The Mitchell Family Series BoxSet 1-4.5 (103 page)

All of the sudden a loud scream was coming from the bedroom. Izzy came running out crying her eyes out. “Mommy!”

Miranda was feeding Jake and gave me that look where I needed to get my ass up and attend to the kids or I was getting cut off for a week. I sat down my beer and rolled my eyes as I walked away from Colt and Conner. I could hear them making fake whip sounds as I headed in the direction of my daughter. I held up the middle finger behind my back as I walked.

“What’s wrong, Iz?”

“Noah pinched me.” She screamed at the top of her lungs and pointed to her red-face cousin.

I could hear Colt across the room. “Noah, get your little butt over here right now!”

“Why did Noah pinch you?” She obviously made him mad about something.

She was still dramatically crying. “I don’t know.”

Colt grabbed my nephew by his shirt collar and drug him over to me and Iz. “Tell her you’re sorry.”

Noah put his head down and I could tell he was pretty scared of his dad. “Sorry, Bells.”

I nudged Noah and made him look at me. “Why’d you pinch her?”

“Cause she said that I smelled like a turd.”

Colt and I let out a cackle. “A turd? Iz, did you say that?”

She shrugged her shoulders and started twirling around again. Van squatted down in front of them. She held up her damn fancy ass camera. “Let’s hug and makeup.”

Colt and I rolled our eyes and got up to leave her with the two trouble makers. Once we got back in the kitchen, we found Conner talking to Amy. They moved away from each other as we approached. Colt cocked his eyebrow but said nothing, until Amy walked away. “You got it bad.”

“I ain’t got shit.” Conner sat down and attempted to not look as Amy sat down next to Miranda.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Don’t let your sister catch you. I had to threaten to spank her if she said anything to Amy today, but I have to warn you, I think she wants me to spank her anyway. I guess I should have threatened her with something she doesn’t enjoy so much.

I heard the two guys make comments under their breath and started laughing myself.  Izzy sat down on the floor and started opening her presents. Of course, she opened the largest boxes first, because she was a kid and thought the best presents were in the largest packages.

The whole family had coordinated her gifts this year. She wanted one of those dolls that looked like her. My family took that as a go ahead to buy her every single thing that you could buy that went with the doll. After all of the boxes were open, she had the doll, a friend for her doll, a giant dollhouse, with a bedroom suite, a living room, a bathroom and a salon. She also got a horse for both dolls and a scooter. Even Noah was excited and they immediately began playing.

We were still having a party for her friends at school, but our family wanted something separate and that was fine by me.

I nudged Colt. “Look, your son is playing with dolls. You better make sure he doesn’t go home and try on tutus.”

“Shut up, idiot. They are just kids.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.”

Christian had held on to everything she could to reach her father. Colt picked her up onto his lap and kissed her little face.  “Here’s my favorite girl.”

I watched him giving her his best baby voice. “You made fun of me for the way I was with my daughter. Now I think you actually get it.”

Colt played with his daughter’s little dress. “Yeah, I get it.”

“I have to say, our lives are pretty perfect.” It was the truth. My wife and children made every single day unforgettable. I looked over at Miranda and caught her winking at me.  I sat there mesmerized with her; until I realized she was giving me the signal to bring in Izzy’s other gift. I held my hand up and flagged down Conner. He ran outside and within two minutes the room filled with my daughter screaming again, except this time, she was excited.

A little chocolate lab puppy was being carried in by her uncle. I walked over to where Miranda sat as he bought the puppy to me. “Izzy, this is your other present from me and Mommy. You have to name her and promise to help Daddy train her.”

She grabbed the poor puppy and hugged it way too tight. Everyone in the room thought it was the cutest thing. “Can she sleep in my bed?”

Miranda giggled. “After she is potty trained.”

Izzy looked at me. “How do we teach her to go in the toilet?”

Everyone in the room laughed. “She has to go outside, Sweetie. Doggies potty outside.”

“But what if it’s raining?” She looked up at me like I was the freaking Wizard of Oz and had all the answers.

“They still go outside.”

“But what if it’s too cold?”

“Iz, just think of a name and don’t worry about that right now. How about you take your puppy out front with Noah.” I had to get her to stop asking her normal fifty million questions. Our family had come along way and I knew that was the last thing they wanted to hear.

I watched her and Noah carrying the puppy outside. In five minutes they would be back inside asking if they could take it for a ride on the tractor or something ridiculous. The two of them together spelled trouble.

My mother in law stood up and grabbed John’s hand. “I’m getting married!”

Miranda put her hand over her mouth before congratulating her mother. Everyone took turns shaking John’s hand and hugging Karen. The room was filled with voices, but one thing I noticed was that Conner was missing and so was Amy.

Before I could mention something to Miranda and get him back for having our daughter walk in on us, Colt cleared his voice. He held up a beer in the air. “Welcome to the family, John.”

Van walked over to Colt and looked around the room. “Oh and I’m pregnant again!”

The room immediately got quiet. Colt and Van just stood there, with big smiles on their faces.

I smacked Colt on the back and held up my beer. “Here’s to sleepless nights and a house full of cock blocks.”

As the family began to celebrate both an engagement and a new pregnancy, I pulled my wife into the hallway. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I gently pressed her against the wall. She slowly brought her lips up to mine and held them there. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Sex?

“I don’t know? Are you thinking about going into the bathroom and giving me head?”

She smacked my chest. “No!”

I ran my fingers over her soft lips. “I’m just kidding. I know what you’re thinking and as soon as everyone leaves, I will give you whatever you want.”

She kissed me one more time. “I hope I don’t have too wait long.”

“We could go into the bathroom and have an oral conversation while we wait.” Miranda and I peeked around the corner and noticed that our boys were being held and nobody was looking for us. I felt my wife tugging my arm and before I knew it the bathroom door was closing behind us.

End of Book Four

Wrapping Up

A Mitchell Family Holiday Novella Book 4.5

Part 1

Thanksgiving with the Mitchell’s

Hosted By: Colt and Savanna

Chapter 1

Savanna

Before I married Colt, I’d spent most of my holidays with my small immediate family. Sometimes we wouldn’t even make a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, since it was just the three of us. Back when I dated Ty, I would go over to his house, if he wasn’t with his family in Kentucky. I’d never had the heart to ask to go with him on account of my parents having to spend the holidays alone.

It was probably a good thing I didn’t go, because just looking at Colt made me all kinds of crazy and everything could have turned out completely different if I’d made a fool out of myself when Colt just thought I was some scrawny kid.

Now that we were married, holidays had become such a big deal to me. I loved his larger family and how they all came and wanted to spend time together. They had even welcomed my parents into the family so that I never had to choose between families.

I have to admit that the first Christmas was awkward being around Ty, since we’d just broken up, but that’s what happens when you decide to date your ex’s cousin. It only took us all a few months before we were back to being the closest of friends and now that we were officially family, it made everything perfect. It was much easier since we had the kids and with our third one growing inside of my stomach, the importance of family meant the world to me.

Normally, Ty and Miranda would bring the kids down once a month to visit, or we would go there, but since Bella’s birthday party, everyone had been too busy. Months had gone by and I found myself counting down the days to see our cousins and their kids.

Their little twins were the cutest babies. Not only were they identical, but they looked like their father so much. Jake, who was born bigger than Jax, was now the same size. He seemed to favor Miranda’s attention, where Jax was all about his daddy. Their dark hair and brown eyes made it seem like Miranda had nothing to do with their conception. It was funny seeing them as a family though. Bella made them all fit together. Since she looked identical to her mother, it was only fitting that the boys were Ty’s little clones. Although, he liked to call them spawns.

Our little Christian was a true mix of her father and I. Of course, like her brother, Noah, she had ended up with Colt’s eyes. Their whole family had such dark eyelashes that they always looked like they were wearing makeup, so naturally it made my daughter even more beautiful. Her hair was getting long and she was walking all over the place. Her first birthday was getting close and I couldn’t wait to plan the big event.

Christian had been such a blessing to Colt and I. Noah fell in love with his sister instantly and he liked being around her. Of course, if you threw in someone his age, then she didn’t exist at all.

It was really nice having my mother-in-law so close to us. She and Lucy were just across the ranch and ever since Colt had taken over the managing of the business, his mother was left to enjoy her life to the fullest. Of course, that meant she bought our children whatever their little hearts desired. Poor Christian could barely say ‘dada’ but she was wearing designer baby clothes. I was hoping that the baby was going to be another girl so that she could wear all of her sister’s cool clothes, but if it was a boy, I knew I’d have bags and bags from the twins.

After I had cleaned up dinner, I found my husband in his office.  Aside from his new Facebook addiction, where he and Ty constantly bantered on, he liked to play online poker. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “What is my handsome man doing in this quiet office all by himself?”

He grabbed one of my hands and pulled me around until he could tug me to fall down on his lap. “Waitin’ for you.” Colt kissed me once before turning his attention back to the computer screen. Let out a sigh before I turned around to see what had him so interested. Of course, he was shopping for college fan gear that happened to include Kentucky and North Carolina teams.

“You aren’t?” Since the twins were born, Colt had joked that he was going to dress them in different teams and take their picture. It was an ongoing joke up until this very moment.

“I already did. In fact, I just printed off the receipt.”

“Ty’s going to love this one.” Knowing Ty, he would end up thinking it was pretty cool. It was Miranda who would think Colt was an idiot.

I leaned into my husband once more and could smell the bourbon on his breath. The small glass sat empty on the coaster. Sometimes, when the weather got cold, Colt would have bourbon to warm himself up before bed. It relaxed him and seemed to help him fall asleep faster. All it did for me was keep me up. He seemed to snore a lot more when he drank it. I picked up the glass and sighed.  He started to laugh. “Are you askin’ me if I want another glass?”

I rolled my eyes. “No! I am reminding you that I will be smacking the crap out of you if your snoring keeps me up again tonight.”

“It ain’t that bad, darlin. Besides, you know it makes me frisky. He reached his hands around to my ass and squeezed my cheeks. “You feelin’ frisky tonight too?”

I thought about my night.

I’d made dinner, which included hand breaded pork chops, homemade applesauce and homemade mashed potatoes. Aside from my normal dishes, I also had to wash the mixer and the extra bowls I used to make the applesauce. After getting the dishes done, Christian crapped up the back of her pajamas and needed a bath to get clean. Once I got her out, she decided that she was hungry again, so while I made her food, Noah got into the tub. After feeding our daughter, I got her a bottle and laid her down for bed, while Noah fought with me over which of his favorite character pajamas he wanted to wear.

I hadn’t looked at myself in a mirror since about noon and I was covered in every kind of food that my hands had touched all day, not to mention the foreign stains of things I didn’t even want to know what they were.

I looked at Colt and smiled. “My frisky went out the door with my hairbrush and makeup, days ago.”

He ran his hands through my hair. “I think you’re gorgeous.”

“I think you just want me naked.” I went to run my hands up Colt’s chest, when the office door creaked open.

Noah stood there in his pajamas and a pair of cowboy boots. “Hey Dad, can you come tuck me in. I found that story about the boy and the alligator.”

He patted me on the butt and lifted me off of his lap. “Sure Buddy, give Mom a kiss goodnight.”

Noah walked up to me and kissed me. I noticed right away that his lips tasted like bubble gum. “Wow, someone just brushed his teeth with superhero toothpaste.”

He opened his eyes wide. “How did you know that, Mom?”

I grabbed him in for another hug.  “Because Moms know everything.”

Noah stood there with wide eyes. He went running up to the bathroom so fast that I couldn’t help but know he had done something. By the time I got into his bathroom, he was flushing the toilet. He turned to face me, but put his hands behind his back and looked down. “Noah, what are you doing?”

He shrugged his shoulders but wouldn’t answer.

“You better start talking, young man, or I will have to get your father.” Threatening to get Colt was like telling him that Santa wasn’t real. It was devastating.

“No, Mom, please don’t tell Dad.” He looked down and shook his head. “I accidentally dropped a couple marbles in the toilet.”

I walked over to the toilet and looked inside. Sure enough, at the bottom of the toilet were at least twenty marbles of all different sizes. Since the toilet was still running, I knew he had already flushed it.

We both leaned in and took another look. I turned my head toward my son as he turned to look at me. “So how many did you get to flush?” He shrugged again and I watched his face turning red. “Where is the bag that was full of marbles?” I asked because I knew I couldn’t figure out how many were missing. He had just got a bag of thirty new ones at the store with his grandmother.

Noah pulled the bag out of his pocket and right away I knew it was empty. I grabbed it out of his hand anyway.

“Noah, where are the rest?”

He took his index finger and pointed in the toilet. Without speaking I looked in the toilet again. Half were already down the drain. I shook my head. “Why did you put the marbles in the toilet?”

“It was an accident.”
I put down the toilet seat and sat on it. “Noah, this wasn’t an accident. If it was an accident then the bag would be in the toilet too. I think you dumped the marbles in there. You better start telling me the truth right now.”

“I was just trying to get the underwear to flush. I thought if I put the marbles in the water they would help the underwear go down the drain.”

Oh shit! He flushed his underwear. Wait! What?

I heard Colt cussing from downstairs and I got up to see what the fuss was about. He was standing in the laundry room as brown liquid was coming out of the drain of the utility tub. I put my hand over my mouth, knowing exactly what was going to happen next.  “The septic is backing up. We need to call the guy to come out and get this fixed. Don’t turn on the water at all until I can get someone out here.” The smell of fecal matter filled my pregnant nostrils and I immediately wanted to vomit. “Didn’t we just have the tank cleaned out a few months ago?”

I held my nose. “Yeah.”

“Well, what the hell could be causing this backup?”

A pair of underwear and a pack of marbles.

“I’ll call the septic guy.” I hurried out of the room before he could ask me any questions.

“We need to get this fixed before everyone shows up; otherwise we will need to move Thanksgiving back to Mom’s house.” Colt’s words made me sad. This was my first time making dinner at our house. The whole family was coming and I was so excited about it. The last thing I wanted was to have to move dinner because of a drain problem.

Since I knew that the family was coming in the morning, I had to find a septic guy that could fix our problem immediately. Just one accidental flush and we’d be looking at new carpet.  I was mad at my son, but I was also afraid of what his punishment was going to be once his father found out what he’d put down the drain.

Once I got a hold of a company, I went into my son’s room and found him pouting on his bed. “Are you going to explain to me why you flushed a pair of underwear down the toilet?”

“I heard you saying that you had all of the laundry in the house done, so when something bad happened, I just flushed them.”

“Something bad? What are you talking about, child?”

“I sharted.” Now, I wasn’t sure what was more shocking. The fact that my child said the word or that he knew what it was.

“You what?” I just needed to hear it once more, in case I was losing my mind.

“I sharted and got poop in my underwear. I didn’t want you to be mad at me.” He looked down at his bed and traced the fabric. “It wouldn’t go down, so I put the marbles on it to make it heavier.”

“Stop saying that word, Noah. That isn’t a nice word.”

He looked really afraid. “Are you going to tell Dad?”

I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, the whole family will be here tomorrow and you have now clogged up all of the drains with marbles and underwear. There is no telling how much it is going to cost us. Why would you do something like that? You know better and who taught you the word ‘shart’?”

Some little kid at school was really going to pay…

“Uncle Ty.”