Holly Garland on Santa's Lap [COMPLETE]

Chapter 11 ~Welcome to the Garland Family~

Before I even step into the big kitchen, I hear my sisters-in-law giggling like a bunch of silly little turkeys. With harvest stuffing.

They're all tall and blonde. A perfect lineup of Barbie dolls. More or less adorable, depending on the day.

"Come on, girls!" Lizzie jumps in as she walks in. "Pipe down before Holly hears you!"

"You mean 'Gingerbread'!" Debbie teases, batting her eyelashes dramatically.

"Or 'Ginger'!" Becca adds with an exaggerated eye roll.

"No! 'G-G'!" Maddy chimes in with a grin big enough to stretch to the North Pole. "That's it, you finally got your nickname, sweetie!"

"That's enough, you three. Knock it off!" I snap, annoyed. "Yeah, laugh it up. It's easy for you guys—you all got cute little nicknames in this family. Even the kids: Charlie, Tom, Ronny, Allie, Sam, Brad, Sue, Wes... And I've always been the odd one out. Oh, wait—except for poor Jude! Seriously... Jude! Jude Garland! How could you?!"

"Holly, that's too far!" Lizzie protests in her "mom" voice, the same one she uses to scold her kids. "No one cares about stuff like that but you, and we've told you this a million times! You're going to make that poor kid self-conscious! Luke and I love our son's name, and that's all that matters."

"Yeah, sure..." I mutter. "Like I'm the one who's gonna stigmatize him when he's practically named after the actress from The Wizard of Oz..."

"For the last time, Holly!" she huffs, exasperated. "That actress died in 1969—rest her soul! By the time Jude's a teenager, it'll have been over half a century, and no one his age will even know who she was. Probably don't even now!"

I finally shut up, realizing I'm never gonna win this argument, and start peeling apples for the dessert pie.

"Don't sulk!" Maddy pleads. "Holly's already too short of a name for a nickname anyway. But Ginger—it's so cute, and it suits you perfectly!"

Funny. That's exactly what Nick said when he gave it to me.

"Yeah, totally!" Debbie agrees. "And, by the way, that guy who gave it to you? Seriously hot. How long have you been hiding him from us?"

"Is he good in bed?" Lizzie blurts out.

"Is he rich?" Becca asks, deadpan.

"Did he propose yet?" Maddy adds, like it's no big deal.

Wait, what? Hold up!

"Ladies, ladies!" My mom steps into the kitchen with Jude on one arm and an empty cracker tray in the other. "How about you give Holly a little space, huh? No wonder she doesn't tell us anything about her life, with all this grilling."

Phew, finally some backup against these harpies!

Her daughters-in-law instantly straighten up, looking all guilty as they go back to their tasks.

"So, wanna tell me about your little Christmas disaster this year?" my mom asks all innocent, as she arranges a new tray of hors d'oeuvres one-handed.

"MOM!!!" I shriek, totally shocked by her nerve.

"What?! You promised to tell me earlier! You've been off the radar for three days, didn't answer any birthday calls or texts yesterday, and then you show up with some mystery boyfriend and no luggage, out of nowhere! You gotta admit, we have reason to be curious. And hey, I'm your mom, I have the right to worry!"

"Okay, fine... I'll spill."

Immediately, my sisters-in-law freeze, turn around, and shamelessly perk up their ears, not even trying to hide how nosy they are.