Chapter 15 Greyson
Chapter fifteen
Greyson
Bye, bye, Sleddy!
~ The Next Day / Christmas Day ~
I’ve always loved waking up on Christmas mornings with my family. The excitement and joy for the holidays are so strong that you can feel them first thing when you open your eyes.
A jingle plays inside your head as you get out of bed, a skip in your step as you make your way to the bathroom. And no matter what mood you were in the night before, it all clears away, leaving an ecstatic smile in its place.
Although my parents used to work a lot, they always made sure that they would be home for Christmas. Even if my mother had to work a night shift at the hospital on Christmas Eve, she’d do it just to be able to spend the day with us.
Getting out of bed with the sun shining through the window, I stroll over to the crib to pick up my daughter but notice it’s empty. Hmm… someone must have taken her. I didn’t even hear anyone come in.
I quickly take a shower and dress in a pair of joggers and a shirt, then make my way downstairs to join the happy voices in the kitchen.
When I get to the threshold, I find Aubrey fussing over Gracie with my dad at the table, and my mom laughing away with Emma by the coffee machine.
I’m instantly filled with bliss as I watch them all.
Not only is it Gracie’s first Christmas with us, but it’s also the first time I have a woman spending it with my family, even if it is just as friends. It’s nice. I could get used to this.
“Good morning. Merry Christmas, everyone,” I say cheerfully as I walk over to my daughter. Taking her from my sister’s arms, I spin her in the air with outstretched hands. “Merry first Christmas, Buttercup,” I tell her while bringing her back down and kissing the top of her head.
I pass her back to Aubrey, kissing my sister’s cheek next before clasping my dad on the shoulder and walking over to my mother. “Morning, Mom. I’ve missed you.” I wrap my arms around my mother's shoulders and hug her tightly.
I saw my parents just a month ago when they came down to meet Gracie the first week I had her, but I still miss them the moment they leave. It was the only thing I hated about being traded to New York, leaving my family behind.
“Oh, Greyson! Your girlfriend is absolutely lovely. I’m so happy you brought her along,” my mom says with excitement.
“Oh no, Nancy. Grey and I aren’t… we’re not…” Emma tries to tell her with wide eyes and a nervous chuckle.
“We’re not dating,” I finish for her.
“Sure you’re not,” my dad says, laughing loudly. “You also weren’t licking her clean last night in the kitchen. Right, Son?”
I groan, stepping away from my mom and heading to Emma. I kiss her on her slightly reddened cheek. “Merry Christmas, Bunny. Thank you for taking Gracie this morning.” I know it must have been her; it’s our little routine.
“Merry Christmas. And you don’t need to thank me, you know I love my mornings with Little Tulip.” She smiles warmly, looking at my daughter the way a mother should look at their child. She’d make a great mom for Gracie.
Jesus, where are these thoughts coming from? I’m really losing my mind.
“Ew! Please tell me you two didn’t… in the kitchen? Seriously, Grey?!” Aubrey scrunches up her nose, looking around the kitchen for signs of our late-night activities.
“No, we didn’t. Dad just makes it sound worse than it actually was. Em just had a bit of ice cream on her face, and I licked it off. No big deal.” I try to downplay it, but I should have known better. My dad was never going to let that slide.
“That’s not where you were licking,” Dad adds as Bunny snorts.
I chuckle and reach for one of the two filled coffee mugs on the counter. Emma immediately grabs the one I was about to take and hands me the other. “This one’s yours. I made it for you.”
I look at the cup. It’s a plain white ceramic one, identical to hers. “What’s wrong with that one?” I eye her suspiciously.
Her eyes become round, flicking from the cup to me. “Umm, nothing. I already drank from it, that’s all.” She smiles, but there’s a hint of something in it. I just can’t figure out what.
“And that’s supposed to bother me?” I smirk, then lick my lips as I look down at hers, and her face heats again. Fuck does that blush do something to me, and I’m starting to think that might be something she only does for me.
My father holds his chest as he guffaws, making my daughter jump in her highchair from the loud noise. “No need to be embarrassed, doll. I’m pretty sure you’ve exchanged much more than just spit with my son.”
I chuckle into my cup while taking my first sip, humming with pleasure as it travels down my throat. She always makes it perfectly. One spoon of cream, one milk, and one and a half of sugar.
“All right there, Andrew. Leave the poor girl alone. Look at her, she’s almost as red as her hair!” my mom tells my dad, giggling as she observes Emma, who looks so out of her comfort zone.
I've heard Em talk about sex in public many times with our friends, and she never seemed bothered by it. But I’m guessing when you’re the main focus and it involves parents, that makes it a different story.
My mother puts her hand on Bunny’s arm and gives her a comforting smile. “Ignore the old clown, he just likes teasing people and making inappropriate jokes.” She then heads over to the oven to collect the last of the pastries.
Aubrey walks up to us and pats Emma on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Em. Run while you still can,” she whispers, then joins my mother as they finish placing everything on the table for breakfast.
“Nah, I think I’ll stick around for a little longer. I kind of like you, Andrew. You sound like a smart man.” Emma smirks at my dad, seeming to have passed her little moment of embarrassment. “And for the record, yes, I have,” she finishes with a wink.
My father explodes with laughter once more, smacking his hand on the table a few times. “I love this one. You better bring her around next year, too.” Dad points at me as I shake my head and smile.
“So what’s the plan for today?” I lean against the counter beside Bunny, who hasn’t taken her eyes off me. She often looks at me, but right now, it’s different. There’s a hint of mischief in her eyes. I narrow mine, trying to figure out what she’s hiding.
“Breakfast, then we’re going sledding with a small lunch at the lodge by the hills.
After that, we’ll come home and get our competitive spirits on with building gingerbread houses and baking some cookies while Miss Gracie takes her nap.
And after dinner, we’ll do gifts, followed by a Christmas movie and games to end the night.
How does that sound?” my mother informs us all.
I nod along with everyone else while continuing to down my coffee. Em giggles out of nowhere, then quickly erases the smirk from her face when she notices me looking. “What?”
“Nothing,” she says with tight lips.
“You’re hiding something. I can tell. What is it?”
“Nothing, I’m not hiding anything.”
“Whatever you say, Pinocchio.” I look around, trying to find out what she could possibly be up to, but come up empty.
What am I not seeing? “So, who’s gonna be the judge during our building and baking competition?
” I direct my question to my mom and find her giggling silently with Aubrey.
They both stop the moment I spot them. “What the heck is going on?!”
“Nothing. You’re being paranoid, sweetheart. Aubrey will be the judge since she’s the baker in the family. Now finish up your coffee and go make your daughter a plate.”
Okay, maybe my mom’s right and I’m just being a bit paranoid. I shrug off the weird feeling and take a sizable gulp from my mug to polish off my coffee. Over the rim of my cup. I find Emma staring at me once more with her lips sucked into her mouth. I frown and look down into my mug.
It has to be the coffee. What the hell did she do?
That’s when I notice it. At the bottom of the cup is a ceramic face sticking out with lifelike eyes staring back at me. I spit all the coffee that was in my mouth back into my cup and all over my shirt, even spraying some over the rim and onto the floor near Bunny’s feet.
She folds in half, exploding with laughter, as do my parents and Aubrey, while I choke on what’s left of my coffee in my throat, pounding my fist against my chest. “What the...” —cough, cough— “heck…”—cough— “is this?!”
Emma has her hand to her mouth as she comes up, failing to contain the giggles pouring from her. “It’s your special mug. Do you like it?”
I look back down at my cup. Holy fuck, that thing is scary, then to Bunny. She got me a mug; she didn’t forget. I join in with the laughter and grab Emma by the waist while setting down my cup on the counter. “I love it. Nearly gave me a heart attack, but I love it. Thank you.”
She beams up at me, placing her hands on my chest. “It’s always my pleasure.”
Having her in my arms is becoming instinctive. I don’t think about doing it; I just act, and it feels natural every time. My eyes drop to her parted lips next. On reflex, my hand comes up, and I brush my thumb lightly over the bottom one.
“Greyson… What are you doing?”
My gaze returns to her green orbs that hold so many questions. She’s confused. Hell, so am I. I have no idea what’s happening between us. All I know is that I want to touch her all the time.
I want to see what outfit she’s going to put on for the day, what shape pancakes or eggs she’s going to make me. What silly little game she’s going to pretend to play with Gracie even though Gracie doesn’t really join in. Fuck, I just want everything that involves Bunny.
Holy shit… I think I want Emma. And not just in a sexual way, but as more… I think I might want her to be mine…
My eyes widen, and I can feel the color draining from my face. Fuck, how did I not see this? I drop my hands from her and take a step back, nearly knocking into Aubrey, who somehow ended up behind me.
“Grey? Are you okay?” Em asks as she watches me cautiously.