19

Janet

Bethany and I sat down in front of the tree at 9 in the morning.

We were lucky to get down here this late because the kids had first came jumping on our bed at 7 am.

"Bet you cry first." Beth started a bet.

I shook my head. "How much we putting on this bet because you know you're soft."

"Ah, you sleep. Let's put 20 on it."

My head only nodded because I began paying attention to Kendrick.

Nadia was ripping through wrapping paper and Kendrick had yet to touch a gift for some reason.

"Kendrick, why aren't you opening your gifts?" Beth asked him.

"What if this is the last Christmas we have with each other? I don't want to open these gifts and get attached." He admitted as he looked at his feet.

I sighed and walked over to him. "Okay, first off I have a feeling you aren't going anywhere and secondly open the gifts, we spent a lot of time wrapping them."

"Oh bs!" Bethany interrupted my speech. "I spent a lot of time wrapping them. Janet you were talking to the— uh you were talking to Gil."

She was about to tell me that I was talking to the Foster woman but stopped herself before she could.

Kendrick laughed and I corrected myself. "Alright Bethany spent a lot of time wrapping them, but we both brought them, plus I think you'll like most presents and love 3 of them."

He perked up. "Point the 3 presents out and I'll open them first."

I shook my head. "Nope. Get to unwrapping."

Kendrick went to the tree and began unwrapping gifts and I went back to my spot next to Bethany.

She laid across my lap and looked at me. "How long before you think they open the gifts that are gonna make them scream?"

Kendrick jumped up suddenly as he smiled. "Y'all didn't!" He had unwrapped his phone. "No way! This ain't for me."

We laughed at him. "It is."

He struggled to open it and Beth stopped him. "Wait before we do that, finish unwrapping please."

It took Nadia a while because she had so many dolls and dance things but she finally got to her phone. "NO WAY!"

Her screaming made me jump. "Nadia, please warn someone before you scream."

She nodded in excitement and began cleaning up her side of the room.

Kendrick finally found the present that I had wrapped in a different paper. I tapped Bethany. "This is it."

Beth smiled and began recording.

He opened the paper and found paper towels. He looked at us funny. "Why y'all be playing?"

"Boy, something's in the middle." Beth responded.

Kendrick dug the money out the middle and smirked at Beth. "Money eh?"

Bethany looked at me. "Well I guess since I ya know, 'knocked your hustle'."

"There's more Kendrick." I exclaimed eager to see what he would think when he read the papers.

He looked between us and finally pulled the papers out. Nadia walked back into the room just in time to see his reaction.

Kendrick laughed and a confused expression went to my face.

"This isn't real." He laughed again and looked up at us with tears falling down his cheeks.

Nadia asked a question. "KD what's wrong?"

"We are really brother and sister now Nadi." He told her and Bethany wiped a stray tear.

I smirked because I had just got richer by 20 dollars.

"What's wrong with that KD?" Nadia asked again.

"Nothing." Kendrick quickly responded as more tears fell. "I'm just shocked."

"And happy I hope." I inserted into the conversation.

"Definitely happy." He responded and came running towards Bethany and I.

We immediately caught him and hugged.

Bethany looked at me with tears in her eyes. "I owe you 20."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes you do."

"I'm all for the hugs, but y'all have presents to open also." Nadia announced.

Beth smiled. "I so forgot about that."

We all released from the hug and Kendrick brought the gifts that we had brought each other.

"You brought me something?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, and I see you brought me something." We both opened the gifts and she opened her diamond necklace first. "This is so pretty JJ!"

"It took me a while to actually track it down, but I knew you'd like it, so I got it for you."

Beth frowned at me. "How much did you pay for this?"

"Don't worry on it." I assured her.

"Open yours."

I nodded and opened the box. Inside of it was a bracelet laced with diamonds. "Oh, so how much did you pay for this?"

"Don't worry on it." She laughed after she said it and the kids joined in.

<><><><><>

Y'all ready for this P.O.V switch over? This one is told from Kendrick's point of view so...

Kendrick

We all sat at Bethany's mother dinner table. Nadia was picking at her food because it was ham and that was not her favorite at all.

Grandma Judy came and sat down and looked at us. "So we don't say grace now?"

Nadia and I immediately dropped out forks and Beth laughed at us.

"Say the prayer grandson." She smiled at me but I didn't smile back.

Instead I got nervous. "Um aight, bow yo heads and close y'all uh— eyes? God, bless this food, cause James cooked it and we all know he can't cook."

Janet kicked my leg and I looked up to find her shooting me a look.

I mugged her and went back to praying. "Sorry God, we experienced a detour. I want to thank you for our presents and my new moms." I didn't have to open my eyes to know that Bethany and Janet were cheesing. "And my new grandparents and my sister, she's bomb God. You really did end up blessing me in the end. Okay imma let you go God, amen."

Everyone said "Amen."

"That was sweet!" Janet exclaimed and I smiled back. Bethany sniffled and Janet put her hands on to of hers. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not used to this yet. I'm going to keep crying, don't mind me." Beth brushed it off.

Nadia tapped me. "Bro, you didn't lie in that prayer. I am bomb."

We both laughed and Grandpa James spoke. "But I can cook."

The table got quiet. "Momma, for real, did James cook this food? Cause I'm seriously going to reconsider everything if he did."

"Bethany hush up." Grandma told her quickly. "But no, I let him peel the potatoes. He wasn't about to get me."

We all laughed and the doorbell rung. Grandpa James stood up. "I'll get it, since y'all just wanna talk about people."

When he came back we all looked at a woman. She was dark skin and from the looks of it pregnant.

"Tika didn't have anywhere to spend the holidays so I invited her to come spend it with us. I hope you don't mind baby." James told grandma.

She shook her head. "No, I would never mind that. Tika have a seat sweetheart. James has told me so much about you."

The Tika lady sat at the crown of the table and every so often she would look at me. I tried to play it off but finally I snuck and texted Bethany.

To: Momma B ❤️Why she keep staring at me?

Beth looked at her phone and then watched Tika do it again before sighing and texting me back.

Momma B ❤️We will discuss it later, just ignore the whore.

My eyes widened at the word whore and I busted out laughing which got me in trouble.

"Off the phone." Janet instructed me and Bethany and we both put our phones down quickly.

"Yes ma'am." I quickly responded trying not to get burnt on at the moment.

Tika's face scrunched up and I watched as it did.

"Yo why you keep making faces at everything my moms say?" Finally I had enough of the woman.

Tika smirked. "Moms? Interesting."

"Oh you trynna get yo—." Bethany got cut off by Janet.

"It's God's Birthday!" She pointed out.

Bethany took a deep breath and sat up before looking at Grandma J. "Momma, I let her sit up in here or whatever, but her mouth is what got her beat up in the park a few months back."

"Oh!" Nadia finally put it together and I did too. "That's the woman?"

We both looked at each other and bust out laughing.

"Kids stop." James tried to make us stop laughing but it didn't help.

"I'm sorry..." I wiped the tears that had fell out my eyes. "But we just heard you got dunked on miss."

Nadia and I began laughing even harder and Bethany joined in.

Janet snapped. "Stop before all 3 of you get sent to the living room."

Tika shifted in her seat. "Oh please keep them here, I think everyone would like to hear this. What's your name miss? Judy?"

Grandma answered with a smile. "Uh yes it is."

"Well as everyone here knows, I'm pregnant." Tika announced the freaking obvious to us.

"Yeah you are." Grandma J responded. "How many months?"

"I'm 8 months." She responded proudly.

"Tika." James tone came out in a warning one and it told me that something was about to be said that was going to make this whole dang holiday go left.

"FaceTime me. Now." Nadia whispered in my ear.

I looked at her confusingly. "Uh why?"

"KD just do it." She whispered back and I FaceTimed her phone.

She answered and I turned the volume down on my phone as she did the same thing on hers.

"No James, let your wife know what's been going on." Tika motioned at my grandma.

Beth spoke. "Kids close y'all ears." Nadia and I looked at each other and didn't move. We both wanted to hear this.

"And what is that?" Grandma Judy asked Tika.

Janet sat up like she had realized something. "Oh my gosh."

Her statement was ignored completely by everyone except for me and Nadia.

Tika gloated. "It didn't take me long to realize who the father of this child was, and it made me so happy when I did figure it out."

"Well whose the father?" Bethany asked her getting irritated with the prolonging of it all.

Hell, I think we were all irritated at this point.

"Why Mrs.Judys husband is. So question, when I file for child support should I put down your name too? Because this baby, is a Hill." Tika released what she was holding in.

Nadia yelped but quickly covered her mouth.

"Damnit Tika!" James hit the table as he stood. "I told you I would tell her myself!"

Grandma Judy sat still but with a look on her face that scared the fuck out of me. Excuse my French.

Bethany jumped but Janet caught her. "Oh, thank God that Janet's here because you not finna disrespect my momma. I don't know what you thought this was."

"Kids go to the guest room." Janet told us but we didn't move.

"Judy, baby— look I'll explain I swear." He reached out for Grandmas hand and she just kept her glare on Tika.

"Nadia let's go." I mumbled and we both stood. "We will be— Umm in the guest room."

We both excused ourselves and walked down the hall. When I turned around Nadi wasn't there and I waited for her.

"What took you so long?" I asked when we got into the guest room.

She jumped from excitement. "Look at your phone."

I looked at my screen and it showed me the dining room with everyone in it. I muted my side just in case they could hear us. "You sneaky little girl!"

Nadia shrugged. "Gotta stay informed."

We fell silent as the video quality cleared up some more and they began talking.

"You know what." Grandma Judy finally spoke. "I think I have a DNA test for after you have this Hill baby. Let me go get it."

Grandma Judy walked the opposite way of the phone.

"She don't have no damn DNA test." Bethany spoke. "Y'all better run."

"What are you talking about Bethany?" James spoke with venom laced.

Bethany got irritated and I could see it on her face. "Okay dumbass, let me break this down for you to understand, what woman you know that carry around DNA tests in her house? She ain't going get no DNA test. Y'all better go."

Tika stood up. "Well I don't care, I've done what I needed to do."

When she said that Grandma Judy came back holding a glock. She cocked it and pointed at James. "So you're the father right?"

Nadia screamed. "Grandma finna shoot the reindeers on Christmas!"

"Well.... ho ho ho." I responded as we stared at the screen waiting for a reaction from anybody but everyone was frozen.

Hell I would be too, she finna get away with a real murder and we finna be some accessories to crime.