Pov y/n

The rest of the day was great. While Scar and I unpacked, Rose was in the kitchen with my mother and they were making more cookies and decorated the finished ones.

Since our house isn’t very big, we had to arrange a few things to find a sleeping spot for everyone.

Of course, my Mom stayed in her bedroom, Marla, who moved into my old room, sleeps in a room with Bennett while we stay over and Scarlett, Rose and I will stay in my old bedroom.

Marla hasn’t changed a lot, apart from the books in the shelfs and a few decorations. It now feels like a strange combination between Marla’s and my room but I pushed that thought away, thankful to be here.

When we came back down, Bennett was chasing Rose around, who had some cookie frosting on her face and was giggling. Seeing my siblings interact with Rose fills my heart with love every time. They don’t seem to mind at all that Rose is my girlfriend’s daughter and only six, they goof around with her and make her laugh.

Scarlett and I joined my Mom in the kitchen and helped to put the cookies in boxes to keep them fresh. I noticed a few pots on the stove and knew that she had dinner planned as well.

Since we were on a train for quite some hours yesterday, it was already a bit later and dinner time wasn’t far away anymore. I offered to help her but she sent me out of the kitchen, telling me she’s got it and I should rest and spend some time with my siblings and Scar and Rose.

And that’s what we did, we spend some time in the living room and watched Marla, Bennett and Rose run around a bit, Rose’s action figures in their hands and playing something. It was very sweet to watch since Marla and Bennett are both 18 by now but still played with the same excitement as Rose.

After that we played a board game together, which I won, making everyone else accusing me of cheating on the game, which was pretty funny.

Soon after dinner was ready and we sat together at the table and ate. It was delicious and when I glanced around, seeing my family getting along great with Scar and Rose, I thought that I could get used to this.

The long train ride left it’s marks on us and soon after dinner we got a bit tired and after cleaning up the kitchen and stuff, we said goodnight and headed upstairs to my old bedroom.

We quickly got changed and went to the bathroom and finally were ready for bed.

Rose was seemingly tired from all the excitement today and got a bit clingy, which I didn’t mind at all. She wanted to sleep in the same bed as Scarlett and me and since there was space for her, we let her sleep between us.

Scarlett read a story to Rose to fall asleep to and it pretty much had the same effect on me since I can’t remember if the girl found her pony in the end or not, sleep having robbed me of this answer.

The next day I’m woken up by someone bouncing on the bed. I open my eyes and see Rose jumping up and down excitedly between me and Scarlett, who also seems to have just woken up.

“It’s Christmas!” Rose exclaims and I smile sleepily at her.

“Yes, it is.” Scarlett says and yawns before stretching. I rest my head back on the pillow and watch with a smile how Rose sits down again, wiggling around a bit.

“Can we go down to unpack presents?” She asks and looks from her mom to me. I turn my head and look at Scarlett. She thinks about it before taking a look at the clock. It’s 8 am, which is quite late, considering it’s Christmas morning and we have a child with us.

“I don’t know if the other’s are awake as well and I think it’d be nice to unwrap presents together with them.” I say and brush some hair out of Rose’s face. She pouts a little and lets herself fall back onto the matrass.

“But I don’t want to wait anymore.” She whines a bit and I chuckle at her impatience.

“How about, I see who’s awake and then we can see if we can go down, okay?” I suggest and Rose agrees.

“If they aren’t awake, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you woke them up.” She says, a smug smile on her face that makes me laugh. I kiss her head and get up.

“I’ll see about that.” I answer and get into my slippers.

Scarlett pulls Rose more to her and cuddles her, making Rose giggle a bit. I watch them for a second before I leave the room and look around the hallway on which all three bedrooms are.

No door moves but I hear silent voices from downstairs and follow them.

I smile when I see my siblings sitting on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree, starring at the presents and silently talking about what could be inside.

“You’re already awake?” I ask and both their head shoot around to look at me.

“Of course, we wanna know what’s inside our presents.” Marla answers and Bennett raises his eyebrows as if I asked something really dumb. I shake my head with a chuckle.

“Is Mom awake too?” I ask and Bennett nods, pointing to the kitchen.

“She made us wait for you and your girlfriend and her daughter.” He explains and I smile and nod.

“Then I’ll better bring them downstairs.” I say and both twins nod and gesture for me to go upstairs again.

I roll my eyes playfully at them and go back upstairs. The bedroom door is open and I only find Scarlett inside the room, putting on some socks and slippers.

“Where’s Rose?” I ask and she nods towards the door.

“She wanted to use the bathroom before she has to go in the middle of unwrapping gifts.” Scarlett explains with a soft smile and I nod, sitting next to her on the bed.

“Should I place her presents under the tree while she’s in the bathroom?” I offer, worried Rose might be disappointed when hers aren’t under the tree as well.

“Don’t worry, babe.” Scar sits back up and kisses my cheek. “I already did that last night after you two fell asleep during the story.”

I blush a little. “It’s not my fault your voice has a calming effect on me.” I defend myself and get another kiss, this time on the lips.

“I never said it was and it was actually very cute.” She mumbles and smiles at me with soft eyes. I smile back and lean my head against hers.

Our moment doesn’t last long though because Rose comes back and when she sees me, she comes running to me.

“Is someone else awake yet?” She asks and sways on her feet. I run my hand gently through her hair.

“Everyone is downstairs.” I answer and her eyes grow big before she takes Scar’s and mine hand to drag us towards the stairs.

We follow her with a little laugh. My siblings turn around when they hear us coming down the stairs and their faces light up.

“Mom, we can start!” Bennett calls out when we reach the bottom of the stairs and Rose lets go of our hands to run to the Christmas tree, sitting down in front of it.

Marla and Bennett follow her action and impatiently wait for Mom to join as well. Scarlett and I sit down on the sofa and I wrap my arm around her shoulder, her head slightly resting against mine.

Mom comes into the living room and wishes us a good morning before sitting down as well and as if that was the cue, the three in front of the tree start to search for their presents.

Rose cheers when she finds one and rips it open. Her eyes grow big and she jumps up to show Scar and me the book she got. It’s one about dolphins where everything you need to know about them is explained in a kid friendly way. It may have been my idea but Scarlett loved it and so does Rose apparently.

She rambles about it for a few seconds before handing her mom the book and going back to unpacking her presents. Bennett and Marla are also excited about their presents and my heart soars with happiness just watching them.

Rose unpacks the rest of her presents, which are new crayons, a few stickers of her favorite show and a new puzzle. She shows us every single present and we listen to her while she sits on Scar’s lap.

Marla and Bennett chat about their presents as well and the air is filled with a calm yet excited atmosphere that just makes me happy. Scarlett also seems to be very happy as she looks from Rose to my siblings, my mom and then to me, smiling widely. I rub her shoulder and watch as Rose shows me something.

“I’ll go get breakfast ready.” My Mom says and gets up but before she can go, the twins jump up and hug her. They don’t let slip that the presents are from her, not wanting to destroy Rose’s believes. I pad Scar’s knee and she smiles at me before giving me a nod and I get up as well.

“Let me help you, Mom.” I say and when my mother goes to decline it, I already walk past her and into the kitchen. She follows me and when we’re there, she hugs me tightly.

“Merry Christmas, honey.” She says and kisses my cheek. I hug her back and give her a kiss on the cheek as well.

“Merry Christmas, Mom.” I reply and she beams happily.

“I know, you said you don’t need a gift but I still got you something small.” She says and I almost protest but she holds up a hand.

“It is really not much, besides, view it as a birthday present as well.” She says and hands me a present.

I look from it to her and back before slowly unwrapping it. It’s a photo album but when I flick through it, it’s empty. I look up at my mother who smiles softly and taps a page.

“When you guys were little, I made you photo albums so you could remember all the great moments. You’re not little anymore but you’re starting a new life with someone else.” Mom nods towards the living room.

“And this is for you to fill with all the great moments you share with them to remember and look back at, because by the way you look at each other, I can tell that this will last for a long time.” She says and I press my lips together to not accidentally let a tear drop out of my eyes.

It’s dumb but my mother’s approval means so much to me and the fact that she seems to know how important Scarlett to me is, makes it even more emotional.

“I don’t know what to say except thank you.” I say and carefully close the book to hug her once again. After she pulls away, she cups my face.

“You’re welcome, honey. I hope you two will always make each other as happy as you do now.”

I smile at her and for a few seconds we stay like this before I put the book aside.

“Let’s prepare breakfast before the presents become uninteresting.” I chuckle a bit and Mom laughs and nods.

Breakfast was great and I got the feeling that Scarlett and Rose really like it here, which makes me happy, they get along great with everyone.

We make plans for the day and I decide to show Scarlett and Rose around, mainly the nearby woods and the lake since the stores are closed. My siblings want to spend time with their Christmas presents and Mom will just relax a bit before we will have a big Christmas dinner tonight.

Rose looks adorable in her extra warm clothes and rambles about her new presents as Scarlett and I put on scarfs and hats. Even though it’s freezing, there is no snow but Rose doesn’t seem to mind, she’s just excited to explore the surroundings.

We step outside and I laugh a little when Scar adjusts her scarf, cuddling further into it. Rose bounces around a bit before I point down the road and explain how we’ll get into the woods.

The atmosphere is very calm and relaxed, there’s not much happening on the streets and no car drives past us. When we enter the woods, I tell Rose to be careful since the ground is a bit frozen. She nods and watches where she steps so she doesn’t slip. Scarlett takes my hand and we walk a few steps behind Rose since this is a little hiking trail and she can’t really lead us the wrong way.

When she suddenly stops, we come to a halt as well and she puts her finger to her lips and points somewhere between the trees. I follow her finger and see a deer. Scarlett seems excited as well and squeezes my hand a little. I smile at her and slowly let go of her hand to crouch down next to Rose.

“There’s a reindeer.” She whispers and points to it again, in case I didn’t catch what she was talking about.

“That’s not a reindeer, it’s a normal one.” I explain in a whisper and Rose nods, not taking her eyes off the animal.

“Does it live here?” She asks and her eyes shortly look at me before she looks back at the deer, worried it might run away when she doesn’t look.

“It does.” I confirm. “Quite a few live in the woods here. They are shy, so they don’t come near people but when you’re quiet enough and far away, they don’t mind, as long as you’re not suddenly loud.”

Rose hums.

“I never saw a deer outside the zoo.” She tells me.

“That’s because they live in the woods and we don’t have woods in New York.” Scarlett explains and I feel her moving to stand behind us.

“But we have the central park.” Rose points out and I chuckle silently.

“Yes, true but there are always so many people and the deer would constantly be scared.” Scarlett says and Rose nods.

“What about LA, there were woods there?” She asks and looks up shortly, to look at her mom.

“I suppose there could be some in the woods but probably further inside.” Scar shrugs a bit and Rose hums. We watch the deer again but then it looks up and hops away. Rose sulks a bit.

“No, why did it go?” She asks and I get back up.

“Maybe it found everything it needed.” I think out loud and Rose sighs but accepts it.

We continue the hike and talk about random animals from which Rose wants to know if they could cross our way as well. She seems relieved to know that there are no lions here and I smile a little.

We follow the path a little longer until it splits and I point into the direction that leads us down the little hill we just climbed.

They follow me without asking questions and when a frozen lake opens up in front of us, Rose squeals. She nearly sprints off but I hold her back since she was holding my hand.

“Careful, the ground is still partly frozen and we don’t know how slippery the shoreline is.” I say gently and Rose sighs impatiently but nods.

When Scarlett stops, I stop as well and look back to her.

“Everything okay?” I ask and she nods, her eyes on the sight in front of us.

“It’s just really beautiful.” She says in an admiring voice and I smile and agree.

Rose tugs a little on my hand and I slowly lead her further towards the lake, Scarlett following a few meters behind.

When we reach the lake, Rose looks over it and I make sure to continue to hold her hand so she won’t go onto the ice.

Mom told me it’s been freezing here for a while now and technically the lake should be frozen but I won’t risk letting Rose get on there first. I wait for Scarlett and when she reaches our side, she smiles contently at me.

“I understand why you talked rather often about this lake, it’s very beautiful.” She says and I smile in agreement. Before I can reply anything else though, Rose tugs on my hand again.

“Can we please go onto the ice?” She pleads and does her best puppy dog eyes at me and Scarlett.

The fact that her cheeks are a little red from the cold doesn’t make it easier since it adds to the cuteness factor. I look over at Scarlett, who hesitates a bit.

“Is it safe?” She asks and looks from me to the lake, raising her eyebrows a little in distrust.

“It should be but I would test it out before and say, we stay close to the edge, the water there isn’t deep, so it’s less dangerous.” I share my opinion and she slowly nods and turns to Rose.

“If we go onto the ice, I want you to either stay with y/n or me, holding our hands. If you hear cracking, you tell us immediately and won’t go further into that direction. Be careful and watch your step, it is very slippery.” Scarlett tells Rose more firmly and Rose nods along.

I let go of her hand and Scar takes a hold of it, just to be sure and I slowly walk closer to the edge.

I place one foot onto the ice and put a bit weight on it, nothing happens.

Careful, to not slip, I step onto the ice and bop up and down a bit to make sure it won’t break. It seems safe and I take a few further steps and kneel down to swipe my hand over the ice to try and see down into the lake.

I can’t really tell how deep it’s frozen but it seems safe, so I get back up and nod for Scarlett to follow.

Rose and her carefully step onto the ice and I offer a hand for stabilization. Scar takes it and when they are on the ice as well, Rose grins excited.

We slide-walk along the edge of the lake towards the way that’ll bring us back home.

Rose enjoys it a lot and slides over the ice while holding onto the hand of her mother. She giggles and when she spins around herself one time, Scar and I cheer for her, making her smile even wider.

“This is fun!” Rose exclaims and I chuckle.

“Yes it is!” I agree. “When I was younger, we would bring our ice skates and skate over the lake. There were always adults who watched over us to make sure we were safe though.”

Scarlett smiles at me and I can see pure happiness in her eyes.

“Can we do that too?” Rose asks and looks over to me but I shake my head.

“No, little dolphin. We don’t have the ice skates anymore I think and I doubt that the ice is think enough towards the middle.” I explain. That seems to make Rose thoughtful.

“What happens to the fish when the lake is frozen?” She asks and her mother helps her to get off the ice when we reach the path.

“The lake will probably never fully freeze, it’s too deep for that. But when its surface freezes, the fish swim further down because it’s a little bit warmer there, at least warm enough for the water to not freeze. Some go into hibernation, meaning that they cool down their body temperature close to 0°C, just enough to stay alive but don’t freeze. They don’t swim around then anymore, they just stay like that all winter as long as it’s cold. But not every living creature down there does that, some just adjust to the cooler water.” I explain and Rose looks at me as the thinks about my words.

“That’s cool.” She decides and I smile.

“It is.” I agree and catch Scarlett smiling at the both of us.

We walk back home, the cold slowly seeping through our coats and I think we all would appreciate some warmth now.

Suddenly, something cold touches my face and I look around, confused where it came from. But there is nothing within reach, strange.

Then it happens again and again and when I look up, I see that it started snowing. Not a lot and no big snowflakes but small ones. Rose also notices and squeals excited.

“It’s snowing!” She tells us and looks up into the sky.

I stick my tongue out and try to catch some snowflakes on it. When Rose sees it, she copies me and we run around, trying to catch snowflakes.

We cheer every time it works and Rose laughs when I almost slip because I wasn’t watching where I was going.

I join in since nothing happened and we continue our game while making our way back home.

A few minutes later, the snow stops and so do Rose and I. She looks at me with a huge smile, her cheeks even more rosy than before and her face is a little wet from the snowflakes that landed on her face. I probably look the same but I couldn’t care less, we had fun and that’s all that matters.