Naughty Elf: Mistletoe (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

MIZ

Two weeks after I gave birth to our twins, the doorbell rang while I was doing laundry. No surprise there. I was always doing laundry. The twins spit up on everything. They weren't sick, but their explosive burps jettisoned a splash of milk each time.

I was wearing a spot of spit-up on my faded t-shirt and an old pair of John's sweatpants that didn't quite fit me, the last clean pair of pants in the drawer. Still, I was the only one available to answer the door, since Ryan and Ellie were giving the twins a much-needed bath.

Ellie and Ryan had been acting strange all day. We usually bathed the twins one at a time for safety's sake, but they were running on a time clock I knew nothing about.

I opened the door, expecting a package to be sitting on the doorstep, since we were waiting for a diaper delivery. Instead, I saw a pair of unfamiliar humans with expectant smiles.

"You must be Miz." The woman held out her hand. "I'm Mable Hall, and this is Travis."

"Nice to meet you," I said. The last name sounded vaguely familiar.

"We're so excited to see our granddaughter, and to meet your twins!"

Oh wow. These were John's parents, Ellie's grandparents from California.

"Oh hi! Come on in! I'm so sorry. No one told me you were coming." I glared in the direction of the first-floor bathroom.

"We know, dear," Mable continued. "Ellie wanted it to be a surprise. We're going to be staying here for a few days and taking care of things so you and Ryan can have a break."

I guided them into the living room, where Ellie met them a moment later, enthusiastically screaming like only an exuberant eight-year-old could. I exited with a head nod, muttering something about seeing to the twins though I knew they couldn't hear me over Ellie.

In the nursery, Ryan hunched over Jack on the changing table, pinning his cloth diaper in place.

"The Halls are here?"

Ryan's head snapped up at the question. "Great!"

"Why are they here?"

Ryan brought Jack to his shoulder and bounced him a few times. "They wanted to meet you and the twins and spend time with Ellie." He sighed. "I couldn't tell them no."

I glanced over at the basinet to confirm Ana was sleeping before going to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and grinning at him through watery eyes. I could blame the hormones, but it was more about how much I loved Ryan and how much he cared about his family. "I'm glad to meet them. I'm so happy they're here for Ellie."

Ryan sighed. "Unlike my parents."

"They've sent gifts," I reminded him. "Sometimes, that's the best they can do." My parents had done the same, sending a care package from their resort home in South Carolina. They also sent pictures of an alligator blocking someone from leaving their driveway, so I didn't want to visit them anytime soon.

"They're lonely," Ryan whispered. "They've lost a son, and you have parents, but you aren't close. I think we're all hoping you will be good for each other."

I laughed. "Did you and Ellie cook this up in family therapy?"

"Maybe …" he trailed off.

"I think I might need to start going with you, now that I have such a big family." I curled my fingers in his hair and tilted his head down for a sweet kiss. He tasted like hot chocolate and syrup from breakfast.

Ryan laughed and broke the kiss to wave Ellie inside, along with her grandparents. I stepped off to the side so they could reconnect with greetings and hugs, and then it was time for them to hold the babies. Ana was still sound asleep, but Jack stared at them with wide-open eyes and blew bubbles at them.

"They're so precious," Mable said. "Thanks again for naming him after John. What a wonderful way to honor our son."

"Thank Ellie," Ryan said as my eyes misted over again. "She named them both."

After another round of hugs and a pass of a box of tissues, we tried to squeeze in a quick lunch before the babies were hungry. Halfway through, Jack started crying from the bedroom, soon followed by Ana. "That's my cue," I said, grabbing my peanut butter and jelly sandwich off the plate and finishing the last few bites on the way to our room.

"He's so sweet!" Mable said behind me. "Where did you find him?"

We couldn't tell John's sweet human family my true origins, so we'd agreed to make up a story.

"I found him wandering in the woods outside on Christmas Day. His car broke down on the highway and he walked all the way here without a winter coat or boots. He was nearly frozen, so I let him hang out in my office for a couple hours."

I crossed my fingers, hoping they believed him.

"Really Daddy?" Ellie sounded suspicious. "I don't remember you finding him."

"You were too busy opening your presents, and he didn't want to impose, so I let him go upstairs to my office to wait until you were finished."

I grinned at Ryan's fib and shut the bedroom door behind me, my sole focus on feeding the tiny beings completely dependent on me for the moment.