Perfect (Jordan Knight/NKOTB fanfic, Liadan #1)

Mistletoe and Memories

Two Weeks Later

-JORDAN-

"Santa came!"

My eyes slowly flickered open as I felt the bed bounce up and down and I looked to see Maria and Nate had climbed onto the bed and were jumping around.

I turned to see Lia laughing as she pretended to be shocked, "Santa? Are you sure?"

We'd spent the night before turning the house into a Christmas fest. Lia had lead the way as we decorated pretty much all of downstairs and arranged gifts under the tree so that the kids could wake up to find that Santa had visited while they slept.

"Yes, Mommy," Nate plopped down on the bed. "It's like the North Pole downstairs!"

Maria grinned as she sat on top of me and placed her small hands on my cheeks, "Did you hear that, Daddy?"

"Yes, I heard," I smiled as I sat up and tickled her and she burst into a fit of laughter.

"Okay, so let's get baths and then we can go look at the presents and have Christmas pancakes!" Lia suggested and I smiled as I looked at her.

For once, she didn't seem burdened and instead her face glowed with excitement. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday and it was evident from her bright demeanor. She looked beautiful to me as she climbed off the bed and gestured for the kids to follow her to their bathroom.

I climbed out of the bed myself and went through the process of getting ready. I put on the red sweater that Lia had picked out for me with a pair of jeans and black boots before heading downstairs to plug in the pancake griddle.

It wasn't long before the kids came running down and Lia followed shortly after with her phone on record.

Maria and Nate had on matching red Rudolph sweaters with jeans and red and white house slippers. Lia had put Maria's hair into a high ponytail with a red ribbon to hold it in place and Nate had a Santa watch on his wrist. They looked cute and festive.

Lia was dressed in a red knitted sweater that was similar to mine, but she wore a lacy tank top underneath that peered through her v-neckline. Her dark jeans hugged her hips in all the right places and her dark brown shoes had a slight heel. She wore the necklace that I'd given her years ago when we'd gotten married around her neck and her engagement ring sparkled on her finger. Her natural black curls fell around her face and she laughed as she told the kids to slow down.

I bit my lip as I watched her.

"Merry Christmas!" she grinned.

"Merry Christmas, baby," I smiled and winked at the camera as I realized she'd notice later when she watched the video back that I'd been checking her out.

"Who's ready for presents?" Lia asked.

"Me! Me! Me!" the twins happily chanted as they sat around the tree and began looking for their names.

I grinned as I continued cooking and watched them happily ooh and ahh and squeal with delight over their new gifts.

I hadn't noticed Lia had slipped away from them until I felt a light touch around my waist and I turned to look at her.

Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle, "Thank you," she spoke softly.

"For what, my love?" I asked.

"For this life. Two beautiful kids and the feeling of knowing you're mine," she bit her lip. "I love you so much, you're absolutely amazing and sometimes I have to blink to remind myself that this is really my life."