That night, as I pulled the family van into the Carter's driveway, I heard Jessi and Avie exchanging excited whispers. The house looked like a picture from a picture book. The house, which was more like a mansion, was all lit up with twinkling lights on the trees and bushes. With the lights casting a soft glow onto the snow, it looked like a Winter Wonderland. An enormous Christmas tree was visible through one front window, and judging by the amount of cars parked on the road, the party was in full swing.
"Your escort, madam," I announced in a mock British accent, offering Avery my arm. She gave me an odd look.
"What, can't we just walk into the house like everyone else?" she asked. I laughed and helped her out of the van.
"Let's go already!" Zac yelled, practically dragging Reagan over the snow caked driveway. Since Will told us it was a casual dress party, we were all dressed comfortably, except for Jessi and Reagan, who were wearing skirts and blouses.
"Zac, wait up!" Jessi shouted, starting to run after our brother.
"Jessi, don't run. You'll slip," hissed Taylor, grabbing her arm to prevent her from running. The large, wooden front doors opened and Will stepped out. She waved at us.
"Hi guys! Merry Christmas," she greeted cheerfully, giving Taylor a welcome hug. Everyone smiled at her bubbly attitude.
"Merry Christmas," we echoed, equally cheerful. We stepped into the front hall, where Willow took our coats and hung them in the closet. Reagan and Willow were introduced, then Will started us on a tour of the house.
"Dad, these are the Hansons: Isaac, Jessica, Avery, Taylor, and Zac," I told him, motioning to each person as I said his or her name. "And this is their friend Reagan... um, Reagan..." I trailed off, looking hopelessly at Reagan. They had never told me her last name.
"St. Pierre," she provided, smiling politely and shaking my father's hand. "Reagan St. Pierre."
"Nice to meet you, all of you," Daddy replied, his eyes sweeping over all of us. He stopped on Ike. "Why do you look so familiar?"
"We're good friends, Daddy," I answered quickly, before Isaac could even open his mouth to reply. "Oh look, Dad, Mrs. Stevens is here. Why don't you go over and say hello?" I suggested, motioning towards the large, gossipy woman. He left us without protest.
"Hmmm, he seems to be in a good mood tonight," Tay joked gently. I grinned.
"Yeah, right," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
"Tay, there you are! I wanted to introduce you to Ruthann Palazzo. Her dad works with Willow's dad," she told me. Ruthann smiled at me, offering her hand.
"It is so nice to meet you. I love your music. I have so many pictures of you hanging on my walls. You're so cute! Can I call you Tay?" she gushed. I smiled politely, secretly giving my younger sister an annoyed look.
"Uh, sure," I answered. Ruthann squealed, then glanced around and giggled.
"My friends will not believe that I met you. Can I get a picture with you? Will you sign it? Do you want to dance? I've always wanted to dance with you." She paused for breath, then grinned.
"Um, I don't really dance," I tried to explain. Ruthann just grinned and grabbed my hand.
"Don't worry, I show you." She dragged me into the middle of the crowd of people who were dancing. I tired to pull my hand from hers, but Ruthann had a death grip on my fingers. Once we had reached a spot that she seemed to like, she turned to me and smiled. "Now, you put your hands on my waist and I put mine on your shoulders. Like this."
She grabbed my hands and put them on her hips. I blushed. "No, really, I don't dance. Trust me. I was born with two left feet," I insisted, pulling my hands away. Ruthann grabbed them again.
"Don't worry, I'll make a dancer out of you yet," she persisted. I sighed and gave up. She chatted away as we clumsily moved around the dance floor. It was when she started to tell me that she named her stuffed animals after me and changed all of her favorite things to match mine that I stepped away from her.
"Um, are you thirsty? I can go get you something to drink," I offered. Ruthann smiled happily.
"You're so sweet! I'd love something to drink," she replied. As I hurried away from her, I heard her call, "Don't be long!"
"Jessica Grace Hanson, I am going to murder you," I grumbled under my breath as I snuck out of the crowded room. Glancing around quickly, I dashed into the den across the hall. The lights were off and the room was dark, except for the pale rays filtering through the windows from the Christmas lights outside. I left the door open to let a little light in from the hallway and sat down on the floor beside the couch, hidden. I pouted. "Why do I always get the hyperactive fans? Shouldn't they migrate towards Zac?" I thought.
I don't know how long I was there, maybe 15 minutes, when I heard voices in the hall. I hugged my knees to my chest and crouched behind the sofa, hidden from view. The voices got louder and I prayed that it wasn't Ruthann coming to look for me. I stared at the floor and saw two shadows enter the room. I held my breath. Whoever was in the room didn't speak at first, but closed the door nearly all the way before one of them laughed.
"I never knew that Mrs. Stevens could talk so much," one voice said. I recognized it instantly as Willow. I peeked my head around the arm of the couch and could just barely make out the two figures standing five feet away from me. It was Willow and Ike. I sighed quietly, thanking God for not sending Ruthann after me.
"She seems like a nice lady," Isaac replied. Faint strands of music floated into the dark room from the party across the hall, and he offered his hand to Willow. She took it and they danced slowly to the music. I knew I should have made my presence known, but something inside me prevented me from it. I watched them silently.
"I'm glad you guys came tonight," Willow said quietly.
"I'm glad you invited us."
"This has been the best Christmas in my entire life," she admitted. Isaac laughed.
"Why is that?" he asked. Willow lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled.
"Because I have friends. I have someone to dance with my own age this year. I have someone to help me get away from Mrs. Stevens before she talks my ear off," she explained. Ike grinned. "But mostly importantly, I have someone to share this all with. I really appreciate it, Ike. I've never had this before."
"Well, I'm honored to be the one you share it with. This has been the best Christmas for me in quite a long time. Last year, we were in LA and it was so strange. I don't want to do that again," he confessed. Will broke away and picked up two cups of eggnog that I hadn't seen them put down. She handed one to my older brother, then raised her glass.
"Cheers to our first Christmas," she announced. Isaac smiled and took her hand, then raised his own glass.
"May we have many more together," he added quietly.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but have either of you seen Taylor?" Ruthann asked. I held my breath and crossed my fingers, hoping that they wouldn't turn a light on and discover me.
"No, we haven't seen him. Sorry," Isaac told her. I heard footsteps and moments later everything was quiet. I slowly stuck my head out from behind the couch and saw that the room was empty. I let my breath out in a rush, then carefully unfolded my limbs from the impossible positions they had been forced into.
"Thanks so much, we had a lot of fun," he told me. Reagan grinned her agreement.
"Thank you for coming. It was good to meet you," I told her. Zac, Reagan, and Jessi started the long walk down the driveway as Ike gave Taylor the keys to the van so they could get in. Once they were gone, Isaac turned to me with a smile.
"I had a great time," he informed me. I returned his smile fully.
"I did too. And I meant what I said earlier, about this being the best Christmas," I said. Isaac put his arm around me and gave me an awkward hug, careful to not disturb his sleeping sister. I kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas Ike."
"Merry Christmas," he replied. "I'll call you tomorrow?" I nodded and he stepped away. I stood outside, shivering, and watched him walk away until he disappeared down the driveway. It wasn't until I rubbed my shoulders lightly and looked up into the night sky that I realized it was snowing.
Pardon the saying, but I swear to God that if anyone else knocks over our poor, pathetic looking tree with its ugly tinsel, I am going to scream. Honestly. I decided to stay upstairs and guard it while Tay and Dad went down to the game room in the basement to try and put together the baby crib that our Uncle Paul gave us. I sure hope the baby is going to be a girl. If it turned out to be a boy, I sure hope he likes the pink, purple, and blue flowers painted on the while crib. Mom and dad had decided that they didn't want to know the sex of the baby until it was born. I thought that was a strange idea. I mean, what if you bought boy things and it turned out to be a girl, or vice versa? A whole bunch of money, right down the drain. When I told my parents this after Jessi was born (expected to be a boy), they told me I worry too much. Me? Worry too much? No way.
"Hey Dad? Willow and everyone are coming over in like, 20 minutes," I called down the stairs after getting off the phone with my friend. Our conversation had been fairly normal, as if nothing had happened between us the night before. I began to think that maybe she was trying to forget it. I went back into the living room and stood in front of the windows, watching my younger brothers play in the five and a half inches of snow that had been dumped upon us the night before. I began to worry that she regretted kissing me, although I didn't. It felt a little weird, because our friendship is so important to me, but maybe it shouldn't be left as only being friends. I sighed and shook my head, not noticing another person in the room until my mother cleared her throat. I spun around quickly, startled. "Oh, hi mom."
"Hi sweetie. Thinking hard?" she asked. I chuckled and shrugged.
"I guess you could call it that," I answered. Mom wiped her hands on a dishtowel that was tucked into her apron, then sat down on the couch. She motioned for me to sit beside her. I sat down and rested my head on her shoulder like I did when I was little. Mom brushed her fingers down my hair and hummed a little bit of a Christmas Carol that I didn't recognize.
"You're growing up into quite a handsome young man," she commented. She paused, then smiled at her thought. "A handsome Hanson."
I smiled. "What brings this on?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. I'm just glad for this break. We've been so busy lately, it seems that my boys are growing up so fast. Too fast." She spoke softly, her usual motherly voice that I always found comfort in. However, the relaxation I usually received didn't show this time. She didn't know just how important Willow was to me, and how impossible this situation was becoming.
"Mom, you know I'll always be your little boy," I told her, snuggling closer to her. Mom smiled and hugged me.
"I know. But when you're grown up and have kids of your own? You won't be so little anymore," she pointed out. I nodded slowly, looking absently at the Christmas tree. Mom studied my face carefully before continuing. "I don't like to see any of my children hurting, especially my first born. Do you want to talk about anything? Anything I can help you with?"
I shook my head. "No, mom, I don't think so. Not this time. It's something I have to deal with by myself."
"Well, what is it? Are you having problems with your friends? With any fans?" I shook my head. Mom thought for a minute. "Girls?"
"No, mom, it's just-" I lifted my head off her shoulder and rubbed my temples. "It's nothing. There's nobody. No girl."
"Well, I'm not convinced," mom stated plainly, struggling to get up off the couch. I helped her stand carefully, and she turned to me with a serious look. "You know that whatever it is, you can talk to me. Or your father. We're both here. I know you said you could do this alone, but if you need anyone..."
I smiled and nodded. "I know. Thanks mom." I gave her a hug. She pulled away and studied my face for a moment before walking back into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of the room, I sighed loudly and fell back onto the couch.
"Wow, Will. Aren't we just the beauty queen today?" I joked, taking their coats and hanging them on the coat rack in the hall. Will gave me a fake smile. I introduced Brad and Olivia to my family members, then watched as everyone scattered in every direction to do something until dinner was ready. Taylor and Zac took Mackie back out into the snow, while Jessi and Avie went to play with some of the toys they had opened earlier. My father and Brad went downstairs to inspect the crib, while Olivia lent her hand in the kitchen. Will and I sat on the staircase beside the living room.
"Oh Ike, I'm so glad you dressed up for us," Will teased. I glanced down at my own gray sweater and jeans.
"Well, I didn't know you were dressing up," I shot back. Her dress was simple, made of black silk. It came down the just above her knees, had long sleeves and a little bit of a low-cut neckline. Her cheeks turned pink under my stare, and I blinked rapidly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."
"No, it's okay."
"My parents have always taught us that staring is rude," I explained, unaware that I was only babbling. Will smiled politely and tugged at the hem of her dress, trying to pull it down over her knees. "So, anyway..."
"Did you guys have a nice Christmas morning?" she asked innocently, avoiding my eyes.
"Yeah, a typical Hanson family Christmas. Mackie was up at the crack of dawn, the younger kids trashed the living room with wrapping paper, Tay and Zac knocked over the tree..." I trailed off, grinning. "Well, you get the picture."
Willow laughed. "Yup, you're right. Typical Hanson family morning," she agreed. I just couldn't take my eyes off her dress. It fit her perfectly and accented all the right places. She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Umm, maybe I should run home and change."
"No, don't," I protested, grabbing her hand. "I like your dress. It's very... nice." I touched the sleeve and rubbed the material between my fingers. Will stood rigidly in front of me, and I noticed her hand was shaking. I held it and gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing," she stammered. I let go of her hand quickly when the front door crashed open and three of my siblings literally fell into the house. Zac knelt quickly and opened his hand, showing us a perfectly shaped snowball. I frowned at him.
"Zac, you know mom doesn't like snowballs in the house. They leave a mess," I chided him. Zac grinned evilly. "I'm serious. Bring it back outside."
"Attack!" Zac shouted, then fired the snowball in my direction. Zac had terrible aim. It missed me by about a foot. Instead, it landed on Willow's shoulder. She shrieked in surprise and franticly brushed at the cold snow.
"Cold! Cold!" she chanted, covering her shoulder with her hand. Zac had a shocked look on his face. Mackie was in stitches of laughter. I attempted to help Will get the snow off, but she backed away.
"Will! I'm so sorry!" Zac exclaimed. Willow removed her hand and revealed a large, dark water stain on her dress. Zac gave her a guilty look. "Uh oh."
Will smiled a little. "It's no big deal. It was an accident."
Taylor started up the stairs. "Come on, Will. You're about my size; I'll lend you something to change into," he suggested. Willow and Tay disappeared up the stairs. Mackie went to the kitchen, while I made Zac clean up the snow that sat, melting, on the stairs.
"I found it," he announced. I made a face at his room.
"Is this all dirty?" I asked, motioning to the clothes.
"No, not all of it," Tay answered. I shook my head in disbelief as he went through the pile of clothes.
"I can't believe you live like this. Doesn't your mother make you guys clean your room?"
"Oh yeah, at least once a week. And every time we go away," he replied. He then unfolded a pair of brown leather pants and held them up against me. Unsatisfied, he tossed them over onto his bed and continued his search. "We didn't use to have this many clothes, but every time we do a photo shoot somewhere, the stylist picks out clothes from their wardrobe for us. We get to keep the clothes if we like them."
"So you guys must love the clothes she pick out," I commented. Tay stopped to grin at me.
"Not all the time. Believe me, I've declined a lot of clothes. Zac is okay at it, he only keeps the stuff that he really likes and feels comfortable in. Isaac, on the other hand..." Taylor trailed off and made a displeased face, holding up a pair of maroon and ivory plaid pants. "I don't believe that he's been visited by the fashion fairies in quite some time."
I burst out laughing. Tay grinned at his joke, then went back to scavenging through the clothes. A minute later, he had a pair of faded jeans for me. He came up empty handed with a shirt though, and gave me a red-faced look.
"Well, I don't think you'd fit in any of my shirts, considering you have… well, you know… and I don't," he stammered, avoiding my eyes. It was all I could do not to laugh. He distractedly grabbed a shirt off of Isaac's bed and tossed it to me. "Here, Ike is a size bigger than me. That should do."
I smiled thankfully before disappearing into the upstairs bathroom to change. I cast a frustrated glance at the water stain on the shoulder of my dress as I held it up in front of me. I pulled on Tay's jeans, which fit perfectly, and held up Ike's shirt. It was slightly wrinkled, proving that it had already been worn, but that didn't bother me. I brought it closer to my nose and inhaled Isaac's scent. Before I could realize how much of a dork I was being, I closed my eyes and simply stood there, holding his shirt against me and feeling the softness of the cotton brushing against my collarbone. Then I suddenly shook my head and looked at myself in the mirror. Hastily, I pulled the shirt over my head, grabbed my dress, and went back into Taylor's room. He gave me a coat hanger, and I hung the dress on a hook on the back of the door.
"Thanks again, Tay," I said as we headed back downstairs. He smiled.
"Don't worry. It's the least I can do after my younger brother pelts you with snowballs," he answered. Zac joined us at the bottom of the stairs, eyeing me cautiously.
"Yeah, about that…" he started. I shook my head.
"Forget it, Zac. No harm done," I assured him.
"Well, I am willing to pay any dry cleaning expenses that arise from this," he insisted. I smiled and accepted his offer. We went into the living room and I curled up on the couch beside Ike while Tay and Zac investigated the remaining presents under the tree. Isaac looked at me for a second before a smile crept onto his lips. I gave him a curious look.
"What?"
He just shook his head and leaned closer to me, gently pressing his face into my hair. "Seeing you in my clothing just does something for me," he joked quietly. I pulled away from him quickly and gave him an offended look before glancing quickly at his brothers.
"Isaac!" I hissed, embarrassed. He grinned.
"I was going to wear that shirt today, but I must say it looks so much better on you," he whispered. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks as I looked away. I could still feel his eyes on me, and turned back around to see him, indeed, watching me. He glanced down quickly, then looked into my eyes with an evil smile on his face. "However, Taylor's pants seem to reverse the effect of my shirt…"
I sighed playfully, and jumped off the couch. He laughed and followed suit.
"Willow, you're being awfully quiet this evening," Walked observed. I looked up, startled, when I heard my name mentioned. Brad chuckled.
"No, don't say anything. Let's not ruin this momentous occasion of silence," he teased. I gave him a nasty look and he smiled innocently.
"I'm just thinking," I replied to Walker. Brad looked shocked.
"That's a first," he commented playfully. I scowled at him. Olive, trying hard not to laugh, swatted him on his arm. I went back to burying some peas in the potatoes on my plate, while everyone else started talking again. I sighed quietly and the dizzying scent of Isaac's cologne from his shirt invaded me. I glanced across the table to see him watching me. He smiled when we made eye contact, and I returned the smile. Beside him, Zac's face distorted with confusion.
"What's that strange smell?" he asked. Everyone became quiet and inhaled.
"It smells like something burning," Taylor agreed. Diana's face went pale.
"Oh no," she muttered. "The pumpkin pie! I completely forgot about it!" Walker, Brad, and Isaac pushed their chairs back and hurried into the kitchen. Taylor and I followed closely. Smoke was pouring out of the oven. I coughed in the smoke and Tay pulled me away from the center of the kitchen.
"Get me the fire extinguisher," Walker ordered. Ike grabbed the red fire extinguisher from the pantry and handed it to his father. Brad carefully managed to open the oven door and smoke billowed out at us. The three of them disappeared in a cloud of black. Coughing, Walker sprayed the extinguisher into the oven. Isaac emerged from the smoke with one hand covering his mouth, coughing fiercely. I grabbed his hand and helped him out of the kitchen with Taylor in tow. We went back into the dinning room where everyone else sat with concerned looks on their faces.
"Is the house gonna burn down?" Avie whimpered.
"No sweetie, it isn't," Diana assured her. She looked at Taylor, Ike, and I with a neurotic face. "I'm so sorry. It completely slipped my mind."
"No worry, mom. We'll probably have to clean the oven before using it again, but that's about it," Taylor replied. Brad and Walker came out of the kitchen.
"How about we wait a while before clearing the table and having dessert?" Walker suggested humorously.
"Yeah, it's pretty smoky in there. Let's let it clear out first," Brad agreed.
"Okay." Diana stood up slowly and Olivia helped her to the living room where all the younger children had hurried. Brad and Walker went to clean up, leaving us alone in the dinning room.