Brooklyn - Steve Rogers X OC Spinoff

16 - Maddison

Maddison loaded the back of the SUV with all of Avery's gifts, filling the entire back as well as the passenger seat. The only space left was for herself, Avery and the bag she had packed to spend the night at Emilia's house. She was nervous to stay the night, she was even more nervous for how Christmas would go. This was Avery's first Christmas, it had to be perfect. She had been saving up for months. Christmas was never a big deal growing up in Maddison's house as a kid, her mom didn't see a reason to hype it up, didn't even see a reason to buy gifts most of the time. "You have a roof over your head" and "you have clothes on your back" was usually what her mom said when she would ask about presents growing up. Avery would never know that feeling, she'd never allow it.

"Is it all going to fit?" Jackson asked as he helped Maddison load the last of the presents in the SUV. She just laughed, nodding her head. "This is the last of it." She promised him.

"You sure you don't want to do Christmas morning at our house?" Jackson asked. That was the original plan, but Steve was never in Maddison's plan and she was having a harder and harder time pretending she wasn't as invested in this as he was.

"I'm sure. Like I said, Emilia's house is bigger than both of ours combined. Christmas will be good there, Steve promises we'll wake up Christmas morning and everything will be perfect." Maddison said. She tried not to panic, she had a plan for Christmas morning before Steve offered. Even though she knew Avery was too young to fully enjoy it, she still wanted to make it look like Santa had came. She wanted to do the half eaten plate of cookies and nibbles of carrots from the reindeer, the whole thing. Even if the only memory Avery would have of it would come from the pictures she'd take.

"I know, I know. Scott and I will be there at 8am, as promised." Jackson told her. He kissed her temple before heading inside to retrieve Avery from Scott so Maddison could leave.

Saying Maddison was nervous was an understatement. But Steve promised her that he thought of everything and that everything would be perfect. Emilia had texted her and asked if she wanted a guest room set up or if she wanted to stay with Steve, telling her no pressure either way. Nervously, she said she'd stay with Steve. But her mind kept going to the worst case scenario. Steve would see her in her pajamas and not think she's attractive, even though he'd already seen her in them and hungover. Maybe he'd think she was a bed hog, maybe she snored or had bad morning breath. The possibilities were endless, and freaking her out. But she knew she had to stop trying to keep Steve at a distance when he'd done nothing but show her that he deserved a chance.

When Maddison had gotten to Emilia's, she was blown away by the size and the beauty of her house. Falling asleep in her car all those weeks ago was the only time she'd ever seen her house. It was gorgeous. A massive 3 story Victorian home, modernly decorated and high high ceilings. Bucky and Steve both met her in the driveway, urging her to head inside while they dealt with the presents and her things. Reluctantly, she agreed. She scooped Avery up, smiling like a fool when both the guys wanted to greet her. Smiling even harder when Avery planted slobbering kisses on both of their faces.

Maddison's jaw dropped when she saw the first floor of Emilia's home, all decked out for Christmas. She had a massive tree, decorated beautifully and with a massive pile of presents already surrounding it. The fireplace had stockings hung, all labeled but not yet filled. The entire downstairs was beautifully decorated and over the top. Whites, silvers and blues everywhere, fake snow and glass snowflakes hung throughout the high ceilings. Christmas music played very quietly while some Hallmark Christmas movie played on the oversized TV above the fireplace. The entire house smelled like Christmas cookies and pumpkin. It was beautiful, and well above her budget.

"Maddie! You made it." Emilia greeted cheerfully. She rushed out from the gorgeous kitchen, hugging Maddison and giving Avery a kiss on the forehead. Emilia was only 3 or 4 years older than Maddison, but had such a calming presence and such a motherly instinct. Maddison wondered if it had to do with coming from being born in the 20s, not that she'd ever ask. Emilia still didn't know that Maddison even knew that.

"Of course I did." Maddison said, smiling at her friend. The two moved onto the couch, ignoring the guys making countless trips inside while they carried in all of the presents Maddison brought. Avery happily sat between the two, loving all the extra attention she got from Emilia. But she'd make grabby hands at Steve every time he walked by. Being Steve, he'd always stop and kiss the top of her head, making Avery giggle and pull at his beard.

Emilia made a gorgeous pot roast for dinner, her giant Dutch oven was filled and it filled the entire house with the beautiful scent of her cooking. Emilia had even made a tiny Dutch oven with a miniature batch of pot roast just for Avery, one with no salt or harsh seasonings and cooked extra soft. It was the sweetest gesture, Maddison loved how thoughtful her and Bucky were in accommodating her. She was even surprised to see that Avery already had a highchair in the kitchen waiting for her.

Come Avery's bedtime, Maddison was ready for bed as well. Despite it being early, only 7pm, she was exhausted. But she still had to set up for the morning, for Santa coming and she had to get Avery bathed before bed. But she felt like she was dragging on her feet.

Steve came up behind Maddison as her and Avery sat on the couch. Both hiding their yawns, Avery rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists and making the cutest little squeaks after her yawns. She was clearly trying to fight off falling asleep. He started to lightly rub her shoulders, making her let out a quiet groan. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to fall asleep." She told him, tilting her head back onto the back of the couch to smile up at Steve.

Steve leaned down, kissing her forehead. "That's the plan. Come on, I'll show you to my room. You can get a shower and lay down, I'll take care of Avery." He told her.

Maddison hesitated, she still had to set up to make it look like Santa had came. She had a bag with stocking stuffers that still needed to go in the stocking. She couldn't go to bed yet, no matter how much she wanted to. "Buck and I are taking care of everything." He reassured her. "Just trust me." He added. She did trust him, a lot. Probably more than she should for only being on one official date. But if she counted the times he'd show up with dinner and spend the evening with her and Avery, they'd been on too many to count. So, she nodded, giving him the control he wanted. And she was rewarded with a gorgeous smile that about knocked her socks off.

When Maddison got up to Steve's room, she noticed how large it was, and bare. It had a massive bed, perfectly made with gray sheets and bedding. He had a beautiful, thick and soft looking fleece blanket folded up at the foot of the bed and a beautiful crib along the wall by the window. He had a large TV mounted to the wall and a huge closet next to what she assumed was an attached bathroom. "You have a crib?" She asked.

Steve came up behind her, one of his arms wrapping around her waist and planted a kiss on her temple. "I can't have my girls here and not have everything they need." He mentioned. "Go ahead and get showered and in bed. I promise I'll handle everything else." He said before patting her ass and heading out of the room with Avery.

Normally, Maddison would be hesitant. She was a control freak, she didn't like leaving things to other people. But the thought of giving up her control, in trusting Steve to handle things, she loved it. She trusted that he wouldn't let her down, she trusted that she could depend on him. So, she took a very relaxing shower, skipping washing her hair out of pure laziness and slipped into her pajamas. She wasn't sure if she should go braless, so instead of her normal silk tank top, she'd brought a camisole with a built in shelf bra. It didn't offer any support, but it at least hid her nipples.

Almost as soon as Maddison had crawled under the covers of Steve's massive bed, she was old cold. She hadn't worked the last few days, no school either, but she was worn out. She'd had Avery non stop, no breaks and catching up on homework and studying. It had finally caught up to her as she snuggled into Steve's covers, surrounded by his scent.