We saw their SUV pulling into the lane as we were walking in the house. Izzy came running out of the door with no coat. I pointed toward the door. “Get your tail in that house and…..” Miranda was already at the door holding out her coat. “Thanks, Baby!” She crossed her arms and waited for them to come to a stop before we all approached the vehicle.
Noah jumped out and showed Iz some handheld game he was playing. They started walking toward the house without grabbing a single thing. “Noah, get back here and help your mother.” Colt climbed out and walked toward us while Van hopped out and hugged us.
Noah handed Iz the game and sadly walked back to carry something. I laughed and shook hands with Colt. “How was the drive?”
“It was fine until we hit the sleet. We saw several cars slidin’ around in town. We were just stoppin’ by because Noah didn’t want to wait and see Bella. Do you want them to stay here or at Savanna’s parents tonight?”
I looked to Miranda and wondered if she was thinking the same thing as me. The weather was shitty and the roads were getting slippery since the sun was setting. I wanted my daughter as safe as she could be, even if it meant a night without Noah. “I’d rather she stays here tonight.”
“That’s fine. Noah can just see Savanna’s parents tomorrow. We better get goin’ before it gets worse.” We all gave hugs again and sent them back on their way. I wasn’t worried about Colt getting them there safe. He would drive two miles an hour if it meant his family would get there in one piece.
Noah and Iz were already in the house and once it was dark enough, Conner and I could show them both what we did for them outside. I walked with my wife back into our warm house.
Our Christmas was going to be great.
Chapter 7
Miranda
The afternoon that Colt and Savanna came to town, the weather was horrendous and depreciated by the hour. The light sleet became heavy and by the time it was dark there was already a light layer of solid ice on everything. Ty had wanted to take the kids outside to see the lights, but the wind had picked up and just hearing it against the windows made them not want to go outside. It didn’t help that Ty told them Jack Frost was a real person who came after little boys and girls during the Christmas season.
The two of them ran back in Bella’s room and refused to come out to even talk to me. My mother and John had gone over to Ty’s parents. As it stood, my aunt and Lucy were going to have a delayed flight due to the weather closing down our airport. I was just glad that Colt had made it here before it got too bad.
We still had three days before Christmas, so they had plenty of time to get the roads and runways clear for a safe travel. There shouldn’t have been anything to worry about.
Ty and I had already wrapped everyone’s presents and had them all hidden in different places around the house. Van had told me that Colt ordered the twins rival jerseys, so she and I thought it would be funny to surprise the guys with their size jerseys too. I was sure she wanted to do it for the Kodak moment, but it seemed priceless and we knew the guys would get a kick out of it.
We let the family vote on what we were going to make for Christmas Dinner. Since they decided on stuffed shells, Ty took it upon himself to enlist his mother’s special recipe. She usually made them a few days before and let them sit in the refrigerator before baking them. With the big kids wanting nothing to do with Ty and the twins sleeping, we sat in the kitchen and started getting everything together. A major part of making them was keeping the large shells from breaking apart as they cooked. A lot of olive oil and stirring was involved.
Ty had me watching the noodles as he added all of the other ingredients to a giant mixing bowl. Once he got the cheese mixture finished, he separated half and added a combination of ground beef, seasoned ground pork and even ground veal in one of the bowls. Some of us preferred no meat in our shells, while others loved them with the works.
Ty made perverted faces as he mixed in the meat with his hands. “This feels so good.”
I shook my head and kept stirring the pasta. “It amazes me how you amuse yourself.”
“Don’t pretend that having a handful of meat isn’t hot.” He winked and kept working the mixture.
Conner came in the kitchen before I could think of something witty to say back to him. He stuck his finger in the bowl and tasted it. Ty slapped his arm. “Dude, keep your hands off of my meat.”
Conner sat down next to him and looked back at me. I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to say about it. “Well, just so you know, your meat needs more seasoning. When your mother prepares these, the meat tastes the best.”