Jingle All the Mitchell Way: A Holiday Novella (7 page)

Chapter 9

Jax

After getting only a few hours of sleep, Jake got back on the road before daylight. The temperature had risen well above freezing, and in the parking lot we’d stopped in, we could see the traffic becoming heavier on the highway.

After making a pit stop at a coffee shop, we were armed with enough caffeine to maneuver heavy machinery. “Day two here we come.” I heard Jake say as I fastened my safety belt.

With a couple clicks I had the GPS set and listened to the sound of the computer generated voice. “How come they picked a woman’s voice for this? Who wants to take orders from a female while driving?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Is there an option to change it?”

“Do you really want me to mess around with it when we’re trying to get back on the route?”

“Not really.”

Loud screaming could be heard from behind us. I turned to see Reese and Amber securing the twins in  safety seats before they got their breakfast. I’d gotten them little ball-shaped donuts to chow down on, knowing in a matter of hours they’d be high on sugar, giving everyone a fit. After a few minutes, the motorhome was quiet. A movie was turned on for the twins and they sat quietly stuffing food into their tiny mouths. Amber came up and crouched down beside the passenger seat. “Thanks for the latte, babe.”

I kissed her on the lips like we did each morning when I headed out to work on the ranch. “Welcome. Did you get much sleep last night?”

“Well, I didn’t have to hear you snoring, so that helped.” She snickered. “I’m teasing. Reese gave me a pill to calm me down. After that I don’t remember much, so I guess I did. What about you? Did you drive all night?”

“We’re just leaving Georgia. The weather wasn’t on our side.”

“That sucks. I was hoping the girls could get out and stretch their legs some today. It’s hard to keep them in those seats.”

I felt bad. It was like they were being punished. They didn’t understand it was for their safety. “How about we stop for lunch and let them run around? I’ll find a park or something that will wear them out.”

“Good idea. Will we be in New Orleans before nightfall? I have that dinner meeting with my agent tonight.”

“Yeah. Is that the one where you’re meeting the cast?”

“Yes. You’re still coming with me, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” I said with a smile, all the while contemplating threatening any man that came within three feet of her. I couldn’t lead on how nervous I was about her being in the limelight. Amber didn’t need more on her plate. She was a great woman, who didn’t deserve to be accused of something she probably wouldn’t even do. “I’m looking forward to it. Finally Noah won’t be the only one in the family who knows famous people.”

Amber grinned like she was trying to read me. “Well, I better get back to the girls.”

“They’re only four feet away. Can’t you sit here for a bit with me? I miss you.”

“We’ve been together this whole time.”

“It feels like you’ve been miles away.”

Jake started pretending to gag in the seat across from me. “You two are pathetic. Go in the back and take care of the itch so I don’t have to hear you whine all damn day.”

“Suck my balls. If I want to miss my woman I can.”

“Amber, we should have left him at home,” Reese suggested.

She giggled. “No. I couldn’t do this without him. He’s my rock.” She stood to walk back toward the girls. “Love you babe. Don’t listen to Jake. I think it’s cute when you whine.”

I punched my brother lightly on the arm when she was gone. “See, fuckstick. That’s how you keep the wife happy.”

“Keep telling yourself that. I know for a fact you’re freaking out about her meeting those sexy ass men she’s going to be filming with. Did she tell you about the shower scene?”

“The what?” My ass was coming off the seat before I had the chance to unbuckle myself. “Amber, is he for real? If so, we’re turning this tin box around and going home. No way are you showing the world those tits.”

“Tits,” one of my little girls repeated.

I pointed toward the culprit. “Don’t say that. It’s a bad word.”

“Tits. Tits,” her sister said.

They both laughed and did it again. “Tits.”

I rolled my eyes and focused on Amber, who was sitting at the table sipping on her latte as if nothing was the matter. “It’s just a shower scene, babe. I’m sure I can keep my bottoms on.”

If real life was like on television, steam would have been shooting from ears. A giant cat would have been slamming a sledgehammer onto my shocked head until I flattened into a pancake. “Come again?”

“It’s a short scene. They probably won’t even put it in the movie.”

“Have you looked in the mirror? They’re definitely going to put that shit in the movie. They may even add a few more scenes because of it.” I was furious. “Hell no! This movie thing is cancelled.”

“I already signed the contract, Jax.”

“I don’t give a shit. Isn’t there a pissed off husband clause?”

“You shouldn’t have said anything. I told you he’d overreact.” Reese noted.

“Overreact? So you’d be okay with Jake stripping down with a sexy woman on film? You’d be okay with him kissing them and rolling around on a bed pretending to fuck each other? You know the guys get hard right? I mean, let’s be honest, it’s difficult to keep it from happening when someone is rubbing all over it.”

At the same time the girls burst into laughter. Since I didn’t find anything about it funny, I waited for an explanation.

“Jax, honey we’re kidding. There isn’t a shower scene. I have to kiss someone once, and that’s it. We’ve talked about this. It’s just acting.”

“So, you’re not going to be naked?” I needed her to reiterate.

“No. I’m not.”

I finally exhaled and tried to calm down, turning my attention to Jake, who found it hilarious. “You should have seen your face. Tell me one of you recorded it.”

Reese replied. “I’ve got you covered, baby. I can’t wait to show this to everyone. I’m sharing it now.”

“You’re all assholes today.” I sulked back to the bedroom, where I could pout like a man in private.

A little later Amber climbed on the bed. She stuck out her bottom lip while approaching me. “Are you still being emotional?”

“If you’ve come to make fun of my fragile heart turn back around. I want to sulk in peace.”

“Jax, we’ve talked about this. Are you really that worried?”

“I am if you’re taking off your clothes. I’m sorry. Jake can call me a pussy all he wants. We’ve got a good life, and I don’t want stardom to take it away. Those guys you’ll be working with can offer you stuff I’ll never be able to. We may be well off, but they’ve got jets and shit. What if farm life isn’t enough for you, but you haven’t realized it yet?”

“Jax, do you honestly think I’d choose to leave the life we have? There isn’t another man in this world who can make me smile when I’m stricken with sadness. I married you because I want to be with you forever. Besides, I’m pretty sure none of them will be interested in seeing me naked anyway, especially when I tell them I’m pregnant with my third child.”

My eyes lit up. “What did you say?”

She tickled my lips with hers while responding. “I said I’m pregnant. I peed on the stick this morning to be sure.”

“Holy Hell. I hope it’s a boy.”

“For your sake I hope you’re right, or else you’re really going to be outnumbered.”

I hugged her tight in celebration. “I know it doesn’t make my worries disappear, but it helps knowing I knocked you up again. Damn. I hope the girls are potty trained by the time the next one comes. I’ll have to get a second job to pay for diapers.”

She shoved me down and straddled me. “I’m doing this movie so we can put the money toward our children’s futures. If more come our way we’ll save that money too. We’ll stay in our beautiful home, and fulfill our dreams without hardship. I never could have dreamed this was possible before you came into my life, Jax. Don’t ever think I’d leave you. I’m nothing without you in my corner.”

“That’s why I’m the president of your fan club.”

She tapped on my chest. “Butter me up all you want, you’re still not putting a poster of me over our bed. It’s weird.”

“I’ll settle for a naked you next to me in our bed.”

We kissed slowly, taking a few seconds for ourselves before getting back to the other people in the RV with us. “That’s a promise I know I can keep, even when I’m old and covered in stretch marks and wrinkles.”

“Even if you weighed six hundred pounds, baby. I’d love you still, just not as much, because the sex wouldn’t be as enjoyable.” She put her hand up like she was going to hit me so I added something. “Because I wouldn’t be able to lift you up against the wall and take you like you beg me to.”

“Don’t get me worked up, Jax. We’re not alone.”

“That never stopped us before.”

Amber stood up and started to leave the room. “Get some rest, Daddy. You’re going to need it with a house full of girls.”

I put a pillow over my head and tried to imagine having a bunch of kids with Amber, all female. The first thing my mind went to was teenagers, and the excruciating truth in how horrible it would be, and how much I deserved that type of future for being such a bad kid. Wasn’t their a saying, you get it ten times what you were as a child? If that’s the case I needed a shotgun and a monthly subscription to cases of bourbon.

I awoke to hear the sounds of my frantic wife, alarming me so much to where I jumped off the bed and made a beeline for the front of the camper. What I found was hardly a catastrophe.

Apparently, while I was getting some much-needed sleep, someone had thought it was a good idea to give my toddler daughters crayons.  The fake leather furniture, their car seats, and even the hard surface floor had been vandalized. While Amber began scrubbing to salvage the furniture, I got down on the floor and talked to my girls. “Which one of you colored on Uncle Jake’s RV?”

They both smiled.

“Jax, get over here and help me.”

“We can pick up something to take it off once we stop again, Amber. Don’t worry about it.”

“Two days. That’s all it took for them to damage your property. What are we going to do with three kids?”

“Three? Are you pregnant again?” Jake asked.

I felt the need to answer for Amber. “Yep. I knocked her up good this time. It’s going to be a boy. I read somewhere that the first nut is a girl, and the second is a boy. Maybe it’ll be two boys.”

“Maybe I’ll beat you for saying it,” Amber stated. I could tell she was afraid of having another set of twins.

“Whatever God gives us we will love, even if it’s triplets.”

“Didn’t I just get done saying how much I appreciated you? I think I’m changing my mind.”

I slapped her on the ass playfully. “How are your lines going?”

“They were good until I looked up and saw this. Leave it to me to be a bad mother.”
“When they’re quiet, something bad is happening. Isn’t that what my mother always tells you?”

“She’s right.”

“It’s fine. This motorhome needed some color added to it. Don’t worry about it, Amber. We’re almost to New Orleans. Maybe two more hours. Maybe you and Jax could put the girls down for a nap before we get there?” Jake suggested.

Back in the bedroom, Amber was still freaking out about the mess they’d made. “I can’t believe it. I let them sit on the floor with me while I read. They were in their seats though. I made sure they were safe from getting hurt. I thought they were watching the movie.”

“Jake isn’t mad. Let it go, babe.”

“No. I’ve got to do something nice for them. I think we should throw them a surprise wedding to say thanks. It doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal, but they’re both stressing over it. I can take my bonus and fly everyone into Dallas for the event. She’s already got her dress. All we would need is for your mom and dad to bring it with them. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve already planned it out in your head. Have you mentioned it to either of them?”

“No. It wouldn’t be a surprise.”