Page 379 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
"Oh, hell no." Marc shook his head as the grin on his face grew more nefarious. "I'm going to whoop both of your guys’ asses, and then tonight..." he pointed to Lisa, "we'll see who just lies there. You're going to be limping for the rest of the holidays."
"Oh Lord." Sicily rolled her eyes and moved toward Drake as he pulled her in for a long kiss.
"Don't hurt my brother." Kari put her hand in the center of Jake's chest. "Promise?"
"Yes. I promise. Jeez." He kissed her again and walked toward the living room, trying to remember where the hell he put the football last time they played.
"Think fast," Lisa called from behind him.
Jake turned and lifted his hands. He caught the ball and winked at her as she laughed.
"Wow. You're fast." She smirked. "Be careful. I don't want you limping for the wrong reasons."
"I'm a junior high coach. I'm used to putting jokers in their place without actually hurting them." Jake turned as the room exploded with warnings and worries. No one was going to hurt Marc. He was soon to be family.
* * *
"All right. The tree is stable." Marc moved back, his hands lifted in the air as everyone else lounged on the couches around him.
"It's leaning a little to the left," Drake mumbled.
Sicily popped him on the chest as she snuggled beside him. "You're going to be leaning a little to the left if you don't watch it."
"The girls are getting sweet on Marc." Jake ran his hand down the side of Kari's arm as she curled up around him. "We're just jealous, hm?"
"Absolutely you guys are." Marc turned and smiled. "And you should be. I'm the baby around here."
"Oh brother." Kari moved to the edge of the couch and stood. "I have some of the decorations in the car. I'll grab them and we'll get the tree decorated."
"Who's staying here at the house? We haven't finalized anything other than you and Jake leaving tomorrow for New York and then Texas in a few days." Lisa stood up and walked toward the tree, yanking on it to get it to stand up straight.
Jake glanced over at Sicily and Drake as they turned their attention to each other. It was Drake who answered for them. "I think we're going to New York for Christmas Day so Sis can cook for her family, but that's it. Not sure I'll be seeing my family."
"What? Why not?" Kari paused by the front door and turned to pin Drake with an inquisitive stare.
"Because we're taking turns." Sicily's voice was soft and non-combative. Kari's hadn't been so kind.
"And you guys?" Jake asked Lisa as he got up to walk out to the car with Kari. Something was bugging her. He wanted to know what.
"We're probably going to New York for the rest of the week. Marc wants to see his mom, and my parents are going to want to see me." She shrugged and reached down to pick up her drink. "I'd rather drown in a pool of my own spit than see my mother, but-"
"But... it's Christmas." Marc walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her from the side before kissing the top of her head. "We're not staying long, but we want to see everyone." He turned his attention to Kari. "We'll probably be with Momma on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning."
"Good. You need to see if she wants to come back here for New Year’s." Jake gave Marc a knowing look as he reached Kari and turned back toward the living room. Kari's mother would want to be there when Jake proposed. It was a surprise, and he would mention it to Ms. Martin, but he was hoping for a little bit of help from Marc.
"I like the idea of that." Kari nodded before reaching for the door and walking out in the snow storm. She glanced back as Jake followed her out. "It's freezing. How did you guys play football out here? It's not Texas weather."
He smirked and jogged down the steps, trying not to bust his ass. "No, it's not Texas, but it was fun. We got to roll around in the snow like kids."
She reached for him and wrapped her arm around the back of his waist as they walked to the car. "Are you sure you want me to go to Texas with you? I can just go with Marc and Lisa to Momma's, you know."
He stopped, dragging her to a halt with him. "Are you kidding me? I'm not spending Christmas without you."
She turned to face him and stepped closer, stealing his breath with nothing more than her presence. "We're not married, baby. It's okay if we spend Christmas apart."
"Wait. Do you not want to go with me?" He reached out and ran his hands over her narrow shoulders. "Are you thinking you'll miss your mom?"
"No. I just don't want to impose." She snuggled closer. "Let's talk about this tonight. It's freezing out here."
