⇾ 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐈'𝐌 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐃 | 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐈

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮-𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚 ➪ 𝙈𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙘𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚

ꕥ December 25, 1969 ꕥ

We hadn't gotten much sleep last night. We'd arrived at Paul's dad's house at nearly midnight, and I'd been up feeding the twins every hour as usual, so by the time Mary jumped on top of Paul the next morning to announce that there were presents under the tree, we were still exhausted.

"Daddy!" she yelled, and Paul's response was a mumble. "Daddy, Santa came!"

"Did he?" Paul asked. I was still trying to get a grip on reality. "Tell him to go away."

"There's presents, Daddy! Come on!" She pulled on his arm to get him to move and he finally complied.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he said to her. She immediately scrambled out of the room to wake up anyone else who wasn't up yet. "C'mon, Jules," Paul said to me. "If I'm going, you're bloody going too."

"But, I'm so tired."

"It's Christmas!" he mused, but I still didn't want to move, and I didn't...not until a baby began to cry.

"Dammit," I cursed. "She woke them up."

"She's just excited," he said. "Give me a kiss, please, I've been waiting so patiently."

I smiled and finally sat up, ignoring the crying baby long enough to place a kiss on his lips. "Merry Christmas, Paulie."

"Merry Christmas, my love," he responded.

"Now, let's go calm our screaming kids before your dad kills us." I smiled sarcastically.

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

Holly the horse now had a horse friend—one that was almost as big as Mary! Mike had been the one to give it to her, and I could tell by the smirk on his face that it was really just to spite us.

Mary named Holly's buddy Molly the horse, she she was incredibly happy about her existence. The twins also got loads of gifts—mostly clothes and smaller toys, though they really didn't know what all of it meant yet. Either way, it was their first Christmas and it came by so fast that it almost made me bloody emotional.

At the end of the night, to pretty much everyone's surprise, Mike and his wife, Angela, announced that they were expecting their first child.

Paul paused for a moment after this announcement. "Little Mikey, was this why you couldn't come and visit us last month? Was this what had you so bloody busy, then?" he remarked.

I swatted Paul on the arm, and suddenly, he jumped up. "I'm gonna be an uncle!" he cried joyously. "...Again!" he added, seeming to remember Amelia, and I laughed.

Mary looked pleased that Paul was so happy about something, and he bent down and scooped her into his arms. "You're gonna have a little baby cousin!" he told her. "Won't that be grand?"

"Is there a baby in Mummy's tummy?"

My eyes widened. "Nope...nope. Definitely not," I responded. God, what a nightmare that would have been.

"No, this time, the baby is in Auntie Angie's tummy," he said, pointing to Angela where she was sitting next to Mike, smiles on both of their faces.

Mary's face lit up in delight. "Yay!" she said finally. Then, Ruth joined them on Paul's other side and he reached down to pick her up to, turning around in circles as they both giggled. Damn, he was so good with kids. It was like he was made to be a dad.

Even so, I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous he looked. "Best Christmas everrr!" he declared.

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

The activities from today had knocked Mary out like a light. She was sleeping in the middle of the bed in the guest bedroom Paul and I were staying in. Paul was gently changing Stella into her pajamas, and I was feeding Samuel.

"He eating alright?" Paul asked me in a whisper. I was laying on my side with Samuel right next to me. It wasn't the most comfortable position ever, but whatever made it work the best. I looked up at Paul and nodded.

"Pretty flawlessly, I gotta say," I replied.

"I told you it would just take some time," he said with a smile. "You wanna know something?" he added, reaching forward and brushing his fingers through the baby hairs on Stella's head.

"Yeah," I responded. "What is it?"

"I love our family," he said. "I love watching these kids get a little older and a little stronger everyday. And, I'm so proud of how far we've both come. We whipped together a bloody relationship in nine months and it's lasted over three years now! How crazy is that?"

"It is a bit wild to think about it that way. I'm glad, though. I'd never want a family with anyone else. You're the perfect father these kids could ever need."

"Did you ever doubt me?" he asked with a fake look of offense.

"Countless times in the very beginning," I said. "But, my oh my, how you proved me wrong!" I giggled.

"Well, I learned quite a few things from my dad. He's always been fantastic. I figured that my kids deserved just the same. No matter how unexpected some of them may have been," he mused, smiling down at Mary.

"Well, guess what?" I said.

"What?" he asked me as he did up the last of the buttons on Stella's pajamas, then lifted her into his arms. He leaned back against the headboard and laid her down on his chest so that she was more comfortable.

"Now, you've got a son to teach how to be a good father," I responded with a grin, moving my eyes to look at James.

Paul's grin spread wide across his face. "And, I'll make sure he's the best there ever was. Gotta carry on the legacy!"

For a moment, neither of us said a word as our eyes traveled across each of our children. It was still hard to believe that these were our children. We had made them, I'd grown them, and now we were raising them. We hadn't done it all on our own, but I'd like to believe that we at least had been doing something right to have bloody made it this long, despite all the times where it felt like giving up was such an easier option.

"It's hard to believe that all three of these kids were once tiny little tadpole babies inside of you," he said. "It's weird how much can change in nine months."

I nodded. "It is a bit weird, isn't it? Aren't you glad they don't look like those aliens at the start of our fetal development charts?" I smirked as I moved to adjust Samuel. He was finished eating now and was ready to be burped.

"I think even if they did look like those aliens, they'd still be the cutest little things in the world. I'd love them all the same...but I am still glad that they don't look like that." He picked up one of Stella's tiny hands and marveled at it, as if the sight of it fascinated him beyond words.

There was another moment of silence as I tended to Samuel, then finally, Paul and I both looked up at one another with proud smiles. We were so damn proud of our family, and so proud of ourselves for keeping it afloat for what felt like a bloody eternity.

"I love you, Paul."

"I love you too," he responded with a wide and excited smile. "Merry Christmas, my love." He gently sat up and leaned over to kiss me on the lips before standing and going to lay Stella down in one of the folding cribs we had with us.

I went over and joined him, milk-drunk Samuel now asleep in my arms, and laid the baby in my arms down too. Then, I wrapped my arms around Paul's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Paulie," I teased, causing his cheeks to flush red. "I love you the most!"

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

One more chapter!😉