Brothers in Blue A Bryson Family Christmas - Jeanne St. James Page 0,57
her eyes closed.
“I guess I missed out on all that spoiling,” Carly announced as she came into the room. “I didn’t have to go through the discomfort of pregnancy. I just got the spoils.”
“Where’s the baby?” Mary Ann asked since Carly’s arms were full of everything but Levi.
Matt came around the corner from the foyer, a cloth like thingy strapped across his torso with a big lump under it. Marc assumed the baby was the lump.
“What the fuck is that?” Marc asked.
“It’s a sling or something. I don’t fucking know. Carly got it,” Matt shrugged, “I wear it. Leah’s getting you one. Makes it easier to carry the baby or something.”
“I have two arms to carry the baby. I don’t need to wear one of those damn things.”
“Can we watch our language, boys? It’s not only Christmas, but the kids can hear you.” Mary Ann scolded, getting up from the couch, using Marc’s shoulder for balance.
“Fuck!” Greg bellowed from the floor next to the boys and then laughed.
“And there you go, the holiday is not complete without Greg randomly shouting curse words,” Max grumbled, as he walked in with two plates of food, handing one to his wife, who was sitting in a folding chair tucked between Ron’s recliner and a second couch. One his parents had to buy once their family began to grow.
Marc frowned. “He hears it all the time between you and Amanda.”
“Doesn’t mean we want him spouting it randomly.”
“Why should today be different than any other day?” Marc asked his older brother.
“Because it’s Christmas!” his mother hissed, whacking Marc in the arm and then going over to Matt. “Let me see his precious face,” she cooed, pulling back some of the cloth to peek in.
“He’s sleeping right now,” Matt told her.
“Do you need one of your brothers to help bring in stuff?” she asked him.
“I just need the car seat for now.”
“I’ll get it,” Carly said once her hands were empty.
“No.” His mother turned toward Hannah. “Hannah, help your uncle.”
Hannah’s mouth dropped open.
Mary Ann lifted her brows when the girl didn’t move fast enough. “Now. Your cousin will need his car seat.”
“But we’re going to open presents now.”
“Carly,” Ron called out. “Can you grab one of Hannah’s presents?”
“Grandpa!” Hannah cried out, got to her feet and ran out of the room. A few seconds later the front door slammed.
“Oh, I kind of like that method,” Amanda said before shoving a couple slices of bacon into her mouth. “Maybe it’ll work for her chores.”
Suddenly, Marc’s two sons were jumping onto the couch and onto him, Jax’s knee hitting him squarely in the nuts. “Ooof. Good thing your mom is carrying your last sibling, because I think you just destroyed your chances of having any more.”
Austin wrapped his arms around his neck. “Daddy, can we open presents now?”
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes!”
“Then it’s up to Grandpa.”
Both of his boys’ heads spun toward Marc’s father. Who, thankfully, got to his feet—albeit slowly and with a deep groan—and stopped rubbing Leah’s.
Ron moved over to the tree. “This is going to be done in an orderly fashion and—”
All the kids bum rushed him, even Greg, and started pawing through the presents looking for theirs.
Ron whistled so loudly, Marc winced. But it was effective because all the kids froze in place. “First of all, that was not orderly and you need to wait until Hannah is back.”
Greg clapped his hands with excitement as he yelled, “Hannah!”
“I’m coming!” came a shout from the entryway. The door slammed shut again and she hurried into the room, dropping the car seat at Matt’s feet as she rushed past him.
Matt picked it up, set it out of the way, and carefully sat on the couch between Marc and Carly.
Carly leaned over Marc’s younger brother and whispered with one eye on Leah, “I brought what you wanted. It’s in the diaper bag.”
Marc only nodded but his heart began thumping out a frantic beat. He hoped what he asked Carly to bring was the right decision. He wanted to make his wife happy today, not disappointed. He still had time to decide whether to give it to her or just wait.
Ron had all the kids, including Greg, sit in a semi-circle around the tree and, along with Marc’s mother, directed who opened what. The joy on his parents’ faces as they handed the kids their gifts and watched them torn open was priceless.
Wrapping paper flew everywhere, even covering Chaos, whose black and white tail thumped slowly against the floor as