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Chapter Sixteen - Family


Christmas Day.


It's officially Christmas morning and we've all finally made it downstairs. Everyone's in cosy lounge wear and themed pajamas which looks so cute. I take a seat beside Theo and peck Isaiah's cheeks as he jumps onto my lap. He's the most adorable little boy and every time I see him all I want to do is pinch his cheeks.

"Present. For you." He pulls out a large peony which I assume he's taken from the vase of flowers on the dining table.

"Aw, thank you sweetheart!" I take it with a smile and watch as he blushes adorably. "I have something for you too, I hope you like it."

I take out a chocolate bar and he gasps excitedly before hiding it from his parent's sight. "Thank you, Zoe!"

I chuckle when he says thank you a little too loudly and ends up capturing the attention of his mother anyways. She glares at me playfully and I wave her off before helping him unwrap the bar. Isaiah squeals cutely before pushing himself off my lap and to the floor. I watch Ella's eyes soften with love as she stares at her son happily enjoying the chocolate while offering Judah a bite. I'm certain he's Isaiah's favorite uncle.

We start with our Secret Santa presents and thankfully Hunter helped me with what things Noah is interested in. I watch as he unwraps it before yelling in surprise when he realizes it's an old school PlayStation with twenty classic games. He's quite the gamer apparently so I'm glad he likes his gift. He runs over to me with a flurry of thank you-s and a tight hug before rambling on about how excited he is to play it later.

Theo ended up being my Secret Santa and my eyes widen in awe at the necklace I'm given. It's made of silver with the initial of my first name. On the slanted part of the 'Z' there's a single butterfly wing with the outer curves encased with diamonds. I smile brightly at Theo before giving him a hug.

"This is so beautiful Theo, thank you!" I grin as he helps me put it on.

"I'm glad you like it." He smiles proudly before rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't know what to get so I had some help from Hunter."

I laugh at that before reassuring him that I really love it. Next, we start opening our presents with the squeals of surprise echoing in the room. Hunter and I had bought the gifts for the family together and it's great to see that everyone liked them. There's a lively atmosphere in the room that makes me come to the startling realization over how much I have missed celebrating the holidays. Although this isn't my real family they've been so much kinder and more welcoming than my own blood has ever been.

I become a little nervous when Hunter picks up the gifts I had bought for him. Watching as he unwraps it I smile at his instant reaction. Hunter stares at the vinyl in shock before a wide grin blooms across his lips. He has an impressive collection of vinyl's at home and has been looking for this band's one for months now. Luckily, I had found it in a store after many calls and visits. His eyes meet mine and I wink before nodding to the next present. A soft chuckle escapes me when he eagerly rips off the wrapping to find a popcorn machine. When I moved in and we would have movie nights he would always say that a popcorn machine would be the best thing ever. Even though I think it's ridiculous it's worth it to see him so happy about it.

"I'm going to use this every day!" He declares as he reads the information booklet. "Thanks, Red. I love them."

Rolling my eyes, I watch as he walks over to me before bending down to peck my lips. He takes a seat beside me on the couch before handing me my present. I rip off the wrapping paper only to freeze when a picture of the most recent professional camera in the market stares back at me. My jaw drops as I hold the box up before staring at him with wide eyes.

"This costs a fortune!" I whisper-shout and watch as he grins cheekily in response.

"Which is worth it if you'll be taking more pictures of me." He winks and I swat his arm with a laugh.

"Thank you, Hunt. I love it!" I press my lips to his in a grateful kiss.

"You're welcome, darlin." He murmurs as he watches me open the packaging and marvel over the new camera.

We continue opening presents and in addition to the camera and necklace I receive a new perfume, handbag and makeup. We chat for a little while longer before Noah and Isaiah get hungry and that's when I catch Michelle nudging Evan before turning to Hunter and me.

"Zoe, will you help me with the dinner? The one you cooked for Hunter was amazing!" Michelle grins knowingly which makes Hunter and I glance at each other with wide eyes.

"Uh...ma, I cooked –"

"Honey, as much as I love you, you can't cook anything to save your life." She smiles sweetly as she pats his head. "And for you to whip up a delicious roast dinner with only a few hours' notice? Impossible!"

I can't stop the amused smirk from growing on my lips the more Hunter's expressions turns into a scowl. His eyes narrow when I accidentally let a giggle slip before he crosses his arms with a huff.

"You used Zoe to lie about cooking?" Ryder bursts out laughing while Ella only shakes her head in amusement.

"I don't know what ma is on about! I made that dinner with my own two hands!" Hunter argues fiercely before turning to me expectantly. "Tell them Zoe."

"He did make it with his own two hands but with a lot of help from me." I nod with a shit eating grin.

"Exactly! Wait – what?!" He whirls around with wide eyes before jokingly glaring at me. "Zoe!"

"But in his defense, he was a very good helper!" I squeal as Michelle pulls me up just as he pounces.

I hurry into the kitchen with Michelle and Ella with a laugh as I hear the men tease Hunter about his little white lie. But just before I enter the kitchen I peek behind me to see him already staring at me. He mouths "I'm going to get you!" and I blow him a kiss in response which makes him shake his head in amusement.

Best Christmas ever so far, that's for sure.



***



After dinner we decide to lounge in the sitting room again with our desserts and a classic Christmas movie playing. It snowed overnight so right after dessert Noah convinced all of us to get outside. After dressing up warm I made my way out only to be hit with a snowball. Glaring murderously at Hunter I chase him before pouncing on top of him when I'm able to get close enough.

"This is what you get!" I grin as I smash his face into the blanket of snow.

"You deserved it for giving me away earlier!" He shoves me off him with a breathless laugh.

I shriek when Judah and Theo gang up on us with and start a war. We all split into teams and build forts to hide behind. Me and Hunter clearly struggled to build a higher wall of snow because everyone else keeps throwing snowballs at us until I give up and just hide behind it.

"Red! You need to help me defeat them all!" Hunter laughs as he swings two more snowballs with force and manages to hit Judah in the face this time, which I'm sure satisfies him.

"You're on your own!" I chuckle before pushing him when he hits me with a snowball. "Traitor!"

"Says you!" He grins mischievously before hauling me up.

I scream when everyone throws snow at me the second I'm in sight. Hiding behind Hunter's large frame I clutch onto the back of his coat with a laugh. We spend most of our evening playing in the snow before it gets too cold. Venturing back inside Evan quickly starts the fire which everyone curls up by after changing into pajamas once more.

I follow Hunter up to our room and take a quick shower to warm up before letting him do the same. As I change into comfy clothes I spot my phone that I had left on charge before we left. Picking it up and taking a seat on the bed I unlock it to see texts from Blade, Lia, AJ and Jordan. But none from my family. The smile drops as my chest aches with hurt before I snap out of it. I reply to everyone else and wish them a happy Christmas.

Setting my phone back down I look up to see a shirtless Hunter with only sweatpants on. I would've become very hot and bothered if it weren't for his knowing gaze. Smiling up at him I watch as he walks over to sit beside me. He takes my hand in his, eyes never straying far from mine.

"Have you talked to them?"

"They're always busy today." I shrug halfheartedly as I play with his fingers.

"Let me rephrase that...do you guys even talk much over the phone?" He asks and I bite my lip hard.

"No." I shake my head as I look down. "They won't call Hunt and I can't keep trying anymore. Besides, you and your family have made me feel so welcomed that I hardly even thought about them. Thank you for bringing me along."

He stares at me for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself here. They all love you just like I told you they would."

I roll my eyes playfully but a small squeak escapes me when he pushes me down on the bed. My breath hitches as he hovers above me, his legs and arms trapping me underneath. I can't help but let my gaze trail down his defined and muscled body. My fingers follow my eyes and I feel him tense underneath my touch. I trace his abs and the chiseled 'V' leading down to his groin. He catches my wandering hands and holds them in his grip high above my head before leaning down to nip my bottom lip harshly.

"Don't be naughty, Red." He murmurs huskily as he soothes the sting.

"Don't try and seduce me then."

"Touché." He chuckles before his lips come crashing down on mine.

I feel my toes curl as pleasure courses through my veins. His tongue greets mine as he lets go of my hands. I wrap my arms around his neck and tug at the ends of his hair which makes him groan lowly. But our moment is cut short when someone knocks on the door before entering quickly.

"Guys do you want any – ooh!" Judah exclaims with a mischievous grin.

"Get out, Jude!" Hunter seethes as he throws a pillow at his brother.

"I'll bring you two some mistletoe!" He shouts in glee as he dodges it before running off.

I chuckle at Hunter's angry expression as he turns back to me. Cupping his cheek, I push up to peck his lips softly which calms him down a bit. He sighs as he rests his forehead on mine with a disappointed huff.

"Merry Christmas." He mutters which makes me laugh out loud.

"Merry Christmas, Hunt." I smile before pulling him down for another kiss.






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