- Joined
- 12 September 2020
- Messages
- 40,089
- Reactions Received
- 46,742
- Location
- irritating the metalheads
- Website
- www.tumblr.com
- Cards
- View Profile
- KS Coins
- 181,520
- Fandom
- mainly bg
- Gender
- Female
- Pronouns
- she/her
- Ship
- Wreck
Plot
Brandi Stevenson isn't a humbug about Christmas, but she isn't exactly the season's biggest fan, either, not after losing her ex in a surfing accident two summers ago. And she definitely isn't looking for love right now. That is, until she meets Michael Clifford.
Michael is the polar opposite of Brandi: he loves Christmas; in fact, it's his favorite holiday. He's always finding ways to get into the spirit and to spread the hoiday cheer. When he's set up with a woman who doesn't share the same joy that he does, will he be able to change her mind?
***
Chapter 1
Brandi Stevenson waited in the school pickup line for her kids. It was the Monday after Thanksgiving, and she couldn’t wait to take them Christmas shopping.
Brandi watched all the kids file out of the building to their respective parents’ cars and started to reminisce about when her ex-fiancé Dakota was still alive. This was the second holiday season without him, and she was still grieving her loss.
Dakota had drowned to death in a surfing accident during a trip to Cancun with his high school buddies. He’d been surfing on a massive wave when he got stuck in an undertow and disappeared without a trace. The coast guard soon found him washed up on the beach, unresponsive, and a trip to the hospital determined that he was dead.
Eventually, Brandi caught sight of her two daughters, Zoe and Lillian, approaching the car. Zoe had her arm around Lillian as they walked, and Lillian’s face was red and puffy, probably from crying.
“Oh, my goodness, what happened?” Brandi asked Lillian. “Why do you look like you were crying?” She looked in the rearview mirror as Lillian climbed into her seat and noticed a black eye on the left side of her face.
“Because she was crying,” Zoe explained. “She got bullied by some mean kids at recess.”
Brandi was shocked but not exactly surprised. Lillian had a long track record of kids bullying her, especially for her lack of father figure.
“Oh, honey… do you want to tell me about it?”
“NO!” Lillian shrieked.
“But Lillian, getting your feelings out is one of the best ways to cope with this kind of thing! We could talk about it when we’re alone, if you’d rather.”
Lillian sighed but finally decided to speak up. “Danny Watson told me I was a pussy because I don’t have a daddy anymore.”
Brandi gasped at the six-year-old’s use of the dreaded P-word. “Lillian Eleanor Savage!” she scolded. “I don’t want you to ever use that word again – got it?”
“But I thought a pussy was a cat, like Puss in Boots?”
“Well… yes, it can be. But in Danny’s case, it’s also slang for a certain lady part, which you’ll learn all about when you reach fifth or sixth grade. Did you ignore him like I’ve told you to before?”
“No, she didn’t,” Zoe said. “I saw and heard everything. Lillian tried to push him down, but he retaliated by punching her in the face.”
“And then, they laughed at me because I falled,” Lillian added.
“Oh, how cruel!” Brandi remarked. “I’ve got a mind to email the principal right now. That behavior is not okay at all!” She changed the subject. “Now, who wants to go to the mall and see Santa?”
“Me!” both girls chorused.
Brandi wasn’t the biggest fan of Christmas anymore since having to spend it without Dakota for two consecutive years, so she usually wouldn’t be doing this. But she also hated to see her kids unhappy, so she felt compelled to keep the season alive for them.
Before they went to the mall, Brandi stopped by the daycare center to pick up the final Savage sibling, Caleb. At two years old, Caleb was obviously not old enough for school, so Brandi has enrolled him at St. Elizabeth Daycare, which is conveniently located across the street from the elementary school.
The mall was packed with other shoppers by the time they got there, but to Brandi’s delight, the line to see Santa wasn’t very long. In fact, they were in the front within five minutes.
“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa exclaimed when he saw the kids. “Merry Christmas, everybody! Why don’t you come and sit on Santa’s lap?”
“Let’s go in birth order,” Brandi suggested. “Zoe, you’re up first.”
“And what’s your name, little girl?” Santa asked Zoe.
“Zoe,” she said.
“What would you like me to bring you for Christmas, Zoe?”
Zoe listed off all the toys she’d been eyeing over the past year, and then she told Santa she wanted just one more thing.
“Oh, brother…” Brandi grumbled. She already knew what Zoe had to say, and she was dreading it.
“And what might that one thing be?” Santa asked.
“We need a new daddy,” Zoe said. “My sister gets bullied a lot because there’s no daddy in the picture, and I’m getting really tired of hearing her cry because of it.”
“Does she need a new dad or a therapist?” Brandi countered.
“I think we’d all be happier if there was a daddy,” Zoe told Santa, completely ignoring her mother.
Santa rubbed his bearded chin. “Well, I can definitely see what I can do,” he said. “Would you like a picture?”
After Lillian and Caleb took their turns, Brandi asked them if they wanted to look for a Christmas tree next.
“Yeah!” Zoe cheered; Lillian echoed her.
“What about you, buddy?” Brandi asked Caleb. “What do you think about getting a Christmas tree?”
“Kiss-muss tee?” Caleb tried to repeat.
“Yeah, it’s that thing Santa puts all the presents under. Let’s go get a Christmas tree; your sisters want to go!:
“Otay!”
On the way to Walmart to shop for the tree, Brandi called her father, Jeff. He answered after five rings.
“Hey, Brandi!” he greeted her in his deep southern drawl. “Are you on your way to get the Christmas tree?”
“Yeah,” Brandi confirmed. “Would you meet us there? We’re going to the Long Beach Walmart.”
“Sure thing, hon! What’s your ETA?”
“Probably about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be there,” Jeff promised.
Brandi parked in front of Walmart about five minutes after she originally planned, thanks to her sister, Sabrina, inviting the kids over to her place to decorate gingerbread houses. Sabrina’s house wasn’t exactly on the way to Walmart from the mall, but the kids got excited when they heard Brandi mention the gingerbread houses over the phone.
When she got out and walked towards the store, Brandi saw Jeff having a conversation with a guy around her age. Brandi came within earshot just in time for Jeff to mention that “I have a daughter who’s single and looking”. This made Brandi get her hopes up that he was talking about her sister Sabrina. No way in hell was she going to be finding love again so soon after Dakota’s death. However, those hopes were shattered when he said, “Oh, here she is now!”
@Cat_in_the_Box @OwnedByReo @TrinityJade
Brandi Stevenson isn't a humbug about Christmas, but she isn't exactly the season's biggest fan, either, not after losing her ex in a surfing accident two summers ago. And she definitely isn't looking for love right now. That is, until she meets Michael Clifford.
Michael is the polar opposite of Brandi: he loves Christmas; in fact, it's his favorite holiday. He's always finding ways to get into the spirit and to spread the hoiday cheer. When he's set up with a woman who doesn't share the same joy that he does, will he be able to change her mind?
***
Chapter 1
Brandi Stevenson waited in the school pickup line for her kids. It was the Monday after Thanksgiving, and she couldn’t wait to take them Christmas shopping.
Brandi watched all the kids file out of the building to their respective parents’ cars and started to reminisce about when her ex-fiancé Dakota was still alive. This was the second holiday season without him, and she was still grieving her loss.
Dakota had drowned to death in a surfing accident during a trip to Cancun with his high school buddies. He’d been surfing on a massive wave when he got stuck in an undertow and disappeared without a trace. The coast guard soon found him washed up on the beach, unresponsive, and a trip to the hospital determined that he was dead.
Eventually, Brandi caught sight of her two daughters, Zoe and Lillian, approaching the car. Zoe had her arm around Lillian as they walked, and Lillian’s face was red and puffy, probably from crying.
“Oh, my goodness, what happened?” Brandi asked Lillian. “Why do you look like you were crying?” She looked in the rearview mirror as Lillian climbed into her seat and noticed a black eye on the left side of her face.
“Because she was crying,” Zoe explained. “She got bullied by some mean kids at recess.”
Brandi was shocked but not exactly surprised. Lillian had a long track record of kids bullying her, especially for her lack of father figure.
“Oh, honey… do you want to tell me about it?”
“NO!” Lillian shrieked.
“But Lillian, getting your feelings out is one of the best ways to cope with this kind of thing! We could talk about it when we’re alone, if you’d rather.”
Lillian sighed but finally decided to speak up. “Danny Watson told me I was a pussy because I don’t have a daddy anymore.”
Brandi gasped at the six-year-old’s use of the dreaded P-word. “Lillian Eleanor Savage!” she scolded. “I don’t want you to ever use that word again – got it?”
“But I thought a pussy was a cat, like Puss in Boots?”
“Well… yes, it can be. But in Danny’s case, it’s also slang for a certain lady part, which you’ll learn all about when you reach fifth or sixth grade. Did you ignore him like I’ve told you to before?”
“No, she didn’t,” Zoe said. “I saw and heard everything. Lillian tried to push him down, but he retaliated by punching her in the face.”
“And then, they laughed at me because I falled,” Lillian added.
“Oh, how cruel!” Brandi remarked. “I’ve got a mind to email the principal right now. That behavior is not okay at all!” She changed the subject. “Now, who wants to go to the mall and see Santa?”
“Me!” both girls chorused.
Brandi wasn’t the biggest fan of Christmas anymore since having to spend it without Dakota for two consecutive years, so she usually wouldn’t be doing this. But she also hated to see her kids unhappy, so she felt compelled to keep the season alive for them.
Before they went to the mall, Brandi stopped by the daycare center to pick up the final Savage sibling, Caleb. At two years old, Caleb was obviously not old enough for school, so Brandi has enrolled him at St. Elizabeth Daycare, which is conveniently located across the street from the elementary school.
The mall was packed with other shoppers by the time they got there, but to Brandi’s delight, the line to see Santa wasn’t very long. In fact, they were in the front within five minutes.
“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa exclaimed when he saw the kids. “Merry Christmas, everybody! Why don’t you come and sit on Santa’s lap?”
“Let’s go in birth order,” Brandi suggested. “Zoe, you’re up first.”
“And what’s your name, little girl?” Santa asked Zoe.
“Zoe,” she said.
“What would you like me to bring you for Christmas, Zoe?”
Zoe listed off all the toys she’d been eyeing over the past year, and then she told Santa she wanted just one more thing.
“Oh, brother…” Brandi grumbled. She already knew what Zoe had to say, and she was dreading it.
“And what might that one thing be?” Santa asked.
“We need a new daddy,” Zoe said. “My sister gets bullied a lot because there’s no daddy in the picture, and I’m getting really tired of hearing her cry because of it.”
“Does she need a new dad or a therapist?” Brandi countered.
“I think we’d all be happier if there was a daddy,” Zoe told Santa, completely ignoring her mother.
Santa rubbed his bearded chin. “Well, I can definitely see what I can do,” he said. “Would you like a picture?”
After Lillian and Caleb took their turns, Brandi asked them if they wanted to look for a Christmas tree next.
“Yeah!” Zoe cheered; Lillian echoed her.
“What about you, buddy?” Brandi asked Caleb. “What do you think about getting a Christmas tree?”
“Kiss-muss tee?” Caleb tried to repeat.
“Yeah, it’s that thing Santa puts all the presents under. Let’s go get a Christmas tree; your sisters want to go!:
“Otay!”
On the way to Walmart to shop for the tree, Brandi called her father, Jeff. He answered after five rings.
“Hey, Brandi!” he greeted her in his deep southern drawl. “Are you on your way to get the Christmas tree?”
“Yeah,” Brandi confirmed. “Would you meet us there? We’re going to the Long Beach Walmart.”
“Sure thing, hon! What’s your ETA?”
“Probably about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be there,” Jeff promised.
Brandi parked in front of Walmart about five minutes after she originally planned, thanks to her sister, Sabrina, inviting the kids over to her place to decorate gingerbread houses. Sabrina’s house wasn’t exactly on the way to Walmart from the mall, but the kids got excited when they heard Brandi mention the gingerbread houses over the phone.
When she got out and walked towards the store, Brandi saw Jeff having a conversation with a guy around her age. Brandi came within earshot just in time for Jeff to mention that “I have a daughter who’s single and looking”. This made Brandi get her hopes up that he was talking about her sister Sabrina. No way in hell was she going to be finding love again so soon after Dakota’s death. However, those hopes were shattered when he said, “Oh, here she is now!”
@Cat_in_the_Box @OwnedByReo @TrinityJade
