Page 19 of A Trident Christmas Baby
She set her purse and bag on her shoulder and waddled into Bayside. She opened the door and walked down the hallway until she came to another door and pushed it open.
She couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her lips as she took in the room. It was alive with warmth, laughter, and music as the ladies of Alpha team’s families took over the party room.
There were tables piled high with rolls of colorful wrapping paper, bows, tape, scissors, and tags, making the place look like Santa’s workshop exploded in an avalanche of festive chaos. The room was cozy, lit with soft Christmas lights and even a fully decorated tree in the corner, giving it that holiday vibe.
Her stomach rumbled as soon as she saw the long table of food that was set up.
“I know, little one, you’re hungry,” she grinned as she rubbed her belly. Alex didn’t think that there was a time when she wasn’t hungry.
She walked over to the buffet that was set up. Arianna, co-owner of Bayside and wife to Dino, had outdone herself with the food setup. There were platters of assorted sandwiches, bowls of different cold salads, baskets of chips, and trays of cookies and brownies lined up in a delicious spread. There was even a hot chocolate bar with all the fixings. Alex’s heart swelled with gratitude, knowing that Arianna had prepared all of this just to make their day a bit more special.
“Does everything look okay,” Arianna asked, walking up and standing next to Alex.
Alex smiled. “Are you kidding? It looks better than great. Thank you again for hosting this here. Thank your dad as well.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Arianna responded, waving her off. She looked around the room. “What you’re doing is great for our community. I know these families will be so thankful for your generosity and kindness.”
“She isn’t lying,” Mia, Stitch’s wife, chimed in as she approached with her and Stitch’s new baby boy, Camden, in her arms.
Alex’s heart melted as she looked at the sleeping boy.
“How’s my little nephew doing?” She asked, bending down to place a gentle kiss on the baby’s forehead.
“Overall, he’s doing great. He’s a little piggy, though. I swear I’m always nursing him.” Mia looked at Alex. “How are you doing?”
Alex gave her shoulder a little shrug. “I’m doing okay. However, I’m exhausted at the end of each day.”
“You’re doing a lot, Alex. And you’re due in two weeks. What happened to you taking it easy?” Mia asked, giving Alex a stern look.
“You do realize that you are talking about Alex,” Campbell, Diego’s wife, said as she and Anna Grace, Skittles’ wife, joined them.
“Alex doesn’t know the meaning of taking it easy,” Autumn, Frost’s wife, piped in as she sat at the table rocking her and Frost’s baby boy, Aiden.
Alex gave the group a sheepish smile but then shrugged her shoulders again.
“Sorry, I can’t help it,” she admitted. “It’s hard for me to slow down.”
“Girl, you better start saving your energy because you’re going to need it once that little one inside you makes its entrance into the world,” Mia said.
“I wish I had half the energy Alex has,” Bailey said, taking a seat at the table with Autumn.
“Alex is like one big ball of energy,” Tenley stated as she took a bite of her sandwich.
Alex looked at Tenley and Bailey, “Where are the girls?” Alex asked, trying to divert the attention away from her.
They are with Juliette today,” Tenley said, plopping down next to Alex with a wide grin. “No kids, no chaos. Just food and girl time. I needed this!”
Alex laughed as she took a seat at the table and pulled out the folder with the list of families so they could start matching up who gets what.
“Okay, here are the sheets for each family. Once everything for the family is wrapped, we’ll place everything in those big Santa gift sacks sitting by the door. Just write the name of the family on the gift tag and tie it around the top. That way, whenthe volunteers come to pick them up, they can identify them easily.”
“Dang, Alex. Your organization skills are putting us all to shame,” Tenley said as she laughed.
“Hell, I’m lucky if my socks match when I put them on in the mornings,” Anna Grace said.
Alex chuckled before clearing her throat. “Alright, before we start, I do want to thank each of you for taking time out today to help with this.” She paused for a moment because she could feel the waterworks getting ready to start.Damn hormones!
“Oh, lord. Now she is going to make us all cry,” Mia said, and Alex laughed, wiping her eyes before any tears fell.
