Page 22 of Together

“Okay, maybe love it is wrong but seriously, Niko. I’d love you forever and ever!”

“You already do,” I tell her, smiling wide and taking a giant bite of the cheesy goodness. Normally I go for a lot of toppings on my pizza but Josie was begging for one with only extra cheese and honestly, it didn’t sound awful.

“Maybe I’d love you even more. How can you deny a pregnant lady her last wish?”

“You dying and forget to tell me?”

She places her hand on her stomach and sits back in the couch, groaning and making a huge spectacle. The entire pregnancy she’s been incredibly healthy and goes to yoga classes to keep her body in shape. But right now she’s lying back like a wounded animal. If I didn’t know her well, I’d feel guilty for rolling my eyes.

“You’re so full of it. You’re so dramatic.”

She throws her hands up. “You don’t know me!”

I bark out a laugh. “Ha! Right. Let’s try that bullshit on someone else, shall we?”

She quickly covers her stomach. “Watch the language around the little one!”

“Again. You’re so full of it. Just last night I heard a cocksucker slip out while you were cooking supper. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, Josie. No fucking way you’re making me sit here and watchWhite Christmaswith you. If I have to listen to that damn ‘Sisters, Sisters’song I’ll gouge my ears straight out of my head.”

“Now who’s the dramatic one?”

“Let’s watchDie Hard.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.Die Hard’s the best Christmas movie there ever was and you can’t even deny it.”

“But…”

“But nothing. You’re not going to manipulate me.”

“You’re going to be a terrible father.”

“Correction: I’m going to be a fabulous dad because I won’t let my kids walk all over me.”

Her eyes instantly well up with tears and she puts her plate of pizza down on the coffee table, scooching closer to me. Josie wraps her arms around me as she sniffles. “You’re right. You’re going to be amazing. I’m just crabby and emotional and want Dean home instead of out on the roads so I’m picking a fight.” Then she mumbles, “I don’t even likeWhite Christmasall that much.”

She’s so emotional lately. I have a really hard time not giving her shit about it but I don’t want to add to it. “Liar. You love it.”

She cries out loud, huffing her annoyance. “I really do. It’s that darn Danny Kaye! And Bing Crosby’s blue eyes. And Rosemary Clooney. And even that skinny one, Vera-Ellen. I mean, she needed to eat a couple cheeseburgers but I just love them all.”

I fold her into my arms. “You’re right. You are emotional. But your tears aren’t going to work on me.”

She’s silent for a moment before shoving away from me. “You suck.”

I smile at her. “Yet you still love me.”

“Verdict’s out on that one. Compromise and watchHome Alonewith me?”

“Yeah. That works.”

She takes the remote and starts flipping through their streaming services before finding the one she’s looking for that is showingHome Aloneand starts it up.

We keep eating the pizza and I go to the kitchen to pop some microwave popcorn while the McCallister family sans Kevin is running through the Chicago airport.

I’m about to rejoin her in the living room when the door to the garage opens and Dean comes in, kicking off the last of the snow on the bottom of his boots.

“Hey, man. Go okay?”

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