Page 36 of Screwing With The Scrooge

“Dad!” Our twins say in unison, and I smile as Xavier drops to his knees to pick them up.

The girls’ hair is still wet from their bath, and I laugh when I see that Brie’s pajamas are on backwards.

“Ready for a bedtime story?” Xavier asks them, and they cheer, giggling as they take off back toward their room.

Xavier and I got married four Christmases ago and he moved me into his house right after. I kept my cottage and we’ve been renting it out online. Xavier handles all of the upkeep and bookings and I know that he’s happy to be able to handle that for me.

I still run the bakery, though I’ve hired more people since we had the girls. Brie and Hazel were born almost ten months to the date of our wedding. It had been such a shock for both of us when we were told that we were having twins, but Xavier stepped up. He supported me and did so much when I was pregnant and he’s been the best dad to both of them since the moment that they were born.

I know that he was worried when he found out that I was pregnant and he actually went back to see his therapist at the VA to talk over some things. I’m so proud of him and how hard he’s worked to let go of the hurtful things that his dad said to him in the past.

A knock sounds at the door and Xavier frowns. Max heads down the hall to check it out.

“Are we expecting anyone?” He asks me, and I shake my head.

“No, you go see who it is, and I’ll get the girls tucked in and ready for their story.”

He nods, heading downstairs, and I smile as I head into the girls’ room. Having twins is quite the handful, and Xavier and I both decided that we were done after the girls turned one. The pregnancy had been hard on me, and the birth had been rough on Xavier. I had to have an emergency c-section, and I think almost losing all of us really scared him.

“What are we reading tonight?” I ask Hazel and Brie as I pull the covers over them.

“Goodnight, Moon!” Brie says, and I smile.

It’s her favorite book so I’m not surprised.

“I want a Christmas book!” Hazel announces and I laugh as I head over to their bookshelf and grab How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

“Do we have any honey or lemon?” Xavier asks, and I frown.

“For what?”

“It’s Townes here. Mira’s not feeling well. Says her throat hurts, but the market is closed.”

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out.

Mira:I’m so sorry! I told Townes to just wait until the morning. It’s just the sniffles.

Olive: No worries! You know how these men are.

I sendher a laughing emoji and hand the books to Xavier.

“I’ll grab the honey and lemon juice for Townes. You get started on bedtime.”

He smiles, glancing down at the books and I hear him laugh at Hazel’s choice as I head into the kitchen.

“Hey, Townes. How’s it going?”

“Good. Sorry to interrupt so late.”

“No worries. I hope that Mira feels better soon,” I say as I pass him the bottles.

“She will,” he says like he alone has control over that.

Xavier and him are so alike. Both would do anything for their families; both are still fighters.

I smile and walk him to the door.

“See you tomorrow. Let us know if you need anything else.”

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