She bumped me out of the way to grab several packages of cheese and the tub of butter. “I should’ve thought to call your mom before I sent you out on a fool’s errand.”
“Me, too,” I chuckled, snagging the jar of pickles when she pulled a loaf of bread out of the basket on the counter. “But at least I’m back home in time to save the day and to enjoy one of your grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.”
“Save the day,” she snorted, shaking her head as she buttered a slice of bread. “As though I couldn’t have handled the situation all by myself.”
“I know you would’ve been fine.” I pulled out the panini press and plugged it in. “But you’ll never have to deal with shit like that while I’m around, which will be for-fucking-ever.”
7
Alexa
After all of the chaos yesterday, it was a huge relief that Christmas morning went off without a hitch. Marie had been thrilled when she unwrapped her Once Upon a Unicorn, more than satisfied with the proof that Santa’s magic was real. It had taken a team effort to make her wish come true, but that tended to be true with many things when raising children. Drake and I were blessed to have so many people willing to lend a hand when needed, between our family and friends. And my favorite part of the holidays was when we all came together to celebrate.
It was our turn to host everyone, which was why I’d done so much baking leading up to Christmas. The size of our crowd had grown throughout the years, and every single one of the kids had a sweet tooth. I was always amazed by how many cookies and cupcakes they could polish off when their bellies were so small.
“It’s almost as though they’re born with a second stomach just for dessert,” I muttered as I refilled the plate of chocolate chip cookies from the dwindling supply on my kitchen counter.
“Especially the boys.” I whirled around at the familiar feminine voice, and my heart was filled with pure joy when I spotted my best friend standing in the doorway.
“You’re here!” I shrieked, running across the room to give her a hug.
She squeezed me back. “Yup, and everybody else shouldn’t be too far behind us. Mom wanted to clean stuff up before she and Dad headed over, and Kassidy had a teenage emergency so who knows how long Jackson and his crew will be.”
Aubrey, Luka, Veronika, and Maxim had flown into town yesterday morning to celebrate the holiday with her family. They’d done Thanksgiving with Luka’s family in Chicago this year, which made it her parents' turn for Christmas since they rotated each year. Since Kaylie hadn’t seen her aunt in years, Jackson never had to worry about splitting their family’s time with anyone else. Which was great for Aubrey and Jackson’s parents since it meant they always had some of their grandchildren around to spoil.
“What kind of emergency?” I asked, wondering what could have delayed my honorary niece when I knew how much she’d been looking forward to coming over to our house today.
“Something to do with wanting to try the makeup she got for Christmas.” Aubrey widened her eyes, pasting an innocent expression on her face that I wasn’t about to buy since I knew her too well.
I shoved the plate of cookies into her hands and headed over to the fridge to pull out some additional snacks. “Who did she get that present from? It doesn’t sound like something your brother would’ve wanted under the tree.”
“Who else would it be from except her favorite aunt?” Aubrey teased.
I grabbed the cheeseball I made last night and pulled the cellophane off the top so I could spread crackers around it. “That’s impossible since she hasn’t had the chance to open what I got for her yet.”
She rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Ha-ha. Funny.”
Although Aubrey was related to Jackson’s daughters by blood, I had the advantage of spending more time with them since we lived in the same town. Kassidy and Kennedy adored us both just as much as we loved them, but that didn’t stop my best friend and me from teasing each other over which one of us was their favorite aunt.
We were laughing as we walked into the living room to set the plates down on the long, narrow table behind the sofa where I’d laid out all of the snacks. Luka came over to give me a hug. “Merry Christmas, Lexi. Thank you for having us all over.”
“It’s my pleasure.” I grinned up at the man who spent every day of his life making sure my bestie and their daughters were as happy as he could make them. “You know how much I love it when you’re all here.”
He flung his arm around Aubrey’s shoulder. “You get almost as excited about our visits as moya printsessa.”
I loved when Luka spoke in Russian, especially when he used his adorable nickname for my best friend. And how growly he got when I teased him about his daughter’s crush on my son. “But someone else looks forward to your trips down here more than both of us combined.”
Luka’s gaze searched the room, and he stomped off when he spotted Veronika and Tanner sitting next to each other on the floor near the Christmas tree. Her insistence that she would marry him someday hadn’t waned over the past few years, no matter how much her daddy wished it had. Nothing romantic was really going on between the two kids, but it was fun to yank his chain every once in a while.
“That was mean,” Aubrey murmured when her husband crossed the room and dropped onto the floor next to their daughter.
“Maybe,” I conceded with a grin.
Aubrey jerked her chin toward the loveseat, where Marie and Maxim were sitting side by side while my daughter showed off her Once Upon a Unicorn to him. Drake was standing behind them with his arms crossed over his chest. “Payback is a bitch.”
“At least Drake will be the one paying it.” I wagged my brows, and we burst into laughter. Our giggles didn’t draw any attention since everyone was used to how we were together. Plus, our husbands were too busy glowering while my in-laws and dad were occupied with pulling all the new toys out of their boxes. It wasn’t until the front door flew open and Aubrey’s mom, dad, Jackson, Kaylie, Kassidy, and Kennedy walked into the house that everybody looked up from what they were doing.
Kassidy made a beeline over to us. After we hugged, I gripped her shoulders while I peered at her face. She’d definitely put her gift from Aubrey to good use without going overboard. “You look stunning.”
“Thanks, Aunt Lexi.” Her cheeks tinged pink at my compliment, and she ducked her head as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Jackson came up behind Kassidy and dug his fingers in her ribs, making her giggle. Then he moved to her side and complained, “She doesn’t need makeup. She was already beautiful without it.”
Kaylie walked over to us while Kennedy headed over to where Tanner and Veronika were sitting, and the Silvers joined the grandparent huddle around the pile of presents. Wagging her finger at Jackson, she chided, “No more complaining about the makeup. The rule was she could start wearing it when she turned thirteen. You’re lucky she’s only used mascara and lip gloss until today.”
“Yeah.” Kassidy nodded before she elbowed her dad in the side and wandered over to the table of snacks. After she put a couple of things on her plate, she turned to me and asked, “Do you have a knife for the cheeseball?”