Claimed for Christmas

Chapter Nine

I drag my suitcase behind me as I head toward the exit, pulling out my cell to call a cab to collect me and take me to my mother’s house. Walking through the doors of arrivals, I start to make my way past the row of chauffeurs that are primly dressed and holding signs with names scrawled on them.

I’m almost at the end when I hear it . . .

‘There he is! Uncle Li! Uncle Li!’ I groan internally before looking up, scouring the hoard of people before finding the source of the noise. Five people are standing in a group at the end of the arrivals walkway, my brother, sister in law, my two nieces and my nephew. The two girls are holding an obnoxiously large glitter explosion of a sign screaming ‘welcome home Uncle Li!’ as my nephew waves frantically, almost hitting a poor disabled woman in a wheelchair beside them who is also waiting for a loved one I assume.

‘What are you doing here?’ I grumble as I reach them, the kids wrapping around my legs as my brother lifts his fist and punches me in the arm, grinning widely.

‘Mom told you that I’d pick you up,’ he replies as I rub at the spot on my arm his fist just collided with like a bulldozer.

I suppose I should give you some insight into my family dynamic with my brother Elliott, he’s to put it bluntly, my complete opposite. I was, and still am completely, fabulous obviously, but I was not what one would call a jock during my school years. Yes, it pains me to admit it, but I may have been a little stereotypical in my youth. I excelled at drama and dance, drawn to the arts like a shining beacon over rough seas. I may also have joined the cheerleading team during my earlier high school years, and yes, I was amaaaazing at it.

My brother . . . he was what the older generation would call a proper man’s man. He was a member of the football team, a self proclaimed gym rat, something that has obviously not changed from the throb currently radiating from my bicep. The girls wanted to be with him, and the guys wanted to be him, you get the idea.

You’d think with us being so different, that we’d despise each other, or at least rub each other up the wrong way, but nothing could be further from the truth. My brother was always my biggest supporter in everything I did, he had more than one fight with someone who dared to use a homosexual slur toward me, and Heaven help anyone who made a comment about my cheer outfit during the time that we were in school together.

Only two years older than I am, he came to all my plays, cheering a little too loudly if you want my honest opinion, along with our parents. I swear you’d think I had been the star of the show rather than chimney sweep number three, the way they whooped and hollered from the front row during my first performance.

But I digress, it’s safe to say that I’m not actually that surprised that he’s here to get me . . . I was just hopeful he would forget or get the date wrong . . . or maybe snowed in, which, also would have meant that I would be stuck here . . away from everyone . . .

My brother pulls me from the grasp of his kids, hauling me into a bear hug, squeezing the air out of me as I try to hug him back.

‘My baby brother, back at last! We were beginning to think you were purposefully staying away’ he growls, ruffling my hair as I pat his back awkwardly.

‘Missed you too,’ I mumble, my voice muffled as I’m crushed against his body so tightly.

‘Damn! It’s been how long since you were here? Eight years? Nine? You left after high school, and we never really saw you again, other than a couple of quick visits early on, which then became sporadic video calls.’ I can hear the sadness in my brother’s voice, and it makes me feel like a piece of crap. I knew staying away would hurt him and my parents, but . . . I had my reasons.

‘But you are here now’ Elliott continues happily, ‘little Lijahberry back in Colorado finally!’ His arms are like a vice around me now, and my lungs are starting to dislike the fact that they can’t seem to fill with air anymore.

‘El’ I gasp against his muscular chest, tapping his back, ‘struggling to breathe.’

‘I’ve missed you so much Lijahberry’ he continues, oblivious to the fact I’m starved of oxygen now.

‘El! Please . . . can’t . . . help . . .’ I beg against his shirt my fingers clawing at his back as he crushes me like a pretzel.

‘Baby, I think you might be killing him’ my sister in law murmurs in amusement, tugging at my brother's arm, seconds before I’m released, gasping loudly as I suck in lungfuls of air, my hands hitting my knees as I bend forward coughing a little.

‘Oops,’ my brother mutters, chuckling, ‘sorry lijahberry, I’ve just missed you so damn much,’ he adds, slapping me on the back, making me stumble as a delicate hand grabs my arm, holding me steady.

‘Thanks, Darcie’ I choke out, my eyes watering as I’m pulled into the much gentler embrace of my sister in law. ‘It’s good to see you’ I add as I hug her back, ‘you look well.’ I pull back so I can take her in, twenty eight years old and three kids later, she still looks like the girl who knocked my brother on his ass freshman year of college.

Darcie laughs, smiling, ‘not as good as you Li’ she replies, her gaze roaming over me in that way only a mother can do.

I chuckle as Elliott takes my suitcase from my hand, which then gets commandeered by my nephew as my two nieces fight over who gets to hold my other one.

‘I’m the oldest!’ Cherie argues as we start to walk toward the exit.

‘But I’m Uncle Li’s favourite’ her younger sister, Flora, retorts.

‘No, you aren’t’ Cherie shrieks, shoving at the other girl.

‘Am too!’ Flora states, shoving her back.

‘Girls! Enough!’ Darcie’s usually soft tone comes out sharp as the two little girls fall silent, bowing their heads. ‘Cherie, take your father’s hand, Flora, you will hold mine, nobody gets to hold hands with Uncle Li now’ she orders.

The little girls pout but do as they are told, the six of us heading out of the airport and toward the parking garages. As soon as I step outside of the doors, my whole body tries to shut down, f***k me it’s freezing!

‘Holy f***k’ I gasp, using my free hand that is not being grasped like a life raft by my nephew, to pull my coat tighter around my neck.

We reach the car, a seven seater SUV that must have killed my brother to buy, a Mustang it is not which coincidentally was the car my brother said he was going to buy as soon as he hit the big time. That dream, along with the NFL, disappeared when they found out Cherie was turning up at twenty, Elliott chosing his family over the draft, a decision that he never seems to have regretted.

My suitcase gets tossed in the trunk with ease, before my brother and sister in law hurry around both sides of the SUV, strapping their kids into their seats.

‘Sit next to me Uncle Li’ Flora states from the middle row, pointing to the empty seat beside her.

I do as she asks, choking back a laugh as she turns to the seats behind her and sticks her tongue out at her older sister, who gasps loudly.

‘Mooooom! Flora stuck her tongue out at me!’ Cherie wails.

‘No, I didn’t,’ my youngest niece replies quickly, ‘I wasn’t even looking at you.’

I hear Darcie groan exasperatedly as she settles into the passenger seat, my brother slipping in behind the wheel beside her.

‘I’m going to get you back Faaaauna’ Cherie hisses.

‘Don’t call me that! That isn’t my name’ Flora growls back.

‘Whatever you say Faaaaaunaaaaaaa’ her sibling repeats, drawing out the incorrect name.

‘Moooooom! Cherie is calling me the wrong name again!’ Flora shrieks.

‘Elliott’ my sister in law mutters warningly.

‘Girls!’ my brother’s voice booms, ‘one more word out of either of you, and we won’t stay at Grandma’s house to visit with Uncle Li tonight.’

‘What? No! I want to stay with Uncle Li’ my nephew wails loudly. ‘Why should I be punished because Cherie and Flora are being bad? Moooooooooom!’

‘Don’t worry EJ, dad won’t follow through, he wants to see Uncle Li just as much as us,’ Cherie giggles, shaking her head as Flora sniggers into her hand; I get the feeling my brother isn’t great at punishments when it comes to his kids.

Darcie glares at my brother, who grins at her sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

‘I tried’ he mouths.

‘EJ, you will get to stay at Grandma’s with dad, if necessary, I will take the girls home and pick you both up afterward’ she tells the little boy who immediately stops pouting.

Both girls’ mouths snap shut at the woman’s words, their faces paling as I chuckle quietly, my brother might be a push over, but my sister in law sure as hell isn’t.