rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

closed starter for @mateoxtorres location: jackson construction

Ray was walking around town doing some errands while Lenny was out with the girls. He figured he could get some stuff done so then they could have Sunday to relax and all spend time together and not have to worry about going to different places to get their things done. He had walked into Jackson Construction to discuss a repair to the garage when he saw Mateo and he smiled at his old friend. "Hey, Mateo. How are you? Long time, no see."

[rayxclairmont]

Since city hall reopened after the holidays, there were a few things Ray needed to get done so he was staying a little later than he wanted to do it. He hated coming home late, but he was anyways and on his way out, it seemed he almost ran into someone. Looking up to see Leo, he smiled and shook his head. "Hey, no problem. I was a little quick myself." The mayor chuckled. "I'm good. How are you doing?" @le0nxrd0perez

Who: @rayxclairmont and Leo

Where: Right outside City Hall

When: January 2025

A late afternoon meeting had run later than anticipated and by the time it ended, Leo had less than satisfied with the day's work that had been. He had needed to find some documents for a case and then had to bring them up to his office to look them over. But he hadn't gotten a chance to look for said items but figured it was tomorrow's problem. Instead, he didn't want to go home angry or frustrated and figured a nice long walk through the park would be nice. Just as he was exiting the elevator he almost bumped into a very familiar face, Ray Clairmont, and taking a step back, Leo took a breath. "Good evening Mayor, sorry I got a little ahead of myself there. How are you?"

[rayxclairmont]

He laughed as he watched how excited their girls were. Every moment with the kids made his heart happy and he was always relieved that him and Lenny had the life they always wanted. "I like that plan." Ray said and he put his arm around his wife as he watched the girls and Claire opened up her first gift. "Not as excited as I am." He commented softly before kissing her head and turning back to watch the kids. @lennyxclairmont

END

Lenny's happiness could fill the entire house and more if could fill spaces besides her heart. Instead, it showed in a smile, reaching ear to ear as Raymond questioned which of the girls wanted to go first. All three raised their hands, chants overlapping one another as they wanted to go first. "Okay, okay," Lenny laughed, clasping her hands together, "Let's start with Claire because she is the youngest, then Natalie and Leah and we can change it up for the next gift, okay girls?" It prompted a unison nod, only milliseconds passing before Claire tore into her first gift. "I think they're excited," she teased, looking up at Raymond with a smile. @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

This was like a dream come true. Ray had always wanted this for him and Lenny. A beautiful house decorated with a ton of presents under the tree and the girls coming down to open them on Christmas morning. It was all more than he ever expected and everything he ever dreamed of all at the same time. smiling at his wife, he took her hand as she sat by him on the couch and nodded. "That it is." He smiled and looked over at the girls whose faces were bright with excitement. "Who wants to go first?" @lennyxclairmont

starter for @rayxclairmont

location: their home

"Hi," Lenny sighed, happily, as she sat down on the couch next to Raymond. Christmas morning in their home had never felt so joyful before. Years had been spent dreaming of what it would be like to have children waking them up and wrapping paper flying about as presents were unwrapped. She didn't get to say anything else as all three girls came into the living room, Winnie trailing at their heels with Labrador smile. "Time to open gifts," she grinned, clasping her hands together, patting the couch for Winnie to jump up next to them.

[rayxclairmont]

He chuckled a little bit. "I'd say probably too." Ray really loved his wife and he didn't think that there would ever be a day that he wouldn't be totally in love with her. "Hey I can't help that." He laughed again before looking at his sister as she talked about Maverick. "No I haven't heard. What was he doing there?" he asked curiously, wondering what was going on. @jaslenexclairmont

"I have no doubt about that," she laughed at Raymond's words. Between her two girls and now his three, the spoiling would overtake the Clairmont family. Though it were her second set of holidays back home, Jaslene knew that the spoiling would go on for years to come. "I'd like to say no, but knowing the two of you? Absolutely." Jaslene rolled her eyes, though she was smiling at her brother, "It's sickening, really," she joked with him before her head shook at his question. "Oh, so I take it you heard that he stopped by after I left mom's?" @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

"Coffee it is then." He said as he smiled at the man. "Skiing is great. You should definitely try it sometime. Snowboarding is my personal favorite." Ray out in before looking down at his daughter to check on her for a moment. He then looked up at Cameron and smile again. "Yeah that would be great we can definitely plan a trip or something for us busy period. Just let me know when you're free and we can kind of work around something. And hey that's not bad. Better than sitting in an office." He chuckled softly. "Well, it was nice seeing you Cameron and I'll be seeing you for that coffee soon." @cameronhatcher

END

“Coffee I can do, definitely” Cameron agreed, though he was definitely going to try to get him a pastry or something when they eventually went. “Skiing, that’s nice! I’ve never tried skiing actually, I’d like to one day, I’ve only ever snowboarded” he pointed out, before smiling, “We should go out on the mountain together one day- when you’re less busy” he suggested, as he hadn’t had time to go out on the slopes recently. “Oh yeah I’m great, just spending most of my time at home writing like I normally do” @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

"I know. It has been." The siblings had definitely missed each other lately, being busy in their own lives, but it was great to enjoy the time with her now. "The girls are excited too. And they're all probably getting spoiled right now." Despite Christmas coming up, he knew their parents were doing to the girls left and right. "Oh she is. She's truly amazing. Is it possible to fall more in love with your wife after almost a decade of marriage?" Ray grinned down at Jas. "So, how's Maverick?" @jaslenexclairmont

starter for @rayxclairmont

kismet harbor's 100th annual winter festival - holiday food and drinks

"It's been so long since we have got to spend some sibling time together, just the two of us," she nudged her brother with her elbow as they walked towards the spiked hot chocolate line. "I know Davina and Althea were excited to spend the day with the girls," as all the kids were spending the day with grandparents. "I'm hoping Lenny is getting some much deserved time with friends, too, she's been such a hard-working mom this last year."

[rayxclairmont]

God, this was everything he ever dreamed of and more for him and his wife. Being parents to these girls and getting to know them meant so much and all he wanted to do was enjoy their time with them for the rest of their lives. "That sounds like a plan." Ray was glad the fraud was taken care of and they were okay once again financially. Pulling into the school parking lot, he parked and he turned off the care before facing Lenny. "Me too." He reached over and took her hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. "And I'm glad to be doing it with you." He leaned over and kissed her. @lennyxclairmont

"I think they would," she nodded her head along with Raymond's words. She was glad that they were figuring their daughters out. She knew that it would come in time, as would a lot of things but Lenny wanted to give them the world. "Oh, yes, I love that," she grinned at her husband, "We can look into getting things booked tonight after they go to bed, since all that credit stuff was taken care of," she looked over at him while he drove, "I'm so happy we get to finally do all of this, Ray." A wistful sigh passed over her lips as she leaned back in the passenger seat. @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

Ray chuckled, glancing over at Alec’s son. "I get that, a good book can definitely steal the spotlight, even from ice cream," he said with a grin. "It’s great to hear Cy’s having such a good day though." He glanced down at his daughter, who was happily enjoying her ice cream. "It’s those little things that make the day special, right?" He smiled, thinking about how much joy simple moments like these brought to his own family. "Well, it was great seeing you both. Enjoy your book." @alecxkincade

END

"I get that. Same spending the day with Cy too," he smiled chuckling before looking at both Ray and his daughter. Alec then looked at his son who was too invested in his book. "Yup, we are doing good. I know Cy is extra happy right now and having the best day more because of the book we got than the ice cream." @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

He smiled, shaking his head. "Deal." Ray said with a grin as he grabbed his own ice cream, giving Cam a reassuring look. "Please, you don't owe me dinner for paying for your ice cream. Or anything, but a coffee would be equivalent I think." He took a small bite of his cone before answering the second part. "I've been good, just keeping busy with work and life. The family’s doing well, too. We took the kids skiing for our anniversary and it was great." He chuckled, glancing at Cam. "How about you? Everything good on your end?" @cameronhatcher

Cameron was very confident that if he continued to insist on paying for his own ice cream, him and Ray would’ve been stuck trying to pay for each other for the rest of the night. They were both so kind, but luckily for them Cam was not very stubborn. “Okay fine- you can buy my ice cream today, but next time I’m buying yours” he told him, knowing he would hold himself to it. He ordered his ice cream, just a chocolate and vanilla soft serve cone with sprinkles before looking back at Ray. “Thank you, I really mean it though I owe you dinner or something” he smiled, “how’ve you been? How’s the family?” @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

Ray chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Tell me about it, always feels like there's something else to squeeze in. But hey, at least we get the chance to catch our breath every now and then, right?" He glanced over at his daughter with a smile, her excitement contagious. "Still, I'm hoping for a little bit of peace this holiday season, just enough to enjoy it without the chaos." Especially with city hall closing for the holiday. He hoped nothing would come in and stop him from spending time with his family. @le0nxrd0perez

"That's good to hear," he nodded, smiling at Ray and his daughter next to him. "Same here, just hoping the holidays are quiet," he said with a chuckle, playfully holding up a hand and crossing his fingers before stepping to order quickly. "They're going, and exactly, there's never enough hours in the day ya know?" He asked as he scratched some of the scruff on his chin, but he knew the long hours when he signed up for the job. @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

"Nat and Claire would love that." He grinned at her and could imagine it all now. It was going to be a great family getaway for them. He can just see the girls faces now. "Disneyland?" He repeated before grinning even more at the idea and nodded. "I like that. We should surprise them with it. Pack them up in the car and not tell them where we're going until we get to the airport." He always wanted to do something like that for kids of theirs. @lennyxclairmont

"Yes, I think she will want to as well. I can take the younger girls tubing. They've got those hills by one of the cabins," that would mean the walk back wouldn't be so long when they felt like they were frozen to their cores. "Oh," she hummed as Raymond continued to drive to the school to pick up the girls, "Maybe we can do something more out of town? Go to Seattle? Maybe even take them to Disneyland," she offered to him as suggestions as she thought of the family vacations she had always wanted to take and now they could. @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

He nodded in agreement. "I'd say it looks promising, but with weather, you can never be sure." He just hoped nothing extreme would happen this year. "They love it. Claire's all princess themed so that was a hit. We let them go all out." He smiled and nodded. "We're going away the following weekend so it'll be good. We're gonna take the kids skiing." Hearing that the Hoffmanns were doing good. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. Well, I'll let you get back to your lunch. It was good seeing you." @makaylahoffmann

END

Mack gave him a soft smile and a nod, "I totally get that, trust me," and she did at least nowadays. Shifting a bit in her set, and taking a crumbs from the wrapper, she nodded vigorously, "I sure hope so. I'm hoping it's mild this year but who knows?" She shrugged her shoulders, each year hoping it's not too crazy as firefighting was hard enough, add in bad weather and it was the perfect storm. She hoped it wouldn't be too crazy this year as things were a bit different on a personal level. Nodding, "that's good. And oh fun, how'd they like it? Do anything fun for their rooms?" She asked, a bit curious, as she knew his kids a bit, before smiling again, "congratulations. Nine is a big one, so you better pull something amazing off." Chuckling a bit, she was only playing as she had known Ray and Lenny for years. "I'm good, and he's good. Thankfully everyone in the Hoffmann household are good." @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

"You're welcome." He smiled at the man and paid after the orders went through. "I'm good. Just spending time with Claire for the day." He smiled down at his daughter and then looked between Alex and his son. "Doing the same with Cyrus, I see. How are you guys?' @alecxkincade

Alec and Cyrus had been enjoying the day. They went to Aquatica and spent most of the day there and then the Library. Alec loved booked and since Cyrus was a baby he had always read to him and he tried his best to develop his son's love for reading and it seems that Cyrus was also loving books too. They had checked out a book and the boy refuse to let go. To end the day, he thought getting ice cream would be perfect. Cyrus was too focus on the book they had gotten to pay attention. "That's nice of you Ray," he spoke before ordering and stepping out of the way.

"Thanks so much and how have you been?" @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

He gave Cameron a look and shook his head while smiling. "Please, I insist. It's just ice cream." Ray smiled at him and waited for the man to order. "If you don't, I'll figure out something else to pay for you so, you know..." He chuckled a little bit. "It's really not a big deal." He'd happily do this for anyone and the fact it was Cameron was just that much better. @cameronhatcher

Cameron had always had a sweet tooth. He ate pretty healthy and worked out often, so he rewarded himself with a good dessert every now and again without worrying too much about it. Even though it was starting to get cold, he was craving some ice cream so he headed over to Frosty Bliss to get a cone. Cam was looking over their options and not really paying attention as he waited in line, so he had barely heard Ray tell the cashier that he would pay for his cone. Looking up and smiling over at him, Cameron shook his head, “oh no- no, you don’t have to do that” he insisted, never the type to accept something he didn’t need. @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

He held her hand as he drove down the street and smiled over at her. "Glad we got that covered then." He told her. "We can take the girls to the sports shop next week and have them fitted for gear. I'm sure Leah's gonna wanna snowboard." She just seemed like the type. "Now, about spring break" He smiled at his wife again before continuing to drive. What were you thinking for that?" @lennyxclairmont

"Always," she squeezed his hand after reaching for it while he drove. "I Yeah? I think that would be amazing," they'd be doing a lot of firsts as a family now that the girls were officially adopted into the Clairmont family, "I think that's a great plan, then, we can do that. I will get the lodging booked tomorrow," she nodded her head, "I heard they were opening up Thanksgiving weekend, so it will be perfect timing." @rayxclairmont

[rayxclairmont]

Ray smirked over at her. "Lucky for me, you're an amazing wife." If he hadn't been driving, he would've kissed her right then and there, but he had to keep his eyes on the road. "Ah, yes. Appeasing the family." He said with a chuckle and shook his head. "The following weekend is good as is snow. We can pull out some winter gear and teach the girls how to ski or snowboard." He shrugged. "I'm sure some ski hills are open now right?" @lennyxclairmont

"No, but it's lucky for me you're an amazing husband." The compliments never fell short when it came to Raymond. "Well," she laughed softly, "I suppose we can plan it for the weekend after if we must appease our families," Lenny teasingly spoke, a roll of her eyes to follow. Though, she was a complete sucker for family time. "Kidding, of course, this is the girl's first holiday with us as a true family so we can have a slightly belated celebration for the anniversary." Lenny knew that no matter what day they celebrated, her love to Raymond was true. "Hm," she hummed, "maybe somewhere woodsy? Where there might be snow?" @rayxclairmont