Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, the stars, and the sun - John Lennon

The kids woke me up early Christmas morning by running into my room and telling about presents and Santa. I got up and washed quickly so I didn't leave them for too long without opening the gifts sitting under the tree for them.

Eric and I came down at the same time and looked at each other.

"What time is it?" I asked him.

He looked at me with bags under his eyes, and I could tell he was hungover as fuck from our family Christmas party the night before, "It's quarter to six, Josie. Quarter. To. Six."

I shivered and shook my head, "it's for the kids," I whispered as we took the last step into the living room.

Eve, Brody, and Lucy all knew the truth about old Santa Claus, but the twins were still firm believers which I loved. I wanted to keep them believing until they were 40.

"Finally!" Scotty and Sammy yelled together making us laugh.

Eric and I took our usual places on the floor. I reached for my stocking which was in front of some of my unwrapped Santa gifts. Dad and Callie were in the kitchen making coffee for the adults and some hot chocolate for the children. It was the same routine as every other year. We could go through our stockings and look at the gifts from Santa but we couldn't unwrap anything until dad and Callie were there with the drinks. Eric was on his routine of separating the gifts in front of each of us.

I dug through my stocking happily, pulling things out and looking them over. I always go the necessities in there, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and some makeup along with some other things.

I had just slid on the fluffy socks that were tucked in the bottom of the stocking where Callie came in with a tray of drinks with my dad following behind with a bowl of fruit. They set everything on the table, with Callie handing me my double double coffee. I watched as the kids looked at them with baited breath, waiting for the go-ahead to start tearing into stuff.

"Go!" Callie said with a smile.

Scotty and Sammy just started ripping all of the paper off of everything, yelling out each thing that they had gotten. The older three were a bit more reserved, but they let out squeals or yells of happiness every so often.

I looked over some of my Santa gift and smiled at the new PJs that were laying out for me, along with a new Michael Kors watch and sunglasses.

"Santa was on his game this year," I said, looking at Callie who winked and smiled at me.

I began opening my gifts from everyone with a smile the whole time. I had gotten plenty of clothes from dad and Callie along with a new Prada bag. Eric had gotten me a new pair of Beats wireless headphones for the gym along with a Beats pill speaker. Eve and Lucy got me makeup, which I knew they would be asking me to use on them for dinner that night. Brody got me a personalized agenda for the next year. And the twins got me a beautiful picture frame with a picture of all of us from the summer before while I was there.

I smiled watching the kids open their gifts. It was cliché, but Christmas wasn't so much about me as an adult, it was all about the little ones so that was what mattered to me.

Finally thing settled down, I got ready for the family dinner that was going to be happening and was sitting on the couch with my brother watching 'A Christmas Story,' another tradition of ours.

The twins were running around with their new toys, showing each family member them as they walked through the door. I did my makeup long with Eve and Lucy's too.

Just as Ralphie came down in his onesie my phone began ringing with a FaceTime request from Jamie. I smiled as I sat up straighter as Eric tore his eyes away from the movie.

"What's up?" Eric asked.

I smiled slightly at him, "Jamie's calling me," I said, picking up the request.

"Hey!" I said as his face came up.

"Merry Christmas!" he said with a grin.

"Merry Christmas!" I said back to him, grinning wider at the fact he was wearing a Santa hat on his head and I could see that he was wearing Christmas PJs, "You look festive," I noted.

He laughed and looked down at himself, "I suppose I am."

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He smiled, "Just lounging around now. And you?"

"Just waiting for dinner," I said with a sigh as I looked over to the kitchen, hungry as ever.
"Is that Jamie?" my dad called from the dining room.

"Yes!" Eric screamed from next to me.

"Jesus, could you relax?" I said, pushing Eric's shoulder.

He laughed from next to me, "My name isn't Jesus!"

I rolled my eyes and looked back to Jamie who was laughing on the other end, "I was going to let you meet everyone, but they're basically idiots," I said with a small smile as my dad came walking into the room.

Jamie laughed harder and shook his head, "No! I want to meet them!" he said.

I smiled wider and nodded, I turned the phone to face my brother, "This is my big brother Eric, and this is Jamie," I said.

Eric nodded once, "What's up, man?"

"Just enjoying the time off with the family. And you?"

Eric cracked a smile, "Same over here. You should be practicing on the ice, man, gotta get ready to face my team!"

I laughed loudly from next to him on the couch, and I could hear Jamie laughing in the background, "Toronto is your team then too, eh?"

"Don't let Josie going to some of your games fool you; she'll always cheer for the Leafs!" Eric said smugly, with a smirk over to me.

I laughed, "I already told him, the Leafs are my people!"

"Well, come on, let me say hi," my dad said coming over to stand with us.

I flipped the phone to face me again with an uncomfortable smile to Jamie, "Are you sure?" I muttered to him.

He just smiled brilliantly at me, "Yes, I'm sure!"

I smiled back with a small nod before standing up and giving the phone to my dad, I took another glance at Jamie and saw him watching me with a small smile on his face, "This is my dad, Ross. Dad this is Jamie," I said as I handed the phone over to my dad.

He took the phone and I began biting at my thumbnail as my dad began talking with Jamie about hockey, with my dad saying the same thing about the Leafs that Eric did. He was then introduced to Callie and my other brothers and sisters and my Nanny and PopPop. My dad stayed on with him for about 20 minutes before I stepped in and said I wanted to talk to Jamie now. My dad tried to playfully fight me about it, but finally relented and handed me the phone but not before suggesting that they meet in person soon, that he and Callie should go down to Dallas for a few days and meet him. Jamie readily agreed.

I sighed deeply when I ran up to my room and looked at Jamie on the screen, "Sorry," I said making a face as I sat on the chair.

He smiled, "Why? That was great meeting them."

"I know they can be...a bit much," I explained.

He shook his head, "Hey, that's enough, it was great!"

I smiled, "My mom wants to talk to you," he said suddenly.

My eyes went wide and Jamie started to ramble, "You don't have to if you don't want to! I've been telling her about you for the past few months and she's wanted to talk to you!"

"Jamie!" I said with a small laugh, "Let me talk to her!" I told him.

"Really?" he said back to me.

"Really!" I told him.

He breathed deeply, "Sorry, you just looked like you were shocked or something."

I laughed a little, "I was! I just nervous! But, hey, I'd love to meet her."

"Okay!" he said standing up, "I'm just gonna head downstairs then," he told me, leaving what must have been his bedroom. He walked down the stairs quickly and entered what I could tell was a kitchen.

"Ma," he called, he had his phone facing up, so I was looking up at him.

"Jamie," she called back to him.

Jamie laughed a little and glanced down to me, "Ma, Josie is on the phone, do you wanna talk to her?" he asked innocently.

"Yes!" I heard his mom say loudly making both me and Jamie laugh.

Jamie pulled his phone up and smiled at me, "Josie, this is my mom Heather. Ma, this is Josie," and he passed the phone over and his mom took it from him.

And then there she was her blond hair was curled with her bangs perfectly placed. Her blue eyes were light and piercing and she was smiling at me.

"Josie! Oh my goodness, it's so nice to finally put a face to the name!" she said, taking the phone quickly from Jamie.

I laughed a little and pushed the hair from my face, "Same! Jamie's told me so much about you!"

She smiled, "He hasn't stopped talking about you, honey! You make him very happy."

"Ma," Jamie groaned from the background.

"What?" Heather asked, looking off camera, "I'm not gonna lie!"

"Oh, Josie, this is my husband, Randy!" she said, motioning to someone with her arm, "Randy, this is Josie!"

I smiled as she turned the phone for me to face Jamie’s dad, an older man with salt and pepper hair with a kind smile on his face, he was wearing a Santa hat as well and an ugly Christmas sweater it looked like.

"Josie, it's so great to finally meet you. Even if it's on the phone," he told me.

I smiled back at him, "You too! And I gotta say, I'm loving the sweater Mr. Benn!"

He and Heather began laughing, "Yeah, it was a gift from Heather. And please, call me Randy!"

"Okay," I said with a small smile.

"How was your Christmas?" Heather asked me.

My smile grew, "It was great! I had been missing my family a lot, so to come back and spend it with them was awesome."

"How do you like Dallas?" Randy asked me.

I shrugged, "I like it down there, I miss home all the time though. But I'm happy down there. I have a really good job and really great friends down there, so I can't complain at all," I said with a small laugh.

"Jamie makes it better!" I heard Jordie yell from the background.

I felt my face flush but I laughed with everyone, "Quiet back there, Jordie!" I called to him.

"No need to introduce him," Heather said wi8th a small smile, "but you haven't met Jenny yet," she said walking away from Randy and past Jamie who was smiling bigger than I had ever seen him.

She finally stopped and smiled down at me, "Jenny, meet Josie!" she said and turned the phone to face a pretty blond sitting on a couch on her phone.

She smiled up at me and put her phone next to her, "Hey, Josie!" she said with a small wave.

"Hey, Jenny!" I said back to her.

"Thank-you for occupying most of Jamie's talk, so it wasn't only just hockey for a while!" she said with a sly smile making me chuckle.

"If that's what it takes, I'll take one for the team," I told her making her laugh.

"Alright, give me a few minutes with her," I heard Jamie say.

I smiled as Heather turned the phone to her again, "it was nice meeting you! I can't wait to meet you in person!"

I smiled and felt my throat start to prickle, like I was about to cry, "You too," I told her. She then handed the phone back to Jamie who began walking.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"About what? Your family is adorable," I said with a smile.

He smiled up at me as he reached his room and laid on the bed, "I miss you."

"I miss you too," I told him.

"You'll be back for New Year’s right?" he asked me.

I laughed, "You know I will."

"Can I be your midnight kiss?" he asked playfully.

I giggled and shrugged, "If you're nice to me."

"I'm always nice!" he defended.

I shrugged and sighed, "I dunno, sometimes you're kinda mean to me."

He began to crack up, laughing very loudly which made me laugh hard, "When?" he asked through a laugh.

I began laughing even harder at his confused face, "I don't know!" I laughed.

"That's right!" he said as our laughs began to quiet down.

"You can be my New Year's kiss," I told him quietly.

He smiled at me, "Okay," he said happily.

Someone knocked on my door, I look up from the phone, "Come in," I said before looking down at Jamie quickly, "Sorry, just a second," I told him. I laid my phone down and watched as Callie opened my door.

"Hey, Auntie Bee and Uncle Mick are here now," she told me with a smile.

I grinned at her and nodded, "I'll be just a second," I told her. She smiled and closed the door softly.

I picked my phone back up and looked at Jamie, who was still smiling at me, "I have to go," I told him apologetically.

"Okay," he told me, "I'll see you soon, right?" he asked.

I laughed, "Yes! You'll be in Dallas before me, though!"

He sighed, "I know, and it won't be the same without you!"

I bit my lip and looked away, "I'll talk to you soon, Jamie."

"See you, Josie," he said before I disconnected.

I sat the phone next to me and sighed happily. I loved him. I was sure of it. And I couldn't wait to see him and hug him and kiss him. I couldn't wait to tell him on New Year's how I felt. I was sure he felt the same...I was praying he felt the same.

Notes

Thank you for sticking with this! Things are about to happen for Jamie and Josie!

Let me know your thoughts!!!!!!!!!