Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
An image appears of the men wrestling again, this time in the living room, knocking the tree over, sending ornaments flying across the room.
From the doorway, Cupid meows.
“You’re right. Why is my brain going to the worst case scenario?” I cut bread into cubes and pile them into a baking dish. “What if they all get along, and we have a good time together?”
She meows again.
“It’s a long shot, but I have hope.”
Chapter 31
After I put the pudding in the oven, I wash my face and reapply makeup, hoping there won’t be any more tears today. I put on a red, silky blouse and short black skirt, and as I’m fixing my hair, the doorbell rings.
All four men are at the door. Jasper and Rudy are holding multiple grocery bags; Nick and Felix are carrying shiny wrapped packages and gift bags.
“What’s all this?”
“Santa’s arrived early,” Jasper says. “Four Santas, that is.”
His inclusion of the Frost brothers warms my heart. “Mrs. Claus has been waiting for all of you.” I step back and hold the door wide as my four Santas file in, two heading toward the kitchen, and two to lay gifts under the tree.
We eventually all end up in the kitchen, and it’s crowded with four big men in there, but they make it work. They bought a small cooked ham and a roasted chicken to reheat, and Nick and Rudy have ingredients to make their family’s special scalloped potatoes recipe.
Jasper pitches in to help them peel and cut the potatoes, and while they cook, Nick tells a funny story about how the recipe went horribly wrong the first year he and Rudy tried to make it, with curdled sauce and hard, undercooked potatoes. “We’ve perfected it by now. I promise,” he tells us.
“The funny part was the looks on our friends’ faces, who clearly hated it, but tried to be nice,” Rudy says. “I’m pretty sure they spat it into their napkins when we weren’t looking.”
“How about you guys?” I ask Jasper and Felix when the laughter fades. “Any good holiday memories?”
“None about food,” Felix says. “Our family serves turkey for Thanksgiving, turkey for Christmas, and turkey for New Year’s. The first Thanksgiving we spent without our family, we grilled burgers.”
Everyone chuckles, and it makes me so happy to see all the men laughing together.
“My sister is the best cook in our family,” I say. “I’ve heard she’s learned to make some German dishes since she’s been living there, but she probably isn’t cooking this Christmas. Her belly is so big, I doubt her arms can reach the counter.”
The men smile, and Nick asks, “Are you excited to become an aunt?”
“I am, but it’s hard with them being so far away. I know they’ll send lots of pictures, though, and we’ll do video chats. I hope I can visit them sometime soon.”
Felix gives my shoulder a supportive squeeze as he passes by.
As soon as the rolls and dessert are done in the oven, we put the meat and potatoes in. It takes some rearranging, but Rudy manages to get all the pans to fit.
While we’re tidying the kitchen, I realize I don’t have a big enough dining table for all of us. Mine only seats four. “We’ll have to eat in the living room. Is that okay with everyone?”
“Of course,” Jasper says, and the other men agree.
Out of topics for the moment, we fall into an awkward silence, until Rudy asks if I have any games we can play while we wait for the food to cook.
“Sure! I’ll go see what I have.” Rudy and the Winters follow me to the hall closet, while Nick says he’s going to make special drinks for us.
I have Monopoly, which we decide would take too long. I have several two-player games, like checkers and chess, and those won’t work. Way in the back corner, there’s a black box with a game I haven’t played in years.
“Cards Against Humanity?” Felix says. “You don’t seem like the type to like this game, Holly.”
“I don’t think I’ve played it since college,” I tell him. “It works well for big groups. Not very Christmasy, though.”
“I played it in college, too,” Rudy says. “Might be good for some laughs.”
I’m up for anything that helps to pass the time and keeps the men getting along.
We sit in a circle on my living room floor, and Nick brings in glasses filled with pale red fizzy drinks. “Cranberry juice and champagne,” he announces. “Anyone had it before?” The Winter brothers and I shake our heads.
“It’s good,” Felix says after taking a sip.
“Thanks for making these,” I tell Nick. “They’re very festive.”
We settle into the game, which is just as cringe-worthy as I recall, and even more so, since I’m playing with four men I’ve been intimate with. It makes us all laugh, though, and I’m surprised to learn the Frosts and Winters all share similar senses of humor.