AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did I nuke that wiener good?” I asked. She gave me a thumbs up, her cheeks filled with food. “Make sure you chew that.” I looked up to see Tyler—who had two plates—Soren, and Felix all filing into the kitchen with their food in hand. “You guys can eat in the living room,” I told them as they pulled out chairs. Tyler placed a dish loaded with piles of every offering in front of me.
“We’re good to eat in here,” Soren said as he lowered himself down to Dad’s chair, then tucked a paper napkin over and behind his dark blue tie. “Dad is talking about retirement accounts or something, and Mr. Pike from your dad’s office was asking me why young folks are making such a ruckus about climate change.”
We all groaned, even Polly, who had no idea what climate change was yet.
“Yeah, he’s like the head of the permit office or something? Dude is like a thousand years old. The last time I saw him he asked me if I really thought we needed charging stations for electric cars at our city parks.”
“Man, old people.” Felix sighed.
“Old people.” Polly sighed as well.
We all chuckled, then ate. It was nice. Felix was being okay, a little odd, but then again, I was feeling a little odd around him, so it was probably a mutual oddness thing. Mom entered the kitchen with slices of cake for everyone, smiling at us as she served dessert. Polly ate all of hers, then fell asleep in her booster, her face smeared with ketchup and frosting.
“Let me get her to bed. You guys can chill in my room,” I said, then unbuckled and lifted Polly up and into my arms. The guys followed, carrying cans of soda, and turned into my room as I made the left to get my sister ready for bed. We washed her face, changed her into her jammies, and I tucked her in with a kiss to her brow.
“Jo-bah read,” she asked around a yawn.
“I have friends waiting for me, Pol,” I explained. Her lower lip wobbled. “Okay, no tears.” I grabbed a book from the stack we’d borrowed from the public library, a story about a penguin who wanted to learn to tap dance. Then I sat down beside her on the skinny toddler bed that had been handed down about four times now and started reading, only pausing at the sound of someone at the door.
Tyler smiled at me. “I love that story. Can I listen?” he asked.
Polly nodded with gusto, then told Tyler exactly where to sit. She was kind of bossy. Tyler sat on the floor, his eyes round and bright and resting on me as I read. Polly didn’t make it past the third page. I turned off her lamp, flicked the nightlight on, and tugged Tyler to his feet.
“Time to kick Felix’s butt in auto soccer,” I whispered beside his ear. He nodded, kissed me quickly, and followed me into the hallway. The other girls were being led up the stairs as the sound of adult conversation and old Christmas songs floated upward. Mom gave us a tired, but happy smile as she herded two exhausted girls to their room.
“Thank you for tucking in Polly,” Mom said as the girls mumbled sleepily at her sides. “You are a great big brother.” She patted my cheek, then got the girls moving once more.
“You really are a good big brother,” Tyler said as we lingered in the hall for a minute, his fingers finding, then threading with mine. “I wish I had siblings.”
“You say that now. When you wake up to discover that your term paper was used for confetti for Barbie and Ken’s wedding, you’ll be glad you’re an only child,” I tossed out, getting a snort of amusement from him. “Besides, your mom and Felix’s dad are looking pretty close. You might get a new stepbrother someday.”
“That would be really… weird,” he whispered.
Yeah, it would be for sure. But hey, stranger things have and could happen. Like Tyler being my boyfriend.
Not that it was official or anything, but if Santa did bring me what I asked for, which was a new hoodie, I hoped he would also toss in having a boyfriend as a bonus gift.
“I really love being your boyfriend,” Tyler whispered before rising on his toes to kiss me on the lips.
Oh, wow, well okay then.Thanks Santa!
“I love being your boyfriend, too,” I replied softly.
“Hey, are you ready for me to kick your butt?” Felix called from my room.
I was ready to kickhisbutt.
No one was ready for Tyler to be the grand champion.
Guess it was a night for all kinds of unexpected gifts.
ChapterSixteen
Tyler
Christmas morning wasall about pancakes and bacon, and not just any old pancakes, but ones with smiley faces made from chocolate chips, and not just any old bacon, but crispy strips, and so much of it that we never ate it all. It was a tradition we’d started seven years ago, the first Christmas after Dad had gone, and we hadn’t broken it since.
Only this year was different—James would be arriving as Mom was serving up the best bacon ever, and of course, Felix would be in tow. Mom and I had talked long and hard about James and his son being part of our tradition, and as much as I wanted to keep this space for me, I’d never seen Mom so happy. She was floating, doing her best Mariah Carey as she bustled around the kitchen singing, pressing a kiss to my head every time she passed. She and James had been an official thing since last night apparently, or so she said when she sat me down to tell me at breakfast. I’d known the news was going to be something that impacted my life when she didn’t care how many Christmas chocolates I ate as we talked.
