Perfect Christmas [2016 Edition]

6. Sienna

[ S I E N N A ]

    After dinner, all of us helped out with cleaning up. It took longer than necessary, but once the dishes were done and the table was wiped spotless, everyone gathered in the living room to exchange gifts.

    The atmosphere is crisp and warm, courtesy to the fire that Blaire and Jax made under the fireplace. The smell of apple crisp and peppermint diffuse into the air, courtesy of the candles that Blaire placed around the living room. Even the Christmas tree gives out a pine-coney smell, which gave the air a fresh glaze—the icing to the cake.

    I take my place next to Kayden on the sofa after checking on Clarissa for the third time. She's been sleeping like a log for the past few hours, which I'm really thankful for. As much as I love my daughter, I really need to take a break from her. And I think I really deserve it after what hell I've been through ever since I brought her into the world.

    Being a mother is hard.

    "Hey," Kayden says, sliding his huge arm over my shoulder to bring our bodies closer. "How's Clarissa?"

    "She's alright," I say, burying my nose into his shoulder, inhaling the faint cologne smell that sticks to his shirt. "Probably won't be up anytime soon."

    "Great," he says. "You need to rest."

    "A mother never rests."

    "If you don't rest, you'll die," Kayden says, his hair sifting through my hair, his beautiful grey eyes molding with mine. "And well, I quite like you alive and breathing."

    A smile forms on my lips. "I live for the both of you, you know that."

    The smile that he returns me causes my heart to lose a beat. Or a thousand.

    "Ho, ho, ho, motherfuckers, I'm back!" Evans saunters into the living room with his ridiculous Santa outfit. The pillow that makes of his belly threatens to fall but he hunches over and thrusts it back up. "Sexy santa Evans has come bearing gifts again! Come here, my little sexy helper. And bring me my sack."

    Brent trails along behind him with a red sack filled with presents. "Just putting it out there: we didn't know we'll be spending Christmas in LA with you guys so we hadn't exactly had time to get you guys good gifts. We picked most of them up at the airport."

    Evans takes the sack from his husband and pours all the contents onto the floor. Daniel lurches forward to scour for the ones with his name labelled on it. Alex rolls her eyes, choosing instead to pass around everyone's gifts. Naturally, Clarissa got the most, all of them I assume are toys and baby clothes. I'll have to wake her up and open them up with her later.

    I find Kayden holding my gift to him and excitement swirls inside of me. "Open it, open it, open it," I tell him. He nods, passing a smile over to me—dimples showing, of course—before unwrapping the gift. His eyes light up when he discovers what I've given him. "Boxing gloves," he says as he takes them out from the box and begins sliding each glove in each hand.

    "Yeah. The exact ones that you've wanted for so long now," I say. He pounds his fists together and whistles lowly.

    "Damn, these are really nice," he says.

    "You're welcome!"

    He chuckles. "Thanks. I'm just glad you didn't give me deodorant again."

    "You don't even use it so what's the point, really," I say, batting my eyelashes.

    "Sorry." He flashes a non-apologetic smile at me, his white teeth gleaming under the warm-tone lights. "Here's mine to you," he says, handing me a box wrapped in red and gold paper with a gold bow on top and a tag attached to it with the word 'Lucky ♥'. "Open it," he says, his grin wide with enthusiasm.