“No,” I whisper, seeing it’s almost time for the guests to arrive.
I quickly grab my underwear before grabbing the maternity bottoms and jumper, slinging it over my head.
As I go to leave though, I catch myself in the mirror and grimace. My hair is a knotted mess, proof of Jaxon running his fingers through it and me sleeping for an hour.
I quickly sweep it up into a messy bun before leaving the room. I reach the top of the stairs as a sharp pain tightens my lower abdomen. I bite on my lower lip, keeping the cry of pain inside as I grip the banister tighter.
It fades as quickly as it comes and I take a moment to gather myself, taking deep yet slow, steady breaths. I glance down as I run my hand over my bump. “You need to slow down, little one. It will be time to come out soon and you can kick and punch your arms out all you like,” I soothe.
I take my first step down as Jaxon rounds the corner. I’m not going to tell him the kicks are becoming more painful. He’ll only worry and fuss. And right now, I want to make these next few days about him, about us, and our family. I want to make up for last Christmas and the time we missed together.
“Hey, did you have a good nap?” he asks, keeping his voice low and gentle.
My cheeks flood with heat and I open my mouth to reply, but then I smell it. The smell of burnt food. “Did something burn?” I ask, my nose scrunching up as we reach the bottom. My eyes widen. “No. The food. I need to cook the food. It’s not going to be ready in time now. What am I—”
“Take a breath. Your mum messaged me on my way home earlier and said you had been on your feet all day and to make sure you rested until she got here to help with setting up. I left you sleeping so me and your mum could get started.”
He rubs the back of his neck, glancing away as I step into the kitchen. Mum holds a towel to her chest, grimacing. My kitchen is a mess. The finger bites of different foods I bought, lay on a tray, burnt to charcoal. My lip trembles. “I ruined Christmas Eve.”
“What?”
“I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. I haven’t even got your dessert made. I had planned on baking you a pie for later, for after everyone went. And now I won’t have time. How am I going to feed people?”
“I ordered pizza and Chinese,” Jaxon rushes out, pulling me into his arms. “I’m sorry I burnt the food. Me and your mum got talking about the baby and we forgot the time.”
“We’re sorry, sweetie.”
“I don’t know why I’m crying,” I blubber, swiping the tears away. Jaxon pulls me into his arms. “I’m always crying lately.”
Mum laughs softly as she steps in front of me. “It’s your hormones. They’ll be a little all over the place, more so after you’ve given birth. It will pass.”
“I feel silly,” I admit, clutching Jaxon tighter. “I wanted tonight and tomorrow to be perfect and I’m letting it get to me.”
“I ordered food,” Jaxon repeats. “And you know your family love takeout. They would never say no.”
“I know,” I whisper, my shoulders dropping in defeat. Willa suddenly meows, jumping down from the counter, and I giggle as I take in the salsa smudged into her nose. “Um, what happened to Willa?”
Mum grimaces as she sweeps the cat into her arms. “I dropped the bowl of salsa, and she shoved her face in it before I could stop her. Then she ran before I could wipe it off and has been hiding ever since.”
I reach for her, taking her in my arms before reaching for a towel. “I’ve got her, Mum.”
“Your dad should be arriving shortly. Your uncle Max and Lake are coming. They have presents for the kids too.”
I smile as my stomach flutters. “Maddox and Amelia are still coming, too, with the kids. He said he can’t stay long tomorrow as he promised Amelia he’ll be having dinner with her parents. But he’ll be coming back on the night to see everyone.”
The doorbell goes and my eyes widen as I take in the room. Mum laughs at my expression. “I’ll clean this up. You go answer the door.”
I nod, handing Willa to Jaxon once I’m happy all the sauce is off, then I waddle down the corridor and pull open the door.
Star runs into me before I can greet them, clutching my legs in a hug. I laugh as she drops her head back, staring up at me. “Merry Christmas,” she yells, smiling wide.
I run my hand over her dark locks. “Merry Christmas, Star. I guess I don’t need to ask if you’re excited for Santa, huh.”
She beams even wider. “Nuh uh. This year is going to be even better than last year. We have so many friends now, so we get so many visitors and presents.”
My heart warms at her words. She has blossomed into a courageous, confident little girl over the past year. Seeing her shine as bright as her namesake is a treasure to witness. She is no longer the same little girl who jumped at every noise in my class. She is growing, and along with it, so is her personality. I couldn’t be prouder of her.
I run my hand over her locks again. “Yes, you do. We have some presents for you too, but you can open them later when everyone gets here.”
She pumps her fist into the air. “Yes!”
She wiggles her bum as she heads inside, yelling to Jaxon, who places Willa on the floor. I turn to Miah. “You excited too?” I tease.
He gives me his normal frowny face, but I don’t take offence, knowing he isn’t as detached as he pretends to be. He wouldn’t be here otherwise. He loves his sister, and I know he loves us.
“Yeah, ecstatic,” he grumbles, and I laugh at his lack of enthusiasm.
“Don’t worry, I got you something too.”
“Yay, more socks,” he mutters, and I laugh at the running joke from last year. A lot of people bought him socks or boxers. If he didn’t get those, then he got an Africa Lynx set. I guess teenage boys are harder to buy for. This year, we know him a little better, so it has been easier to buy him things.
Blanche stops at the door, smiling at the kids. “I’m sorry I have to dash off. The children picked out your gifts. Miah has them.”
That is the sweetest. “Blanche, I told you not to go to the trouble. Thank you ever so much.”
She snickers wickedly. “Jaxon got socks. But don’t tell him.”
I lean against the doorframe. “He’s going to love them,” I tell her, then remember her gift. “Oh, wait, I have something for you too.” I reach over to the cabinet and grab the Christmas bag, then hand it to her. “It’s not much, but I hope you like them.”
She gently takes the bag from me. “Lily, you really didn’t need to do this.”
I wave her off. “I wanted to.”
She closes her mouth, seeming lost for words. After a moment, she clears her throat. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. And Merry Christmas.”
She squeezes my hand. “You too. I hope you all enjoy your evening together.”
“And you. I’ll see you later when we drop the kids off.”
We quickly say our goodbyes, and once she’s down the path, I close the door behind her. Just as it clicks shut, another wave of pain hits me. I breathe heavily, clenching my teeth together.
Jesus, that is sharper than the last one.