I pull up to my cousin's Tampa abode, sigh and kill the engine. I pop the trunk, pocket my keys and grab the bags of presents before slamming the hatchback trunk. My shoes slap the black asphalt as I approach his door, rapping on the wood loudly. I hear him talking on the phone loudly, laughing about something and insisting the person stay with us after his recent break up. Who could this fucker be this time?

"Koralyna!" he shouts, embracing me in his muscular arms within moments of opening his door.

I stand 5'9", weigh a tiny 124 and have light jade eyes that pop with my contrasting dark auburn locks. My hair is a wavy mess and I'm dressed down in jeans and a football jersey. "Johnny!" I retort playfully, hugging him with my now empty arms since I dropped the clusterfuck of bags on his door step.

He's only 4 measly inches taller and still has to bend down to hug me! He offers me his phone, his bright blues shining with amusement and I know he's attempting to play cupid again. "Just talk to him, he's a good guy, 'Lyna," he pleads.

"No more cupid, you promised me."

He marks an X over his heart and poses as if he were surrendering, taking the plethora of gifts to arrange beneath the tree. He points to the LayZBoy chair and I flop back in the recliner, smiling at him putting the colorfully wrapped boxes under the Christmas tree. "Hello?" I say into the phone's reciever, checking my cell for missed messages and whatnot.

"Hi?" he nervously responds.

"I'm Koralyna, as you no doubt heard John yell in your ear," I tease, my cousin turning to point at me in a manner that tells me to be nice and I roll my eyes.

"I'm Justin. How do you know him, Koralyna?"

"I'm his cousin, his dad and my mom are brother and sister. You?"

"Met at an awards show a few years back, 2005 I think."

"Which one? He went to a few that year."

"It's been too long, can't remember."

I put my feet up on the raised foot rest, having pushed the button to recline the chair. "True. What do you do for a living, Justin?"

"I'm in the movie and music industries. How about yourself?"

"I'm a family advocate for low income families in the Tampa/Orlando area who are in special treatment centers."

"So you help families with special needs?"

"Mainly in the medical field, but I sometimes help within the community they reside in and at the childrens' schools, but yes."

"Interesting. John was saying that I should spend the holiday with you guys, but I don't wanna impose."

I'm seriously going to kill John. "If he invited you, I have to respect his wishes," I confess, giving the man I consider a deadly glare.

"Are you sure?" he cautiously inquires.

"Of course."

"I can be there the 21st, I hope that's not too soon," he offers.

"No, it's perfect."

"When will you be there?"

"Now until the 5th of January because I'm on vacation."

He gives me his cell phone number and hangs up. John looks at me innocently when I hands him back his phone and I stand, grinning. "What?"

I scowl at him. "You promised."

"I sent him a picture of you and he said he wanted to meet you, informing me he had no plans for the holiday in just over a week," he explains.

When he puts it that way, I feel like such an ass. "No cupid," I enforce, pointing at him.

"No cupid," he agrees, marking another X over his heart and raising his hand as if being sworn into court or something.

"If I find out otherwise, it's me and you to the tap out, Cushing boy!" I threaten.

"Right, Little 'Lyna," he sneers, walking away.

"I let you win every time before!"

"And I'm Nick from that boyband you used to listen to!" he fires back, waving dismissively at me over his shoulder.

I laugh as I recall her boyfriend she failed at hiding from me-Nick Carter. They dated for close to a year before he said he wanted to see other people, but I'm really to blame after that Thanksgiving.

~Thanksgiving 2001~

"-bringing her boyfriend, Nick," I hear my aunt tell my dad, "and both you and little John must be nice to him."

I leave the kitchen undetected and smirk to myself, forming a plan to terrorize the guy. I call my 4 brothers over and inform them, all of them in on it.

The moment I hear tires in the snow, I run to the bay window in the living room to spot her car and signal a touchdown. She just turned 18 five days after Halloween and she told me he's 21.

When they come in the door, everyone clusterfucks around him and ignores the fact he looks ready to piss his pants already. He's a fucking boybander! "You must be Nick," I 'nicely' greet him, leading him to the basement/torture chamber.

"Yeah, I am. You must be?"

His blonde hair and blue eyes make me laugh inwardly. "John Cena, Jr. I just joined WWE, humiliating Kurt Angle to get there," I tell him, behaving macho.

Half an hour later, he pulls he aside. He dumps her, fearing his life is in danger and quickly departs after calling for a cab back to her place. He grabbed his shit and jumped a plane to get back home.

~Today~

"-don't know why he dumped me like that," 'Lyna comments, wondering the same thing she has for the past 11 holidays and I can only laugh (on the inside, of course).

"I know it was so sudden, but everything has a reason behind it, girl," I tell her.

Her cell phone rings and she looks surprised about the caller, walking away to answer it. I have my suspicions, no doubt being right about who it could be.

She slugs me an hour later. "You asshole!"

I laugh heartily, my suspicion proven right. "He nearly pissed himself in FEAR!"

"He won't this time and you better be nice or I can make your new girlfriend leave three times faster than you made Nick."
And the sad part? She could make it happen, too. I have no choice this time, but I have my ace-Justin Timberlake. "Ok, fine."

"That extends to your loser friend, Justin!" she exclaims, walking into my gym in her yoga pants and sports bra with her running shoes on her feet. Her hair is tied back, pinned in place with a clip and a few dozen bobby pins.

Damn her for knowing me so well! Iwatch her stretch her lean body, leaning on my treadmill. "What makes you think he has anything to do with what might cause Nick to puss out again?" I question.

"Like your brothers, I believe he'd love to terrorize the poor guy."

"Why I would never!" I mockingly remark.

I get to John's house to find her she went with an 'old friend' of hers, something not sitting well with me.

"So, where did you say she was headed to?"

"She didn't say anything except she was going out with an old friend and will be back later on, man."

"I don't think she remembers me from your wedding, bro."

"I don't know. She did call you my 'loser friend'," he laughs.
"Loser?!" I shriek, laughing cockily. "I'll show her 'loser'!"

"And she'll give you one of my famous Attitude Adjustments!" he exclaims, howling with laughter.

"Just watch me. She likes 'bad boys', right?"

"No, she likes guys like Nick-'normal, kinda ghetto boys'," he scoffs.

We hear a car pull into his driveway, note the time and see a black Durango sitting there. I watch as the woman starddles the guy in the driver's seat, his arms winding around her and both of our jaws drop when she steps out of the vehicle in Daisy Dukes, a tight but short dress and wedge heels. No way that's Koralyna!

He rushes to the door as she kisses the guy's cheek, whipping the thing open in seconds and standing on the front stoop with his arms folded over his t-shirt covered pecs. "Koralyna Kristiana Cena!" he yells at her.

She ignores him, talking with her company and laughing. He marches over to her, envelopes her in a bear hug and puts her feet on the pavement. They have a short dispute and she tells her company that she'll call him later, coming inside angry. "What the fuck is wrong about me seeing him, John? Why in the hell does it matter?"

"He does the heavy shit!" he argues, flinging his arm in the direction of the street.

She gets into a rebellious stance, a scowl I wouldn't dare challenge taking over her facial expression and she cops the infamous Cena family attitude John's so well known for. "He stopped 4 years ago! He's been clean nearly 4 fucking years!" she screams, holding four fingers up in his face.

"What if he relapses and do to you what he did to his ex?"

"He was on the powder then, he hasn't been since December 08!"

"Relapse is always a strong probability, 'Lyna," he reminds her.

"I know!" she screams, storming toward what I assume is her bedroom.

He flops back on his couch, his hands covering his face and he slumps down. "Sorry about that. I thought you'd see her again under better circumstances," he apologizes from behind his hands.

"How old is she now?" I ask.

"She just turned 29 a few weeks ago."

"How old was she when you scared Nick off?"

"Eighteen, loser!" she yells from down the hall, heading for his personal gym.

She puts her ear buds and he shakes his head miserably. "I'm not just trying to keep an eye on her like I promised her mom I would."

"What happened?"

"AIDS from a patient she had to treat. She had it for 15 years before it killed her, it killed her while she slept."

"Wasn't her mom married?" I wonder aloud.

"Yes, when 'Lyna was 10 and at that age in Massachusetts, she could choose whether she wanted to keep her mom's maiden name or take her stepdad's. She kept Cena."

"Has her stepdad talked to her since then?"

"Not in the past 10 years, not since we put her in the ground."

"Could that be part of it? Her out bursts, I mean?"

"No clue. Just drop it, I don't feel like discussing it, Justin." He gets off the couch and starts looking for something to eat, something light.

"I just don't get why he's so protective when it comes to one guy, C," I tell a close friend of mine since 2000.

"Girl, he's just looking out for you like I do for my brother and sisters. I promise."

"Do you still do it to them?"

"Yeah, and they're all in their 30's!" he laughs.

I know John's loser friend, Justin, pretty well through my friend. I'm good friends with his sister, his baby sister and she just had a son this year. She named him Patrick. "Is the baby there?"

"She's feeding tiny man," he says, admiration in his voice for her.

"Tell her I said she better text me later on, Josh."

"I will. I've gotta let you go, she's paging me on the monitor."

I laugh, knowing he's with her and is doing all he can to help her with being a new mom. "Okay, just make sure she texts me later, man."

"Of course."

I met Jazzy while they were on tour for NSA, I won backstage passes to personally meet the guys and she was acting like a background team member until Josh called her over. She calls him 'Oshai' and he calls her 'Oshannie', siblings and Chasezes by adoption. She had been adopted the year before I'd met them and I've become close with their families, if you don't include Justin himself. I talk to Lynn and his stepmom Lisa at least twice a week.

My phone ringing pulls me out of my reverie, a smile appearing onmy face when I see the caller's info pop up on the screen. "Hey," I greet the caller.

"Everyone but you asleep?"

"Of course, babe," I giggle.

"I'm walking from the next block over, be there soon. Please tell me you can lock your bedroom door."

"Does 3 locks work for you?" I whisper, opening the front door a crack for him.

"Sure does."

I step out onto the front stoop and he waves at me. "I see you."

"You look amazing, baby."

"Thanks. I might look a bit disshveled later," I reiterate.

We hang up once he sets foot on the property as we pocket our locked devices, wrapping our arms around one another's bodies and share a passionate lip lock after.

"Let's get inside, 'Lyna."

"Ok, come on," I whisper, lacing my fingers in his and lead him to my room. Once the door has all 3 locks engaged, we're inimately pressed together on my queen size mattress and we get lost in the moment. We strip each other down, my nerves getting the best of me and I stop him. "I can't. I don't want to do this and you stop talking to me."

He groans, hanging his head and pulls his underwear and pants on again. He hands me my bed shorts and his shirt, laying on my bed with his hands locked together behind his head. He watches me unlock the door, his eyes glued to me and a smile on his face. "Come here, sexy," he tells me.

I grin, standing at the bottom of the bed and crawl up his body. I kiss up to his torso, straddling his hips and we endure a heated lip lock again. He puts a stop to it this time, pushing my shoulders away from his body and pulls me to lay on top of him. "Sorry."

"It happens."

"I want to give you an honest chance, but I don't want my heart broken again."

"I told you that your cousins scared the shit out of me."

"Still," I begin to argue as he pulls me to lay on my side, turning to his and spooning with me.

"Let's get some sleep, I missed that."

"Sure."

Justin's the fu=irst one awake, grabbing a Toaster Strudel and goes to check Koralyna's room. His hand rests on the door knob before deciding it may be a bad idea, turning and going into the living room to watch something on TV. John wakes two episodes of whatever show he's zoned out once he'd put it on. "Morning, Justin," he greets his friend.

"Morning, John."

He hears a door open and close quickly, angry footfalls coming his way. "Did you know he's here?!" John growls, motioning to his cousin's bedroom.

"As in Nick Carter?" Justin inquires.

"Yup." John is beyond pissed over Nick being there, evident from his body language and pacing. "How could she even let him in after I specifically told her only for the holiday," he growls.

"Man, she's an adult and she's gonna do it if it makes her happy."

"Why are you defending her?!"

"I can just pick her up and bring her to my place from now on," Nick offers, leaning on the wall between the hall and living room. He's still half asleep, proof being his bed head and the red mark on his forehead from sleeping with his head pressed to Koralyna's back.

John slams Nick into the wall he'd been leaning on in half a heartbeat, breathing heavily from his nose and his angry glare not bothering NIck one bit. "I explicitly told her I don't want your ass in my house, not counting the fucking holiday," he he barks, holding Nick in place using his forearm across the Tampa native's chest.

"She didn't tell me that," Nick bites back, growling.

"Let him GO!" the subject of their argument shout, hardly awake and trying to tug John's arm off Nick's upper chest to no avail.

Nick won't stop looking John in the face, eyes locked on each other's and Justin can't help but stare at the scene in front of him in shock and disbelief. "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE AND DON'T COME BACK UNLESS IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY!" John screams in Nick's face, pushing him against the wall roughly one last time and stepping to the side with his arm extended out, pointing at the door. "Get your shit and get out of my fucking house, Nick!"

Nick darts for Koralyna's bedroom, slips on his socks and follows them with his shoes. He's mad at everyone in the house he's in at the moment, more Koralyna than her cousin or his friend and he ignores her when she enters the room with teary eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've told you, but I only thought about myself." He shoots her a mean look, promptly returning to his task. He finds his sweater from last night by her closet and walks near her, her head falling onto his chest as tears fall from her eyes. He wants to push her away, but his heart breaks for her and he holds her tightly. He kisses the top of her head, John seeing this forces his heart to break as well and he can only walk away.

"Now you see how they feel about each other," JC comments from the couch, facing the oppposite direction of his baby sister's best friend's bed room and leaning back on the couch with his feet on the corner of the coffee table.

"Who the hell are you? Who let you in?" John snaps.

"Your cousin and my baby sister, Jazzy are best friends." The dark haired man stands to face John, his hand out. "I'm Josh Chasez, one of Justin's friends from 20 years ago and we've met when we had been on the last tour with *NSYNC."

John thinks back. "JC?"

"Yeah, you might remember the girl I call 'Oshannie'?"

"Nick's ex?"

"Yes. She loves him, but ran for her own reasons and has an infant."

John sighs, holding his head in his hands. "Why are we in the same boat?"

"I had to learn the hard way a little over ten years ago. He has admitted that Jazz will always have his heart, but they both know he's always loved Kor since they first dated after the time before last he and my sister broke up. He loves Kor, but will always be in love with Jazz."

"Then why get involved with someone already?" John asks.

"Because he knows how much he hurt her and he's trying to move on, be strong and Oshannie has molded him into a better man than when he was with her. He's also helped her become a better woman."

"She was with Nick Cloutman around the time she got pregnant," Justin blurts out randomly, a nervous habit he's had since he met JC.

Two pairs of blue eyes slowly focus on him, his own watching his hands fiddle with the hem of his shorts. "Who?" the other two men in the room ask, clueless as to who the name belongs to.

"He's in Lustra, sings background for the other guy." They look at Justin dumbly, waiting for a deeper explanation. "Matt Damon played as the lead guy in Eurotrip and they sing JazzBean's favorite song since 05, Scotty Doesn't Know."

John recalls hearing Koralyna hum a song by that band in a movie she'd seen with Baby J nearly a year ago when they had a girls' only movie night in. "She said something about an unfamiliar Nick bringing Jazz home that afternoon they had that girls only movie festival."

"I caught her and that Nick in bed together."

"So, which Nick is the lesser of two evils?"

"This one," JC admits, pointing to Koralyna's room, "although he's destroyed my sister twice and brok her heart, at least he'd step up to the plate if he'd known."

"What about the other one?" John inquires.

"He heard she missed her monthly and POOF! He's lost in the wind."
"Why do you say he'd stick around, man?" He seems like the kind to run if he heard it could be a possibility," John comments.

"He's heard it more than one of his exes and stood by her, planning on supporting the child and mother. He's always been willing to help raise a child he may have created because he believes every child deservess to live and have both parents. He doesn't believe in abortion and that single parents are the strongest because they don't have anyone to blame but themselves. He's admitted that he'd rather find out that if he got a girl pregnant and couldn't care for the kid, she give it up for adoption."

He's beautiful, it's almost Christmas. He's going to be 6 months old 4 days after that and Oshai is going to fly us to Chicago, time for the holiday which means time for family. My entire family know about PJ, but I haven't had the heart or gumption to tell Ickers, but when I told Cloutman-he ran!

Angel knows, but I doubt she's even told Aaron. I've sworn her to secrecy, the only catch being her dad and he's brought Lisa and the youngest Carter kids down to see me sin Jacksonville. His dad comment here and ther about how PJ reminds him of when his 2 older boys were this small, not meaning to make me feel guilty and yet I still do.

I just put PJ down for a nap in his crib, pulling the door shut and turning on the portable baby monitor. I begin cleaning up from the morning's craziness when my house phone rings in its charger, the screen telling me it's Oshai on the other line and I answer it. "Hey, you," I greet him warmly.

"Please don't bite my head off, someone wants to talk to you and Kor said to do it!" he rapidly rattles off to me and he sounds scared.

"What?"

"Here," he says, his phone changing hands.

Someone takes a deep breath, my brow shooting up in nothing more than pure curiosity. "How have you been?" his smooth voice greets me sounding anxious and worried.

"Good. You?" Why bother letting petty shit get to me when he just wants to catch up? It's a pointless and fruitless waste of energy and time.

"Confused," he admits in Irish, laughing right after.

"Aren't you always?" I tease.

"Not always, just most of the time."

I know Oshai means well and it is almost Christmas, so I decide to let it slide. "Only when I'm not beside you to make sense of it."

"Pretty much. What are your plans for the holiday?"

"Chicago. What about you?"

"Spending it with 'Lyna and her family."

"Johnny boy okayed it?" I ask, shocked.

"Yeah, JC talked to him and I guess he's letting me crash here for the next few days, too."

"She's so spoiled!" I comment.

"Of course, Jazzabee," he laughs.

"Don't, please," I softly beg.

"Sorry, I'm just so used to calling you that."

"Maybe we can get together for NEw YEar's at your place in Tampa or something," I offer.

"As friends, of course."

"Yeah, I guess." I kick myself in the ass for even suggesting that.

"Well, I'm going to let you go, 'Lyna wants to get some holiday shopping done."

"Email me, it's set up so that I get it on my cell."

"You mean the J1983Chasez one?" he verifies.

"Yes."

"Will do. Talk to you soon. Here's your brother."

The phone changes hands, words are whispered and I hear him leave. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, considering it's nearly Christmas," I say, entirely

blasé about it.

It's here at last, I realize looking over all the Christmas cards and decorations we have throughout the house. Nick is looking at the cards on the mantle, one catching his eye and he studies it carefully. "Who's the kid with Jazz in the photo?"

I get up from my place on the loveseat and look at it, smiling at the small child in the photo. "That's her son, PJ."

"She had a kid?"

"Yeah, in June."
I can see the gears in his mind whirring, trying to figure something out. "Nah," he dismisses, walking to the couch and sitting down.

We've been together since last October, the month after she took off. She told me that he was free game and I snatched him up as mine, any woman in her right mind would. It's funny because she knew I had a crush on him since we met, never really rubbing it in my face and she's avoided him at all costs for more than a year since she found out she was pregger with PJ.

John can be such a kid sometime and today of all days is a prime example, being Christmas makes it okay. When I finally get out of bed, I find both my boyfriend and cousin sitting in front of the tree with their eyes glued to the gifts and I can't help shaking my head at the two of them with a low chuckle. I'm still donning my pajamas and some serious bed head, not ready to open a single present yet. They're wearing the same clothes they put on for bed last night, Nick's hair is just long enough to be mussed by sleep.

"Do you think she's gonna wake up soon?"

"Dunno, but I hope she does, John," Nick admits.

I fold my arms under my bust, leaning on the wall and cross my long lean legs at the ankle with one set of toes pointing at the floor. This is a rare moment because they're getting along, behaving cordially and I want to relish it. "She needs to hurry up and get out of bed," John comments.

"It's getting harder to fight the relentless nagging urge to open all our presents."

"Exactly." A moment of silence passes between them.

"Think she could tell if we just peeked at them?"

"We're talking about 'Lyna, queen of OCD, not someone else," John scoffs, knowing me far too well.

"I guess," Nick sighs, sitting back on his hands and bending his legs so his knees point to the ceiling.

John leans forward in his recliner, anxiously waiting for me to get up like he's done for as far back as I can remember and he releases an impatient huff of air.

"It takes Christmas morning for you guys to even act like you get along?" I tease, standing behind Nick and next to John. I felt like a ninja for a minute or so, only due to walking up on them and neither noticing until they startle before looking at me.

"Don't get used to it," John defends and Nick shrugs, unphased by the verbal retort.

"I think it's so cute," I laugh.

"Shut up."

"So how long have you two been sitting here?" I wonder aloud, glancing between them.

"What time is it?" Nick inquires.

"Ten thirty," I recite, looking at my cell phone's display when I tap its lock button.

"Seven hours," John confesses.

"Since you fell asleep around one this morning," Nick informs us.

"Buttheads," I mutter.

"You said not to wake you up, the only exception being something caught fire, 'Lyna," John reminds me.

"True, but since when have you or him ever listened to me?" I fire back.

"Since you said if we woke you up, we'd both be castrated, babe," Nick retorts with a smirk as he leans his head back to look at me, pursing his lips and silently pleads for a kiss.

I sigh, giving into his request and shriek when he makes me fall. I land on him and they both chuckle, more at my instant of fear than anything else. "Jerks," I grumble, smacking Nick's chest after adjusting myself on his lap.

"I'm sorry, but he motioned for me to do it," Nick defends, outing John.

"And you do what he wants?"

"If I plan on staying on his good side, yeah," he confesses.

Most of today has been full of laughs, loving "Merry Christmas" phone calls and texts and a few odd moments. John bit his tongue numerous time, but he did take the time to open his mind and accept Nick. He sees how happy Nick makes me, now evident because he's looking with open eyes and he's loosened his grip on me metaphorically.

It took 5 months to find out about his true colors, but I let her find out on her own and I know she's been staying with her best friend in Jacksonville, only a handful of people having a way to directly contact either of them.

"-da weird that my baby sister and your baby cousin are hiding away, forcing you and I to be cordial, isn't it?" JC rambles excitedly as we prepare the last few things for our families tonight. It's Christmas again and we're celebrating with Jazz and JC's family at his Winter Park home, far from LA and New York (where Nick could be).

"Slow down, PJ!" 'Lyna and Jazz scold the 18 month old boy when he runs up to us, both women laughing.

I scoop the little guy up and JC smiles at him. "Causing trouble and giving mommy and Auntie 'Lyna a hard time again?" I ask, lightly tickling his stomach with one hand while I hold him tightly inmy other arm and he laughs.

"Yes," replies, smirking like the 2 Nicks Jazz had been with around the time she got pregnant.

Both girls hug JC and I, his hug seeming to mean more than just 'Merry Christmas" to me and I'd rather see her with a good guy like him than her ex anyday. "I'm so glad you three got here safe," he remarks, mussing Pat's hair.

Pat's a toddler with his mom's looks and intelligence, even her attitude. From her ocean eyes down to her creativity, nothing suggesting which Nick could be his father and she's done well on her own while raising Pat. She dances back up, engineers for albums in the music indusrty and she owns 25 properties in the Orlando, Kissimee and Jacksonville areas. They're all upscale neighborhoods and the apartments are very well maintained if you ask me. She's a great mom and the kid has more than she even had before JC's par-no, family adopted her.

"PJ was so excited to get here, he got himself dressed in the clothes I laid out last night," Jazz informs us, giggling.

"It was so cute, I couldn't resist taking a photo," 'Lyna coos, showing JC and I the picture on her phone.

We chuckle, high five him for trying and put him down to discover the child-proofed yard and downstairs. JC is immediately up behind the kid so he knows the boy is safe, not caring that he's being pelted with ball pit balls by an 18 month old child. I hear Pat shriek, Jazz rushing out to the yard before he could laugh and 'Lyna shakes her head with a smirk present on her lips. "How're you healing?" I ask my baby cousin, embracing her warmly.

"Good, since JC has been talking to me and spending as much time as he can over Jazz's," she admits shyly.

"Are you seeing him?" I question, bumping her shoulder.

The only response I get is a smile before Pat and Jazz occupy my full attention and she disappears into the back corner of the yard, curled up to his side under the two palm tree in a hammock with his arms around her as they talk to each other. They're facing one another, noses touching and calm. I see how close they are and I lean on the door frame, arms crossed over my pecs and a gentle smile on my face.

"They've been doing that since the night she showed up on my doorstep, rain-soaked and crying from her broken heart. He comforted her and they both slept great that night, sleeping better every night they do this each day. I'm just glad to see him trule happy again since Maryssa took off," Jazz explains. I sigh and she pats my back, smiling at me. "I may not know what they discuss, but I do know smiles and laughter are part of them. I'd rather know they'd prefer turning to each other than have them bottle it all up and hole themselves up."
"Are they together?"

"No clue."
"Have they slept together?"

"Not my business," she tells me, hands rising up in a surrendering manner.

"Sam?" her other brother calls out for her.

"Táimid amach sa chlós ar ais, deartháir mór!" she yells over her shoulder into the house.

"You do realize I'm not Lance, right?" he retorts, appearing behind her.

"So? You still found me."
"Cuz I followed your voice, baby Chasez."
She turns to give him a grateful embrace, causing me to realize the Chasez clan is very open emotionally by the way they hug each other. "Where's mom and daddy? Heather?" she inquires.

"Bringing in your last few gifts," he informs her teasingly.

"Lazy ass," she laughs.

"Nollaig Shona, súile aigéan," a deep voice softly greets us with a Southern darwl.

She spins around so fast I had the impression she was falling and faces her childhood friend. "Súile glas! Cheap mé go raibh tú pleananna saoire cheana féin cé?" she fires back, hugging him tightly before pulling back to put her hands on her hips with some attitude and talking with her hands.

"Uncail Séamus é! Rinne tú é! Chailltear dÚsachtach tú!" the almost never heard toddler exclaims rapidly. Now I understand why Pat hardly talks around people-he doesn't talk in English.

He lifts the small boy and snimatedly replies in the same language after lovingly squeezing the child. "Chaill tú guys, freisin! Ar ndóigh, rinne mé é! Is é seo an saoire speisialta le haghaidh teaghlach agus bhí mé díreach le mianach! Thug mé fiú Auntie Lexi liom!"

A girl with black hair and jade eyes steps outside accompanied by Athena, one of my cousin's ex's friend's baby sisters and her best friends besides Jazz. Lexi now has 8 year old Breydynn and almost 2 year old Kenzie with her. Lance has a little boy with him as well and he looks around 5 months old. Athena is holding the baby. "Is that widdle Leo?" Jazz coos.

'Lyna hears Jazz coo and quickly gets up to see the infant, making poor JC fall out of the hammock. He ate dirt! I laugh at the whole scene. "Hardy har har," JC facetiously remarks.

"I know about BRey and Kenzie, but who's the tiny guy?" I ask.

Kenzie runs to JC, smiling with her arms up and he obliges. "His name is Leonardo, but we call him Leo. Lance adopted him from Italy 2 months ago, explaining why the baby has brown eyes and black hair is because the father was Japanese."

I nod, smiling at the now awake infant. "Hi, Leo, I'm John."

He babbles, blowing a spit bubble and we laugh. He reacts with excitement and a huge grin. The girls take the kids to play in the far corner of the yeard, leaving us guys to our own devices and JC brings up what I asked my cousin and his sister a little while ago. "We aren't dating now, but we are becoming close friends as we get to know each other better than necessary and we have had sex. I respect her and what she does, who she is as a woman."

"No means--?" I question.

"I'm not going to get what I want and I'm fine with it as long as I can hold her close to me."

"Do you think you'll be with her?"

"As in date her?" I nod to confirm it. "When and if she's ready, a definate answer that I don't have," JC admits.

"Lex tells me everything," Lance reminds him.

"And my baby sister tells me more than that and half of it, I don't want to hear or know," a guy in casual clothes and shades comments.

"AJ, fashionably late as usual," JC laughs, hugging the guy in his doorway.

"Did 'Thenie get here okay?" he asks JC.

"Yeah, she arrived with my family's gift for Koralyna."

"Who's 'Thenie?" I demand to know.

"My sister, Athena."

"You have to be her 'pain in the ass brother, Alexander' then."

He scoffs, smirking. "Yeah, is Kor your sister?"

"Nah, she's my baby cousin."

"How are Lex and Aaron doing?" he asks Lance, who had been talking to JC about something.

"They have Brey and little Kenzie now, still going strong together," Lance proudly announces.

"Good, I'm glad the kid is happy again. How long has it been?"

"Just over 6 years now."
"That's a feat." He glances around. "Where is the shithead?"

"Playing his brother for a fool until 2, then he's planning to drive from Tampa and join us for dinner," Lance informs us guys.

We enjoyed a peaceful and joyous Christmas celebration, but I want to know how everyone is related, if at all. "How are all of you related?"

JC cacchinates, the rest of them trying to fight the urge to laugh and it includes the girls and Aaron. "Athena?"

Athena takes a deep breath and looks at everybody. "Okay, biologically Josh and I are cousins, Making Alex his cousin when our mom adopted me. Alex and Nick have known each other so long, they're practically brothers and that makes Aaron Alex's technical brother. When Aaron and Lex had Brey, it made her and James like our other brother and sister. Jazz has been around us since 97, making her family and when Josh's family adopted her-it made it official. As for you and Koralyna, she helps us so much like family should and you're her cousin. When we claim one person as family, we take their entire family," she superfluously explains, motioning to the appropriate people when she mentions them.

"So the main ones that connect everyone of us are--"

"Us girls," the four women proclaim proudly.

"I must correct you you, 'Thene," Lex announces.

"Why?" Athena inquires, her curiosity piqued.

"Well, Lex and 'Lyna are cousins via marriage biologically. Her mom is a distant relative of John and 'Lyna's mom, obviously on the grandmom's side," Jazz explains.

"How?" Athena, 'Lyna and I ask.

"John and 'Lyna's grandpa had an affair and got Lex's grandma pergnant with her mom, who then married her asshole father. He got her pregnant 5 times at least least and LEx is the youngest. Her mom was murdered when she was small like Zie and PJ. Tragic really."

"Now I have the best family I could pray for and I couldn't ask for more," Lex adds, a loving and grateful smile taking over her entire face, it's even in her eyes.

Aaron's cell rings and he groans. "What? No, I'm spending time with Aunna and my children. Yeah, her family is here and I told our parents. No. Yes. No, you can't. JC's parents said no and so didn't Lance's and Kor's families. Denise said immediate only. I have 2 beautiful children with Lex and she's Lance's sister. He isn't, though. I'm going to bring Lex and the kids there by 9. Yes. Bye." He shuts his phone off and Lex sets an alarm on hers, both shoving their own devices into their pockets, focusing on the here and now.

The kids help us laugh, most of which is when they play and it mostly means the girls, JC, Aaron and AJ because I don't understand the language they use. Jazz scoots closer and explains most of what the older kids are saying, laughing with them. Most of it is busting Nick's balls, but of course Lance just has to tape it.