187 - Hoodie

*Stitch has it right, Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind. Even if it’s just in memory, they stay with us. – Alana*

Just as they had since the compound was built, the Lowery and Lynch families gathered for Christmas Eve there. It was a bit subdued this year with Becks being gone. But there were also lots of stories being told about her and Christmas Eve’s past.

With the lockdown still in effect, the musketeers did not join them. Although Molly was certain that Athos, Michelle and her brothers were over at Aramis and Megan’s new house. The rambling two story house was the first one that was built on the new cul-de-sac on the farm.

Athos would be the next one to build a house. Kilo and his father’s firm had already worked up the blueprints and schematics. Clay kept telling Athos that he had great plans for the house. Athos always looked at the man warily.

Molly shook his head and rubbed the back of the baby on his shoulder. Reba was not quite a year old and was suffering from an ear infection. She moved on her father’s shoulder and gave a contented sigh.

“There’s my girl,” Tammy smiled at father and daughter as she joined them at the large window looking out at the pool in the courtyard.

Tucking her against his side, he kissed her dark hair. “Are you done with the pool?”

“Yeah, I’m not as young as I used to be and it’s cold out there.”

Molly chuckled, “I understand.”

“I saw a thing on Facebook, one minute your young and fun and the next thing you know, you’re predicting the weather with an ache in your knees.”

“Turning down the radio when you’re looking for an address.”

“Oh, God,” Tammy laughed. “I’ve done that!”

Laughing, he rested his chin on her head. “Yeah, so have I.”

The pool was slowly emptying, and everyone was making their way in. The trio and flowers ushered their kids into Yvonne’s house and Werewolf and Charlotte followed. Chance’s sons and Werewolf’s youngest were tucked into the nursery upstairs.

Chance had expected to have three children under the age of three in the new year. Earlier in the night, Rye had announced that they were having twin girls. Mia’s twins were excited to have another set of twins in the family.

Tammy motioned to where the expectant father was warming his wife up next to the propane fire pit. Kneeling in front of Rye, he placed a couple of kisses on the large belly of his wife.

“Someone should tell them that’s probably how they ended up with four babies in diapers,” she teased.

“I didn’t think that Chance had much of an appetite.”

“Apparently, he does a lot that he didn’t use to do.”

The couple outside moved towards Michaela’s house and Mia shooed her twins to follow their uncle.

“I’m glad they found their happiness,” Molly said as Reba scrunched on his chest. “Uh-oh, that’s a diaper scrunch.”

“Pris is still on the phone with Camille in the media room,” Tammy reminded him. “Give them their privacy, it’s their first Christmas apart. And they’ve both had a lot happen this year.”

“I would never…”

“Molly, don’t bullshit me.”

“OK, I might, but I won’t,” he promised as they turned from the large window and headed for the door.

The Christmas tree was still up in the corner and stockings lined the walls. Every year there were new stockings. Aramis and Megan now had another new one with Dakota’s little brother having been born in October. It worked out perfect for her to have online classes with a newborn.

“Hey, Momma T,” Eliza called from the kitchen as she stirred the creamy liquid in the large crock pot. “Come check my hot cocoa.”

“Be good, Molly,” she warned as she moved towards the kitchen.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him for a kiss. “In the next few months, we’re going to have twenty babies, I’m *always* good.”

She gave him another kiss. “Don’t be that good.”

Chuckling, he headed for the stairs and dropped her hand as she went to help their daughters in the kitchen.

“Check my cider, too,” Amanda said, then with a subtle reminder from her older sister, added, “please!”

Molly snickered as he headed up the stairs to change the now stinking diaper. Upstairs was chaos with all the kids running around and parents somewhat trying to contain… well, everything.

Piles of wet clothes and towels were accumulating in the hallway.

Half-naked kids ran from room to room.

Fully naked toddlers ran down the hall giggling as their parents chased them.

The nursery was full of everyone who had a baby in diapers in the room. Molly stepped back out of the nursery as two of the trio’s sons refused to get dressed.

“Lucas, Zack, once everyone is dressed, we can open presents.” Rocky reminded them.

Almost immediately, they grabbed the clothes from their fathers and quickly pulled them on.

“Zack, Rose told her four-year-old son, “your shirt is on inside out.”

“So?” he asked as he sat down to pull on sweatpants and socks.

Celt and Chance both left the nursery and Molly slid inside before anyone else got in or Reba began fussing more. Her earache medicine made her very sleepy, and she was just starting to fuss from her dirty diaper.

With expert ease, he changed the diaper and put her into fresh pajamas before she ever fully woke up. The new pajamas were bright red with dark green writing declaring ‘MY 1ST CHRISTMAS!’ across the body. Stuffed Santa faces were on the feet with bells inside the floppy hats.

By the time he walked out of the nursery with his youngest happy and content to sleep in her fathers’ arms, the hallway was almost empty. Charlotte smiled at him as she told her second youngest to go down the stairs.

Yvonne met him at the bottom of the stairs and took Reba from him. “Give me a kiss and then you can go tell Priss that we’re going to do presents.”

Smiling, he did exactly as she said. Cupping her chin between his fingers and thumb, he tipped her face up for him to press a kiss to her lips. She pulled back before he could deepen the kiss. He groaned in disappointment.

Michaela gave the couple a little laugh as Molly looked at the little Hispanic woman with disappointment clearly showing on his face.

“Later, *mi amore*,” Yvonne assured him as she gently tugged on his beard before walking away.

“Go get Priss,” Michaela advised over her shoulder as the two women headed into the Christmas room.

Inside the office, he found his oldest saying goodbye to her closest and oldest friend on the computer. She and her husband signed off from the call and then she closed the computer.

“We heard everyone, assumed it was time to call it a night,” she told her dad as her husband helped her to stand up.

Her baby bump wasn’t all that big yet, just enough to throw off her sense of balance. Strong hands stayed on her until she indicated that she was good to stand on her own.

Molly was proud of the couple in front of him. They had had a hard year but came through it strong and united.

They settled in the large Christmas room and found that Colton had already started to distribute gifts. He sat down and received two small boxes that he recognized as being the size for lingerie. The weight indicated that there was no lingerie in either box.

Inside the first box, he found a framed black and white picture of Noel wearing nothing but his cut. Just like all the other pictures of his pretties, the cut covered her breasts, and the angle of the camera provided modesty ensuring that nothing was showing.

Leaning over, he kissed Noel, “It’s beautiful, pretty, just like you.”

She blushed as smiled at him. “I was so freaking nervous doing that picture.”

“Don’t ever be ashamed of your tiger stripes.” Alana advised as she helped her daughter’s young child to open his present.

He opened the second box and found a similar picture of Case. Turning to his left, he kissed the woman with blue and pink streaks in her hair. “Also beautiful, pretty.”

“What the hell is this?” a man asked, and Priscilla laughed.

Attention was turned to the couple as he opened a box and pulled a large hoodie out of the box.

“I wanted to get you something that you didn’t have,” Priscilla grinned.

“I used to have a hoodie like this,” he turned the black hoodie and laid it across his chest. Looking at the bleach stain on the cuff of the right sleeve, his eyes widened. “Wait! This is *my* hoodie!”