She squeezed his hand across the center console as he drove to the cabin.
“Okay, just so you remember,” he said. “My brothers are morons. Their wives are great, but Pete and Tom are idiots.”
Pam chuckled.
“What?” Jim demanded. “They are! One time they froze every single pair of my underwear in the freezer overnight.”
“Aww,” she frowned. “Poor tiny Jim.”
He raised his eyebrows indignantly. “Pam, I was 15! Tom was in freaking college.”
Now she was really laughing. He pulled his hand away, repressing a smile. Her laughter, especially when she tried to talk through it and her voice shot up an octave, was in his top fave very favorite things about her. She scrambled to try and grab it back.
“No, you don’t deserve this hand,” he joked. She exaggerated a pout which made him give in and immediately extend it back out to her. “You’re lucky you’re cute, you know.”
She grinned. “I know.”
“Okay,” he continued. “And then there’s Larissa. I think you two will get along great. Then my parents. My mom is the sweetest person on the planet, but she also raised three boys so she doesn’t take crap from anyone and can crack the whip if she needs to. My dad is super laid back as long as you don’t mention the Cowboys.”
“You mean like, John Wayne?”
“No, the football te--” he started, but caught her eye and realized she was messing with him. She ran her hand up his forearm.
“Relax, Jim. I’m excited to meet them. I think you’re probably more nervous than I am!”
Truthfully, he was nervous. Not nervous that they wouldn’t like her, because that seemed impossible. But he had never brought a girl home. Ever. He just wanted her to be comfortable and for everyone to get along the way he expected them to. He kissed the back of her hand. “No, it will be great.”
They pulled up to the cabin and a smile came to Jim’s face as he looked up at it through the windshield. His grandpa built it 50 years ago and Jim had a million and a half memories from inside the walls. It wasn’t like one of the newer cabins that had been popping up around it in recent years--the ones that had theater rooms, and sport courts, and commercial-sized kitchens. No, it was rustic, and worn, and lived-in, and it was Jim’s favorite place on earth.
Jim walked around the car to open Pam’s door, hearing the snow crunch under his feet and echo through towering pine trees surrounding them.
“This place is amazing,” Pam marveled as she exited the car. “You said your grandpa built it?”
Jim nodded and grabbed their bags from the trunk. “You ready?” he asked.
She grabbed her bag from him and replaced it with her hand. “Definitely.”
“Good, because my mom is going to come running out the door in three...two…one…”
“Hey, you two!!” Betsy Halpert called from the porch.
Jim grinned at Pam. They walked up to greet Betsy, who instantly wrapped Pam in her arms.
“It’s so great to finally meet you, Pam!” Betsy gushed, then moved to hug Jim. “Come inside, I have lunch ready.”
They made their way into the kitchen, where Betsy had prepared a lunch much bigger than anyone could probably eat, but that was pretty common. Raising three boys had made her habitually make much more food than one would think necessary.
“Jim! Hey!”
A woman with golden hair stood up from the barstool and gave Jim a hug. She pulled back and Jim gestured toward Pam.
“Marcie, this is Pam. Pam, this is Marcie, Tom’s wife and very much his better half.”
They all exchanged pleasantries and made their way into the main room, where Jim’s brothers and his dad were watching a football game. Jim’s dad saw them enter the room, muted the tv, and stood to greet them.
“Dad! C’mon!” Pete whined.
Gerald lightly smacked Pete on the back of his head, then smiled a big Halpert smile at the two of them. He took Jim into a hug and patted his back solidly a few times. “Hey, son.”
“Hey, Pops. This is Pam.”
Gerald grinned and took Pam’s hand in his. “So glad you could join us for Christmas! Jim has told us so much about you and we are looking forward to getting to know you better. Want to join us for the game?”
“Dad--”
Pam interrupted him. “I’d love to! Jim’s been a good teacher when it comes to football and I think I’m actually starting to like it,” she smiled up at Jim.
“Okay, then,” Jim said, shrugging. “Pete, Tom, this is Pam.”
Pete stuck his hand out to shake Pam’s. “I can already tell you’re too good for this punk here. Welcome to the cabin!” he smiled.
Jim rolled his eyes and followed Pam onto the couch next to Tom, who also shook Pam’s hand before turning back toward the TV that Gerald had just unmuted.
“Where’s ‘Ris?” Jim asked his dad.
“She said she’d be here by dinnertime. Had a delay on her flight into Scranton.”
Truthfully, Jim liked his brothers, even with their jokes and insults, but he was really looking forward to seeing his sister. She had been away at school and he hadn’t seen her since August. The two of them had always been extremely close and made a great team against their older brothers. He trusted her more than anyone else in his life and he desperately wanted her to meet Pam.
Just as they sat down on the couch, a little blonde blur came hurling toward them.
“Jimmy!!”
“Hey, Bug!!” Jim leaned over and picked up the 3-year-old girl. He wrapped his long arms all the way around her and squeezed her tight. “Vanessa, this is my friend, Pam. Can you say hi?”
Vanessa plugged her mouth with her right thumb and waved meekly at Pam with the other hand.
“Pam, this is my niece Vanessa. We’re best friends, right, Bug?”
She grinned over her thumb and nodded excitedly.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Vanessa!” Pam said, waving. “You have a pretty cool uncle, huh?” She met Jim’s eyes and smiled.
The little girl nodded again and nestled down comfortably in Jim’s lap. Jim threw his arm around Pam’s shoulder and they all watched the game together as Vanessa twirled her hair and sucked her thumb contentedly.
The football game ended and Jim finally took their bags up to their room.
“Are we...staying in the same room, then?” Pam questioned hesitantly.
Jim sat on the bed. “Believe it or not, my mom suggested it. Something about the extra bedroom being ‘drafty’,” he said with air quotes.
“I like her,” Pam smirked as she took a seat next to Jim.
Jim wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, her hands running through his hair as the kiss deepened.
“Get a room, big brother.”
They broke apart quickly and Jim looked to the doorway to see Larissa smirking back at him, arms folded against her chest as she leaned against the doorframe.
“Hey, Smalls!” Jim stood up quickly and wrapped his baby sister in a tight hug. “Oh man, it’s good to see you!” He turned around quickly and gestured for Pam to come join him. “‘Ris, this is Pam.”
Larissa basically lunged toward Pam and hugged her almost as tightly as she had Jim.
“Hi!” Pam said. She gestured back toward the bed. “Sorry you had to see--”
Larissa waved the rest of Pam’s thought away with her hand. “Don’t be sorry! I wouldn’t be doing my job as ‘Little Sister’ if I didn’t give this guy a hard time.” She jabbed Jim in the chest with her pointer finger.
Just then, Betsy called them down for dinner.
“I’m just going to use the bathroom really quickly and I’ll be down,” Pam said.
Jim threw his arm around Larissa’s shoulder as they headed down the stairs and hugged her closer to his side.
“She’s cute,” Larissa whispered.
“And don’t I know it,” Jim replied happily.
Dinner was filled with laughter and stories of childhood and Vanessa making silly faces at everyone the whole time. Larissa filled everyone in on her semester in Michigan and the Halpert men got in a heated debate about NFL quarterbacks. Jim was pleasantly surprised with how seamlessly Pam fit in with his family. She even threw sarcasm right back at his brothers whenever they dished it out, which Jim knew would make them both like her even more.
After dinner, Jim and Pam offered to help Betsy clean up dinner.
“Pam, he better keep you around. I don’t think he’s ever willingly offered to do the dishes for me,” Betsy winked.
Pam chuckled and headed into the kitchen. Betsy grabbed Jim’s arm before he followed behind. “But really, son,” she said under her breath. “She’s a keeper.” She squeezed his arm. “Don’t screw it up.”
Jim joined Pam at the sink and playfully bumped her with his hip. She responded by dipping her hand into the sink and flicking the bubbles in his face. Jim scoffed, but still leaned in to kiss her, stealthily dropping his own hand into the bubbles. Before their lips touched he smiled and spread a line of suds all the way down her cheek. Pam squealed at the betrayal and picked up the bottle of soap and pointed it straight at him. Jim’s hand shot up.
“Truce!!” he said through his laughter.
She put the bottle down, raised her own hands, and kissed him, laughter still fresh on her lips.
The dishes took twice as long to get done as they should have, but in that time, Jim resolved to make his mother happy and never let Pam get away.
********
“Merry Christmas Eve, sleepy head,” Pam whispered in Jim’s ear as he stirred in bed the next morning. The family had stayed up until nearly 1:00 in the morning talking last night and Jim had Pam had fallen asleep nearly the instant their heads hit their pillows.
“Mmm,” he mumbled as he turned over and wrapped her in his arms. He hoped the excitement of waking up next to her never went away.
She kissed him quickly and rolled out of bed. Grabbing her duffel bag, she rifled around until she found what she was looking for, and put it on.
“So,” she said, turning around. “You should know I really like Christmas.”
Jim’s eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him. Pam was wearing a green and red sweater that had tiny little cats with Santa hats all over it. He snickered and pulled her back to the bed. “You have another one for tomorrow, don’t you?” he laughed in her ear.
“Of course I do!”
They both finished getting dressed and went downstairs. Larissa was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing an equally outrageous Christmas sweater. She looked up as they came in the room and Larissa’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“I knew I liked you!” she said to Pam as she stood up to compare their sweaters.
The rest of the day was filled with wrapping presents, making cookies, sledding on the little hill by the cabin, drinking enough hot cocoa to fill a small swimming pool, and countless board games. Vanessa had really taken a liking to Pam and hadn’t left her side since lunchtime. At dinner, she requested to sit by Pam and later Jim watched as Vanessa carefully snuck half of her snowman sugar cookie onto Pam’s plate as they all sat by the fire that night.
“Alright, sugar bear,” Marcie said, picking Vanessa up off the couch. “You need to go to bed, or Santa won’t come!”
Vanessa let out a cute little gasp and turned to Pam, wide-eyed. She threw her little arms around Pam’s neck and planted a slobbery kiss on her cheek.
“I gotta go night-night, Pam! Santa gonna come!”
“Better hurry, then!” Pam warned playfully. “Tell uncle Jim goodnight!”
Vanessa snuggled her face into Jim’s chest. “Night-night, Unca Jimmy!”
Jim kissed the top of her head and gave her a quick tickle. “Goodnight, Bug!”
Vanessa scrambled out of Jim’s lap and took the stairs as fast as her little legs could carry her, the promise of Santa at her heels.
Betsy yawned. “I’m probably going to go to bed too. We all know that little girl will be waking us all up at the crack of dawn tomorrow,” she smiled. She kissed Gerald on the cheek and went upstairs herself. One by one, each of Jim’s siblings retired for the night until it was just Jim, Pam, and Gerald sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree.
“Jim,” Gerald said. “Could you go out to the shed and grab a couple more logs for the fire?”
Jim agreed and started out the door before he realized he forgot the key to the shed and turned back to ask his dad where it was. But as he approached the living room, he heard his dad talking to Pam. He slowly approached the door to listen in.
“I’m really so happy you could spend Christmas with us, Pam.”
He could hear the smile in Pam’s voice. “Me too. You have such a wonderful family.”
“Thank you. They definitely have made us very proud. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” He lowered his voice a bit. “Jim’s my favorite.”
“Gerald!” Pam laughed. “You can’t say that.”
“I just did! Mean, of course I love them all, very much, but Jim is...well, he’s special. He’s always been the easiest to love—you’ll understand what I mean when you’re blessed with your own kids. Sometimes it takes everything in you to love the little gremlins,” he chuckled. “Jim’s heart is just so big and boy, does he love with all of it.”
“He really does,” he heard Pam say fondly.
“I guess I just want you to know that you don’t have to worry about him. He’s fiercely loyal. When he wants something, he puts his whole heart and soul into it. And from the way he looks at you, I know he’s all in,” Gerald smiled. ”And I think you’re a wonderful fit for him, Pam. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy.”
A lump started forming in Jim’s throat so he cleared it and walked into the room.
“Hey, uh, I just realized I don’t have the key, Pops.” Jim turned and flashed a quick wink at Pam, wondering if his glossy eyes could be seen by the glow of the tree lights.
He retrieved the key from his dad, got the firewood from the shed, and came back into the cabin, dusting the freshly fallen snowflakes off his shoulders. When he went back into the living room it was just Pam sitting by the fire, her golden hair shining by the light of the fire and the tree. She looked so content, a small smile resting on her cheeks as she played with a loose curl by her shoulder.
“My dad go to bed?” Jim asked and Pam turned to look at him.
“Yeah, he said you could just leave the wood by the fireplace and we’ll use it in the morning.”
Jim did that and then took a seat next to Pam. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. “I love your family,” she said.
“They’re alright,” he joked, rubbing circles on her knee with his finger. “They seem to love you. Especially Vanessa,” he chuckled.
“I think I love her the most,” Pam smiled. She turned her attention to the piano in the corner and pointed to it. “Who plays?”
Jim scratched the back of his head. “Uh...that would be me.”
She shot up straight in her seat and looked at him. “JAMES HALPERT.”
He chuckled. “What?”
“We have been dating for what, four months, and you never told me you play the piano?!”
“Has it only been four months? Feels like longer.” He tried to bring his lips to her ear but she pulled back.
“Don’t deflect, Halpert,” she glared. She stood up and pulled him off the couch and toward the piano, pushing him down onto the bench. She sat down next to him and gestured toward the keys. “Play, Maestro.”
Jim started plunking out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with one finger with a smirk.
“Oh, c’mon.”
He let out a small laugh and rolled up his sleeves to his elbow. “Fine. I have one.” He delicately placed his fingers on the piano keys and began playing a melody. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pam smile.
“Ben Folds,” she whispered.
Jim knew his singing voice wasn’t great, but he did his best to sing her the lyrics as he played.
I don’t get many things right the first time,
In fact, I am told that a lot.
Pam wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder while he sang softly.
Now I know all the wrong turns
And stumbles and falls brought me here.
And where was I before the day,
That I first saw your lovely face,
Now I see it every day.
He looked at Pam and smiled as he continued.
And I know,
That I am,
I am,
I am,
The luckiest.
He played and sung and as he neared the end of the song, he heard Pam give a small sniffle and looked over to see a tear roll down her face. Suddenly, he felt his own throat tighten which made it harder to sing, but he did his best to finish the song.
When he was done, he lifted his fingers off the keys as Pam wiped her cheeks with her sleeve and looked at him with a chuckle and a sniff. He cupped her face with his hand and rested his head on her forehead, feeling like he might burst from how fully she filled him to the brim with happiness.
“I love you,” they said in unison, grinning ear to ear.
Their bedroom was directly next to Larissa’s and Jim knew the walls were thin, but he did his best to quietly let Pam just how much he loved her as they returned to her room that night.
Afterward, he hugged her tight. “Merry Christmas,” he hummed against her bare shoulder as he laid pressed against her back, stroking her upper arm with his fingertips. “I really am the luckiest, you know.”
She turned around to face him. “Jim,” she whispered.
“Hmm…”
She searched his eyes and lifted a corner of her mouth into a slight smile. “I want you to know I’m all in. Your dad told me he can tell you’re all in too, and I need you to know that I don’t want anything or anyone else but you and I never want you to doubt it. I know it’s cliche to say or whatever, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. You’re kind of ‘it’ for me.”
He kissed her softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Jim scrunched his eyebrows together. “I’m also a little worried Santa isn’t going to come tonight, because I’m pretty sure what we just did was very naughty.”
She rolled on top of him with a laugh. “Well, if he’s already skipping over us, might as well make it worth it.”
And as quietly as possible, Pam gave Jim a little extra Christmas cheer.
***********
“Unca Jimmy!! It’s CHRISTMAS!”
Vanessa hurled her little body onto the bed and straight onto Jim’s stomach.
“Ooof, Bug,” Jim groaned with a laugh, grateful both he and Pam had the right minds to get dressed after their night together. Vanessa scrambled over to Pam’s side of the bed and threw her arms around her.
“Pam! Santa comed!”
Pam glanced over to Jim with a smirk. “Close call,” she whispered, hugging Vanessa. “I thought for sure we scared him away.”
The family went downstairs and gathered around the Christmas tree to begin exchanging gifts. Larissa opened her present from Jim, which was a new sleeve for her laptop.
“Thanks, Jimbo! I love it. I also would have loved if it was noise cancelling headphones after last night,” she said under her breath with a smirk.
Pam’s face went bright red and Jim looked to the floor rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry, Smalls,” he said bashfully, but Larissa broke into laughter and assured them it was no big deal. Her dorm room at school had thin walls too, so she was used to it.
After most of the presents were opened and people were distracted by their new stuff, Jim and Pam finally exchanged their gifts. Jim stepped over Vanessa who was making snow angels in the wrapping paper on the floor while clutching the stuffed koala Jim gave her, and he grabbed a gift from under the tree. He handed it to Pam, who carefully unwrapped it.
“Jim!” she exclaimed. It was a set of watercolors that Pam had only told him about one time, two months ago. She had told him she wanted it but couldn’t justify buying them when the ones she had were just fine. “I can’t believe you remembered!” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
She knelt on the cushions and reached behind the couch, then held a box out to Jim. “It’s nothing much,” she prefaced as he unwrapped it.
Jim let out a laugh.
“I felt bad you couldn’t wear your old one to work anymore,” she winked, as Jim held up a new argyle sweater. As he lifted it up, however, he saw what was under it. He held up the small framed painting.
“Pam...did you do this?” he marveled.
She bit her bottom lip and nodded.
He looked down at the painting again. It was a picture of the Washington Monument at night, with two small figures sitting on a bench in front of it. In script below it were the words, “‘I love you, and that is the beginning and the end of everything.’ -F. Scott Fitzgerald”
“I love it so much, Pam. This is amazing.” He hugged her tightly.
Then they sat back and took in the Christmas scene before them. Paper everywhere, Christmas songs in the background, a fire going, and snow gently falling outside. Vanessa was frantically running from toy to toy while Tom and Marcie began dozing off periodically on the couch opposite. Betsy was nestled next to Gerald as he tried to figure out the new iPod the kids had gotten for him.
And Jim relished in just how happy he felt. Looking at Pam next to him, who was fitting perfectly into this crazy Christmas scene like she was the missing puzzle piece, he realized he never wanted to spend a Christmas without her.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is a little bit of a longer chapter, but hopefully not too long.
Also, I mention a song in this chapter and the title of it is “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. I promise if you listen to it, that part in the story will be a whole lot sweeter. Enjoy a little Christmas in the Poconos. :) It gets pretty darn fluffy, as an FYI.
Also, I mention a song in this chapter and the title of it is “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. I promise if you listen to it, that part in the story will be a whole lot sweeter. Enjoy a little Christmas in the Poconos. :) It gets pretty darn fluffy, as an FYI.
Chapter End Notes:
Again. “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. Listen to it.
Also, yes, Jim plays the piano in my story. Because why not give him yet another thing that makes me love him endlessly?
Also, yes, Jim plays the piano in my story. Because why not give him yet another thing that makes me love him endlessly?
