INFINITE (Eminem Fan Fiction)

Chapter 44: Just Lose It

Chapter 44: Just Lose It

By Christmas Eve, the house was beginning to look more like a festive explosion than anything else. Marshall had spent the last few days tripping on fairy lights, tinsel and mistletoe. On top of that he’d gotten his head stuck in a wreath, stepped on two baubles that shattered under his bare feet and he’d shoveled the driveway daily because the snow was so damn heavy. But it’d all be worth it seeing Hailie and Alaina run around, all excited. They struggled to calm down with the lead up to Christmas, especially with Hailie’s birthday falling on the same day.

Marshall practically skidded into the kitchen when he heard the giant smash, nearly choking himself on the tinsel that was hanging too low over the doorway. Pushing it out of his way, he entered to find that the sound had only come from a baking tray falling to the ground. What was more distressing was the fact that the kitchen looked like someone had flung flour in every direction. Hailie and Alaina were both sitting at the breakfast bar on the high stools, decorating gingerbread biscuits with icing as Kim reached down and picked up the hot tray with a towel and dumped it in the sink.

“You know,” Marshall said as he stepped around the island bench. “When you said you were making Christmas Cookies, I didn’t realize you meant destroying the kitchen.” Kim just gave him a coy smile and rolled her eyes as she pulled the next batch out of the oven to cool.

“Daddy! Look!” Hailie was holding up a gingerbread man, right in his face. He took it and held it back a little so he could see it. “It’s you! I made the whole family!” She was right. As he looked down at the bench, he saw half a dozen gingerbread men and women, all iced carefully. His had bright yellow hair and blue eyes. He recognized ones that look like Kim, Alaina, Nathan, herself and…

Marshall reached out and picked up one that looked like Kim, but a little different. “Who’s this?”

Hailie didn’t even meet his eye as she spoke, so concentrated on icing the next cookie. “That’s Riley!”

There was another crash as Kim dropped the fresh batch of cookies straight to the floor. As Marshall spun around, he saw straight through the ‘accident’, especially by the horror spread across her face. Neither of them had expected Hailie to make a ‘Riley’ cookie. Kim look frustrated as he helped her clean up the mess, before Alaina complained that she needed more green icing for her Christmas tree cookie.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Hailie launched off her seat and sprinted over to the door. Marshall drew in a sharp breath, skidding after her.

“Hailie wait!” By the time he reached her, she was reaching for the handle. He took her hand, gently. “Darling, what I say about answering the door?”

She looked upset. “Not to do it…”

He offered her a supportive smile, “It could be a stranger.” Hailie nodded and stepped back, letting him open the door. He was consistently cautious about it. While he lived in a secure area, he was always concerned about fans jumping fences and knocking on his door. He didn’t want Hailie to answer it and be subject to god knows what.

He pulled open the door and saw Riley standing there, rugged up in a beanie, warm coat, gloves, scarf and boots. She had snowflakes in her hair that were quickly melting and she was cradling a Tupperware container, overnight bag slung over her shoulder. Hailie immediately wrapped her arms around Riley’s legs in a warm hug.

“Hi, darling,” Riley greeted, a little overwhelmed by the affection as she tried to juggle everything as her overnight bag down her shoulder. Marshall grabbed the container from her as Hailie released her legs. Riley readjusted the bag and stepped inside, shutting the door with her foot behind her.