(no subject)
“See!” said the hushed voice behind the doorway. “I told you Santa was real.”
“Nuh-uh! That’s Daddy.” The redheaded girl shook her head vehemently disagreeing with her little brother.
“It’s Santa. See, red suit and beard.” The little boy, about two years younger, stuck his thumb back in his mouth as he looked up at his sister with wide blue eyes.
“Then why is Mommy helping if it’s not Daddy?” the girl pointed her finger through the crack in the door at her mother as an equally redheaded woman waltzed into the living room, a wrapped present in her hand.
“Hey now, you’re not supposed to be lifting things. Give me that,” said the Santa Claus who quickly took the shiny green foiled present from Pepper’s hands.
“It’s barely three pounds of weight. Just because the baby could come any day now doesn’t mean I can’t help,” she pouted, putting her hands on her hips with a sigh.
“No, that’s exactly what it means or else you get a lump of coal in your stock, Mrs. Claus,” Tony said, his finger pointing towards the rocking chair, giving her a stern look from behind the white beard and glasses.
“Yes, Santa,” she said, reluctantly taking a seat to watch Tony finish arranging the gifts under the Christmas tree. Quietly, Pepper rocked in the chair, her hand resting on her swollen belly as the fireplace light danced across her platinum wedding ring, gleaming. “You know they’re watching, right?”
“I know,” he said as he dragged the black ten speed bike out and parked it in front of the tree. “Why do you think I’m dressed up?”
“Olivia’s known it was you since she was two.”
“But Edward still believes. It’s why I do it. Gotta give the kids something normal,” he said with a sigh as he took a step back to look at the layout of the presents. “It’s hard for them being geniuses at their age.” Walking over to the chair, Tony put his hands on Pepper’s shoulder, massaging them lightly as he crouched down behind it. “I have to give them some kind of normal childhood even if our kids can already crack into Pentagon level security systems.”
Pepper smiled, chuckling as she leaned back to look at him. “I’d have never thought I’d have given birth to geniuses.”
“You didn’t think you’d be married to the hottest billionaire in the world, either,” he said, tugging the beard down enough to show his face. He was grinning ear to ear as he leaned in to kiss her, a hand moving to lie on top of hers on her very pregnant belly.
Behind them, they could hear two surprised gasps and the scurrying of feet away from the doorway, which made them laugh. “Guess they couldn’t handle Mommy kissing Santa Claus.”