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I know this is chapter sixty nine... No silly business, guys. Lol, we'll see. Carry on...

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Perhaps I am stuck in a place where some things should make sense when they don't. Through time, I continue to wonder if I am just missing it or not. For I am all but known as a girl, not a spiritualist. Perhaps my head is stuck in the fast lane. There could be a possibility of me over thinking this entire situation.

But what if I'm not?

There is that frightening "what if?" and I can't make much of it until I know exactly what that "what if?" could really be.

Today, we should be able to go home if all goes well. I can't stay here for much longer. My entire family is driving me crazy; I need to go home. Maybe when we get home, things will finally be fixed. He has got to tell me what is going on soon, or I swear I am going to lose it and then things really will go to hell.

"Vena, we are going to finally open presents," Charley pokes his head into the kitchen.

I nod and clutched my coffee one last time and taking one last sip before I get up. Yesterday was Christmas and honestly everyone forgot about presents with how hectic it has been around here lately. For the last nineteen years of my life, the first thing I did Christmas morning was open present and suddenly this time I forget all about it.

Thank Goodness that I remembered to put all my gifts for everyone in the back of James's car or that would have been quite awkward.

As I drag my feet as I enter the living room, everyone is seated pretty much everywhere that could be counted as a chair or something to sit on. Some of my family members were even sitting on the floor. I walked over to where James is sitting and by his feet are all my gifts and one of his. As soon as I sat down, James wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him.

I grin a small smile and say nothing. In all reality, I really had nothing to say.

My mom claps her hands together, getting everyone's attention, "I know that this has been delayed, what with how things have been pretty crazy around here."

Everyone starts to chatter quietly for a moment. My mom clears her throat purposely, trying to get everyone's attention. "Anyways, you guys can start opening presents, don't mind me, I will just be taking some pictures.

And just like that the room got loud once again. I leaned forward and gathered all my presents in my arms. I pass them out to my siblings and my parents. Slowly, everyone got through all the gifts and my family seemed to be happy with what I had chosen for all of them. What I really should have got my brother's for Christmas was some estrogen pills to calm their testosterone down just a little bit.

One perfectly wrapped gift is left in my lap and one crazily wrapped gift sits on James's lap. I wanted to wait to give it to him until I finished opening everyone else's gifts.

As I looked up from the shiny gift paper, my family is staring right at me, which makes me feel quite nervous and uneasy.

"Well, go on then. The the time you finish it's going to be summertime," Graham complains.

I turn and hand James his present. He smiles, "Thank you."

Unwrapping it, he tears the paper. As he saw what the gift was he grinned ear to ear. I smile at his happiness. Seeing him happy made me feel happy and if that doesn't mean that what we have is real then I don't know what does.

He slides the lid of the box off and looks at it. I can understand why he is so happy about this. I mean, this watch is so nice that I actually considered buying another just for myself. "I love it," he pulls me into a hug. I guess that I picked well because I was really unconfident when shopping for him. He kisses the side of my head, not caring that my entire family is watching and that my mom is taking tons of pictures. Although, I am glad that all he did was kiss the side of my head, knowing James, I thought that would have tried to make out with me just to throw off my family because that is James does. He throws people off in a humorous sense.

James stares down at the new timepiece, grinning. Seeing him so happy made me wonder that whatever he is doing behind my back isn't terrible enough to ruin a moment like this.

James puts the cover back on top of the box and sets it beside him. He grabs his gift and passes it to me, smiling. "Merry Christmas, Darling."

I smile. The box isn't large at all, in fact, it is quite small. I'd say that it is the size of a square of cooking fat. As I start to unwrap the present, I notice how bad the wrapping job really is, but I love it. I think that it really shows that he tried, but knew all well that he can't wrap presents for the life of him.

I remember when James was wrapping his present for his mom for her birthday a couple months ago. I remember that he also was struggling with the task. I tried to show him how to do it in a cleaner and sleek way, but it turns out that his hands don't move that sort of way.

Once the paper was off, there is a little wooden black box with the engravings of 'V + J', that sure made me smile and make my have stomach have a happy anxious feeling and my curious thoughts thrive.

I look at him before opening it and he nods, "Go on."

I flip open that box and sitting in there is the smallest little gold heart on a little gold chain. It is beautiful. "There's something on the back," James mumbles beside me.

I flip over the pendant and look at it more carefully. 'Forever, Darling', it reads.

I know that by this time I am smiling like an idiot. His gift is so sentimental and all I got was a watch. Man, I hope that cuts it.

I turn to James and wrap my arms around him, hugging me. Right away, he hugs me back. "Thank you," I mumble against his shirt.

"I love you," he whispers beside my ear.

I smile and pulls away from his arms, "I love you, too." I peck his lips and any chatter around us went away.

What? Never seen two people kiss?

People weren't staring at us, no, they were staring right at my brother. Orlando looked entirely pissed and once again he looks like is going to hit James again, but he didn't. He just sat there and stayed quiet. It's probably a good thing too or my mom might have actually hurt his for ruining the Christmas aura.

Luke groans loudly, ending the silence. He stands up, "Y'know, I am getting really sick and tired of this. Orlando, stop acting like a little bitch and just accept that they are a couple. Grow up. As for everyone else, you are just fueling it. You think this is just those two' fault?" he nods in the direction and James and Orlando. "Just get over it. This is pointless to just keep on this thing. Vena has a life and she can do whatever the hell she wants to with it and Orlando, you can't say a damn thing about it!" he shouts and shakes his head after and leaves the room, jogging up the stairs.

No one said a single word after he left the room, we just all sat there is this dead silence that made me feel small.

"He's right, you two," surprisingly, it is my dad that speaks up first. I thought that he was in the same mind place as Orlando. I thought that he hated the fact that I am going out with James as much as anyone else does.

Orlando looks up from his lap and stares at our dad, "What?" he asks completely bewildered.

Dad huffs and stands up, "I want you, James and the rest of the boys in the kitchen right now. One of you grab Luke from upstairs." And just like that three out five of my brothers followed him into the kitchen, while Graham got Luke from upstairs.

I watched them as they leave the room, I feel James's eyes on me. I look away from the kitchen entrance and at him, "What's wrong? Go on, they will be waiting for you," I tell him even I have this feeling that he is about to argue it.

He shakes his head, "Okay," and he just stands up, not saying a single word about it.

As Graham walks down the stairs again with Luke following him closely, James enters the kitchen.

Oh, dear Lord.

How could this go over? I don't know. This is my father, I am talking about, when he wants something resolved in this house, it is going to get resolved one way or another. I don't know if James has ever had one of these sort of talks in his house, I only know this because of the fact that he is an only child.

Usually one of my Dad's talks will go like this: He'll bring up the subject, then we will all argue about it for a moment and then he'll hush us. He will then tell his how it's going to be from now on and then there will be that one person who will interrupt him (I think that this time it's going to be Orlando) then my dad will have a calm response then the conversation is pretty much over.

Well, that's how it usually goes but, for some reason the matter that I am not in there makes me think that this time is different. It isn't often that my dad has a talk with all the boys and not me. I've just got a weird feeling about this one.

Over the entire time that they are in the damn kitchen I have cleaned up my bedroom and packed all our stuff again. I looked out the window continuous times to make it is not snowing what-so-ever, so that we can go home.

Every single time I went downstairs, I wanted to so badly go into that kitchen, mostly because I feel like I belong in there and now all I can think about I what is going on in there.

As I look over at the clock, I notice that it has been a little bit over an hour that they have been in there. I decided quite a while ago that I shouldn't sit in the living room because I just knew that my mom or my aunt or someone would want to talk about it with me, but I didn't want it to be talked about. I want it to be over, so then I can be in a relationship with James without the other men in my life hating him for it. Besides Luke. Luke has been really good through all this and I appreciate that more than he could ever know.

As I lay on top of my bed and on top of the covers with my open book on my stomach, I sigh. I can't even get my mind off what is going on in there to even read. I really never realized how hard it really is to read when you are thinking so hard about something.

I need some clarification to what is happening down there or I think I may go crazy for real this time.

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When I finally calmed my nerves enough to read, I know that I got through at least six or seven chapters. I hate not knowing something, it makes me think that they are worse than they really are.

The minute when my bedroom door opened, I stood up. James is standing there and once again looks exhausted. What did they do to him? Make him battle Orlando in horse jousting?

"How'd it go?" I ask the only question on my mind.

He runs his hand through his hair and steps inside the room with a slight smirk grazing his face, pushing the door behind him. "Well, for me, but not so well for Orlando."

I guess James knocked Orlando off his horse. 

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These filler chapters must be getting boring, sorry.

Now I know that I didn't update yesterday and I am very grateful that no one complained to me yesterday. Honestly, I got so busy that I had no time to write, but here is the update now, so yay. Point 1 to Hailey. 

I will try to update next Friday, but you know how I am.

 Now people, I would really like to answer some questions on Tumblr,  really really really bad, so pleasseee if you have Tumblr and have some questions please hit me up at brightwhitesnow-w.

Thank you,

BWS❄️

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