The Change

-Brian's POV-

It was finally Thanksgiving and I couldn't wait for my family to meet Jen. They've been asking about her constantly. Now I can prove to them that she's a real person and that I'm not making her up. Jen had been nervous and was having a hard time getting ready. She had been standing in her closet for what seemed like forever and asked me to help. I chuckled and grabbed some clothes for her. My family wasn't going to care what she wore but Jen wanted to make a good first impression.

She had also made some food. She had insisted that she bring something so yesterday she made a dessert. Apple Cake. I honestly couldn't wait to dig into it. I had talked to Suzy the day before to find out what we were having and told her to skip out on the Green Bean Casserole. Jen is allergic to mushrooms. She completely understood and said she'd just make regular green beans instead.

"You didn't have to do that for me." Jen told me as we talked about the food.

I pulled her into my lap and nodded. "Yes I did. My dad would have smacked me upside the head if I hadn't told them."

She smiled and rested her forehead against mine. "Happy Thanksgiving Brian."

"Happy Thanksgiving baby."

Once the twins were dressed we all piled into my Escalade and I drove to my parents. I took all the food inside while Jen helped the twins out of the back seat. It was pretty high up and she didn't want them to fall. The thought alone made me smile. She was going to be an excellent mother one day.

Heading back outside I took Jen's hand in mine and we made our way inside. Hannah was glued to Jen's side while Tyler stood beside me.

"Everybody this is Jen and her siblings Hannah and Tyler. Baby this is my Dad, my step mother Suzy, my brother Brent, and my sister McKenna."

"It's so nice to finally meet you. Brian talks about you all the time." Suzy said giving her a hug.

"It's nice to meet you too."

I took everyone's coats and hung them up. They weren't big heavy ones but it had been a bit chilly out. Hannah and Tyler had ran off to play with McKenna while Suzy practically drug Jen into the kitchen with her leaving me alone with my Dad and Brent.

"She's hot." Brent smirked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hands off."

"I think she's a keeper son. I like her already."

I raised an eyebrow as I look at my dad. "Really?"

He nodded. "No girl has ever made you like this before. She's all you ever talk about. I'd hang on to her if I were you."

I smiled. "I plan on it."

I watched Jen and smiled at the way she seemed to already fit in. She and Suzy were laughing as she helped with the food. We hadn't been here fifteen minutes and my family had already fallen in love with her just like I knew they would. It was still pretty early on in our relationship but I had a feeling that Jen was already an honorary Haner.



This was one of the few Saturday's where Jen had to work so I offered to watch Hannah and Tyler for her. It was also the day I planned to take them Christmas shopping. I had already helped them get their money out of their piggy banks and they had a lot more than I expected.

I walked hand in hand with them through the mall and let them pick whatever stores they wanted to go in. I got a little nervous when they started heading for the Disney Store but Hannah seemed to have an idea of what she wanted to get.

I let them look around and to my surprise neither of them looked at anything for themselves. Hannah wanted to look at jewelry while Tyler went straight for the Snow Globes. He didn't find anything but Hannah's eyes lit up when she saw a Minnie Mouse necklace. It was on a gold chain and Hannah insisted that's what she wanted to get for Jen.

One of the girls that worked there got it out of the case and I looked to see how much it was. Hannah didn't have enough money but I had more than enough to cover it. She was all smiles once the bag was in her hands and I had to remind her that she couldn't tell Jen about it. She seemed like the type of kid that couldn't keep a secret.

Now it was time for Tyler to get something. We left the Disney store and headed to the next store. Macy's. Tyler had mentioned how Jen always smelled like fruit and wanted to get more of it. I chuckled once I realized he was talking about perfume.

We looked at probably every single kind they had and I let the kids smell the samples so Tyler could pick the exact one he wanted.

"This one." He said pointing to one of the bottles we had narrowed it down to. It was DKNY Golden Delicious. I was half tempted to get her a small bottle of it just she could wear it now. It just smelled that good.

Tyler wanted to get her the gift set so again I helped make up the difference. He wanted to carry the bag which was a little on the heavy side but he wouldn't allow me to carry it for him.

"I'm a man I can do it." He said as he carried the bag with both hands.

We stopped in the food court to get some food and while we ate I thought about what I wanted to get Jen. I had some things in mind already so I ran my ideas past the twins. They helped me decide what to get and once we were finished eating we headed off so I could get my gifts for her.

I had only been in her bedroom twice but I noticed how crappy her luggage was. It was old and worn out but she'd rather spend her money on the kids than buy anything for herself so I took it upon myself to help her out. She deserved to be spoiled a little bit too.

We got done a lot earlier than I expected and before I knew it we were back at my house wrapping the presents. I let Tyler and Hannah help me as much as I could but I did most of the work. They couldn't write very well but luckily they knew how to write their names. They picked out the wrapping paper for their presents while I cut it. They taped everything and wrote out their own name tags. I don't think I had ever seen two more proud kids.

I hid all of the presents and took the kids back home. I hated video games but they both wanted to play so I set up Mario Kart for them. Luckily I could sit on the couch and watch since Jen only had two controls.

"Thank you Brian." Hannah said as she climbed up on the couch with me. "I promise not to tell Jen."

I smiled. "Good."

"She's gonna be surprised."

"Yes she is."

"Are you getting something else?" Tyler asked.

I just nodded. I knew exactly what else I was getting for her I just had to get to the store to get it. It was something special that I knew she would love. I also planned on getting some stuff for the twins. Not only did Jen want them to have a great Christmas but so did I.

Just call me Santa Gates.