Chapter Three-Hundred-Six
“Is it a girl or a boy?” Chris wanted to know as Brian pulled Riley so she was sitting in his lap with her back to him. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
“We don’t get to find that out yet buddy” Brian answered.
“When do we get to find out?”
“It’ll be about four to five weeks before we will be able to tell anything” Riley answered.
“Ohh” Chris replied. “I hope it’s a boy.” Brian chuckled.
“Will you be okay if it’s not a boy though?”
“I guess so”
“Oh I bet you won’t have a problem with it at all” Jackie laughed. “Infact I’m willing to bet you and Josh will be very protective of her – most older brothers are.”
“I’ll be older and she’ll be a baby so I guess it’s okay” Chris replied while scrunching up his nose a little.
“The difference between Josh and Chris is Chris is very anti-girls” Riley pointed out amusedly.
“So am I some days” Josh replied while throwing his cousin a distasteful look, still not forgiving her for teasing him and being a show off.
“Correction – you are anti Ellie, not anti-Dakota” Sarah replied teasingly.
“Don’t make me become anti-Sarah too while I am at it” Josh warned playfully, not believing Sarah of all people is teasing him. Sarah just sat there gazing at him innocently. Brian shook his head in amusement and then spoke up again.
“Anyway…Josh you haven’t expressed any feelings what so ever about this. Come on talk to me bud.” Josh shrugged and looked down at his hands uncomfortably. He doesn’t really know what he feels.
“I think you need to give him some time to sort out his feelings Bri. This is big news you’ve given him and you know it takes time for Josh to get used to new things” AJ replied when he noticed the look in Josh’s eyes. While Chris may be open to this baby news, he has a feeling Josh is going to need sometime – and possibly some reassurance too. He is after all Brian’s boy and always has been and the thought that anyone else might come into their family and take that from him scares him. Especially that someone being a baby who demands a lot of attention. Josh rested his head against Brian’s shoulder, slid his arms around Brian’s arm and snuggled into him proving AJ’s theory correct. He has a feeling he’s going to need a lot of attention in the next nine months – and most definitely after or there is going to be a typical full on Josh Tornado in their presence and that tends to cause a lot of destruction. Brian leaned forward and placed a kiss on top of Josh’s head hoping that would reassure him a little bit.
“Well now that you’re back Brian we should think about getting everything in the car and heading home. Santa still has to come” Kevin spoke up after a long while when the excitement of Brian and Riley’s engagement and the baby news calmed down a little.
“Oh yeah you are right” Brian beamed. “You kiddies need to go right to bed when we get back – I bet Santa has lots in store for you in the morning.” Josh grinned a little and loosened his grip on Brian slightly. He’s never woken up in a house with a family to Santa’s presents before. Not since his mom was alive anyway and he was really little. It’s always been at the Orphanage with the other children. Brian grinned at the sight of Josh grinning.
“Okay Ri let me up and I’ll go get our stuff put in the car” he announced before kissing the top of Riley’s head. Riley got up from sitting on his lap and when Brian stood up he brought Josh, who still clung ever so tightly to his arm with him. Brian chuckled.
“You gonna let me go son or what?” he asked while starting to lower him so his feet were on the ground but Josh didn’t release.
“I take that as a no,” he added while rolling his eyes playfully and he brought Josh up and shifted him so he was in front of him. He enveloped him in his arms and just took him upstairs with him deciding he could use more then two hands anyway.
“I think you are going to have a jealous one on your hands Ri…will you be able to handle that?” AJ asked while pulling her into a hug.
“Its nothing I didn’t expect” Riley shrugged, still smiling as she can’t help it. Nothing can ruin her happiness tonight. “I know Josh, I knew he wouldn’t be okay with it right away. I thought Chris would follow his lead, but I was surprised.”
“I think if he gets lots of Brian time he’ll come around.”
“I have no intention of denying either Chris or Josh their Brian time. I know how important that is to both them and Brian and I hope that eventually both boys will know that.”
~*~*~*~*~
“I love you Josh and I always will you know that right?” Brian questioned as the two of them did some last minute packing. Josh looked up at his father and gave him a sidelong glance and then nodded quietly before looking back down at his stuff.
“Having a baby is not going to change that at all. I’ve known you longer, loved you longer, and we will always have that special bond. I need you to remember that okay?”
“Kay” Josh replied softly.
“And if you ever have anything you want to share with me at all about the situation I’m always here to listen.”
“Kay” Josh said again.
“Having another brother or sister isn’t a bad thing Josh I promise. You will be the oldest – you will be very important to this baby for many years to come.”
“But he – or she, will be your real son or daughter” Josh spoke softly, still not looking up at him.
“And you are my real son – you are real right? You aren’t a robot child or anything are you?” Brian teased, reaching over and poking Josh gently in the cheek pretending to make sure he is a real boy. "Or a puppet made out of wood?”
“Stop that!” Josh smiled some and he swatted Brian’s hand away.
“Just making sure” Brian grinned.
“That’s not what I meant” Josh insisted, trying to be serious again but the more he looked at Brian the more he wanted to laugh.
“I know what you meant Josh” Brian replied and he sat down on the edge of the bed beside him. “Just because you were adopted it doesn’t make you any less my son then this baby will be my child – I promise. He or she may have my blood but you have my whole heart, which is just as great if you ask me – I’m told I have a pretty big heart. It’s big enough for all three of you.”
“But you’ll have a special relationship with this new baby that you can never have with me” Josh pointed out.
“Joshua Littrell my relationships with all three of you are equal in every way.” Josh crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from him. Brian sighed and pulled the stubborn six year old into his lap making him so he is facing him and he gently took his arms so he would have no choice but to listen to him.
“There is no competition for my heart son. I’m not going to love any of you any less then the other. There may be times where Chris and I will agree on something and you won’t. Maybe even a time when the baby and I agree on something when he or she is older that you and Chris won’t understand and there is definitely going to be something between you and me too. But whatever those things are I’m going to cherish each and every one of them equally” he explained. “Just like Nick is with Sarah and Dakota. Nick and Dakota have a strong bond over football and Sarah doesn’t understand any of that at all and doesn’t even want to. But that’s okay because Nick sits and plays Barbie’s and has tea parties with her for a couple of hours every single day and both of them are happy with that. I know our family can find something like that too if you just gave it a try.” Josh slid his arms around Brian’s neck and nestled his head in his chest and Brian hugged him close.
“There’s no need for you to feel jealous in the least bit. I love you Joshua Lee Littrell. You are very important to me and I will tell you that a hundred times over again if that helps reassure you.”
“I love you too” Josh whispered and Brian smiled some as he tried to remember if he’s ever heard Josh tell him he loves him. “We’ll go to the movies the day after Christmas together would that be okay? Just you and me.” Josh pulled back and gaped up at his father.
“Really??”
“Mhm. And maybe I’ll take you to the Zoo if we have time. It would be nice to go there during the daytime to look at all the animals wouldn’t it?”
“What about Chris?”
“I’ll find something special to do with him too. I want to spend time with the both of you separately. I think you both need that.”
“The Zoo would be nice” Josh agreed softly, a small smile on his face.
“I thought so too.” After a few moments of silence as they sat there, Brian got up and he finished up packing. Josh helped and as soon as they were finished they both carried stuff downstairs to the car where they noticed everybody else just finishing up on loading their things too. Josh went over to Riley suddenly and he wrapped his arms around her waist, his and rested his head on her stomach as he hugged her. Riley looking only slightly taken back hugged him in return.
“It would be great to have a little sister” he told her softly. “To make up for having such a pain in the rear brother.” Riley laughed a little as a single tear rolled down her cheek. This is probably as close she’ll ever get to Josh accepting her.
“I’ll see what I can do honey I promise. But so you know…I’m with you on that.”
“That it would make up for having such a pain in the rear brother?”
“Nooo, just that I would like to have a little girl too.” Josh grinned and pulled away from her and he turned around and flinched slightly when he saw Chris scowling at him with a ‘you better watch it or I’ll kick your butt’ kind of look. Josh snickered.
“You couldn’t if you tried” he answered his unspoken threat and he walked off to get into the car.
“I could if I really wanted to. Don’t test me Josh!” Chris shouted after him.
“Then you must not have really wanted to all those times we fought with each other because I kicked your butt everytime” Josh told him while sticking his head out the car door for just a moment and then he sat down. Chris rolled his eyes and silently told himself he’d show him sometime. They said their good byes to the Littrell’s and to Ann, Brian promising his mother that they would update her on everything. Riley made her own special promise to set a side sometime to call her every single day. When she was done saying her good byes to everybody else, she tracked down her grandson in the car and said her good byes giving him a big kiss on the cheek despite his protests and she even left a red lipstick mark there. When she moved out of the way Chris who had already gotten his kiss goodbye and was wearing a matching shade of red lips on his own cheek sat in the seat by the far window. He didn’t forget to flick Josh in the head with his fingers though as he climbed over him. Josh scowled and reached over and punched him hard in the arm.
“Boys, Boys knock it off,” Brian warned.
“Brian Ellie is riding home with us right?” Josh asked hopefully, as he knows it’s technically bedtime.
“Duh Captain Bird Brain why do you think I sat way over here?” Chris asked while rolling his eyes. Josh stuck his tongue out at him and reached over and kicked his foot.
“Joshua” Brian spoke sternly. “That’s your second warning.”
“What happens after he reaches the third warning?” Chris wanted to know, flashing his older brother a teasing look.
“Mind your own business,” Brian told him. “Quit pestering your brother.”
“Pestering my brother is my business.”
“Well you better close that business down then son because Santa doesn’t like it when children misbehave. He will skip over you this year if he sees fit.” Chris scoffed clearly disbelieving Brian’s threat but he shut up nonetheless. Brian turned his attention on Josh who was smiling in satisfaction that Chris got told off. If he had to have two warnings, Chris had to be told off. Only fair.
“Yes Ellie is coming with us. As soon as Ann let’s her go.” He turned and looked in the direction of the Richardson clan where he saw Ann still crouched down in front of Elenore with her arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. She had dressed her granddaughter in her pajamas and everything.
“Mom we really have to go” Kevin informed gently.
“I know, but it’s just so hard. Did you have to adopt her on Christmas Eve Kevin? Why couldn’t you have done so earlier so I would have more time with her?”
“You could always come home with us…”
“But I didn’t pack anything up – I left everything at home” Ann insisted.
“I did for you” Tim admitted sheepishly.” Ann looked her middle child with a raised eyebrow.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to let us go and eventually want to come with us so I packed for you. If you want to go mom I could have your things in the car in just a minute – they are all inside the house.” Ann looked down at Elenore.
“You haves to come Gramma. You haves to watch me open presents from Santa.”
“And I wouldn’t have to record her reaction to…other presents either. You could just see for yourself,” Tim added and Kevin raised his eyebrow curiously, but otherwise said nothing. Will he finally get to know what’s been going on in his house for the past month?
“Okay, I’ll come” Ann replied and Elenore smiled.
“Why don’t you do the honors of putting Ellie in Brian’s car for me mom while I help Tim get your things?”
“Okay” Ann replied more then willing and she stood with Elenore and carried her off to Brian’s car where he stood waiting with her carseat. By the time Tim and Kevin had their mother’s things they took it to the van they are going home in and they placed them all in the back. Howie who had followed them looked into the back and saw the stuff Jerald just put in there. Knowing that it’s all his stuff he raised his eyebrow.
“Plan on moving in Jer?”
“You know it” Jerald grinned. “Someone has to be referee to Ellie and Kev everytime a tantrum ensues.” Kevin chuckled.
“I love how he just decides he is moving in, he doesn’t even ask me.”
“I’m your brother you know you’ll take me in whether I ask you for permission or not, so why not just do it?” Kevin rolled his eyes playfully and he wrapped his arm around his shoulders as he led him around to the opened van doors.
“You are always welcome to live in my house Nanny Jerry.”
“What about your job here in Kentucky?” Tim wanted to know as they were now all starting to get into the vans finally after a long goodbye.
“Oh I talked to my boss a long time ago – like right before we went to Florida after Thanksgiving” Jerald replied. “I gave him my two weeks notice, it’s all good.”
“You’ve been planning on moving in with me all that time?” Kevin asked amusedly.
“Since the moment I fell in love with my beautiful niece back there” Jerald answered while pointing to the car behind them as they were now sitting in the van.
“Well it’s a good thing you two made up then because you would’ve been stuck here jobless to boot” AJ replied with a laugh as he fastened Laila into her carseat.
“Yeah, it’s a very good thing” Jerald agreed. Eventually when everybody was in a van – or car and ready to go, they all started them up and headed home to Florida.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile back at Sean and Trevor’s place in Florida the two of them were lying on the couch now completely naked and a blanket covering them as a fire was going in the fireplace and the lights in the house were off. Trevor lay there playing with Sean’s hair, as he lay there with his eyes barely open – not sleeping, just relaxing after their lovemaking. Sean never answered Trevor’s question. He instead stared at him for a long time, and then suddenly pulled him into such a powerful and intense kiss that it made Trevor temporarily forget all about it and think of nothing but Sean. And soon enough their clothes were off and they were in the middle of the most passionate lovemaking Trevor has ever had. He would like nothing more then to know the answer, but he has a feeling he isn’t going to get it. He’ll live with that though, because a small part of him is scared of what he might say. Scared that he would really choose revenge over him. Would he leave Sean then? Would he leave him after knowing that revenge is number one in his heart? No. He is that foolish – he is that deep in love with him and there is no leaving Sean ever. He couldn’t live without the jackass even if he tried. Besides, he knows even if he’s not number one in his heart, he’s somewhere in it and that will be enough for him. He knows Sean loves him. He is the only one in the world that Sean is capable of loving and he’ll hold onto that. Because he also knows he is capable of getting to Sean. He’s affected him a lot since they’ve been stuck in the Lake House and he knows he can do it some more.
“Seanie” He spoke up after a while.
“Trev?”
“I got you a Christmas Present” he informed while rubbing his finger over his chest slowly. Sean’s eyes opened all the way then and he raised his eyebrow.
“Since when do we do Christmas? Since when do we do Holidays?”
“Well, never, but I felt like giving you a gift anyway.”
“Where is this gift?” Sean asked curiously.
“You have to let me up so I can go get it love.” Sean moved over so he was lying next to Trevor instead of on top and Trevor rolled off of the couch and grabbed an extra blanket. He wrapped it around his waist and he went over to his safe where he had hidden his medicine in after Sean’s attempt at downing Nyquil last week. He opened it up and pulled out a box and he brought it back over to Sean. He rejoined him on the couch and Sean lay back and pulled Trevor with him before covering the two of them up. Trevor handed it to him and Sean secretly impressed that he went as far as wrapping it up in Christmas wrapping paper began to unwrap it. When he finished he discovered that it’s a camera – not only a camera, but a professional one that one would use if they wanted to become a photographer. Sean raised his eyebrow up at Trevor.
“I thought you could go back to taking pictures again” he explained while caressing his cheek. “It would give you something to do until the holidays are over and we can go back to being bad guys again.”
“What made you remember that I used to like taking pictures?” Sean asked curiously.
“I’ve always known it but I was thinking about it last week – just from remembering things from our childhood.”
“Oh” Sean replied and he looked down at the box holding the camera admiringly.
“You always took exquisite photos Sean. I could see you going really far with photography.” Sean cupped Trevor’s cheek in his hand and brought his lips down on his for a soft kiss.
“I love it Trev and I will take pictures with it all the time just for you.” Trevor smiled a little.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything. But, we don’t normally do Christmas…so…yeah.”
“It’s okay” Trevor promised before leaning forward and placing light kisses on his neck and shoulders as he slid his arms around Sean’s waist. Sean closed his eyes comfortably and reached down and gently placed the camera on the floor and he rolled over onto his stomach as Trevor resumed his kisses but now on the back of his neck and shoulders.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile in the van that Nick, Ashley, Kori, Wiley, Scott, and the kids were all in Nick lay on his back in the very back seat of the van with Ashley lying on her stomach on top of him. He has the back of her shirt pulled up as he lightly tickle her back and placed soft kisses on her forehead every now and then. All of the children are asleep including Bella and Scott and all is quiet except for Wiley and Kori talking in the front as Wiley drove and Nick and Ashley’s murmurs in the back.
“Are we still going to do our own little Christmas in our room by our tree in the morning?” Ashley asked softly.
“Mhm. I only let you open one present tonight for that very reason. The rest of your gifts are under the tree back at home.”
“I have a few presents for you as well” Ashley promised as she looked up at him and her fingers danced slowly over his cheek.
“I can’t wait.”
“What about after Christmas?” she asked after a few moments of silence. “Are you and Brookie still planning on remodeling our room and Sarah’s?”
“Mhm we were actually talking about that earlier today. We’re going to start on that a little after Christmas. I thought maybe we could go stay in your house for awhile until it’s done…would you like that?” Ashley’s entire face lit up in a smile then.
“Really Nicky?”
“Really baby. Marcus is going to make it safe for us to move into for probably the next month.”
“Oh Nicky thank-you, thank-you, thank you!” she exclaimed in a whisper and she cradled his face in her hands, lifted her head up and brushed her lips lightly over his. He smiled against her lips and slid his arms around her waist as he hugged her close.
“I knew that would make you happy.”
“What are you planning on having done to the two rooms back at the Orphanage?” She asked curiously when she managed to calm down from the excitement and Nick began to tell her.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
