Seth’s Perspective
It was Christmas Eve and all three kids were insanely hyper-active. They knew this was the night that Santa was to come down the chimney while they were asleep and were high on anticipation. Freddy made us promise to make sure the fire was put out before we went to bed so Santa didn’t get burned. Little did they know that he would be making a personal appearance at the BroMax Farm seafood extravaganza later that evening. Zach and I were both off work until after Christmas, school was out, and Kelly and Nathan were in town (thank god… they were an amazing help). Kelly and Nathan were keeping an eye on the kids (including Teddy) at our place, while Zach and I helped Max and Brody prepare for the big party. Frankly, we were both happy for the break from the kids.
BroMax Farm was full of life as we got the place ready for the party. Max’s parents and Grandmother were visiting, once they had settled in as the first guests in the new guesthouse (formerly the candle Barn, and still home to Brody’s studio) they got to work with the rest of us. They were excited about sharing their Christmas Eve seafood tradition with so many new people. BA, Max’s Mom, and Grandmother Harrington declared the kitchen a “ladies only zone” and banished the rest of us to moving furniture, cleaning the house, and setting up the patio and porch as seating areas with outdoor heaters. I went into the kitchen to grab something to clean the fireplace mantel with when I saw BA pouring moonshine for the three ladies… I laughed and said, “Now I get why we were banished.”
“Keep walkin’ darlin, you didn’t see nothin’” BA said without looking at me. “You had your share on picklin’ day, Christmas Eve is ladies night.” BA had a knack for uniting folks with moonshine. I got the cleaner and moved on, leaving the ladies to their private party (I knew better than to get on BA’s bad side). We worked a few hours, then went home to get ready for the party. Max gave me Teddy’s party clothes so he could change at our place and ride over with us.
When we got home, the place was in total holiday chaos! Kelly was blasting… and I mean BLASTING Christmas music and had all the kids singing, she and Nathan were trying to get the kids to do a line dance. As soon as we entered, the kids told Grandpa Nathan to restart the music so they could show us their routine… Kelly’s efforts were a total waste of time and energy. Those kids were so high on sugar cookies and pre-Santa adrenaline that there was no wrangling them in, but they didn’t care. They were having a great time dancing around and singing, killing time until Santa came. They were so proud of their “Christmas dance” and my in-laws were loving every second of it.
“Oh my god, those kids are a trip” Kelly exclaimed as she followed me into the kitchen.
“How long did Izzy and Ali nap?” I asked.
“Ali past out for almost two hours, but Izzy just laid down in her room and yelled every ten minutes “I done sweeping now,” she maybe slept for a half hour. I’m sorry, I really tried.” Kelly said.
“Ugh, she’ll be a beast tonight. It’s not your fault… Mrs. Mavis said she battles with her at nap time daily” I sighed as I continued towards the kitchen. I noticed three small, ugly, Christmas sweaters folded neatly on the table as I passed through the dining room. “What are these?” I asked Kelly.
“Some of Zach and Riley’s old ugly Christmas sweaters from when they were little… the kids can’t open presents in the morning without them…. You know the tradition” Kelly said. Zach’s family had a tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters when they opened their presents, it was another tradition we would carry on.
“Are you sure you’re okay without doing Christmas Eve at your house, Mom?” I asked my mother in-law.
“I guess” she said with a sigh. “We’ve done it for over a quarter century, but I think the kids need to be here at hoe this year, and it’s time to make new traditions” she said. “BUT THE UGLY SWEATERS STAY!” She demanded making me laugh and respond with a ‘Yes Ma’am.’
Kelly and Nathan had brought their party clothes with them and planned on changing at our place before going over to BroMax, then it was off to midnight mass at the Catholic church they found near their villa. “We’re taking the pickup truck home with us tonight so we have two cars for tomorrow. Dad’s going to go to leave for the jail at 6:15 in the morning and I’m going to head over here” Kelly said. “I’m going to make cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate; I’ll pack some up for him to take to Karen. I’m so curious to see her.” I had forgotten that Karen and Kelly had never meant (duh).
“We’re going to tire the kids out tonight and try to keep them in bed as long as we can in the morning” I responded. “Hopefully they won’t rip through all the presents before Karen and Dad call in.”
“I’ll distract them with cinnamon rolls” Kelly laughed. It was fun seeing my mother in-law like that, the adults were as excited for Christmas as the kids. There was an element of Christmas Magic in the air that had us all excited. “I’m going to get Izzy dressed for the party, then I’ll head up and take a shower in the kids bathroom” Kelly said.
“Okay, I gotta make a giant veggie tray and a couple of dips to bring to BroMax tonight” I said as I pulled all the ingredients out and put them on the island. Oh course, Kelly jumped in and helped before heading upstairs to get ready for the party. By the time I finished up in the kitchen, Kelly and Nathan were ready and promised to dress the kids while we got ready. Zach was already in the shower, I joined him in order to save a little time… that notion was shot to hell the second I slid my naked body into the shower behind to his.
He flipped around, put an arm around my waist and pulled my in for a kiss, “Merry fucking Christmas Daddy Zeff” he growled quietly, then he ground his soft cock into mine, he reached down and kneaded the two soft appendages like they were Christmas cookie dough.
“We don’t have time for this” I protested into his mouth as we made out under the warm water. “We gotta get the kids ready.”
“Yeah, like my mom is gonna let us help anyway. She lives for this shit, I’m sure she already nixed the outfits you laid out for the kids and picked new ones” he replied, his lips never leaving mine. It was a little odd trying to get hard while at the same time talking about the kids and my mother in-law, but Zach was persistent. His soapy hand continued its frotting action, he was doing his damnedest to get us both hard quickly… and I can attest that the candy wasn’t the only thing hard that Christmas. Zach dropped to his knees under the water and took my aching cock down his hot throat sending me into a winter wonderland. He bobbed up and down on me while is middle finger and thumb hand pulled at my nuts, and his slick index finger penetrated my soapy hole.
“Oh fuck” I purred as my cock hit the back of his throat and he held it there while he continued fingered my hole. Merry Christmas baby Jesus did it feel amazing!!! His finger worked my hole while his tongue worked my shaft, and his throat muscles massaged my cockhead. Meanwhile, he would tug just a little on my balls sending a little pain through me to bring it all together.
While his right hand worked me, he used his left hand to work himself. His moans vibrated around my cock adding even more stimulation… oh holy night this was hot! I stood on my tiptoes like a ballerina performing the nutcracker. I resisted the urge to grab his head and fuck his face, I let Zach do all the work, he shot his load on the tile floor, and he had me so close to the edge, I could hardly hold on. “Cum” he told me (pa rum pum pum pum). Trust me, Santa wasn’t the only one coming that night as I gave Zach the white Christmas he’d been dreaming of. We ended our shower tryst with a kiss, It truly was the most wonderful time of the year.
After our Christmas Eve quickie in the shower, we got dressed in our Christmas party clothes and went down the hall to help Kelly and Nathan with the kids… it was a shit storm. “NO!” Izzy screamed, “I NOT WEAR DAT. I WEAR DIS!” She was being a tiny little B**** her lack of a nap was shining through.
“But sweetie, this one is SO cute! You’ll be the prettiest one at the party” Kelly said as she tried to get Izzy to wear a frilly red velvet dress with green bows that I hadn’t seen before (it turned out to be one of Riley’s old dresses). Listen, I hope you all know by now that I love my daughter (all my kids) more than life itself, but Izzy was excited for Christmas, being spoiled by Grandma, and tired from her refusal to take a nap while Daddy Zach and I were gone. She was impossible!
“NO!” She said with her arms folded as she stamped her foot disobediently, “I wear DIS!” she wanted to wear the red and green plaid dress that she wore to Zach’s office party, but damn, I had never seen her so belligerent. I was about to intervein when Freddy appeared out of nowhere.
“Isabela Westin-Hall” he said with the most serious look on his face, he got the attention of everyone in the room. She stopped in her tracks and just stared at her determined brother. “You be nice and listen or Santa won’t stop here. You better be good like Ali and me.” Ali was in Nathan’s arms in his little Christmas outfit holding Horny the Rhino just watching the drama unfold. The four adults in the room were doing our damnedest not to crack-up at Freddy taking control of the situation and making sure his little sister didn’t F-up his hard work. He and his friends had been so good, doing their best to stay on Santa’s Nice List, and he wasn’t about to let Izzy cock it all up with a temper tantrum. “Now tell Grandma Kelly you’re sorry and get dressed for the party.”
I can’t describe the look on Izzy’s face, she was taken to task by her brother and it pissed her off… even though she knew he was right. She was between a rock and a hard place. “I sowwy” she said almost mockingly. My god it was killing us not to laugh out loud. We could not believe the attitude on that little… that little… bi… princess!
“Say it nice” Freddy demanded.
Izzy gave in, “I sowwy Gwamma” this time it was sincere as she walked over to my mother in-law and hugged her knees.
Kelly was quick to forgive and lifted the spoiled diva up and let her rest her head on her shoulder. Kelly looked at Freddy and quietly thanked him for his help. The boy just nodded and went to his room to finish getting ready. The three adult males in the room snickered when Freddy left… the whole thing was hilarious. But it was clear Izzy was going to be hell on wheels that night. Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, we all got buckled into the Atlas and headed over to BroMax with Grandma and Grandpa following behind in the pickup so they could bring the bikes from Santa home (of course the kids were clueless to that fact). I swear we didn’t even get out of our drive before Izzy passed out in her car seat… when you’re not quite three it’s hard to win a battle against a nap, eventually the nap wins. We were a little early, so we let her sleep while we unloaded the SUV, Grandpa Nathan volunteered to sit in the SUV with her while she napped. By the time the guests arrived, Izzy had gotten another half hour nap in, and the piss and vinegar seemed to have left the building. The first thing she did when she entered the house was find Grandma Kelly and redeem herself with another ‘I’m sorry.’ All was right with the world again, let the party begin. The Dylan James family arrived, once Maggie was there, Izzy was her sweet lovable self again as she and her best friend mingled.
Kelly went in to see if Max’s mom, grandma, and BA needed any help. The three of them had shifted from prep mode to party mode and were already lit and having a great time, Kelly grabbed a cocktail and joined in. Grandpa Nathan found Mr. Harrington and they sipped Scotch and smoked cigars out on the patio. The party had begun and people were trickling in. Pretty much everyone we knew was planning on being there except for Trevor who had already left for home in South Carolina, and my dad and Best who were spending Christmas with Best’s son Benny in Colorado, I was happy that Best and Benny were mending fences.
Zach, Brody, Max, Gina, Dylan, and I were in the dining room talking and laughing. Ali was perched on my hip still a little unsure of the crowd of strangers, and DJ was perched on Gina’s hip with wide eyes as he looked around. Taylor, and Noah came up to us and were all smiles. “Hey guys” Taylor said as they approached our group.
“Boys” Brody said with a nod, “Y’all havin’ fun?”
“Oh my god” Noah exclaimed, all these kids… they’re so much fun!”
Taylor noticed Ali in my arms and said, “Another foster? Damn, where were all the hot gay daddies when I was stuck in the system.” I laughed at his comment even thoguht his history was anything but funny.
Noah took Ali’s hand and said, “Hi. I’m Noah, Who are you?”
And to the shock of all of us, Ali said, “Hi. I’m Ali.” Zach and I looked at each other, we had NEVER heard his say his name, or a full sentence.
“And who is this guy?” Noah asked as he patted Ali’s stuffed Rhino on the head.
“He’s Horny” Ali said with clarity in his voice and a gigantic smile on his indescribably adorable brown face. His light brown eyes sparkled as he soaked up Noah’s attention. Our little group all laughed with excitement as our little guy spoke freely for the first time since he arrived.
“What’s your name?” Zach asked Ali again.
“Ah-lee” he replied.
“And who’s that?’ I asked pointing at the rhino again.
“Horny” he said without hesitation.
Gina rolled her eyes, “Dear lord I can’t believe you guys named it Horny.”
“What?!” Zach asked innocently. “He has a giant horn on his nose, it was Freddy’s idea.”
By now everyone around us was laughing and Ali was reveling in the smiles and laughter he was getting, so he repeated “Horny” a few more times for the hell of it.
“Who’s that?” I asked pointing to Zach.
“Zach” he said.
“Who am I?” I asked.
“Seth” he said With a giggle. Our little man knew a hell of a lot more than we were giving him credit for. We had never heard him say our names before.
“Do you want to come by me Ali?” Noah asked as he reached out his arms and Ali went willingly. That’s when I noticed Noah’s ring, I looked over at Taylor and saw he had a matching one on the ring finger of his right hand.
“Nice rings” I said to Taylor with a sly grin. Taylor struggled with commitment; we talked a lot about it in our sessions. I knew he had been thinking about making some kind of commitment to Noah.
Noah looked over at Taylor then Taylor spoke, “We’re not engaged or anything, but we’re moving in together next month.” Our little group cheered for the couple, it was a big step for anyone, but a phenomenal step for Taylor.
While we celebrated Taylor and Noah’s decision, and Ali entertained our group more people arrived.
The guys who lived on the second floor of Harrington House drove over with Asher in Yoda. Of course, the second Izzy saw him she yelled, “ASSO,” ran to him and jumped in his arms. I loved watching her interact with Asher… Izzy was unapologetically social and Asher did his best to keep a low profile, but he couldn’t resist her charms. Izzy was like a cat that way… you know, if you ignore a cat, they won’t leave you alone. The more you ignored her, the more attention she demanded. That was the Izzy/Asso relationship in a nutshell, the more he shied away from her, the more she sought him out. She was good for him… whether he admitted it or not, she boosted his confidence.
Ricky and Timmy both came with dates, I had heard rumors that Ricky had a girlfriend but hadn’t met her. She was very sweet, and of course beautiful. Timmy’s girl was also beautiful and nice, but It didn’t seem very serious, I think he just brought a date just to avoid being a third wheel. Tommy and Darius stopped in for like five minutes to say Merry Christmas on their way to Georgia to spend the holidays with Darius’s family. They looked happy and told us they were starting to look for a house we were all pushing them to look out in the country, but they had their heart set on finding a cottage near downtown. Terrance and Harris were there with Terrence’s two sons who were both home from college (oh my god, that made me feel old… they were just teenagers when Max first introduced us). Mason arrived with Raj (the nurse he had met in the hospital after my accident), they were a quiet couple, but seemed to fit together well. Craig, Colton, and Ella all came in together, the guys were arm in arm and had brought a basket of treats for Zoey, that dog had gotten them both through some rough times. Meanwhile, Ella had hugs for everyone, and was so happy to see Riley, the two girls had bonded over the past year or so. Mr. and Mrs. J were also there and having a great time.
Ms. Elkin and her husband Jim showed up… what a great guy he was. He knew us all by name and reputation and we all of course sang the praises of his wife. The kids couldn’t wait to present Ms. Elkin with the spa gift certificate they bought her.
“Thank you for taking care of me and Izzy” Freddy said as he handed her the tiny gift bag. She thanked him, opened the gift and she showered both kids with gratitude (Ali too although he had no clue what was happening). After the kids went off to play, Maureen said to Zach and me, “Let’s talk business for two seconds” her tone was serious. “The detective working to find Ali’s parents has pieced together a story. Apparently, Ali’s father was in the country studying when he met the mother, long story short… she got pregnant and his family forced him to move back to India in shame. We found a birth certificate but there is no father even listed. The mother struggled with depression and couldn’t deal with it so… well, you know what happened there” Maureen took a deep breath. “Her father passed away last year and the woman they thought was her mother turned out to be a stepmother who she had been in battle with over her father’s estate. She had a few friends who came forward, but no real family to speak of.”
“So, what does that mean for Ali?” Zach asked before I could.
Maureen shook her head, “I’m not sure yet. Technically he’s an orphan and It looks like he’ll remain a ward of the state indefinitely… unless…” she gave Zach and I THAT look. Zach and I looked at each other, we knew we had a lot to discuss… but AFTER Christmas.
BA yelled from the kitchen interrupting our serious discussion, “Hey y’all, didja hear that?!”
“Hear what?” Max asked, overacting. The sound of jingle bells were coming from outside.
“I heard it!” Brody yelled overacting just like his husband. “It came from outside” he said as he led the charge to the window, he pulled back a little bit to make sure all the kids got a good view from the window.
“HEY LOOK, IT’S HIM!” Teddy yelled back to the adults.
“IT’S REALLY HIM!! HE’S HERE!” Freddy screamed in excitement.
“YEAH! IT’S SANTA!” Sammy said as the three boys ran out into the cold without their coats. The little ones watched and shrieked with excitement as the adults stood behind them and took in all the action. It was such an awesome moment as the boys “caught” Santa out in the yard and dragged him and his two elves into the house. Oh my god!!! Maverick and Ray Ray were dressed as elves and Daddy James’ Santa costume was so astonishing that not even his own grandchildren recognized him.
“Ho Ho Ho” Daddy James (AKA Santa) bellowed in a deep voice (surprisingly void of his usual southern drawl) as he was dragged through the front door by the three overzealous boys. “I got here a little too early, I thought Teddy would be asleep by now, I tried to sneak away but these boys caught me.”
“Well, Santa Claus why don’t y’all come in and have a seat” BA said as she ushered him to the big, overstuffed armchair that suspiciously sat in the middle of the room. Teddy and Freddy ran off to get him some milk, and the girls put together a plate of cookies while the adults gathered around for the show.
“Well, since I’m here I might as well check my book” Santa said as he pulled out a book with reports from his Elves on the shelves about each of the kids. BA had the parents do a quick write up on each kid and then made the book for Santa. He started with the youngest first. “DJ, come sit on Santa’s lap” he said and Gina handed the youngster over, Mr. Claus opened his book to DJ’s Page, “Well, Cocoa The Elf reports back that you’ve been good… you mostly poop and eat, but you smile a lot. Elf Ray Ray, do you have DJ’s gift?” Ray Ray wheeled in a Fisher Price Laugh And Learn wagon for DJ. He set the baby down in it to play then called for Ali next. Ali was hesitant at first but then shot Santa a winning smile, Santa opened his book to Ali’s page and said, “Well, Bob the Elf says you’ve been a good boy and you play nice to Izzy and Freddy… it looks like you made the nice list” Ali responded with a nod and a smile, he seemed to understand. “Elf Maverick, do you have Ali’s gift?” Maverick came in from the front porch wheeling in a little push car for Ali, he loved it! Santa sat him on his new ride, then he called Maggie. He went through the same routine reading Cocoa The Elf’s report, then asked, “is it true, have you been a good girl?” Maggie said yes, and gave Santa a hug (it was a nice touch solidifying her place on the nice list). He had Elf Ray Ray wheel in a shiny pink tricycle and the toddler squealed in joy.
Izzy was next on the docket, Santa went through the same routine reading from his book, then asked her “is it true, have you been a good girl?”
To my surprise she said, “No. I bad guro” (Izzy to English translation: ‘No Santa, it’s not true. I’ve been a bad girl’).
“What?!” Daddy James said hamming it up beautifully, “Bob The Elf has been watching you closely and says you’ve been a very good girl.”
The little angel shook her head no, “I yew at gwamma kewwy” (Izzy to English translation: ‘I yelled at my grandmother earlier today when she was just trying to help and I feel bad about it’). Grandma Kelly was in the front row watching and let out an audible “aw” as she watched.
Santa Daddy James didn’t miss a beat, “We all have our moments, Izzy. Are you sorry?” Izzy nodded then looked up at Kelly and apologized again. Kelly couldn’t help but step up and hug the toddler and of course she’d already forgiven and forgotten.
“Elf Maverick” Santa bellowed, then Maverick came in from the porch wheeling another shiny pink tricycle. Izzy thanked him, kissed him, and jumped on the tricycle.
Santa did the same routine with Sammy and elf Ray Ray wheeled in a bike. All three boys went wild! They’re plan had worked… but did all three of them pull it off? Teddy was next and his session with Santa ended with Ray Ray wheeling in his new bike. Freddy was last. He had been patient but I could tell he was ready to burst. He got on Santa’s lap and Santa opened his book and went through the list, and ended with “It looks like you’ve been a good boy too, Freddy” humble Freddy barely nodded.
“And he’s the best big brother ever Santa” Zach yelled proudly from the audience. Freddy looked up and smiled at the added endorsement from his dad.
“Elf Maverick” Santa yelled to his elf again, and Maverick wheeled in the shiny bike. Freddy thanked him and hopped off his lap in excitement.
After that, the three boys spent the rest of the evening riding their bikes up and down the driveway in the dark, cold night while the Villagers and adults each took a turn on Santa’s ample lap.
It was a magical Christmas Eve, and the Christmas magic had just begun.
To be continued…
