"Hey, Faith?!"
"Yeah, Bri?"
"Can you come here?"
"Yeah, just a sec. I gotta put Tommy down for his nap and then I'll be right down."
"OK."
I finished getting Tommy to go to sleep and walked down the stairs. I was greeted with the site of Brian sitting on the couch. "You hollered?"
He laughed a little and smiled. "Yeah, come here." I walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. He put his arm around me and leaned my head on his shoulder. "So how are you holding up?"
"Pretty good, but I miss the guys and the kids. I just wish that they could be around for Tommy's first Christmas."
"Yeah, I know." He started to smooth down my hair and hum softly. "I'll never break your heart....I'll never make you cry...." I felt my eyelids get heavy and the last thing I heard before I went into my slumber completely was Brian whisper "I love you." in my ear.
"Guys! Be quiet! Faith's sleeping!"
"Sorry B!" I heard a voice say. Nick? That's who it sounded like. But it was Christmas Eve and we were in Kentucky. There was no way that it could be Nick.
I didn't move. I was still laying on the couch, and Brian hadn't moved since I had fallen asleep. But I had changed postions. I was now laying on his chest and he was laying down next to me.
I felt the presents of someone standing over me and looking at me. "Wow. She's looks a lot less stressed." It was Nick!
"Nickolas Gene Carter! What are you doing here?" I said out of nowhere, scarring both of the guys.
"Faith? How long have you been awake?" Brian asked.
"Ever since someone said 'Guys! Be quiet! Faith's sleeping!' "
"Oopps! Oh well! You got your surprise a little early I guess!" Brian said, smiling at Nick. Nick smiled back.
"OK, now I'm getting scared. I lived with the two of you long enough to know that when that happens somethings up. What is it?" They laughed.
"OK, everyone! You can some out of hiding now!"
"Wha-?" Before I could ask anything BJ, Angel, Aaron, Leslie, Howie, AJ, Hope her parents, Destiny and her parents, and a lot of other people that I didn't know walked out into the living room.
I just starred. I was still laying next to Brian on the couch.
"What is everyone doing here? It's Christmas"
"Yeah, well, you said that you wanted everyone to see Tommy's first Christmas."
"I didn't..........WOW!" I gave him a hug and got up. I hugged Nick, Howie and AJ. AJ introduced me to his mom, Denise and Howie introduced me to his rather large family. I then turned my attention to the kids. I said Hi to everyone and then Nick introduced me to his parents.
Next I went over and said hi to Hope, Destiny and their families. When everyone had been introduced to everyone else I went upstairs to get Tommy, who was up. "Tommy! Guess who's downstair! Nicky, and BJ and lots of other people!" Tommy's face lit up. I laughed. She walked downstairs and into the living room.
"Hey, Tommy!" Aaron exclaimed. The baby just giggled. Nick walked towards me and took Tommy from me.
"Hey, little guy! You miss us?"
Everyone went over to Nick and said hi to Tommy. I went and sat down on the couch, next to Brian. "Why did you do this?"
"Well, I didn't think that it was right for us all to be apart durring the holidays after what we've been through and plus you know that they were all missing you and Tommy."
"Thank you!" I hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek. "This is the best Christmas present ever! All of my friends, their families, and best of all NO JAKE!"
"No kidding!" Nick said.
"Whose Jake?" Nick's mom, Jane asked.
"Um, Mom, that's a long, terrifying story that we should probably save for later." BJ said. I smiled at her and then at Jane.
"I'll tell you later, but I wouldn't want to ruin anyones Christmas."
"OK, then I won't push it."
"Thanks. So what are we planning to do with everyone?"
"Well, I think that all the adults were going to go over to Aunt Anne's house and stay there."
"Um, Brian, you are and adult, so am I." I gave him a look.
"You know what I mean. All the parents." I gave him another look. "OK, Nick's parents, Howie's parents, AJ's mom and my parents."
"OK, now I feel bad. We are kicking your parents out of their house."
"Oh, don't feel bad, dear. We affered." Jackie came in the room and said Hi to everyone.
"OK, now we are going to take everyones stuff over to Anne's house and let you kids get everything settled."
"OK." I watched as all of the people that Brian had mentioned before, vacated the house and left the rest of us to figure out who was going to be where.
"Well, Faith, I think we are going to move into my room, that way someone else can have the guest room." I nodded in response to Brian.
"OK, well, lets start figuring out where everyone is going to stay!" I said and everybody grabbed their stuff.
"We're done! Everyone has some where to sleep right?" I asked the HUGE group of people that was in front of me. They all nodded.
BJ, Leslie and Angel were going to stay in the guest room that Brian, Tommy had been in. We had moved all of our stuff into Brian's old room. Nick, AJ, and Aaron were going to be in Brian's brothers room. Hope, Destiny,and Howie's sister, Polly Anna, were going to be in Brian's parents room, and Howie and his brothers were going to be in the other guest room.
"So what are we going to do now?"
"Well, we could call Aunt Anne and see what they are up to. I have the feeling that it take them nearly as long to get organised as it took us."
"Polly, I think that is probably a good asumption. OK, Brian why don't you go and call?"
"Why do I have to call?"
"Your related to her!"
"You will be!"
"Just go make the freaking call!"
"OK OK, I'm going."
When he had gone into the kitchen Polly say down next to me on the couch. "You two sound like you're already married."
"Well, I gotta get my point across some how."
"Don't I know it." I laughed and everyone started talking. It got pretty loud in there, so when Brian got off the phone he had to yell to get everyone's attention.
"PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" When everyone was quiet he continued. "Thank you! Now, they want to go out to eat, but I have the feeling that we would completely take over a resturant, so they are going to go out and we can do whatever. You know, kind like back in Seaside."
"OK, that sounds good." Nick said. Everyone else agreed.
"Now, I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what do you want to eat?"
"PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"I knew I was going to regret that." Everyone laughed at me and I got up to phone in the orders.
"What you aren't going to make me call?" Brian asked, after following me into the kitchen.
"Not unless you happen to be related to the pizza guy." I said smiling at him.
"Well, you know......" He started, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him back.
"Are you trying to tell me that you are related to the pizza guy?"
He kissed me on the forehead. "Maybe..."
"You are so strange. But oh well! I guess I already knew that." He laughed.
"And that's why you love me"
"Yep!" He looked at me shocked. "What?"
"Nothing, nevermind." He got that smile on his face. You know that million dollar one.
"Brian, what?"
"I'm just happy that's all."
"OK, well I better call the pizza place and order our 30 pizzas." He smiled and nodded
"OK. I'll give you some time by yourself."
"OK, you go ahead and do that." I laughed at him as he walked out of the kitchen. I shook my head and picked up the phone.