Page 59 of Christmas Chaos
Josh crooks an eyebrow and Elle says, “Like you don’t have a billion dollars? I spent a few. Maybe when you stop knocking me up, I’ll become a saver.”
“You forgot to tell me.” He pulls her to him.
“In my defense, I’m always fucking pregnant. My brain is fucking mush. Miserably, insufferably knocked up.” Bax starts to pull me back from the crowd. I don’t know where we’ll go but we’ll figure it out.
Elle sees us inching away. “NO! You two stay!”
Our phones pop off again.
“My phone was destroyed. Is someone dead?” I ask.
David picks up his phone. “Becca, what is it?” Sam answers his phone too.
Elle screams, “You TWO are having the baby! There’s a baby in Oakland and it’s yours. Becca has been trying to get a hold of you for the last couple of hours.”
Bax doesn’t say anything just thumb points to the falling-down house.
My body goes cold and tears spring to Bax’s eyes. He moves back towards them, his voice fixed and low as if he’s trying to understand aerospace equations.
Elle smiles and tears flow down her face. “They picked you. You’re going to have a baby. Like tomorrow or like later on today.”
David yells, “Fuck yeah,” and Sam screams.
I look at Bax and sob, “But we’re not ready.”
“I’m ready enough for both of us. You’ll be fine.” Rory’s words from my husband’s mouth.
I blubber out a response, “Fuck. I’m going to be a mother.”
And Sam says, “And Bax will be a mother fucker.”
Josh smacks him, and Bax takes me in his arms. He whispers something only for me, “There is nothing in this world I love more than you. In fact, I have quite a bit overflowing. What do you say we give it to this kid who needs us? But it’s your call if you’re not ready.” He buries his face in my neck.
“Oh, it’s on. Deal.”
And then the roof caves in and we run out of the way as my dream house, the one I imagined filled with kids, crumbles in on itself as Matteo and his construction crew show up.
“Well, you get your wish. You get to start from scratch. Build me a house fit enough for the Prince or Princess of Oakland.”
Everyone cheers and starts to hug us, and Matteo can’t seem to close his mouth as the house continues to crumble in on itself.
I continue, “And who’s got a bed for us tonight?”
David winces. “We don’t. Nat has a ton of volunteers staying for her big foster kid Christmas thing. They’re in the Gelbert guesthouse, Becca’s pad, and there’s a couple of the poor bastards shacked up with my father and mother.”
I perk up because there’s another solution, but then David shuts that down too. “And Sal’s in town. So, Poppy’s a no go.” Sal Pietro is our mobster friend who is not so secretly dating David’s cousin, Poppy. Sal’s the head of a crime family in Los Angeles and is almost out. He’s figured out how to take the entire empire legitimate, with Josh’s help. His former career led them to each other, but now Josh is just a winemaker like the rest of us, except for his one investment capital client.
Bax says, “Come on. Really?” He looks to Sam who had a spare bedroom and turned it into some sex playroom thing. But I can make that work for a baby, there’s a swing.
Sam shakes his head and walks over towards his truck. “Currently, no. And I have to get back, they’re probably wondering where I am. Congrats on a baby not from your junk. Love you both. Glad you’re not dead. Call you tomorrow.”
We all groan.
Josh smiles. “We can offer you a couch or two, but the babies and nannies and my parents are at our place. Dad rented out the homestead when Mrs. Dotson skipped town with her new lover for the holidays.”
Elle says, “Blessed be, we don’t have to have the horrible Christmas pudding from your makeshift grandmother.”
Bax looks at me. “My dad has a full house. Ingrid and Ian, and his entire family, are here for Christmas. And, Tabi, your parents are fumigating and staying at Sam’s parents’ house.”
