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Megan blushed. She wasn’t use to Jemmy’s boldness yet. “Megan or Aunt Megan would work,” she finally murmured.
“Hey, Ma,” Jemmy said with a sly smile. “Can I get some rum in my nog too?”
“Jemmy,” Will said in a warning tone before he gave Megan a look of apology. “I tried,” I heard him whisper loudly to Megan. We all laughed except for Jemmy because we knew he intentionally meant to be heard. Then he said in a louder voice he said. “I allow Jemmy, Blake, and Jaxson the occasional glass of wine with dinner.”
Megan smiled up at him. “Like our parents allowed us to, knowing good and well that we snuck into the liquor cabinet when they went away.”
I was surprised by this new information. I wasn’t aware that they ‘grew up’ with each other. I knew Will and Alison had been about the same age, and Megan four years younger than them. I hadn’t realized that their parents had known each other as well.
Will gave her an indulgent smile before he kissed the top of her head. “We never did that.”
We all laughed.
“Likely story, Pops.” Noah sidled up to Megan. “I’m sure you have great stories to tell us about Pops. All the stories he tells us involve a studious, athletic, driven, well behaved boy.”
Megan started laughing before she gave Will a mischievous smile. “He was all those things and then some.”
Jace must have seen my surprised expression because he telepathically said, “They grew up together; Alison, Dad, and Megan. My grandparents had been best friends. Alison and Dad dated even before they knew they were connected. They found out they were connected in high school. By then they were already halfway in lust. Megan always harbored a crush on Dad. She was ecstatic when she found out she was connected to him, too. Alison was happy, too… for a little while.”
I nodded, interested to hear their history. I started to pay attention to the conversation still going on around us.
Noah groaned. “I will find out more!” he declared earnestly.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Megan laughed once more.
Will started to hand out glasses of egg nog with the help of Sierra.
“Mmm it already smells like Christmas,” Jemmy smiled as she sniffed her eggnog.
I had to agree. The pine smell from the tree and the smell of the eggnog was everything Christmas. We just needed a fire place and gingerbread cookies cooking in the oven.
“I wish you would have given me a heads up,” Drake joked. “I would have run to get the ingredients for some gingerbread men.”
I had to laugh. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Blake and I used to make them when Heidi wasn’t around,” Ella gave me a wide smile. “We even had the little cookie cutters.”
To me, the statement was a bit sad. The only way we made them was if Heidi wasn’t around. I saw that as Ella’s memory being tainted, but I could see from her smile that it hadn’t bothered her. She had been content that we made them and got to gorge ourselves on them when we were finished.
“I cheated though,” I piped up as I took a sip of my eggnog. I closed my eyes in contentment as the taste hit my tongue. “Mine came from a tube in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.” I finally added with a smile.
Jemmy laughed as she started to unpack one of the grocery store bags. “Well, you don’t know what you were missing until you try Drakes. Ta da!” she flourished her hands as she pushed several ingredients forward. “I had to look recipes up and they all seemed to have similarities, so I grabbed all the ingredients.” Gavin cleared his throat. She gave him a look of annoyance before she sighed. “Fine. Sierra had to help me. That spice aisle is redonkulous!”
Drake laughed before he gave Sierra a grateful smile. “Thanks! I couldn’t imagine what she would have brought back once she got tired of looking.”
“Hey!” Jemmy loudly protested. “It’s not my fault your selfish butt took all of our cooking gene. You could have left me a little.”
We all laughed at her. I laughed because I seriously think that she believes that it was possible. It wasn’t the first time she had said it, and I think with time, she actually started believing it.
“We should decorate the tree before Drake becomes a slave in the kitchen,” I smiled as I tried to get up.
My right leg wouldn’t support my weight, and I nearly fell on top of Micah. “Blake!” Troy exclaimed as he quickly reached for me.
“Are you okay?” Jace asked in worry as he leaned forward.
I feigned a laugh as I walked towards the bags of decorations near the tree. “Yeah, my foot must have fell asleep. Let’s get to this! Ella and I never had a tree this big, huh, pumpkin head?”
The truth was, something was still wrong. It wasn’t the first time I felt the residual effects of last night. I had stood up from the toilet earlier and the wor
