Chapter 101

Chapter 101
Kaelen's POV

We make it as far as the living room before we run into Remi, who has too much energy like he has been awake for hours. He grins when he sees me and holds out his hand.

"You can't walk past me without paying the handshake tax."

I laugh. "Is that what we are calling it now?"

"Absolutely."

I slap my palm against his, and we go through the ridiculous sequence we have somehow developed over the past few weeks.

Jordan stares at us. "When exactly did that start?"

Remi glances over his shoulder. "You didn't think you could keep Kaelen all to yourself, did you?"

Jordan frowns. "Um... yes. And I should."

"Not gonna happen, big bro." He walks away looking far too pleased with himself.

Jordan shakes his head, and I can't stop myself from laughing. I step closer to him, lowering my voice. "Don't worry. I'll always belong to you in ways they'll never know."

His face turns crimson. I smile innocently and walk away before he can recover.

The kitchen is a Christmas morning crime scene. Mr Summers is moving around the stove, humming along while occasionally moving his shoulders to the beat of music. For half a second, he even dances, completely unbothered by the spatula in his hand.

Then he notices me standing there. He straightens slightly, as if I've caught him doing something embarrassing.

"Good morning, Mr Summers."

"Hey. Merry Christmas!" He smiles broadly, and whatever embarrassment he had disappears almost immediately.

"Can I help with anything?"

He looks around the kitchen. "I think I've got breakfast handled. Do you think you can help me prepare the turkey seasonings later?"
"And how exactly do I do that?" I ask lightly enough, maintaining a straight face.

He stares at me for a second before laughing. "You know what? Let's worry about that after breakfast." He glances toward the windows. "What's the estimated time of arrival for everyone?"

"They—" A car pulls into the driveway before the rest of the words roll out. I point toward the window. "They are actually here already."

His face lights up. It still amazes me how quickly this house has changed. A few days ago, it was simply a house my boyfriend's father had bought for the three of them. Now it feels like everyone has claimed a little corner of it and he doesn't mind.

He offered to host Christmas for anyone close to us who wanted to come. Lucas and Marielle had already been planning to visit and Elise decided to stay in the city rather than spend the holidays abroad with her parents. Now the house is full before the morning has even properly started.

"I never really thanked you for having all of us here," I tell him. "This feels... really nice. I didn't know I needed something like this."

He looks at me for a moment, his smile softening. "You've made a major impact on Jordie's life, Kaelen. You have all brightened a part of him I once thought would stay dull forever. And somewhere along the way, you all started feeling like my children." He looks around the kitchen. "I'm just a parent who is happy to have all of you home."

A comfortable warmth flutters in my chest. It's one of the nicest things he has ever said to me, and somehow every time he makes me feel like I belong here, I want to stay a little more.

"Okay, Dad," Jordan says from beside me. "Don't go crying already this early in the day."

Mr Summers snorts. "And don't go judging me if I do. You'll understand that feeling someday."

"I know."

"Look who is here!" Remi calls from the hallway.

We turn as Elise, Lucas, and Marielle walk in. Elise is carrying one baby while Marielle has the other tucked carefully against her chest. Lucas carries the bags.

Within seconds, everyone is greeting everyone else. Jordan's dad welcomes them inside, and Lucas introduces the girls with a pride that practically fills the room. I'm just reeling in the fact that I'm an uncle. Clara and Cora are so perfect.

Breakfast is served in the sitting room because there aren't enough chairs around the dining table for everyone. Nobody seems to care. Plates end up balanced on knees, and conversation overlaps so often that following one story from beginning to end becomes impossible.

At some point, I stop thinking about where everyone fits into all of this. Nobody is being treated like a guest. Nobody has to prove they belong. We are simply here, like we have been doing this for years.

The rest of the morning passes quickly. We divide up the Christmas preparations, with Mr. Summers taking charge of the turkey while the rest of us tackle everything else. Gifts are opened later, and although I don't keep track of everything everyone receives, I remember the feeling of sitting around the tree with all of them, sharing not only the gifts but the joy of appreciating one another.

It is nothing like the Christmases I grew up with and I don't want it to be.

By the time the food is almost ready, the house smells incredible. Mr Summers has somehow managed to make the turkey look like it belongs in a Christmas advertisement and somehow even in all the chaos of everyone being everywhere, everything turns out perfect.

We are just about to start carrying everything to the kitchen when the doorbell rings. I'm already standing, so I volunteer to answer it.

I open the door with a smile still on my face. The face that looks back at me is the last one I expected there.

"Mom?"

She gives me a small smile. "Hi, sweetheart."

"I didn't know you were coming. Weren't you going to your friend's house?"

"I was but I changed my mind the last minute," She glances briefly past me as laughter spills from the sitting room. She hesitates. "Is this a good time? I don't want to interrupt anything."

Before I can answer, Jordan appears behind me. "Who is it, Kae?" His expression changes when he sees her. "Hi, Mrs Ashford."

"Hi, Jordan." She smiles at him. "You can just call me Harper now." Jordan doesn't respond. "I just wanted to check in on Kaelen," she says. "He told me he'd be here." She looks past us again. "But I'll let you get back to..." She gestures vaguely toward the noise behind us and starts to step away.

I glance at Jordan. His eyes meet mine, questioning but not pushing. I don't know why I do it. Maybe because I've spent enough time wondering what my mother actually wants. Maybe because today feels different, like extending some grace to even her is the right thing to do.

"Hey, Mom?" She stops. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Not really anything. I was going to order something, watch some Christmas show reruns..."

"You should come in." The words leave me before I can second guess them. "Spend the day with us. I mean... if you want to."

Her eyes widen slightly, shifting to Jordan. "Are you sure?"

Jordan answers before I can. "You're welcome here anytime."

Delight or maybe relief flickers across her face. "I'd like that very much. Thank you!"

She takes a step toward us, but I stop her. "There is something else you should know."

She smiles faintly though she looks a bit alarmed. "You can tell me anything, sweetheart."

"Lucas and Marielle are here too." I watch her carefully, not sure which reaction I want to catch. "With the twins." Her expression doesn't change. "I hope you are ready to meet them."

"I have been ready for a while now," she says quietly. "Since I found out about them. I'm more than ready to be their grandmother." Her smile grows. "If Lucas will let me."

"It's about time."

We all turn. Lucas is standing just behind us. His expression is cautious, but there is no anger in it.

"It's good to see you again, Mom."

Harper's eyes fill with emotion, but she manages a smile. She walks inside, and Jordan leads her toward the sitting room while Lucas and I remain behind for a moment.

I turn to him. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't the first time you two are talking?"

He slips his hands into his pockets. "I found out a few weeks ago that our mother has a conscience." I raise an eyebrow. "She reached out when you got shot. That wasn't the first time she tried but it was the first time I let her say anything."

"And you already forgave her?"

"No." He looks toward the hallway where she disappeared. "I'm giving her a chance to be a better grandmother than she was a mother. Maybe then I can forgive her."

I don't know what to say. For me, it was just a few weeks that she stayed away. For Lucas, it has been years. I don't know what this new chapter is going to be like for all of us but I don't want to think about that today. I walk back into the living room and watch them for a moment.

Harper is holding one of the twins, her eyes fixed on the tiny face in her arms. Marielle is standing beside her, talking about something I can't hear. Jordan is fussing over the other twin with Elise and Remi, and Lucas is laughing with Jordan's Dad like they are age mates.

A few weeks ago, I couldn't imagine any of us being in the same room like this. Now I don't want to think about what might have happened if I hadn't opened the door.