The Twin's Christmas Gift: Reuniting Mom & Dad

A Santa Like no Other

Julia*

“Santa!” I snapped out of my daze at the sound of the twins excited squeal. Tearing my gaze away from him, I turned just in time to see the kids bounding down the stairs as quickly as their little legs could carry them.

“Don't run,” I chastised them, sighing when they paid no heed to me as all their attention was now on the hunk of a man in a Santa Claus costume standing in our doorway.

I turned back to him, swallowing as I noticed how his shoulders almost filled the doorway. I shook off the thought and motioned for him to come in; he nodded once, still watching me with that stormy gaze that seemed so familiar, yet I was sure I'd never met him before. I shut the door and locked it after him before turning back to watch him fall to his knees, his arms wide open as the twins rushed into his arms.

“You kept your promise, Mommy,” Lucien grinned, pulling away from him and rushing to my hips. I chuckled, ruffling his hair as I smiled down at him. “I promised you, didn't I, and I always keep my promises,” I murmured in response.

“Thank you, Mommy,” he smiled, hugging me even tighter, and I felt my heart melt with happiness. For the first time in two days, Lucien was up and even smiling. I was so thankful I could at least do this for the twins.

Any remnants of doubts about hiring a Santa Claus mascot flew out the window at the twins reactions. He let go of my loose pants he'd been clutching, and I looked up to see Olivia fumbling with Russell's fake white beard and giggling as he watched her with a fond smile.

Lucien rushed to meet Olivia and took her hand in his, his eyes still wide with unconcealed glee and radiating excitement.

“Come on, Olivia, we have to show Santa our new toys and also our letter.” Olivia's eyes brightened significantly at her brother's words, and she nodded vigorously. I watched as they both trudged up the stairs hand in hand; I couldn't help but smile at how cute they both seemed.

I chuckled at my thought before tearing my gaze away from the kids to look at Russell, who had risen to his full towering height, but then he was already looking at me. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet at the intensity of his stormy gaze and cleared my throat awkwardly.

“I didn't introduce myself earlier when we spoke over the phone; I'm Julia Wilson,” I said, taking a step closer to him with my hand out for a handshake. He looked at my outstretched hand for what felt like longer than five seconds before taking it in his.

I swallowed at the sight of his palm engulfing mine and the feeling of his warm skin, a stark contrast against the cold he'd just walked out from, against mine.

“Russell,” he said in his deep baritone that seemed eerily familiar, but I shrugged off the thought as soon as it came.

“I knew that,” I chuckled awkwardly and watched as the corner of his lips quirked up in a half smile. “Please come on in; where are my manners?” I walked away from the foyer where we'd been standing, gesturing towards the living room, and he followed quietly.

“I had you come over in this horrible weather; the least I could do is help you keep warm,” I rambled on, gesturing towards a sofa and sighing in relief when he plopped down on it, carefully placing a leather briefcase by his feet.

I furrowed my brow at his odd choice of accessory for his current outfit. Not that I necessarily knew how the whole Santa Claus thing worked, but I always thought they carried a red sack filled with presents. I guess five years was more than enough time to change a few traditions.

“That is a weird bag to carry presents in, don't you think?” I blurted it out right before I could even stop myself. “It doesn't really match the whole Santa Claus vibe you have going on,” I chuckled, awakening and looking everywhere but in his eyes.

God, this man made me nervous for some reason, and I had no idea why. The sound of his deep chuckle had me snapping my eyes back to meet his stormy gaze swimming with mirth.

“It was the only thing I could find on such short notice,” he shrugged, the corner of his lips quirking up in a half smile while I watched almost entranced. Before it got too weird, I snapped my gaze away from his, forcing a smile on my lips.

“Would you like some hot chocolate and marshmallows?” I asked instead, tilting my head to the side as I waited for his response. His eyes lit up, but as soon as the emotion came, it died.

“Yes, please,” he answered in a monotone, and I furrowed my brows in confusion at the sudden change in his demeanor. I nodded instead, turning around and walking back in the direction of the kitchen, my face scrunching up in a frown.

Lola, my housekeeper, wasn't present as I'd given her some time off to go see her family for Christmas. It was a rare thing, but I'd decided to make some changes.

As I pulled open a cabinet to fetch some

coffee mugs, a memory of me doing the exact same thing flashed in my mind. I'd always make hot chocolate and marshmallows for Ryan at this time of the year; it was his absolute favorite, and we'd cuddle all night long, reading a book or watching a movie.

When I walked out into the living room a few minutes later with three cups of hot chocolate and marshmallows, I smiled when I saw Lucien and Olivia speaking to Russell animatedly about some classmate that they were sure would end up on the naughty list.

I frowned, leaning down to place the tray on the coffee table in front of them, before picking up a white coffee mug and handing it to Russell, who took it and mouthed a

small 'thank you.'

“How did you two know about Santa's naughty list?” I asked, plopping down on the sofa opposite theirs. They turned to look at me, as though just realizing I'd walked into the room, before turning back to give each other a knowing look.

“Luke told us all about Santa,” Olivia giggled, covering her mouth with her tiny hands, and I scrunched my nose in confusion.

“Who is this Luke, baby?” taking a slow sip of my drink and sighing in content as the warmth slid down my throat with ease.

“He's our friend from school, Mommy,” Lucien responded this time, a frown marring his face almost like he was disappointed that I didn't know who Luke was.

“Mommy, look what Santa brought us,” Olivia ran to me with a book in hand, her eyes wide with joy. I took it from her with a small smile as I opened the kid's pop-up storybook.

My smile faltered when I realized I never told him what kind of gifts to bring the twins, especially with the fact that my daughter loved to read. It could be a coincidence and that I was just overthinking it.

Yes, children her age loved coloring books and pop-up storybooks, so it wasn't weird he gifted her one, right?. Lucien showed me a sleek, vintage-looking toy car next. As I slowly accessed the silver toy Mustang, I knew it was expensive, but what bothered me was when I sneaked a glance at Russell, he didn't seem bothered at all by it.

He seemed relaxed as he sat with Olivia on the plush rug reading her storybook; it seemed almost natural. Maybe it was a part of the company policy to gift expensive toys to children, but I knew I'd have to repay him back somehow; I owed him that much for his troubles.

***

The next few hours flew by in the blink of an eye while it was spent playing card games and board games with the twins. “Can we do some karaoke, Mommy? I promise it's gonna be fun?,” Olivia suggested out of the blue, taking my hands in hers as she pouted, giving me the puppy dog eyes.

“Yes, Mommy, can we?” Lucien blinked up at me innocently, and I sighed, rolling my eyes at their little stunt. It was like they knew I could never say no to that face.

“Fine, let's do some karaoke; I'm sure Santa wouldn't mind,” I responded, throwing a glance at Russell, who raised his hand in surrender. “I don't mind, since little Olivia here says it's gonna be fun, then I believe her,” he cooed, tickling her sides and smiling tenderly when she squealed in surprise and burst out in a fit of giggles.

After we'd finished setting up, Olivia was the first to sing, and she insisted I put on the Frozen song, Let It Go." Next we had a dance competition, which I was reluctant to participate in because I literally sucked at dancing and the kids knew it, yet they dragged me off my feet and into our makeshift dance floor.

I was a stumbling mess at first, moving my body offbeat to the song, but when Russell offered me his hand, I didn't hesitate to take it, grinning widely when we started dancing in sync. Soon I was laughing as he twirled me around to the beat of the song while I could faintly hear the twins in the background cheering us on.

When the last note of the song ended, I was breathing hard against him. I stilled as I suddenly became aware of his arms around me, and I felt the hard ridges of his chest pressed against mine. I took a step back quickly, my heating up in embarrassment; I quickly turned away from him to hide my reaction.

“Oh look at the time,” I sighed, briefly taking a peek at my watch before looking back at the twins. “It's almost time for bed,” I whispered to the twins, and they both frowned simultaneously. I chuckled at their reaction, kneeling in front of them.

“Santa can't stay forever; he still has to go,” I explained softly. They nodded slowly, albeit their frowns were still in place. “Run along to your room; I'll be up in a minute,” I said, and they nodded at that.

Turning to Santa, they rushed to hug him and then begrudgingly let him go before walking up the stairs. When the twins were both out of sight, I turned to Russell, mustering a small smile. It was a fun day, all thanks to him, but it was getting late.

“Thank you so much for showing up on such short notice, Russell,” I mustered a small smile, and he nodded once in response, his mouth set in a thin line. “I'd like to pay double the amount we initially agreed on; you literally saved my boy's life.” I smiled softly but frowned when his eyes narrowed

down at me.

“Why would you pay me?” He asked like he was genuinely confused, and my frown deepened.

“I mean, you did such an excellent job tonight; it's only fair you get paid for it,” I shrugged, blinking up at him like he'd suddenly grown two heads. He chuckled slowly at first, then the next second he threw his head back as his laughter deepened; I could only stare at him in confusion.

“Darling, why would I need to get paid when I'm here for my family?” he murmured, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. I blinked several times, my brain still trying to process exactly what he'd just said.

“Your what?!”