A Beaumont Family Christmas

“I’ve missed you too,” I tell him. I’m being honest. I do miss being around him all the time. “Listen, we sort of have a surprise for everyone. Mind going in and making sure everyone is gathered in the living room or something?”

“What’s going on?”

I grip his shoulder and shake my head. “Inside. Even the infamous Liam Page has to wait for the news.”

Liam nods and heads back inside after saying hi to everyone. I tell Quinn that we’ll come back for the luggage after we’ve had a chance to introduce the newest member of our family to everyone, and Elle tells us how we’re going to walk into the house. I’m going in first, followed by Quinn and Nola, with the twins next, and finally Katelyn and Oliver. Truthfully, I want to be with Katelyn, but sometimes there is no use in arguing with Elle. She’s headstrong and very set in her ways.

As instructed, we fall in line and head into the house. As much as I want to look around and take everything in, it’ll have to wait until later. Right now, I have far more important things to do, like introduce my son to my best friends. Quinn and Nola follow me in and stand off to the side.

“What’s going?” Josie asks.

“We have something to tell everyone,” I say as the twins walk in.

“Oh my god, which one of you is pregnant?” Josie blurts out.

“Why? Why must one of us be pregnant?” Elle asks.

“It’s not me,” Nola chimes in.

“Nor me,” Peyton says. “You would already know if I was that’s for sure.”

Josie stands, as does Jenna. “Okay, you need to . . .” Josie’s words are cut off when Katelyn comes into view with the car carrier. “I know I haven’t seen you in a couple of months, but surely you would’ve told me if you were pregnant.”

Jenna’s mouth opens as if she’s going to say something and then closes it again. I look at Liam, who appears thoroughly confused, his brows knitted together. It’s JD who walks in behind Katelyn, none the wiser that the Jameses are trying to make a grand entrance. “Whoa, who’s bub is this?”

“He’s ours,” Katelyn says.

“What?” Liam, Josie, Jenna, and JD say in unison.

“Everyone, I’d like for you to meet Oliver James. Well, he will be a James after we can file for adoption.”

Katelyn takes our son from his carrier and shows him to his family. There are many oohs and aahs and still some confused looks, mostly from JD and Liam. I go to them and say, “I’ll tell you guys later over a game of pool or something.”

“Are you happy?” Liam asks.

I think about his question for a minute and try not to focus on Katelyn and the excitement she’s showing. The smile forms before I start to nod. “I am,” I tell my friends and son, who has joined us. “Once you hold him, you’ll see why.”

“It’s like magic,” Quinn adds. “He’s a Christmas miracle.”12JennaPoor little Oliver is passed from person to person, with each of us making the most ridiculous faces at him. He’s a trooper though, and barely fusses. It’s like we’re in an assembly line, each waiting a turn to hold him. When he finally gets to me—which seems like ages from when Katelyn walked in with him—my heart simultaneously beats with happiness for my friend and breaks for myself. For years, Jimmy and I tried to have another child, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us. We went to doctors, specialists and they all said the same thing: there isn’t anything wrong, keep trying. We thought about IVF, but I pushed it aside, thinking that when my body was ready for another child, it would happen. Now, I fear it’s too late but seeing Katelyn come in with this bundle of joy gives me hope. Maybe Jimmy and I can explore adoption as he suggested in the past. However, I’m not sure how Eden would feel. I’d love to think her reaction would be the same as Elle, Peyton, and Quinn’s was, but being an only child is different.

I’m not sure how long I get to hold Oliver, but grabby hands, also known as my husband, takes him from me and starts speaking cockney to him. I roll my eyes, and I think a few others do as well, except for the guys. Liam and Harrison are going gaga over the baby, right along with Jimmy.

Katelyn comes back into the room and takes the empty spot next to me on the sofa. She hands me a glass of wine and sets another one down for Josie, who comes back into the living room with a bowl of chips and salsa. Jimmy, Eden, and I were the first to arrive and had the house to ourselves for the first day. Well, I should say, I had the house to myself because Eden and Jimmy hit the slopes first thing when we arrived and again this morning. It seems snowboarding is natural for Eden, and she can’t get enough of some pipe or something. The lingo is confusing, but I try to keep up with what she’s telling me.