BELOVED // CALUM HOOD // 5SOS

41

Kira

Waking up the next morning in a queen sized bed beside Calum, I crawl to get out of bed. It was early. I could start breakfast, knowing Carly will be up soon. I brush my teeth, shower, and put on make up before going into the living room to enjoy looking at the tree for a minute.

Turning the corner, I jump. Austin was sitting in there, too. "You know, we do this every Christmas, and every year I scare you." He chuckled, quietly.

I yawned. "Yeah, I guess you do, huh?" I sat down on the couch. The sun was starting to rise outside of the window, meaning it was seven.

"Did you sleep okay? We took your old bed out and put in a queen sized bed for guests and you two."

"When did you do that?" I asked. Shadow, their cat, jumped into my lap. Ace grunted.

"Right after you two came over last time. We figured you two would stay together if you brought him home to meet us."

"Yeah." I smiled. "We just bought a home together, but don't tell the others. They'll have a cow."

"When are they going to find out, then?" Austin asked. He was standing up and playing with the two cats. Ace just sat in my lap.

"I thought I would give you guys a Christmas card with invitations to our house warming party, too."

"Did you two print Christmas cards?" Austin chuckled.

"No, we thought about it, but we didn't because we thought of it too late. Maybe next year. We just took one of our pictures that we already had, put a message on the back, and printed out a few with an invitation to the house warming party. We sent one to his parents too."

"You're going to get into so much trouble with your mom." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but what can she do?" I shrugged.

Since Mormons don't drink coffee, they didn't have any in their house. Calum suggested that we buy a bottle of cold brew from Starbucks, but I told him how Austin doesn't like coffee in their house. We had to respect their wishes and go out to Starbucks when no one would notice. Too bad it's Christmas morning.

"Merry Christmas, Austin. I should make breakfast. Carly wakes around eight, doesn't she?"

"Right before I go to work usually. Seven thirty. She went to bed later, last night though."

"Tiffany wants to make Christmas bread, doesn't she?" I ask. He nodded, begging me to make it since I'm a better cook.

When I was almost done making breakfast, little Carly runs through the house quickly. She looks at the tree, amazed at what's underneath. "Daddy! Santa came to see us!" She cheered happily, jumping up and down.

"He did, huh? Go wake up Mommy and tell her." Austin prodded. We knew while everyone woke up and brused their teeth Carly would be playing with her stocking, distracted.

And she did exactly that. She jumped on the bed to wake Calum, and he groggily hugged her to him. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up, princess." He hummed. She squimed out of his arms and ran over to me, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

"Santa came. He brought a gift for Uncle Calum." She whispered in my ear when I bent down to hear her.

"Oh really?" I ask. She nodded quickly. "Well, we'll all be in there in a minute, okay baby? Go look through your stocking. It seems like you've been a good girl, huh?"

"I think so." She says and then walks away with her thumb in her mouth. I smile after her and then come into the bedroom where Calum was. Mom was in the bathroom, so Cal doesn't have to get up for a little while.