“Mommy, why isn’t Jackie coming with us for Christmas?” Barb asked. “She’s always with us.”
“Well, she wants to be with Uncle Justin and his family. Auntie Miranda and your cousins are coming, but your uncles do Christmas with their parents. There’s not enough room for all the families without renting a hotel,” Mikayla laughed.
“It’ll feel like it anyway,” Justin chuckled. “We’ve got a long drive ahead, so let’s get in the car.”
Justin had packed everything up in the Escalade, making sure he had snow tires and chains, just in case. They helped get the twins and Silas buckled in.
“Hey, don’t forget about me,” a voice called.
“You’re my copilot, no way we’d leave without you, C. Kay’s gonna sit next to Silas, so you’re up front with me.”
“Hi guys!” JC smiled as he got in the SUV and buckled in.
“Hi Daddy!” the twins cheered.
“Two sleeps until Christmas!” Joshy shouted.
“Someone’s excited," JC chuckled.
“You have NO idea,” Justin laughed. “They’re so excited for the snow, seeing everyone…”
“Who all is coming?” Barb asked.
“Us, Grandma and Grandpa Sanchez, Grandma and Grandpa Chasez, Nana and PopPop, Aunt Heather, Uncle Tyler and his family, Auntie Miranda and the boys…” Justin rattled off the list.
“That’s a LOT of people,” Joshy gasped. “We’ll all fit in one house?!”
“It’s a big house. Some rooms will be shared, we’ll make it work,” Justin said.
JC shot Justin a look as Justin backed out of the driveway.
“So,” JC started, “are you guys-”
“They’re watching a movie, C. They’ve got headphones on now, we’re dead to them unless they need something. It’s a blessing on these longer drives, believe me. Once we get to the snow and stuff, the movie should be over. For now, we get to listen to whatever we want.”
“Can I make a request?” Mikayla asked.
“Not if it involves either of us, no,” Justin replied.
“Daddy’s no fun,” Mikayla sighed, looking at Silas.
“Let me know if you need me to pull over so you can feed him or if he needs a change,” Justin requested.
“I'll just to change him later,” Mikayla replied. “He ate before we left and I have a bottle for him just in case. I will feed him again once we get to the cabin. I’m excited, I can use the hot tub this time.”
“When were you there before?” JC asked.
“Our first Christmas, I was pregnant with the twins. Our families were there, like now, but more this time around.”
JC frowned a little at knowing her first Christnmas with Justin should have been his preparing to be a dad.
“Hey,” Justin said. “I know that look. You’re here now, that’s what matters.”
“I know. I’m sure it’ll get easier as time goes on. Just hearing about firsts, things I missed…”
“We’re making new firsts,” Mikayla smiled, her hand gently touching JC’s left arm. “This is the twins’ first time being there, and you and your whole family get to be a part of it. That's something no one can take away.”
“Our folks are driving up together,” Justin said. “All six of them. This oughta be interesting.”
“Why? They’ve all gotten along before.”
“That was before our little triangle. Unless JC said something, I don’t know if his parents know about the wedding in 6 months,” Mikayla said.
“I’m trying to find a good time to bring it up. It doesn’t exactly flow in regular conversation…”
“Mine actually kinda did, surprisingly,” Mikayla laughed.
“I was just up front with my mom. It doesn’t change anything in my relationship with Kay, not any more than it already has. The fact that I’m still in the mix is more than I expected would happen.”
“We have a son, Justin.”
“You have two with him, all that history.”
“I built a history with you, too. I couldn’t walk away from that. We’ve gone over this, we’ve gone over all of this countless times.”
Silas began to fuss, getting the attention of the three adults. Mikayla gave him a favorite toy of his he could grasp and chew on.
JC kept his eyes on Mikayla, watching her interact with Silas. He noted the quiet but higher pitched tone of her voice, how soothing it was. Silas was soon calm, and he felt calmer, too.
“What’s that look for?” Mikayla asked JC.
“You’re just… so good with him. I can’t stop thinking about how much of this I missed of you with the twins.”
“She’s the mom they need, they’re the kids we needed. I’d say she was meant to be a mom, but maybe that sounds old fashioned,” Justin sighed.
“No, I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a mom. I was super helpful with Miranda, even though I wasn’t even 2 yet when she was born. Like how you guys have your talents, this is one of mine, I guess. I was worried it wasn’t meant to happen when it took over a year to get pregnant with the twins.”
“You were still young, Kay…” Justin sighed.
“It may sound naive, but being 30 and not married or pregnant made me wonder. My mom had Miranda before she turned 30, my grandmother had been married for 10 years with 3 kids before she turned 30, Miranda was married with 2 kids, so I had a lot of pressure on me, even if just from myself. Now I’m here, so things worked out in the end. Josh, you may have missed out before, but you’re here for everything now and moving forward. If I was meant to be a mom, you two were meant to be the best dads you can be to these kids. It’s not easy, but we’re in this together.”
She looked down at Silas, then back at the twins. They smiled softly at her, Joshy blowing her a kiss. They were the best kids she could have ever hoped for, and she was so glad they were hers.
…
Justin had pulled over so Mikayla could change Silas’s diaper, the kids getting out to go to the bathroom and stretch their legs.
“Daddy, there’s no snow. You said there’d be snow,” Barb whined.
“We’re almost to the cabin, maybe there’s snow there,” Justin sighed. “Even without snow, this is your Mommy’s favorite place, so let’s help make it the best for her, ok?”
“Her favorite place is the cabin?” Joshy asked.
“No, we’re going to the park nearby. That’s her favorite place.”
“We came all this way for a cabin and a park?” Barb wondered. “Sounds like a long drive for something we could have stayed home for.”
“It’s not a regular park. It’s a national park. It’s big, lots of beautiful nature to see. No playgrounds, but lots of space to run around, you can ride bikes there in the summer. Hopefully there’s snow there that you can play in. If not, we can still see everything, play games and stuff with your cousins at the cabin. It’ll be fun. And it’s Christmas on top of it all.”
“Ok Daddy,” Joshy said.
“I’ve never been, so we can all explore it together, with Mommy’s tips. She used to go a lot when she was little, so she knows what to do that you guys might like,” JC added.
“It’s so far from home. They’d really go here a lot?”
“At least once a year, from how your mom tells it. Not always the same time of year. Sometimes in summer, others in fall or winter or spring,” Justin continued.
“That does cover the four seasons, thanks J,” JC chuckled.
“Let’s get back on the road, I think we left before everyone else, if they followed my directions. That way we get there first to unlock everything.”
“Do we need to grab food and stuff?” JC asked.
“I took care of that already. At least for the first couple days.”
They got back into the Escalade, the rest of the drive being only 35 minutes. Justin pulled into the gravel driveway.
“This isn’t the same cabin as last time…” Mikayla sighed.
“I know. They were booked but I didn’t want to disappoint you. This place is bigger, still has a hot tub, and has extra stuff for the kids. We’re the first ones here, let’s check it out.”
“Justin, this isn’t another one of your ‘surprise, I bought a house’ moments, is it?” Mikayla asked quietly.
“No, but it is our home for the next week.”
It was a large log cabin, 2 stories and spread across 3 acres. It reminded them a bit of what they were building in Montana, though this was more rustic and cliche cabin in the woods compared to their design. They went inside, looking around at the different bedrooms. They decided the kids would get the room upstairs, especially as it had bunk beds and the younger sibling sets could share a bed so the older boys could each have a bed.
It felt like they were inside a magazine, everything open and perfect. There was a large wood burning stove that reminded her of a cabin they’d stay at when her family would go to Yosemite in winter, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. There was a living room with lots of chairs and couches facing a big screen TV. In the corner was a large Christmas tree that felt like it grew through the roof. It had lights, but no other decorations on it. There were wreaths and other basic holiday decorations around the house, making it feel festive without being someone else’s home and memories.
JC walked into the kitchen, seeing a door opening up to a courtyard and the backyard. There was a small table with room for 4, the main dining room table in the next room near the main entry lobby, so to speak. He opened the fridge, seeing it fully stocked, smiling at how prepared Justin was.
“You wanna see the backyard?” Justin asked. The twins ran to the back door, throwing it open when they saw a giant playground in the middle of the large backyard.
There was a fire pit with 10 large wooden deck chairs and a hot tub that could fit 6 people at a time. There were several different sitting areas to allow for groups or something more private, including a guest house 50 feet from the main house.
They heard cars pull up, the shouting of kids as they got out of the cars. They walked back into the house to greet everyone; literally the whole family arriving together.
“We caravanned here so we either all got here together or we’d all get lost,” Roy chuckled.
“I know the main highways like the back of my hand,” Miguel replied.
“Those smaller roads gave you trouble,” Roy answered back.
“We got here safe and sound, that’s what matters,” Lynn smiled.
Justin sighed as they all entered the cabin. “The kids are gonna sleep upstairs, and there’s a guest house right outside. Who wants the guest house?”
“Based on what we found out on the way up here, I think you three should take it. I’m guessing there’s a couch that one of you can sleep on while Mikayla and the other…” Karen ranted.
“Karen, enough. I think we’d all agree though. You take it. She’s more upset that something big is happening in 6 months and we haven’t heard one word about it,” Roy said.
“There was never a good time to bring it up,” JC shrugged, feeling like he was a teenager in trouble for sneaking out or something.
“Tonight, after the kids are asleep, we’ll hash out all the details so we’re all on the same page,” Roy stated firmly.
It’s gonna be a long week, Mikayla thought to herself.
