***
Getting Gabriella out to the Mercedes is a lot quicker than bundling Henry up, so they're on the road in no time with her buckled into her safety seat. He hates driving Garrison's SUV, mostly because it has so many bells and whistles that he's afraid it's going to decide it's tired of his driving and take over, making him bow to his robotic overlord.
Gabriella directs him to fiddle with the satellite radio until she finds the Disney station, so Josh gets to listen to The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
They're fifteen minutes away when Mama texts to let him know her debarking is late due to some taxiing mix up on the runway or something to that effect. Her plane has landed, but it's out there circling the tarmac, so they have some time.
Burlington Airport is a nightmare with holiday travel, but they park the SUV after following some poor travelers back to their car to nab the spot, and then head in to the baggage claim. Gabriella steps in close, her hand tangled in the fold of his jacket right at his hip, and it's familiar enough now that he automatically adjusts for her presence as he navigates the crowds.
The last time he came to this airport was four Christmases ago, the day he found out his father had died of a heart attack and his family needed Josh there to read the man's will. After being estranged for seventeen years, Josh had been afraid his family would reject him -- and Garrison -- but he'd been welcomed with open arms.
His brother, sister, and nephew are staying in Ohio this Christmas, but this is the first time his mother is coming out to visit. It's only been four years since his father passed away, so he was worried that she wouldn't want to travel for the holidays, but Toby, his little brother, thought it would be good for her. She's sounded enthusiastic every time Josh has spoken to her on the phone.
Of course, the new grandkids are probably a huge part of that.
He finds a clear space against a pillar to wait and leans back against it. He's worried that Gabriella will get bored, but she just parks herself in front of him, sagging back against his legs until he hooks his hands under her arm pits and holds her up, letting her sway back and forth as much as she likes. Big as they are, Josh and Garrison have adjusted to being portable jungle gyms.
They get a couple stares as people pass by, mostly older folks waiting for their luggage. Yes, he's a white man with a biracial daughter, he wants to say to them, but the same attitude prevails that helps him when people question why he's openly gay on the force or in an interracial marriage. They're his kids, it's his and Garrison's business, and everyone else can stuff it.
No one questions Garrison when he's out with the kids, but Josh has had to put up with people who think it's okay to just outright ask him where Henry's parents are, or worse, where he got Gabriella from. Inside their house, race isn't an issue, but the rest of the world is far from color blind.
It could be worse, he supposes. No one's ever asked him if he's the kids' nanny, like one of the other mothers in their parenting class who has had to deal with the question on multiple occasions.
"What's that?" Gabriella asks, pointing at the machine to pay for parking. Josh hands her the ticket and takes her over to explain it. She's feeding his credit card in when he hears his mother behind them.
"Joshua Edward Dabbs!" Mama exclaims, and he half turns. "I swear you get taller every time I see you."
"Hey, Mama!"
Her hug is even stronger than Grace's, and Josh feels his spine pop. Gabriella is clinging to his leg, staring at his mom with huge eyes. Josh plucks his credit card and the parking receipt from her fingers and nudges her forward.
"You must be Gabriella," Mama says in her best grandmother voice. Gabriella ducks her head shyly.
"Pleased to meet you," she says to the ground.
"Oh, aren't you adorable?" Mama breathes and crouches down to give Gabriella a much gentler hug than the one she gave Josh.
People are waiting to pay for their parking so Josh ushers them to the side as soon as he can. Mama only has one bag on her shoulder, and she's staying for a week, so he asks, "Do we need to pick up your luggage, Mama?"
She shakes her head. "Heaven's no, I travel light. I hardly trust the airlines to get me where I'm going, let alone my bags."
That settled, they head for the SUV, Mama keeping up a running commentary the entire way back to the house on Josh's family, including Toby, Kayla, and Kayla's son Anthony, explaining who everyone is for Gabriella.
"How's the mill doing?" Josh asks when he can get a word in. He gets bi-weekly updates from his sister and brother, but he likes to hear Mama's take on their employees. He kept a quarter ownership of the company, and it gives their accountant no end of grief.
"You remember Sue, our lead engineer? Her oldest son is off to college--" And she goes off on a tangent.
Then she starts asking Gabriella about school and karate classes before the suspension, and Ella is actually answering politely without Josh having to wag his eyebrows at her.
It is the season of miracles.
Roby's motorcycle is in the driveway when they return, and Mama looks surprised to see so many vehicles.
"We invited a couple friends over for dinner," Josh says, half-apologetically because he hadn't really told her before. But Mama's the social type, so he hopes it's not an issue.
"I've heard so much about your friends, I'd love to meet them. After all, a big Christmas Eve dinner is family tradition," Mama says softly, and Josh knows she's thinking of his dad and the big dinner Kayla is probably hosting as they speak.
Muttlee and Munchkin play the welcoming committee, so Mama's covered in dog drool and fur by the time they get in the door. She's laughing, though, and it lights up her lined face.
Introductions are as chaotic as everything else that day, with Mama meeting Grace and Hugh, then Sherry -- who looks much more sociable after her nap -- and Pierre. Roby's skulking in the kitchen around the food with Garrison and the kids, showing Henry and Lily a card trick he learned from one of the EMTs on the night shift.
"So you're the infamous partner I've been hearing stories about," Mama says with mock severity when he introduces Roby.
"I assure you, ma'am," Roby says solemnly, taking her hand. "They were all lies. Unless they were good stories, in which case, they're all true."
She laughs, and Josh growls, and then Garrison is steering him away from his Flirty McFlirty partner. Thinks he's charming...
"All in good fun, babe," Garrison says with a chuckle. Josh sniffs disparagingly.
The house smells like rosemary and turkey, with an underlying hint of cinnamon, which Josh hopes is Ms. Anne Marie's pumpkin pie. His stomach grumbles, and he realizes he never had lunch.
Garrison laughs at him, and diverts him toward the dining room, where Jeremiah is grudgingly setting the table.
"C'mon, this will make it go faster," Garrison prompts, pushing him toward the good china cabinet. The kitchen table has been dragged in and added to the end of the dining table, almost into the living room, and there may just be enough chairs for everyone.
When they're finished with that, Josh wanders into the kitchen and gets shooed right back out by Garrison when he tries to pick at a couple of the sides. But at least he's sent out to the living room with a tray of cheese and prosciutto, and he's even nice enough to share.
Sinking into the recliner opposite Hugh's, Josh kicks back and watches a hockey game while Mama and Grace chat on the couch in the background. Lily and Henry are still gazing at Roby adoringly, even though the man says he's terrible with children, and after a while, Gabriella wanders in to perch on the arm of the couch nearest Josh. He reaches out to ruffle her curls even more, and she gives him a small smile instead of a grumpy face, so he counts it as a win.
The dog alarms go off again, but Josh stays in his chair. It's very comfortable.
"Rick!" Both Gabriella and Henry yell as Rick and E come through the door.
Rick and E look like polar opposite husbands at first glance. Rick is a wiry, white
tattoo artist, covered in ink with his hair in long dreadlocks, and he's become their go-to babysitter. The kids love him, probably because he's so laid back and can always think of a craft project to do, even with the stuff just lying around the house. E, short for Emmanuel, is another lawyer and a former Marine who Roby initially introduced them to for an additional sparring partner at the gym. He’s quiet and understated, especially compared to Rick’s excited flailing and enthusiastic hugs as the kids run to him.
After Henry introduces Rick and E around the house, Pierre laughs and says, "So four lawyers walk into a room--"
Sherry groans and covers his mouth with her hand. "No lawyer jokes. You promised."
"Ah, cherie, I promised as a Christmas present, so technically, that starts tomorrow..."
Garrison claps his hands, breaking the moment. "All right, people. Turkey's almost ready to carve, so get your drinks and find a seat, so we can start serving."
Josh levers himself up out of the chair, standing beside E, who just raises an eyebrow at the heap of presents by the tree.
"First Christmas with new grandkids." Josh sighs. "The kids can sense a sucker a mile away, let alone three."
E laughs, and nods at Roby. "Make that four. Think he'll babysit for us one day?"
Josh smirks. "I have way more dirt on him than you, and he won't babysit for me."
"He give you the 'chicks dig kids' line, the old player?"
"Only once."
They're snickering as they sit down, and Roby