This Christmas

It probably shouldn’t surprise me that Eric took to parenting so fast. I mean he had four younger siblings it only made sense that he was a great father and husband.

However, when you start to parent your younger siblings, things start to become weird. Our Dad usually just laughed at this but even he, the king of weird, after seeing everything from our childhood, still stood looking confused as my oldest brother scolded Jordan and I while we sat on the couch holding in our laughter.

“And when I told you to take Parker, Christmas shopping I meant take him with you while you shopped. Why? Please explain to me. Why? Did I walk into the toy store and see one of the cashier’s watching my son?”

I glance over at Jordan and bite my lip to hold in my laughter, so we may have let him get away from us. In our defense the cashier was one of Jordan’s admirers from High School, a very reliable babysitter.

“Not only did I have to give her an autograph in order to get him back, like he was being held for ransom, but I found you two having a sword fight. A sword fight! How old are you again? Jordan I expected this from you-“

“Hey!”
“-but Mads, come on. I know you’re more mature then that. It’s you duty as godmother-“

Jordan and I both snort, “What now?” Eric questions his eyes flashing slightly.
I clear my throat slightly before replying in a very small voice, “You said duty, like doo-“
“Seriously? Oh my fu-“
“LANGUAGE!” Jordan and I both chime before collapsing against each other in a fit of laughter. Eric runs his hands through his hair before stalking off out of the room.

“Should we tell him we only did that because we saw him pull up outside and knew he was checking up on us?” I question Tanya who was shaking her head at us. She sighs and gives us both stern looks before shaking her head clearly amused.

“I’ll be sure to mention that before he beats you both over the head with a hockey stick.”
“He’s done it before!” I yell after her as she leaves the room.

Our Dad just rolls his eyes before heading out after her, probably to go inform our Mom that Stall War twenty thousand was breaking out in the house.

“Well, it’s good to be home isn’t it?” Jared asks reaching for the television remote. Obviously bored with the scene that had just happened. Marc strolls into the room with his hands in his pockets a moment later grinning at us all in turn.

“Did we delinquents start the Eric harassing already?”
“No, it’s the singles club now. Only un-married people allowed. Sorry, you’re out, and next on our harassment list.” Jared quips settling on a re-run of The Office.

“Yeah, you’re officially enemy number two, Marc” I tell him seriously, my ring feeling oddly large in my pocket. Next year I would be Marc, Jordan and Jared harassing me. Would it change the whole dynamic, would I even be here next Christmas or would I be with him.

I liked to think I would be here with him, my family was important to me but so was his. Would we switch it up or split the holiday. We were both busy and of course it was a holiday that we would both want to celebrate together sometimes. Like Eric and Tanya had done in the past.

Clearly we had some things to talk about.

“Mads? Madison? Hello, are you going to go help Mom and the girls or not?”

I open my mouth to reply but feel my phone vibrating in my pocket and shoot off the couch running for the closest secluded room. Dad’s office.

“Hello?” I hiss, closing the door and accepting the call.
“Why are we whispering?” my fiancée hisses in reply, making me snort slightly into the phone.

“Sorry, I’m just trying not to be overheard. Eric’s on a rampage.” I tell him thinking about how my oldest brother would be trying to probably get Jordan and I back. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were waiting outside the door with water balloons when I emerged.

“Fair enough,” he laughs. “Did you have a good night? Sorry we couldn’t talk long. Our flight ended up being earlier then I thought it was. I miss you though, apartment isn’t the same without you.”

“Miss you too, and no doubt. Are you actually cooking or have you been relying on the leftover that were in the fridge?” I question hearing his guilty laugh on the other end.

I lean against the door closing my eyes in contentment. I loved his laugh, I remembered the first time I had heard it, the day had been long and draining and then I had heard it. So, full of life that my head had snapped up from the schedule I had been trying to follow and I had smiled for what I think was the first time that day.

“Well, I went out with the guys and…”
“Are having a hard time surviving without me? You can say it” I tell him smirking into the phone. I knew he couldn’t see me currently but he could probably guess my expression. It was a typical one for me, a smirk on my face, something I shared with Jordan. One hand up, fingers twirling my blonde hair around.

“I miss you, and I can’t wait to marry you. Then you’re never leaving me alone in this city again. You hear?”
“I can’t wait to marry you either, I’ll tell them soon. I promise.” I assure him, Christmas was about a week away, I wanted him here for that, it wouldn’t take me a whole week to spill the beans would it?

I hear a small bang against the door and frown wondering who was throwing Parkers toys. I knew Mom would be pissed if there were marks on the walls even if we did blame the kid for it.

“I better go, I have to get down to the lobby, we’re leaving soon. I’ll text you when I land okay?”
“Alright, fly safe” I tell him not being able to keep the smile off my face.

“I will, and remember don’t bother your brothers too much. Love you”
“Love you too” I tell him hanging the phone up. With a small sigh I push away from the door and swing it open coming face to face with a very smug looking Eric.

“Well, well, well. Looks like someone’s got a secret.”

I feel my eyes widen as my oldest brother grabs my left hand and pretends to inspect it before patting down my sides, grinning as his hand felt the ring in my left pocket.

“Oh this is…I…I can’t even tease you now. Come here!” he stutters out finally, engulfing me in his arms. I feel tears come to my eyes at my brother’s reaction as he squeezes me tight before kissing the top of my head and releasing me.

“Eric, are you crying?” I question whipping away the beginning of my own tears. He glares down at me softly before slinging his arm around my shoulder leading me into the living room.

“Tears of joy, I get to torture you now and watch as you scurry around trying to tell everyone. Best Christmas ever.”

Asshole.


“Did you need us to watch Parker tonight while you two go out, or are you bringing him with you?” Mom questions Eric over the noisy dinner table. Tanya was bouncing Craig on her hip while she ate and looked a little frazzled. Marc and Lindsay were on the other end near Dad whispering in each other’s ears like the disgustingly cute couple they were. Jordan and Jared were arguing quite loudly about something and I, well I was stabbing my dinner while Eric kept smirking over at me with an evil glint in his eye.

“I think Mads is just going to watch him and put him to bed tonight, don’t worry about it, Mom” he tells her raising his ring finger, pretending to scratch at the side of his head.

My Mom looks over slightly shocked, I mean she should be especially after the lecture that Eric had given Jordan and I today practically announcing we would never be left alone with his child again.

“I mean, you don’t have any prior engagements do you, Mads?”
“No, Eric, fine. I’ll watch him, no big deal. We’ll have fun, right buddy?” I ask the toddler who was sitting in a high chair across the table.

“I wouldn’t want it to come in the way of any engagements’ you might have. Interrupt the marriage of activities.”

“I got it Eric, you’re obsessed with marriage and want me to watch Parker. Done, okay. Now, shut you godda-“

“Madison, there are children-“
“Got it Mom, no swearing in front of the babies” I sigh glaring over at Eric who was grinning ear to ear. I lean back in the chair I had sat in since I was a kid; I honestly loved being home. During the year I did a lot of traveling for the advertising company I worked for. I was the art director now, having moved up the ladder after only a few years. I was good at what I did and not only did work for one company but at this point it was two, sometimes three.

I was smart about my contracts, they didn’t limit me in only working for the one company and for that I was grateful because got to spend a lot of time traveling around. If I wasn’t in Toronto I was usually in Pittsburgh or New York. Over the last year and a half though I had been doing a lot of work in Chicago, flying back there for meetings at one agency’s home office and then spending some weekends bothering Eric when I had layovers. It helped that I had a brother in mostly every city I had business in; it was rather convenient.

“So…” Jordan starts from my left, “Is everyone going out after dinner but Mads?”

A course of ‘yes’ rang through the kitchen and I shrug. At least I could Skype with him.


“You can’t kill Eric, he has a family. That and I’m pretty sure it’s against the law” a rather grainy image of my fiancée say’s on my laptop screen.

“It’s not against the law if I make it look like an accident” I mutter darkly bouncing Parker up and down on my knee softly. I think he was starting to fall asleep.

“Tell her that she can kill any of them she wants, it will make playoffs easier!” a muffled voice calls on my fiancées end. I snicker at his best friend before looking down and seeing Parkers eyes closed. Slowly I move him up into my arms, cradling him before looking back up on the screen where he was watching me with a smile on his face.

“He finally asleep?”
“Yeah” I whisper looking down at Parkers closed eyes. He was a cute kid, one day I hoped to have a son or daughter as adorable as him but after watching him for the past few hours I was kind of turned off raising a child anytime soon.

“You’ll be a good mother, I can tell” he says quietly, prompting some gagging from his house guest on the other end.

“I hope so, Eric would probably disagree with that after today, but I like to think I would be. I love kids, I hope to..” I trail off blushing, I’m pretty sure the fact I wanted to have his babies quite literally was a given since I was marrying him, but it still felt weird to say out loud.
“Yeah,” he smiles, “I hope to have a few too. If that’s alright with you?”
I laugh quietly, “Perfect”.

I take in his face, his smile and how his eyes were sparking, something I was surprised I noticed with the horrible quality of my wireless connection. He was the man I had spent the last year and a half with, the man I had been engaged to for six weeks and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. I loved him more then words could explain.

“Well, I should probably put him to bed. If he’s down here when people are coming home he’ll wake up. I’ll text you later?” I question moving so I could shut my laptop.

“Finally! Bye Maddy! Miss you!”
I laugh and roll my eyes as he moves to hit his guest who I couldn’t see.

“Ignore him, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I smile before ending the video chat and shutting my laptop.

I slowly stand looking down at my nephew, “Auntie Madison’s getting married this summer, isn’t that exciting Parker?” I whisper heading towards the stairs.

I feel a wide smile take over my face. Very exciting indeed.