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“I didn’t get it, I made it.”
“But it tastes exactly like IHOP.”
“I used their recipe and their ingredients.”
My jaw hangs open and he laughs. “One summer when I was a kid, my grandfather hired a world-renowned chef who came from humble beginnings. One day he took pity on me and made me an IHOP breakfast. I fell in love with it and spent the whole summer pestering him to make me more. Eventually he agreed to teach me so that I’d leave him alone and it’s been my speciality ever since.”
“Hold the fu-fudge up a minute!” I say around a mouthful of pancake. “We’ve been friends forever. You know how much I love IHOP and how much I’ve missed it since coming here. You’ve never made it for me before.”
Baxter laughs.
“Well, I only ever made it for myself until now.”
“Sacrilege.” I shake my head. “I’d marry you for this alone.”
“Well with respect, I didn’t make you your favourite breakfast because I want to put my d—”
“Sausage!” Raven cries desperately.
“Sausage in your pu—”
“Taco!”
“Mummy can we have sausage tacos for tea?”
I burst out laughing along with the rest of the table while Ace promises to make Nix whatever she wants for dinner and Raven gives Baxter the evils. She looks a little flushed though. Maybe she wants his sausage taco speciality. I can’t believe those two haven’t fucked yet. What the hell are they waiting for?
When breakfast is over and the other heathens finally admit that it’s the best damn breakfast they ever had, we clear the plates and get ready. If Nix wants to choose a tree, we’ll all go and get one. I know Thorn was planning on getting some delivered anyway but one more won’t hurt.
The problem starts when we all head outside. I stare at the car. I look at us. We don’t have enough damn seats.
“Shit,” I say.
“Bad word!” I don’t even look, I just hand Nix the whole wallet while debating what to do.
“It’s fine. We can take two cars,” Jax says.
“Is this seriously the first time we’ve all tried to go out as a family?” I ask scratching my head. It can’t be...can it?
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got some tie downs, we can strap the tree to the roof.”
“If we have two cars can we get two trees?” Nix asks. I grin at her.
“You’re so clever! Let’s do that. But only if you and Mummy come in my car.”
“Deal!”
“You can all slum it in Baxter’s car.” I shoot a triumphant grin at the others. Baxter laughs because his car is posh as fuck without being ostentatious, but I don’t care because I get the girls in with me.
We jump into the car and I google directions to the nearest Christmas tree farm.
“We’ve never had a real tree before,” Raven says quietly. “But I always took Nix to see them.”
It’s unbelievably tragic but I don’t say anything.
“Do you want a big tree or a small tree Nix?”
“Big!”
