Will You Love Me? : The Golden Years

Chapter 33

This Christmas was, without a doubt, the most eventful Christmas you will ever have. 

To start off the morning, the kids woke you and Ben up bright and early to open up presents. The twins were disappointed because they didn't get nearly as much presents as Scar and Conner. "Well, if you stop whining and look outside, you might understand why," Ben told them. The twins shot up from the couch and opened the front door. 

"No way!" They both shouted in unison. You and Ben went over and smiled as they ran up to their new cars that had big red bows on them. They had the same cars, the newest Honda SUV's, but Nate's was black and Em's was blue. 

Before you both knew it, the kids were sprinting at you and attacked you in a gigantic hug. You and Ben laughed as you hugged and kissed your kids. "Merry Christmas, guys," you told them. 

To make Conner and Scar less jealous of the cars, you and Ben decided to get them phones since Conner is now eleven and Scar is nearly there. They were very excited to find iPhones and were jumping around like lunatics. 

After presents, it was up to you and Ben to host Christmas dinner. You had to attempt to make his mother's roast, which always made him emotional since she and Tim passed away almost five years ago. You let him work the roast while you did everything else. 

In between making dinner, you noticed something odd. Emma kept coming into the kitchen to get stuff to eat. You didn't find it unusual since she's a teenager and has a bottomless pit for a stomach, but when she came back after eating leftover Chinese, pizza and two bowls of cereal...you couldn't help but be concerned. 

"Em," you called as she started walking out with a full bag of chips. She turned to you and you asked, "Is everything okay? You're, um...you're eating quite a lot." You noticed her eyes widen slightly, but then she said, "I'm fine. Just, you know, being a teenager." She quickly walked away after that. You and Ben exchanged curious looks. 

"I'm on it," you sighed. You went into the living room to see the kids cuddled on the couch and watching Christmas movies. "Em," you softly called. She looked to you and seemed almost defeated when you gestured for her to follow you. You took her into her room and shut the door. "What's up?" You asked. "I know you're hiding something, I can see it. Your dad can, too."

She heavily sighed and plopped down on her bed. "I really don't want to talk about it," she whined. You sat down next to her and said, "But you obviously do. I can see how stressed you are about whatever it is."

You noticed tears brimming in her eyes. "Mom, I...I really don't want to talk about it. Not right now." You knew you couldn't pressure her into telling you, so you let it go and went back downstairs with her. 

Around four o'clock is when people started knocking on the door. It was a full house with Adam and his wife, Tom and his new girlfriend, Mark and his husband, Steven and Sue, Tracy, Emily, Martin and Amanda with their kids, and even Paige and her parents. This was the first time you were meeting her parents, so you and Ben were sure to turn the charm up a notch.

During dinner, you glanced around and smiled at everyone. Paige and Nate were being their adorable selves, Mark and Tom laughed at something the other said, Sue and the other girls were making Tom's new girl feel right at home, and everyone was just...happy. 

You did notice, however, that your eldest daughter looked like she couldn't stand the meat that was on her plate. Her vegetables and mashed potatoes were gone, but the roast remained untouched. That's when it hit you. You stood up a bit quicker than you intended, capturing Ben's attention. 

"You alright?" He asked. You nodded, but kept your eyes on your daughter. She caught your look and you could tell that she knew you had figured it out. "Ben, can you help me with something?" You asked. He nodded, then said, "Of course, love."