Page 28 of Maldives & Mistletoe

FOURTEEN

Abriella and Tommas

ABRIELLA

“Took you two long enough,” Abriella grumbled as she opened the front door to her hut to let Theo and Eve inside. “Everyone is ready.”

Theo and Eve, with both their arms loaded with wrapped gifts, at least had the decency to look sheepish about being late. They’d all agreed to meet at Tommas and Abriella’s hut for Christmas morning to open gifts, and make breakfast. Everyone else but these two had managed to show up on time, and surprise, surprise, they were the only ones without kids, too.

At the same time, Abriella had no interest in learning exactly why they were late … she was pretty sure she could guess that all on her own. Likely the same reason she didn’t like to get out of bed in the mornings because someone beside her was all too happy to keep her under the sheets with him.

“Well, we’re here now,” Theo said, grinning at Abriella as he passed her by, “so let’s get these gifts to the kids, and somebody put me in the kitchen because I am fucking starved.”

Abriella side-eyed the man. “Are you going to help cook, too?”

Theo at least had the decency to act shocked that she would even ask that question. “Of course.”

“Mmhmm, Tommas is already in there with Damian getting everything ready. Feel free to join them.”

She helped Eve to unload some of the gifts for the kids, making sure that each child had their own pile of gifts in an effort to keep them from tearing into somebody else’s gifts. Although, Abriella didn’t think the kids would care, really. Next to Joe, the rest of the little ones were still at an age where the paper and boxes the toys came in were far more interesting than the toys themselves. The adults would likely be the ones to open up most of the gifts.

Abriella sat down with Tommaso as he struggled to get the paper off the corner of one of his gifts. Sure, there weren’t a lot of presents. Four to each child—one from everyone, basically, but it was enough. They were going to have to travel with all this shit home, too. Even if they were taking another private jet.

Plus, there was a big, red Santa bag with a gift for each child, too. But once they got home, there would be a whole bunch of presents and fun waiting.

Because yeah, Tommas was not even messing around for the trip back. Abriella was grateful for that, though. Less stress, really.

“You want Ma to help?” she asked Tommaso.

Her big, blue-eyed boy nodded. “Thanks, Ma.”

Pulling Tommaso into her lap, she grabbed the present from his hands, and tore off the side that had been giving him the most trouble. Once she gave him that little bit of help, he was easily able to tear the rest of the paper off to reveal the gift from Damian and Lily. A model Hummer, by the looks of it. One that matched the Hummer he had seen parked in their driveway during their last party, and went crazy over because it was so big, and his favorite color—yellow.

Like a Hummer wasn’t ostentatious enough, the person had to paint it yellow, too. Just like the model Hummer in the box. Or rather, the pieces of it.

According to the box, the Hummer was in fifteen-hundred pieces that would need to be put together. Approximate time to put together, over thirty hours.

Wow.

Abriella saw Lily grinning at her from the side, and shook her head. “Thanks, really.”

“Deny he’s going to love that.”

“Oh, he’ll love it. Tommas … not so much when he’s the one putting it together piece by piece.”

Lily shrugged. “But what are dads for, though, right?”

Good point.

And Tommaso did love it. He was more than content with sitting on his mother’s lap and looking over that box for as long as he could. Suddenly, he didn’t seem to have any interest with the other three gifts waiting for him on the floor, not even when his mother tried to entice him with the promise of a train being in one because that’s what she and his father had gotten him.

He loved trains, too.

Abriella figured it didn’t matter, anyway. He’d get around to his other gifts when he was good and ready, even if it took a while. She enjoyed watching the other kids tear into their gifts, or in the case of Alessa and Adriano’s daughters, have their mother open up each gift for them before demanding she open each one for them to play with.

By the time the kids had gotten into each of their gifts—including Tommaso—she could smell bacon, eggs, and all the other goodness that the guys had prepped for breakfast. Tommas came up behind her with a smile. Tipping her head back, Abriella grinned.

“All ready?”