6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

I picked up some donuts and chocolate milk for the kids, then some coffee for Sean and me. Despite his impolite behavior, it would have been rude for me to exclude him in breakfast.

I sighed as I walked slowly back to the house. I didn’t want to face him yet, not after the way he snapped at me last night, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. The kids would be up soon, and I needed to be there when they awoke.

Just as I walked through the front door, Sarah and Tommy came running down the stairs.

“Donuts?” Sarah asked, gazing wide-eyed at the bag in my hand.

“Yup.” I grinned. “You want some?”

“Yeah!” Sarah and Tommy cheered together.

They both ran over to the table, and I followed them, shaking my head with laughter. Sometimes, it was so easy to please children. A little attention and sugar was all they really wanted. I put a donut on each of their plates and poured them both a tall glass of chocolate milk. They devoured their breakfast in record time, finishing before Sean even stepped foot out of his room.

When he finally did appear, his eyes met mine, and I pointed to the coffee on the kitchen counter. He nodded and moved to grab his cup.

“Thanks,” he said, his eyes focused downward.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the kids.

“Go on,” I said. “Get changed. We can go to the park this morning, but then I want you both to do some reading this afternoon. You’ve been slacking lately.”

“Nuh-uh!” Tommy said. “I read all the time.”

“Not in the last couple days,” I said sternly.

“Okay.” He sighed. “Fine”

I smiled while he stalked upstairs behind his sister. Like always, Sean demanded my attention without even trying. It was as if my eyes were magnetically drawn to him. He glanced at me but quickly looked away. He didn’t speak until the kids came back down.

In those few minutes, I considering quitting. I didn’t know how much longer I could take the tension between Sean and me. He didn’t make it easy to do my job. He was cold and harsh, always ignoring me or snapping at me. It wasn’t right or fair. Still, I knew I couldn’t leave. Both Tommy and Sarah depended on me too much already.

“To the park?” I asked once the kids were ready.

“Daddy, are you coming?” Sarah asked hopefully.

“Sure,” Sean said.

I looked at him sharply, surprised by how quickly he agreed. It wasn’t like him to spend any time with me if he didn’t have to.

We made our way to the front door but never made it to the park. Just as we pulled the door open, a man stepped inside and threw his arms wide.

He was grinning from ear to ear. I didn’t know him, but from the way Sean’s face lit up, he certainly did.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sean asked, rushing forward to hug the strange man.

“Got tired of waiting for an invite,” he said. “Plus, I wanted to see my favorite little brats.”

“We aren’t brats, Uncle Philip,” Tommy said with a frown.

“Well, not you,” Philip said, placing his hand over his heart. “I’m sorry, Tommy. I was talking about your sister.”

“Hey!” Sarah said, but there was a wide smile on her face.

“Get your cute butts over here!” Philip demanded.

Tommy and Sarah ran forward to hug him. He grabbed them both in his arms and lifted them into the air. They laughed, and I stood to the side, watching.

“Oh,” Sean said, glancing at me suddenly. “Philip, this is Emily. She’s our nanny. Emily, this is my friend, Philip.”