AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Santa?” Simon mouthed, wide-eyed.
“That’s not Santa, Pretty Boy.” Jazz popped Simon in the arm, then bounced to her feet. “Holy crap, though, you give a good impression of one.”
“Ho-ho-ho.” Nick walked into the room and grabbed the belt sagging around his waist. His pants were about two deep breaths from indecent. “Where are those babies?”
“Asleep in their bassinettes in the studio. Figured the soundproofing might help them nod off.” Deak set aside his beer. He’d probably limit himself to one. Clean body and all. “Where’d you get that costume? It’s pretty jacked up.”
“Hey.” Lila surprised herself by speaking. It was amazing she even could, since her throat was so tight. “He doesn’t look half bad.”
“Fooled me.” Simon straightened his shoulders. “I mean, yeah, bro, you could’ve done better.”
Nick swaggered into the room, dragging a sack that had clearly seen better days. It also appeared to be empty. “Outta the chair, Papa Smurf.” He jerked a thumb. “People will be sitting on my lap.”
Simon jumped up so quickly that flames nearly shot out of his ass. “Can I go first?”
Nick growled and plopped into Deak’s chair once he’d risen. “If you sit on my lap, you will be lacking a testicle for this most joyous of holidays.”
“Bah.” Simon tugged on Margo’s hand. “Let’s go upstairs before he de-balls me.”
“We’re spending the night,” Margo said to Lila’s surprise. “You know, like the old days. Not that I was here for the old days, but you know.”
Lila tried to lower her brows. “Everyone’s staying the night or just you two?”
“Everyone,” Deak said in his deep baritone, finishing off his beer. “Harp and me are taking our old bedroom, since Jazz’s sister vacated for the night. Though, seriously, I could do without the Bieber pic on the closet door. My room has been defiled by Molly.”
“She says he’s packing,” Jazz said with a dainty shrug, slinging her arms around Gray’s shoulders. “I guess there’s nude shots on the internet. Not that I searched for an hour or anything.”
“That’s my wife,” Gray said with a grin. “Giving her all in the name of research.”
“Hello, this beard is itchy.” Nick tugged on it and huffed out a breath. “Someone better get on my lap pronto or I’m going to lose all my fucking good cheer.”
“I’ll get the babies, but you better not be lewd, crude or anything else.” Harper pointed at Nick before heading out of the room.
“When have I ever been lewd or crude?”
Simon and Jazz spoke simultaneously. “Every minute since birth.”
Lila shook her head and smiled as Margo apparently gave up on possibly sexing Simon to watch the entertainment with Saint Nick and the babies and plopped back down beside Lila. “Who needs boys?” Lila said to her friend, tipping her head against Margo’s.
A hug and a head tip was about as demonstrative as she got during the holiday season, and Margo seemed to know it because she laughed and went along with her. “Not us.”
“Does this mean this sleepover is turning girl-on-girl?” Simon wondered, popping a mini sausage-and-cheese on a stick from Harper’s snack tray in his mouth.
“Hey, watch it, potty mouth,” Harper said, toting in Dylan with Deak and Lexi bringing up the rear. “Little ears.”
Dylan lifted his head from Harper’s shoulder and blinked, making everyone laugh.
Simon grinned. “See, the boy’s already tuning in at that mention.”
Harper set one sleepy baby on Nick’s right hip and the other on the opposite one, and Jazz and Deak started competing over who would snap the best picture with their phone. Harper joined Margo and Lila’s side of the circle, and after handing her phone to Gray, Jazz flanked her other side and linked arms with her bestie to watch the squabbling boys with the now-fussing children.
“Which one you think will run from the stink farm that is a baby post-bottle first?” Harper asked.
“Simon,” they all said simultaneously.
“He does have a model image to project,” Margo said, laughing as Jazz bumped her leg.
An hour later, the pictures had all been taken, and the babies had been tucked back into their beds. The presents had all been unwrapped. Actually, decimated was a better word for the collection of boxes, bows and paper strewn across the floor in front of the waning fire.
