Page 110 of Penalty Shots

"Here, here," I say over my shoulder as I walk with the baby to the living room.

The guys are finally getting in sync with my dad acting as the conductor. Each one has a drum with its own rhythm.

And once they have it down, my dad starts belting out a Christmas folk song straight from the island.

The guys all keep up their beats, and the women come in behind me. I hold Stella to me and dance with her to the beats of the drums.

When the song is done, the boys all give their drums one final bang. And the women all burst into applause.

"Ey! You guys did it!" I say to Keelan, dropping into his lap with Stella still in my arms. He sets his hand drum to the side.

"It only took four hours and a new callous, which I am very proud of, by the way." He holds his hand out for me to see, and I pick it up and give it a gentle kiss.

"A hard-earned prize," I say.

"I'd like to think so." He wraps his arms around my waist and nuzzles my neck, holding his niece’s hand as she grips his finger in a death grip.

"Ok," my dad says. "Are we going to do presents?"

"We usually don't do presents until the morning," Izzy says. "But we can do maybe one each? Save the rest for after breakfast."

She looks around the room for a consensus, and it's met with a unanimous agreement.

"I'll go first if you don't mind." That's from Scott.

OrGreat Scott, if you're Keelan Landry and trolling your aunt's new boyfriend.

Scott reaches into the tree overflowing with gifts and produces a small box topped with a bow.

"Oh, boy," Ginny says. Izzy takes the wine glass from her so she can open the little box. "I wonder what could be in such a tiny box."

We all hold our breaths, and as she pops the top off, she gasps.

"Scott, you didn't."

"What?" Keelan tries to get a good look.

Izzy too. "It's a key. For what?"

Ginny holds the key up. "It's a Winnebago," she cries.

My parents both gasp. "It's a motorhome! Woah, way to go, Scott." Scott takes a bow and kisses my aunt on the cheek.

"That way, we can go visit these kids out in Texas whenever you get the bug. And we won't have to bother them."

"You guys are no bother!' Izzy assures them. "And you're welcome anytime."

"Anytime," Keelan says.

Izzy nudges Ryker. "Of course,” he says, “we love company."

I laugh. Izzy and Keelan love company, Ryker… not so much. But he's a good host even when he's not trying.

"Ok. It'll be hard to beat that, but who's next?" Mom says.

"I'll go." Keelan squeezes my thigh, and I take that as a sign that I need to get up.

I pass Stella back to Ryker and sit down, waiting for the present Keelan picks out. It’s not wrapped and looks like a document holder, but it has a bow on it because it's Christmas Eve, after all.