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Noelle POV
I flip the page of The Night Before Christmas book while enthusiastically reading it for Charlie. He's in his Christmas pajamas and holding a small stuffed Rudolph. He grins a bit before his eyes slowly start to flutter close. I continue the book, even with Scott getting up and motioning me to hurry. "The End. Goodnight my little sunshine" I whisper then kiss his forehead. His eyes open a crack and he smiles up at me.
"Momma what did that mean?" He asks. "Which part honey?" He grabs the book, turning it to a specific page and uses his little finger to point towards the words. "a Rose Suchak ladder?" He questions. I let out a chuckle as does Scott, "I said arose such a clatter, which means a big noise. Like if you trip over your toys in the middle of the night, it's very loud and startling right?"
Charlie thinks about it for a second then nods in acceptance "but how do reindeer fly?" Scott sighs and sits back down beside me. I gently slap his arm and he mouths 'sorry'. I turn back towards Charlie, who is completely sitting up now. "Well magic of course!" I reply with wide eyes and a bright smile. His little eyes shine back at me before he asks "is that how he gets down the chimney? Because Neil says Santa is just a feeling.." His little face falls into a pout and my chest burns with anger again.
I swear to god I'm going to run that brain dead man over. Then maybe Laura too for allowing it. I gently caress his cheek "oh my love. Of course Santa is real! Just like the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and all other magical creatures!" Charlie just smiles before throwing his arms around my neck. "I love you momma, don't forget to leave out the cookies and carrots please!" I kiss his cheek, as does Scott and then I tuck him in.
I turn his nightlight on and gently close his door. Scott has his arm around my waist and places a gentle kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry" he mumbles. I raise a brow, motioning him to continue and he grins at me. "I'm sorry for being late and for not helping the situation with Laura earlier. But she just makes me so upset! The way she allows Neil to parent our boy is just.. annoying. She acts like they're his real parents and we're just the friends that watch him!" I nod in agreement and grab his hand, leading him downstairs. "I know but I talked with a good friend of mine and she said we may have a case. Due to Neil actually. Did you know she was cheating on us with him? Or that he was already moved in only after 1 month of dating?"
Scott's face darkens slightly and I can practically feel the anger coming from him. "Well, that's good news for us then huh?" I shake my head yes and start placing the cookies out. Scott takes a bite out of a few of the cookies while I place the carrots out, taking a few bites of those. He places a half drank glass of chocolate milk beside the plate and then helps me get all of the presents out of the closet.
