Chapter 135: Ocean – Christmas Day Part 3
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Ocean
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"I don't know what you're talking about Dad, there is no party here. We're just talking." I pulled Makai by the hand and sat on the love seat near the tree to avoid his sharp eyes.
"Uh huh." I didn't see his grin, but I could hear it in his voice. There was no way he sounded that excited and wasn't grinning like a damn lunatic.
"How about we just get to the present opening now? There is something for all of you. Analise, I hope you don't mind, but your gift is homemade and sort of last minute." Mom was grinning but with embarrassment when she was finished speaking.
"Oh, Steph, you didn't need to prepare anything for us. I am sorry that we didn't bring anything for you. We didn't know until last night that we were coming here at all." Makai's mom looked embarrassed now as well.
"Yeah, Ocean did surprise us all with that one, didn't he?" Mom's words made my brother look at me with glee.
"Yeah, baby Ocean, why did you go and drop this on everyone, now no one had the time to prepare."
"I..I..I..I just w..w..wanted e..ev..everyone t..to b..be happy. Th..th..that's all." I was sweating under the scrutiny that they were giving me.
"I'm just messing with you. Geez, you've truly become a bumbling stutterer, haven't you? Since when do you stutter so much?"
"It all started when he became infatuated with Kai." Dad flopped in his chair opposite me and smirked at my brother.
"Oh, so that was when. I thought the boy was just naturally a stutterer and my son thought it was cute and endearing. Who would have thought that Ocean only started it after he met my Kai?" Mr. Rivers sat on the couch and looked at me now.
"N..n..n..no th..th..that's n..n..not it. I..i..it happened wh..when-."
"I know." Deliah interrupted me and my long drawn out stuttering. "It happened when he hit his head right? That was what he said last time."
"Yeah, but did he tell you he only hit his head because he was thinking about Kai too much? Or that Makai was the one that pulled him from the water and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation?" Dad was truly finding my predicament hilarious. That evil bastard.
"I don't care what started it or when. I do find it adorable and it's not something to make fun of him about." Kai started to defend me. "Not to mention, who wouldn't be embarrassed with all of you ganging up on him like this."
"Yeah, I guess that would get to be embarrassing." Julie nodded along with Makai and I had hoped that the teasing would stop then and there.
"Well, whatever the reason or the cause, it's made my baby Ocean like a hundred times fucking cuter." Grantham chuckled and ruffled my hair as he walked past me to hit the floor in front of the couch, Rachel was right behind him at the end closest to me.
"I am not cute." I snapped at him.
"Ooh ooh, look at that! He doesn't stutter when he is mad." Deliah pointed at me. "That is a new development."
"You're all mean." I crossed my arms over my chest and slumped in my seat.
"I'm sorry, Ocean, but you're just so cute. How can we resist?" My brother truly was annoying at times.
"Enough of this, time for gifts." Mom put an end to the teasing for the moment and started to pass out gifts to all of us, including Makai and his parents.
I watched everyone opening their gifts rather than opening my own. I saw that mom had made a bunch of her desserts and put them in a tin for Mr. and Mrs. Rivers. She had also made them a dream catcher that had seashells dangling from it.
"This is beautiful, Steph. Thank you so much." Mrs. Rivers smiled at mom as she held up the handmade craft. "These have always been a fascination of mine, so I am truly happy to get this. Thank you, truly."
"I am glad that you like it, Analise. I have been making them for years."
Mom had gotten a bunch of baby items for my brother and his wife along with the other gifts. Rachel got a new camera lens and some more equipment for her photography hobby. My brother got some novelty items from the Disney store, mostly things that were Star Wars themed.
Deliah loved everything to do with sea creatures, so she got a new book filled with artwork of sea turtles, dolphins and more. She was also given some new clothes and other items that would help her in her daily life since she was always so busy with her job at the marine mammal rescue center and her graduate classes.
Julie was younger than the others and was more into music than anything else. She was given tickets to a concert that she wanted to go to and some clothes as well. She wasn't working since she was still in university and Mom and Dad were the ones paying for everything for her.
Makai had a pile of gifts as well and was opening them calmly. He was given mostly books, movies, and clothes that my parents had figured he would like after the talks we had during our weekly family dinners.
While I sat here thinking about the gifts, I remembered that we had left the box of gifts that we brought in the car. I can't believe that we forgot to bring them inside.
"Ocean, aren't you going to open yours?" Mom asked me when she noticed that I was just sitting there.
"I was just thinking. And I realized that we left the gifts for everyone in the car." I answered her in a sort of distracted tone.
"I will get them. You open your gifts." Makai kissed my cheek and then left the living room.
As soon as Makai was out of the house my brother narrowed his eyes at me.
"Soo, Ocean, when will the two of you be getting married?"
"What?" I couldn't believe the question that he had just asked me.
"What? Isn't that the next logical step after you move in together? That's what Rachel and I did." He didn't seem to see the problem with what he had said.
"Yeah, well, you and Rachel were older than Makai and I are. We're too young to get married." I yelled at him.
"Actually, you're not." Dad just felt the need to butt in.
"He's right." Mr. Rivers joined the bandwagon. "You're both eighteen, you could elope and none of us could stop you. You're able to get married whenever you want."
"Well, obviously, I would like to be there, so I hope you won't elope." Mom gave me a stern look.
"That's right. Makai is my only child. I would like to be at his wedding. Please don't run off and get married without letting me be a part of it too."
"Yeah, and I need to be there too. Ocean, don't you dare elope." Julie looked sad as she spoke.
"You had better not." Deliah glared at me.
"I never said that we were going to elope. Geez, get a grip."
I stood up to try and stop them from harping on this subject any longer. However, I made the mistake of leaning over to set the boxes that I had been given on the floor and the ring that I wore on the chain fell out. It was now dangling in full sight of everyone that was gathered here.
"Oh, I see how it is." Deliah snapped at me.
"You're already married?" My brother gasped the words when he saw the ring.
"Who is already married?" Makai asked as he came back into the house.
"You!" His mom yelled at him.
"No, I'm not." Makai looked confused.
"Then explain that ring." She pointed at me.
"Oh, that." He laughed. "That's not a wedding ring, it's like a promise ring." Makai didn't seem at all phased by the intensity of the looks aimed at him.
"Uh huh, like hell we will believe that story." Mr. Rivers joked with him.
"What did you do? Run off to Vegas the moment you two moved in together?" Grantham sounded shocked. "Seriously, you two are unbelievable."
"We're not married." I snapped at him. "You've got it all wrong."
"Ocean? Did you really go and get married without your mom there with you?" I could see the heartache that was in my mom's eyes as she asked that question of me.
"No, Mom, I didn't."
"Ocean, why would you do this to us." Mrs. Rivers looked just as sad as my mom did, there were tears in her eyes as well as my mom's.
"I swear Momma, we didn't get married. Makai and I are not married. Honest."
"Did you just call Kai's mom Momma? That just proves it, you have to be married now." Julie's voice joined the misconception that was going on.
"I assure you all, we are not married. I gave that ring to Ocean for this month's anniversary, that was all. We will get married after we graduate high school. We can't very well get married while still going to school. Imagine the scene that would cause." Makai came to stand next to me and took my hand in his.
"Really?" Mrs. Rivers gave her son an intense look.
"Really, Mom, we're not married."
"Then I guess we get to plan a wedding for this summer then." My dad jumped up, excited about the announcement that I hadn't even known was coming. I hadn't even expected us to be getting married for a long time but apparently it was something that our family had been thinking a lot about.
"What the hell is going on here?" I sighed and mumbled the words.
"Ocean Riptide Shores, do not use that foul language on Christmas."
"Why am I the only one being yelled at about it? Grantham has been swearing too."
"He needs to stop too. Neither of you are too big for me to put over my knee."
"Yes, Mom." I stood at attention immediately.
"Yes, Mommy.." Grantham sat a little higher in his seat.
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Ocean
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"I don't know what you're talking about Dad, there is no party here. We're just talking." I pulled Makai by the hand and sat on the love seat near the tree to avoid his sharp eyes.
"Uh huh." I didn't see his grin, but I could hear it in his voice. There was no way he sounded that excited and wasn't grinning like a damn lunatic.
"How about we just get to the present opening now? There is something for all of you. Analise, I hope you don't mind, but your gift is homemade and sort of last minute." Mom was grinning but with embarrassment when she was finished speaking.
"Oh, Steph, you didn't need to prepare anything for us. I am sorry that we didn't bring anything for you. We didn't know until last night that we were coming here at all." Makai's mom looked embarrassed now as well.
"Yeah, Ocean did surprise us all with that one, didn't he?" Mom's words made my brother look at me with glee.
"Yeah, baby Ocean, why did you go and drop this on everyone, now no one had the time to prepare."
"I..I..I..I just w..w..wanted e..ev..everyone t..to b..be happy. Th..th..that's all." I was sweating under the scrutiny that they were giving me.
"I'm just messing with you. Geez, you've truly become a bumbling stutterer, haven't you? Since when do you stutter so much?"
"It all started when he became infatuated with Kai." Dad flopped in his chair opposite me and smirked at my brother.
"Oh, so that was when. I thought the boy was just naturally a stutterer and my son thought it was cute and endearing. Who would have thought that Ocean only started it after he met my Kai?" Mr. Rivers sat on the couch and looked at me now.
"N..n..n..no th..th..that's n..n..not it. I..i..it happened wh..when-."
"I know." Deliah interrupted me and my long drawn out stuttering. "It happened when he hit his head right? That was what he said last time."
"Yeah, but did he tell you he only hit his head because he was thinking about Kai too much? Or that Makai was the one that pulled him from the water and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation?" Dad was truly finding my predicament hilarious. That evil bastard.
"I don't care what started it or when. I do find it adorable and it's not something to make fun of him about." Kai started to defend me. "Not to mention, who wouldn't be embarrassed with all of you ganging up on him like this."
"Yeah, I guess that would get to be embarrassing." Julie nodded along with Makai and I had hoped that the teasing would stop then and there.
"Well, whatever the reason or the cause, it's made my baby Ocean like a hundred times fucking cuter." Grantham chuckled and ruffled my hair as he walked past me to hit the floor in front of the couch, Rachel was right behind him at the end closest to me.
"I am not cute." I snapped at him.
"Ooh ooh, look at that! He doesn't stutter when he is mad." Deliah pointed at me. "That is a new development."
"You're all mean." I crossed my arms over my chest and slumped in my seat.
"I'm sorry, Ocean, but you're just so cute. How can we resist?" My brother truly was annoying at times.
"Enough of this, time for gifts." Mom put an end to the teasing for the moment and started to pass out gifts to all of us, including Makai and his parents.
I watched everyone opening their gifts rather than opening my own. I saw that mom had made a bunch of her desserts and put them in a tin for Mr. and Mrs. Rivers. She had also made them a dream catcher that had seashells dangling from it.
"This is beautiful, Steph. Thank you so much." Mrs. Rivers smiled at mom as she held up the handmade craft. "These have always been a fascination of mine, so I am truly happy to get this. Thank you, truly."
"I am glad that you like it, Analise. I have been making them for years."
Mom had gotten a bunch of baby items for my brother and his wife along with the other gifts. Rachel got a new camera lens and some more equipment for her photography hobby. My brother got some novelty items from the Disney store, mostly things that were Star Wars themed.
Deliah loved everything to do with sea creatures, so she got a new book filled with artwork of sea turtles, dolphins and more. She was also given some new clothes and other items that would help her in her daily life since she was always so busy with her job at the marine mammal rescue center and her graduate classes.
Julie was younger than the others and was more into music than anything else. She was given tickets to a concert that she wanted to go to and some clothes as well. She wasn't working since she was still in university and Mom and Dad were the ones paying for everything for her.
Makai had a pile of gifts as well and was opening them calmly. He was given mostly books, movies, and clothes that my parents had figured he would like after the talks we had during our weekly family dinners.
While I sat here thinking about the gifts, I remembered that we had left the box of gifts that we brought in the car. I can't believe that we forgot to bring them inside.
"Ocean, aren't you going to open yours?" Mom asked me when she noticed that I was just sitting there.
"I was just thinking. And I realized that we left the gifts for everyone in the car." I answered her in a sort of distracted tone.
"I will get them. You open your gifts." Makai kissed my cheek and then left the living room.
As soon as Makai was out of the house my brother narrowed his eyes at me.
"Soo, Ocean, when will the two of you be getting married?"
"What?" I couldn't believe the question that he had just asked me.
"What? Isn't that the next logical step after you move in together? That's what Rachel and I did." He didn't seem to see the problem with what he had said.
"Yeah, well, you and Rachel were older than Makai and I are. We're too young to get married." I yelled at him.
"Actually, you're not." Dad just felt the need to butt in.
"He's right." Mr. Rivers joined the bandwagon. "You're both eighteen, you could elope and none of us could stop you. You're able to get married whenever you want."
"Well, obviously, I would like to be there, so I hope you won't elope." Mom gave me a stern look.
"That's right. Makai is my only child. I would like to be at his wedding. Please don't run off and get married without letting me be a part of it too."
"Yeah, and I need to be there too. Ocean, don't you dare elope." Julie looked sad as she spoke.
"You had better not." Deliah glared at me.
"I never said that we were going to elope. Geez, get a grip."
I stood up to try and stop them from harping on this subject any longer. However, I made the mistake of leaning over to set the boxes that I had been given on the floor and the ring that I wore on the chain fell out. It was now dangling in full sight of everyone that was gathered here.
"Oh, I see how it is." Deliah snapped at me.
"You're already married?" My brother gasped the words when he saw the ring.
"Who is already married?" Makai asked as he came back into the house.
"You!" His mom yelled at him.
"No, I'm not." Makai looked confused.
"Then explain that ring." She pointed at me.
"Oh, that." He laughed. "That's not a wedding ring, it's like a promise ring." Makai didn't seem at all phased by the intensity of the looks aimed at him.
"Uh huh, like hell we will believe that story." Mr. Rivers joked with him.
"What did you do? Run off to Vegas the moment you two moved in together?" Grantham sounded shocked. "Seriously, you two are unbelievable."
"We're not married." I snapped at him. "You've got it all wrong."
"Ocean? Did you really go and get married without your mom there with you?" I could see the heartache that was in my mom's eyes as she asked that question of me.
"No, Mom, I didn't."
"Ocean, why would you do this to us." Mrs. Rivers looked just as sad as my mom did, there were tears in her eyes as well as my mom's.
"I swear Momma, we didn't get married. Makai and I are not married. Honest."
"Did you just call Kai's mom Momma? That just proves it, you have to be married now." Julie's voice joined the misconception that was going on.
"I assure you all, we are not married. I gave that ring to Ocean for this month's anniversary, that was all. We will get married after we graduate high school. We can't very well get married while still going to school. Imagine the scene that would cause." Makai came to stand next to me and took my hand in his.
"Really?" Mrs. Rivers gave her son an intense look.
"Really, Mom, we're not married."
"Then I guess we get to plan a wedding for this summer then." My dad jumped up, excited about the announcement that I hadn't even known was coming. I hadn't even expected us to be getting married for a long time but apparently it was something that our family had been thinking a lot about.
"What the hell is going on here?" I sighed and mumbled the words.
"Ocean Riptide Shores, do not use that foul language on Christmas."
"Why am I the only one being yelled at about it? Grantham has been swearing too."
"He needs to stop too. Neither of you are too big for me to put over my knee."
"Yes, Mom." I stood at attention immediately.
"Yes, Mommy.." Grantham sat a little higher in his seat.
~~Ocean~~"I don't know what you're talking about Dad, there is no party here. We're just talking." I pulled Makai by the hand and sat on the love seat near the tree to avoid his sharp eyes."Uh huh." I didn't see his grin, but I could hear it in his voice. There was no way he sounded that excited and wasn't grinning like a damn lunatic."How about we just get to the present opening now? There is something for all of you. Analise, I hope you don't mind, but your gift is homemade and sort of last minute." Mom was grinning but with embarrassment when she was finished speaking."Oh, Steph, you didn't need to prepare anything for us. I am sorry that we didn't bring anything for you. We didn't know until last night that we were coming here at all." Makai's mom looked embarrassed now as well."Yeah, Ocean did surprise us all with that one, didn't he?" Mom's words made my brother look at me with glee."Yeah, baby Ocean, why did you go and drop this on everyone, now no one had the time to prepare.""I..I..I..I just w..w..wanted e..ev..everyone t..to b..be happy. Th..th..that's all." I was sweating under the scrutiny that they were giving me."I'm just messing with you. Geez, you've truly become a bumbling stutterer, haven't you? Since when do you stutter so much?""It all started when he became infatuated with Kai." Dad flopped in his chair opposite me and smirked at my brother."Oh, so that was when. I thought the boy was just naturally a stutterer and my son thought it was cute and endearing. Who would have thought that Ocean only started it after he met my Kai?" Mr. Rivers sat on the couch and looked at me now."N..n..n..no th..th..that's n..n..not it. I..i..it happened wh..when-.""I know." Deliah interrupted me and my long drawn out stuttering. "It happened when he hit his head right? That was what he said last time.""Yeah, but did he tell you he only hit his head because he was thinking about Kai too much? Or that Makai was the one that pulled him from the water and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation?" Dad was truly finding my predicament hilarious. That evil bastard."I don't care what started it or when. I do find it adorable and it's not something to make fun of him about." Kai started to defend me. "Not to mention, who wouldn't be embarrassed with all of you ganging up on him like this.""Yeah, I guess that would get to be embarrassing." Julie nodded along with Makai and I had hoped that the teasing would stop then and there."Well, whatever the reason or the cause, it's made my baby Ocean like a hundred times fucking cuter." Grantham chuckled and ruffled my hair as he walked past me to hit the floor in front of the couch, Rachel was right behind him at the end closest to me."I am not cute." I snapped at him."Ooh ooh, look at that! He doesn't stutter when he is mad." Deliah pointed at me. "That is a new development.""You're all mean." I crossed my arms over my chest and slumped in my seat."I'm sorry, Ocean, but you're just so cute. How can we resist?" My brother truly was annoying at times."Enough of this, time for gifts." Mom put an end to the teasing for the moment and started to pass out gifts to all of us, including Makai and his parents.I watched everyone opening their gifts rather than opening my own. I saw that mom had made a bunch of her desserts and put them in a tin for Mr. and Mrs. Rivers. She had also made them a dream catcher that had seashells dangling from it."This is beautiful, Steph. Thank you so much." Mrs. Rivers smiled at mom as she held up the handmade craft. "These have always been a fascination of mine, so I am truly happy to get this. Thank you, truly.""I am glad that you like it, Analise. I have been making them for years."Mom had gotten a bunch of baby items for my brother and his wife along with the other gifts. Rachel got a new camera lens and some more equipment for her photography hobby. My brother got some novelty items from the Disney store, mostly things that were Star Wars themed.Deliah loved everything to do with sea creatures, so she got a new book filled with artwork of sea turtles, dolphins and more. She was also given some new clothes and other items that would help her in her daily life since she was always so busy with her job at the marine mammal rescue center and her graduate classes.Julie was younger than the others and was more into music than anything else. She was given tickets to a concert that she wanted to go to and some clothes as well. She wasn't working since she was still in university and Mom and Dad were the ones paying for everything for her.Makai had a pile of gifts as well and was opening them calmly. He was given mostly books, movies, and clothes that my parents had figured he would like after the talks we had during our weekly family dinners.While I sat here thinking about the gifts, I remembered that we had left the box of gifts that we brought in the car. I can't believe that we forgot to bring them inside."Ocean, aren't you going to open yours?" Mom asked me when she noticed that I was just sitting there."I was just thinking. And I realized that we left the gifts for everyone in the car." I answered her in a sort of distracted tone."I will get them. You open your gifts." Makai kissed my cheek and then left the living room.As soon as Makai was out of the house my brother narrowed his eyes at me."Soo, Ocean, when will the two of you be getting married?""What?" I couldn't believe the question that he had just asked me."What? Isn't that the next logical step after you move in together? That's what Rachel and I did." He didn't seem to see the problem with what he had said."Yeah, well, you and Rachel were older than Makai and I are. We're too young to get married." I yelled at him."Actually, you're not." Dad just felt the need to butt in."He's right." Mr. Rivers joined the bandwagon. "You're both eighteen, you could elope and none of us could stop you. You're able to get married whenever you want.""Well, obviously, I would like to be there, so I hope you won't elope." Mom gave me a stern look."That's right. Makai is my only child. I would like to be at his wedding. Please don't run off and get married without letting me be a part of it too.""Yeah, and I need to be there too. Ocean, don't you dare elope." Julie looked sad as she spoke."You had better not." Deliah glared at me."I never said that we were going to elope. Geez, get a grip."I stood up to try and stop them from harping on this subject any longer. However, I made the mistake of leaning over to set the boxes that I had been given on the floor and the ring that I wore on the chain fell out. It was now dangling in full sight of everyone that was gathered here."Oh, I see how it is." Deliah snapped at me."You're already married?" My brother gasped the words when he saw the ring."Who is already married?" Makai asked as he came back into the house."You!" His mom yelled at him."No, I'm not." Makai looked confused."Then explain that ring." She pointed at me."Oh, that." He laughed. "That's not a wedding ring, it's like a promise ring." Makai didn't seem at all phased by the intensity of the looks aimed at him."Uh huh, like hell we will believe that story." Mr. Rivers joked with him."What did you do? Run off to Vegas the moment you two moved in together?" Grantham sounded shocked. "Seriously, you two are unbelievable.""We're not married." I snapped at him. "You've got it all wrong.""Ocean? Did you really go and get married without your mom there with you?" I could see the heartache that was in my mom's eyes as she asked that question of me."No, Mom, I didn't.""Ocean, why would you do this to us." Mrs. Rivers looked just as sad as my mom did, there were tears in her eyes as well as my mom's."I swear Momma, we didn't get married. Makai and I are not married. Honest.""Did you just call Kai's mom Momma? That just proves it, you have to be married now." Julie's voice joined the misconception that was going on."I assure you all, we are not married. I gave that ring to Ocean for this month's anniversary, that was all. We will get married after we graduate high school. We can't very well get married while still going to school. Imagine the scene that would cause." Makai came to stand next to me and took my hand in his."Really?" Mrs. Rivers gave her son an intense look."Really, Mom, we're not married.""Then I guess we get to plan a wedding for this summer then." My dad jumped up, excited about the announcement that I hadn't even known was coming. I hadn't even expected us to be getting married for a long time but apparently it was something that our family had been thinking a lot about."What the hell is going on here?" I sighed and mumbled the words."Ocean Riptide Shores, do not use that foul language on Christmas.""Why am I the only one being yelled at about it? Grantham has been swearing too." "He needs to stop too. Neither of you are too big for me to put over my knee.""Yes, Mom." I stood at attention immediately."Yes, Mommy.." Grantham sat a little higher in his seat.
