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“You all were so spoiled and needed to learn a lesson,” Will spoke up in his own defense.
“You always did like playing the part of Santa Claus at Christmas,” Megan gave him a loving look before stroking his face. “He always liked the giving more than the receiving, even as a kid.”
“Most women wouldn’t complain about that, especially in the bedroom,” Marcel murmured mischievously under his breath. He was careful not to say it loud enough for the children, Will, Megan, and Mr. Moore to hear.
I stared at him, my mouth was wide open with amused shock as Jemmy squealed and held her hands over her ears. “La la la I can’t hear you!” she shot him a disgusted look. “How dare you plant that image in my head?!”
“I don’t think I want to even know,” Megan sniffed as she looked the other way with a small smile around her lips.
“Jemmy, yet again, found a new weakness in the household to exploit,” Noah said with a laugh, continuing the story. “Every year since then she goes out of her way to find the most hideous, ugly presents for us.”
“I buy nice gifts, too,” Jemmy said defensively with a grin.
“One year, she bought us itchy wool sweaters, not to be confused with the hideous Christmas sweaters,” Remy said, shooting Jemmy an annoyed look as if he was remembering the torture of not only having to be appreciative of the gift but wearing it as well.
Drake took off his glasses to wipe his eyes. “The worse was the Hawaiian shirts in the most hideous colors. Mine was puke green.”
“No way! The worse were those red cowboy boots she got us that one year,” Troy said insistently.
Rachel laughed. “So, the moral of the story is never hurt Jemmy’s feelings or tick her off?”
“Please say you don't include me in your twisted gift giving,” I groaned.
“I was nicer this year,” Jemmy said with a smile.
“Because I suggested she be…nicer,” Gavin gave her a pointed look.
She rolled her eyes. “Stop trying to make me a nicer person.”
We all laughed at the seriousness in her tone.
I was sitting on Remy’s lap as we started to hand out the stockings. Beth and Cora were late for dinner, but at least they were here with Patrick and Nadia. They allowed the children to skip the meal in favor of exchanging their gifts. My eyes widened as I watched them open their presents. They really were getting spoiled. We told everyone not to go crazy on them when we were asked about ideas. One small little gift was all they needed, honestly.
Terrance bought all the children iPods. Marcel bought them fifty dollars in iTunes gift cards each. Dawn purchased them wireless headphones. Sam got them iPod hard cases and an additional twenty-dollar iTunes gift card.
“I thought we agreed to not going crazy on them,” I said dryly as they immediately began opening their gifts.
Alex, Ella, and Nadia were excited as well, considering I thought they would be too young to appreciate or even want a music player. Terrance quickly let them know they could download movies on it as well, causing more cries of delight from them.
“No,” Terrance said with a large smile. I could see that it made him happy that he made them happy. “You said please don’t go crazy. I never agreed to anything.”
I wanted to admonish him, but Remy pulled me close and kissed the side of my ear. “Let it be,” he murmured next to my ear. “He makes good money with no one to spend it on. If they want to spoil them, let them. How often do you think Alex and Micah got Christmas like this? How about Ella? They’re just making up for lost time.”
I grabbed his face and kissed him with all the pent-up emotion I was feeling. I didn’t care that the living room was packed with close to twenty people. I wanted to convey my feelings of love to him. Otto may come into our lives, but it would never change the way I felt about him.
“Will you sleep with me tonight?” I asked him after we pulled away breathless.
“You never have to ask me,” he said gruffly as he ran his fingers through my hair to pull me close for one more kiss.
“My turn!” Jemmy squealed, pulling us away from our little bubble. I looked up to see her standing and doing a little dance.
The guys groaned collectively. Noah let out another growl of frustration when he saw the boxes that looked suspiciously like clothing boxes. Jemmy handed everyone in the room her gift, including Megan, Pops, Mr. Moore, Cora, and Beth.
Pops gave her a raised brow, and she gave him a sickeningly sweet smile and batted her eyes at him. “We should accept every gift we are given with grace and thankfulness. It’s the thought that counts and not the contents of what’s in the box,” she said in a gruff voice that I assumed was a feeble imitation of Will.
“You are delusional if you think I’ll wear anything your crazy mind has conjured up. I may be your brother from another mother but I ain’t under the same rules Pops gave you!” Marcel said as he sucked his teeth.
“My rule was to accept the gifts with grace. I never said anything about wearing the gifts given to them,” Will said with a smirk.
