Wrapping Up (Mitchell Family #4.5)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Part 1

Thanksgiving with the Mitchell’s

Hosted By: Colt and Savanna

Chapter 1

Savanna

Before I married Colt, I’d spent most of my holidays with my small immediate family. Sometimes we wouldn’t even make a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, since it was just the three of us. Back when I dated Ty, I would go over to his house, if he wasn’t with his family in Kentucky. I’d never had the heart to ask to go with him on account of my parents having to spend the holidays alone.

It was probably a good thing I didn’t go, because just looking at Colt made me all kinds of crazy and everything could have turned out completely different if I’d made a fool out of myself when Colt just thought I was some scrawny kid.

Now that we were married, holidays had become such a big deal to me. I loved his larger family and how they all came and wanted to spend time together. They had even welcomed my parents into the family so that I never had to choose between families.

I have to admit that the first Christmas was awkward being around Ty, since we’d just broken up, but that’s what happens when you decide to date your ex’s cousin. It only took us all a few months before we were back to being the closest of friends and now that we were officially family, it made everything perfect. It was much easier since we had the kids and with our third one growing inside of my stomach, the importance of family meant the world to me.

Normally, Ty and Miranda would bring the kids down once a month to visit, or we would go there, but since Bella’s birthday party, everyone had been too busy. Months had gone by and I found myself counting down the days to see our cousins and their kids.

Their little twins were the cutest babies. Not only were they identical, but they looked like their father so much. Jake, who was born bigger than Jax, was now the same size. He seemed to favor Miranda’s attention, where Jax was all about his daddy. Their dark hair and brown eyes made it seem like Miranda had nothing to do with their conception. It was funny seeing them as a family though. Bella made them all fit together. Since she looked identical to her mother, it was only fitting that the boys were Ty’s little clones. Although, he liked to call them spawns.

Our little Christian was a true mix of her father and I. Of course, like her brother, Noah, she had ended up with Colt’s eyes. Their whole family had such dark eyelashes that they always looked like they were wearing makeup, so naturally it made my daughter even more beautiful. Her hair was getting long and she was walking all over the place. Her first birthday was getting close and I couldn’t wait to plan the big event.

Christian had been such a blessing to Colt and I. Noah fell in love with his sister instantly and he liked being around her. Of course, if you threw in someone his age, then she didn’t exist at all.

It was really nice having my mother-in-law so close to us. She and Lucy were just across the ranch and ever since Colt had taken over the managing of the business, his mother was left to enjoy her life to the fullest. Of course, that meant she bought our children whatever their little hearts desired. Poor Christian could barely say ‘dada’ but she was wearing designer baby clothes. I was hoping that the baby was going to be another girl so that she could wear all of her sister’s cool clothes, but if it was a boy, I knew I’d have bags and bags from the twins.

After I had cleaned up dinner, I found my husband in his office. Aside from his new Facebook addiction, where he and Ty constantly bantered on, he liked to play online poker. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “What is my handsome man doing in this quiet office all by himself?”

He grabbed one of my hands and pulled me around until he could tug me to fall down on his lap. “Waitin’ for you.” Colt kissed me once before turning his attention back to the computer screen. Let out a sigh before I turned around to see what had him so interested. Of course, he was shopping for college fan gear that happened to include Kentucky and North Carolina teams.

“You aren’t?” Since the twins were born, Colt had joked that he was going to dress them in different teams and take their picture. It was an ongoing joke up until this very moment.

“I already did. In fact, I just printed off the receipt.”

“Ty’s going to love this one.” Knowing Ty, he would end up thinking it was pretty cool. It was Miranda who would think Colt was an idiot.

I leaned into my husband once more and could smell the bourbon on his breath. The small glass sat empty on the coaster. Sometimes, when the weather got cold, Colt would have bourbon to warm himself up before bed. It relaxed him and seemed to help him fall asleep faster. All it did for me was keep me up. He seemed to snore a lot more when he drank it. I picked up the glass and sighed. He started to laugh. “Are you askin’ me if I want another glass?”

I rolled my eyes. “No! I am reminding you that I will be smacking the crap out of you if your snoring keeps me up again tonight.”

“It ain’t that bad, Darlin. Besides, you know it makes me frisky. He reached his hands around to my ass and squeezed my cheeks. “You feelin’ frisky tonight too?”

I thought about my night.

I’d made dinner, which included hand breaded pork chops, homemade applesauce and homemade mashed potatoes. Aside from my normal dishes, I also had to wash the mixer and the extra bowls I used to make the applesauce. After getting the dishes done, Christian crapped up the back of her pajamas and needed a bath to get clean. Once I got her out, she decided that she was hungry again, so while I made her food, Noah got into the tub. After feeding our daughter, I got her a bottle and laid her down for bed, while Noah fought with me over which of his favorite character pajamas he wanted to wear.

I hadn’t looked at myself in a mirror since about noon and I was covered in every kind of food that my hands had touched all day, not to mention the foreign stains of things I didn’t even want to know what they were.

I looked at Colt and smiled. “My frisky went out the door with my hairbrush and makeup, days ago.”

He ran his hands through my hair. “I think you’re gorgeous.”

“I think you just want me naked.” I went to run my hands up Colt’s chest, when the office door creaked open.

Noah stood there in his pajamas and a pair of cowboy boots. “Hey Dad, can you come tuck me in. I found that story about the boy and the alligator.”

He patted me on the butt and lifted me off of his lap. “Sure Buddy, give Mom a kiss goodnight.”