handing Lucas a bag.
"What did you get me, sweet pea?"
"I help!" she said, reaching in and handing him two books which were really for her but it made it even more sweet. "Book! Yay!"
"These look so fun! Thank you, sweetie."
"Read?"
"Soon!"
Lucas loved the "Best Dad Ever" mug from Ace and of course the reindeer socks from Amie, putting them on immediately.
No one realized that Kyle was listening to the party going on until he sat up and Elizabeth smiled.
"Hi, bud. Why don't you open your presents."
"Me? I have presents?"
"Of course!"
"Mine first!" Ace said, running over to the tree and grabbing the monster truck he was gifting him. "I want you to have this, Kyle."
"For me? Wow! This is awesome! Thank you, Ace."
"You're welcome."
Kyle had a truck just like it back home but they couldn't bring it here because they had been in such a hurry.
"Can we go play in the snow?" Amie asked Lucas. "Please, Daddy?"
"We have a couple more gifts for Kyle and then yes."
Elizabeth brought a gift bag over to Kyle and they watched as he pulled out a box of matchbox cars, eight to be exact, and a new hat for winter.
"Wow!" He put his hat on and then gave everyone a smile. These people sure were nice to him. "Thank you."
"You are very welcome. Now why don't all the kiddos go get ready to go outside to play? Elizabeth and I are going to go to the store to get a few things and then we will be back."
"I go?" Nora asked. "I go you and Mama?"
Lucas ignored the twinge of disappointment he felt from not having time alone with Elizabeth but Nora was his heart, along with the other kids. It was hard to say no,
He looked at Elizabeth who smiled and nodded.
"Sure, sweet pea. You can go with us."
"Yay!"
"I have a few gifts for you later, babe," Elizabeth told him as they got dressed to head into town.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yep. I think you'll enjoy them."
He noticed her pink cheeks and the way she stepped close to him as she walked behind him at the bathroom sink, touching his back with her fingers.
"I look forward to seeing what they are. I have one for you too."
She wondered when he'd ask that all important question? After the kids were asleep? As they watched a Christmas movie in the family room? In the bedroom when they were finally alone?
They slowly pushed the shopping cart through the grocery store, holding hands and chatting, Nora happily drinking juice from a sippy cup.
"Bottle of wine?" he asked, squeezing her hand.
"Mm yeah. A red I think."
"What else would you like?"
"For our little celebration?" she wondered.
"Yeah."
"Cheesecake."
"That sounds good."
"Mama! Cereal!" Nora yelled, pointing at her favorite, Captain Crunch.
"We have some at home, bugs."
"Pease? More!"
"Why don't we pick out some fruit?"
"Noooooooooo!"
"Nora Thatcher, no fits."
She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. She looked up at Lucas and raised her arms.
Lucas kissed the top of her head but didn't pick her up. He knew it was important to show Nora that he was on the same team as Mom.
"Daddy, up?"
"Not right now, sweet pea. Be good and I'll pick you up when we go out to the car."
"Why?" she whined.
"Because you know better than to throw a fit when Mommy says no. Right?"
"Yeah."
"That's why, love. You just stay there for now."
Elizabeth stood on her toes and kissed him. "Thank you, Luke."
"You're welcome."
"You are a great Dad, do you know that?"
"Thanks. I'm not sure about great, but I try to teach them good habits. How to be good people, you know?"
"I do. It shows. I mean look at Ace. He's accepting Kyle now, even giving him one of his toys, letting him sleep next to him when he has bad dreams. That's huge."
"I'm so proud of him. He's doing so great with his reading and no more bad dreams and he takes good care of Beans."
"I'm proud of him too." She sighed and squeezed Lucas' hand again. "I love them, Luke. All of our kids. I feel like I'm home now, you know?"
"I do. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lee is going to propose to Rosemary on New Years."
"Lee is?" She realized then that what Ace had overheard was about a ring for Rosemary, not for her.
"Yes, he is. He's so excited. He asked me about helping him set up her proposal so I suggested that you and I go out on New Year's Eve with them and at midnight he can pop the question. What do you think?"
"Sure. Who will watch the kids though?"
He shrugged. "Vi? I don't know. We don't have to but I thought it might be fun for us too."
"That might be fun."
"What's going on? You seem different all of the sudden."
"Nothing, babe. Let's just go home before the storm gets too bad. I want to just be together, all of us."
"Alright."
…..
As Elizabeth and the kids, including Kyle, all got into their matching pajamas, courtesy of Aunt Vi, Lucas gave her a call.
"Hey there."
"Hey, New Years is a go. Are you sure you don't mind watching all four?"
"Of course not. My contribution to the cause."
"You are the best almost-sister-in-law ever."
"I know. Look, Luke, you and Beth belong together. I am ecstatic that you are going to propose."
"Me too, Vi. Me too."