Alex kisses Benny's forehead and puts his arm around me. I feel a sense of love and pride when we are linked together like this. It's saying to the world this is my family.
"Hey, Benny Boo!" Alex whispers. The nickname gets him a giggle from our little munchkin. "Why don't we introduce you to your horse?" He giggles again.
Alex walks us as we are over to Benny's horse. He pets his face and bends over to kiss the horse.
"What's his name Daddy?" He asks.
"Promise!" Alex replies and Benny looks at him like has two heads. "Your horse's name is Promise?"
"Oh!" Benny giggles. "Put me on him Daddy. I wanna sit on him."
Billy offers me the lead rope and I thank him. Alex lifts Benny up onto the horse. He looks so tiny on the massive beast - his little legs look like they are almost horizontal. Alex nods his head to me to go forward while he supports Benny. I clack at Promise and walk forward.
"Look, Cory! I'm riding!" Benny calls to him.
Cory looks up to Benny with a tear stained face and smiles, "Good one, Benny. Look at you - you're a natural. You'll be better than me soon," he says with as much encouragement as he can muster. Cory then stands and helps his Daddy off of the ground and hugs him again. Random flicks his head to get the lead rope away from Billy then walks over to Cory and puts his head between Callen and him. They both laugh and pet Random.
"I love you boy. I'm so glad we're back together," Cory says while he hugs the horse's neck. We all look on, elated for them.
"Okay you lot. How 'bout we let Billy put the horses away? As I recall, you boys still have some presents to open," calls out Uncle David.
"Yay!" Benny expresses loudly and everyone laughs.
Cory hands the lead rope attached to Random back to Billy and starts back to the house with his arms wrapped around Callen's waist. Callen, in turn, puts one arm around Cory's shoulders and is holding Jase's hand with the other as they walk.
Jack is holding Beth's hand and Uncle David his holding his wife's as they walk side by side talking.
We dawdle behind them: Alex is carrying Benny and blowing raspberries on his face making him giggle and has his other arm around my shoulders with our fingers entwined together. I'm not sure I have ever felt happier than I do right this second. I would say I feel complete.
Everyone settles around the tree, the boys are enthusiastically ripping paper and leaving it where it falls. I'm in the kitchen making a pot of coffee and tea for all. I can hear the oohs and ahs from the crowd. I bring the trays out one at a time with the coffee, tea and orange juice for the boys. The other tray full of cups, mugs, sugars and creamers. When I sit down Cory, and Benny show me their new tack, blankets and grooming kits. Callen and Alex have done a great job with the saddles and gear. Somewhere on most pieces it has the name of the horse impressed into the leather in a fancy font.
The coffee and tea have been inhaled, the conversation slowing in pace. The boys are begging to use their new gear and ride the horses. Uncle David and company, including Jack, are excusing themselves to go to David's sons for Christmas lunch. We thank them for coming and tell them we'll have dinner soon and they depart.
"So are you lot staying for lunch, or are you going as well? Just so you know there is no turkey, only ham and salads. Yes I'm lazy, but we had the big breakfast and to be honest turkey makes me too sleepy and is a lot of work," I say to Cal and Jase.
"Ham is perfect Trace," says Jase. "Why don't you all grab a couple of Alex's wheelbarrows and take all of this over to the barn and ride your horses. Trace and I will get lunch ready, be back in three hours, okay?"
Cory and Benny are high fiving and jumping up and down in excitement. Callen and Alex are pulling them to the shed to get the wheelbarrows. Jase turns to me and says while chuckling, "God they're easy. We get three hours of peace. Yay! For us."
This makes me laugh as I saunter into the kitchen and pull out the fixings for a garden salad and start peeling potatoes for the potato salad. I also put six eggs on to boil. Jase went straight to work on the garden salad. Once the potatoes are on the stove to boil, I clean the bench around Jase to give him more room. I went into the cleaning cupboard and pull out a big jar full with a dark brown liquid and light brown colored balls bobbing around three quarters full.
"What the devil is that, Trace? Are you into Voodoo or something? You have a jar full of pickled eyes."
"Funny man. No, they're pickled onions. Mom's family is English and she used to make these every year for the summer. They go great with salads. This is Florida - you can have all year round, to go with the salad - all year round. They're delicious, Callen and Alex love them. They will try and polish all of these off today - you wait and see."
Once the lunch is ready and in the refrigerator, we set the table then Jase and I sit and relax with a beer.
"You excited about getting married? What's with August 20?" Jase asks me.
"I'm over the moon, Jase. You have no idea. I never thought it would happen. I love him so much. I love our little family so much." I twirl my ring around my finger.
"And what's August 20?"
I grin at him, "I have no idea." I continue drinking my beer.
"Yeah! Right!" Jase chuckles and looks at me sideways.
Saved by the bell, our cowboys come walking down the hallway; shoeless.
I smile at them, "Thank you for coming through the laundry and not messing up my floor."
Alex scoffs and says to Callen, "I wouldn't dare. Last week I thought he was going to kick me out when I walked inside with my boots on. I won't make that mistake twice."
"How about you all go and wash up, and we'll put the food on the table."
The boys turn to go and wash up, but Alex elbows Callen and says quietly, "Is that what I think it is?" Callen looks at the jar of pickled onions.
"Hell Yes!" They both move toward the onions.
"Uh... Uhh! No you don't. You go and wash up first. They aren't going anywhere," I say blocking their path.
"But..." Alex starts
"We just..." Callen follows
"No, go wash up." I stop them.
They turn with their shoulders slumped and stomp off - the big babies. I turn to Jase as he's pulling the ham plates and salads from the refrigerator. He is silently laughing away, shaking his head. I put the salads and ham plates on the table as Jase puts them on the bench. Once we are all in our seats the fight is on to get to the food.
"I guess you boys worked up an appetite out there huh!" I say, watching the last supper go down at the table. You'd think they were never going to eat again. Poor Benny: every time Alex puts something on his plate he delivers the same to Benny's. He's looking at me in panic, we usually make him eat everything on his plate. Alex then put two pickled onions on his plate.
"Poppy?" as he points to the onions.
Alex pipes up, "They're pickled eyes. You'll love em'." Then he chuckles.
I don't know what's gotten into him and Callen but it's like they're sixteen again. Kind of like when they used to get their hands on some...
I give Alex a hard stare, "Have you two been behind the woodshed?" This is where they used to smoke it, away from the house. They both nod in my direction. Crap! "Where did you get it?"
"There were two rolled up and ready on top of a post-it that said, "Merry Christmas. See you up high. Love Santa Billy." Callen says to me as if it happens every day, no big deal. I look at our boys and he continues, "don't worry we waited until the boys were cooling down and grooming the horses. Then we snuck behind the woodshed." He and Alex cracked up.
"Callen, what would Dad say?" I chide him as I'm removing most of Benny's food and relocating it to my plate. I could physically feel the kid sigh with relief.
"I don't know. Probably "pass that bad boy and don't be a hog'." He retorts laughing hysterically, Alex also found this funny.
Jase and I roll our eyes at each other and continue with lunch. Cory and Benny talk ten to the dozen about the horses and their ride, what they taught Benny and how well he is picking it up. Cory seems to think Benny has a natural talent for it. They even managed to get Callen on Alex's horse to go on a trail ride. I could see Cory is in heaven - it's like he has come alive. I'm so glad it all worked out in the end.
While Jase and I clear the table Benny drags them all to watch Sponge Bob. All we can hear is Alex and Callen cracking up and making stupid comments, to which Cory joins in. Jase goes to Cory and gives him that fatherly stare - you know the one which makes you crap your pants.
"I didn't go behind the woodshed! I swear!" Cory puts his hands up in defense; Jase just points to him and gives Callen the same look.
"What? He's telling the truth." Jase squishes Callen's cheeks into fish lips with one hand then says, "He better be for your sake."
Callen says with his fish lips, "I wob oo baby!" Jase leans forward and kisses him. Jase gives them a pass for now and gets two beers and hands me one. We sit at the table trying not to laugh at our men being silly. Benny is totally oblivious to what's going on except for Sponge Bob.
By the time we have polished off our second beer, they were asleep, except for Cory who has switched to the game box.
"It's almost eight o'clock. Time went by quickly today. Why don't you guys catch a taxi home and Cheech and I will bring your car over in the morning."
Jase sighs, "Sounds good to me. I'll ring for the taxi and then you can help me get mine up."
He rings for a taxi, Cory packs up the game box, and then Jase is trying to rouse Callen.
Cory come over and gives me a hug.
"Thank you for finding Random." He says quietly.
"Pure dumb luck, I'm afraid. No need to thank me." I hug him back.
"All the same, I'm very grateful. My Dad's told me the horses were your idea, so Thank You. I love you Uncle Trace." And he squeezes me tighter.
