Will You Love Me?

Chapter 41

"Mommy! Daddy, it's Christmas! Wake up!" You and Ben groaned and held on to each other as tight as you could while Nate was jumping up and down on the bed. Emma was standing by your bed and lightly bouncing, as she knew better than to do anything like that. 

Ben was the first to open his eyes and smiled at his bouncing boy. "Mmm, give mummy and daddy a minute," he mumbled into your neck. He was the most tired out of either of you because of one particular present he had to continually check on throughout the night. 

Nate stopped bouncing and told him that he and Em would wait downstairs. "No, Nate, you both wait in your room," Ben sternly ordered. "Do not go downstairs, you understand me? We'll all go down together." He didn't want to miss the look on the kids faces when they saw his particular present, so he had to be a bit strict this morning. 

As soon as the kids left the room, he fluttered kisses on your face and said, "Wakey, wakey, Mrs. Cumberbatch." You mumbled something incoherent, making him chuckle. "Come on, if we don't go downstairs then the kids will spoil their present." 

You yawned and stretched, while he ran his hand over your belly. He leaned down and kissed it, before saying, "Merry Christmas, little one." You smiled and put your fingers through his hair. "Let's go," you sighed. He took your hand and helped you up, then grabbed both your robes. After you got comfy, you shared a Christmas kiss, then walked out to see your kids waiting excitedly at their bedroom door. 

"Wait for Conner, you two," Ben said, as you went to go get your youngest. You picked him up out of his crib and walked back out into the hallway. Ben took him from your arms and cooed, "Merry Christmas, baby boy." He kissed his cheeks, then looked to the twins. 

Ben let out a huge sigh and stretched out, "Alriiiiggghhht." The kids cheered and sprinted downstairs. You took Conner back, while Ben pulled out his phone and you both followed them down. He was so glad he captured the kids' faces when they saw a puppy, no more than three months, sleeping under the Christmas tree. 

They both squealed and ran towards the pup, while you called, "Careful with him!" They eased up their running, but still landed in front of him with a thump! on the floor. "Daddy!" Emma called. "It's a puppy!" 

Still recording, he laughed, "I see that! Look, he's waking up." The young Golden Lab yawned and shook his head. When he saw the kids, he started wagging his tail and got up to greet them. Nate and Emma giggled furiously as the pup licked their faces.

It had been a long and hard discussion between you and Ben about getting them a dog. At first, you weren't sure, then Ben wasn't sure, but this moment made you both realize that it was completely and totally worth it. 

"What's his name, daddy?" Emma sweetly asked. Ben stopped recording and started taking pictures now, while saying, "That's up to you and Nate, honey." Without waiting a beat, Nate shouted, "Sherlock!" Emma gasped and shouted, "Yeah! Sherlock!" Ben groaned and told them, "No, please, anything but Sherlock!" 

"I don't know," you told him, "I kind of like Sherlock." Ben glared dangerously at you, while you gave him a sly smirk. You then turned to Conner and said, "Wanna say hi to Sherlock?" You set him down next to the twins and watched as they all played with the dog. 

Ben wrapped his arm around you, as he took some more video and pictures. Once he put his phone away, he kissed your head, then asked, "Do you think they've noticed the other gifts?"

**

"I think we did quite well, Mrs. Cumberbatch," Ben told you, as you watched the kids sleep in their piles of gifts. You nodded in agreement and looked to the small puppy that was sleeping comfortably by Emma. He had taken a particular liking to her out of any of them.