"ATTENNNNNTION!"
Blonde pigtails bounced as the little girl who wore them put her fingers to her brow in a salute.
JJ held his left eyebrow up in inspection, taking a deep breath. He stepped forward abruptly, making Maya's eyes wide and her body jolt with a giggle. He stepped around her, inspecting like the Grinch (her all-time favorite movie) flicking his finger at the hair tie of her pig tail, then the other one. He quickly steps behind her and covers her eyes with his hands, and his best Grinch impression, whispering from ear to ear, "can you uphold this duty with all your heart even without eyes? Do you believe you stand a chance, fighting for this world for the greater good?!?" She nods, laughing as he steps away.
"Sergeant Cameron, as you were."
Maya giggled as his hands flew to her stomach to tickle her as he flips her upside down and carries her inside by her feet.
I saw them out the window of Kiara and JJ's home as I was washing the dishes to thank them for letting us stay. JJ's heavy footsteps started getting louder along with my daughter's giggles. I smile and dry my hands, approaching her and tilting my face around to make eye contact with her, as even more giggles erupt from her.
"Thank you JJ for not killing my daughter," I smile tossing him a bottle of water to help him cool down. He takes play time with Maya very seriously. He smiles, pouring a bit on his cupped palm and bending down saying "drink child." Maya looks up in a smirk, exclaiming "yuck!" and hitting his hand up to splash the water directly in his eye. JJ looks down slowly, and before I know it the chasing begins again. I roll my eyes with a smile, hearing lighter footsteps approach behind me.
Kie pouts as she notices the clean dishes, saying "you really didn't have to."
"It's the least I can do, thank you again for letting us stay," I respond. "I know right i'm like the best everrrr" Kie remarks jokingly with a I smell the faint scent of coconut as Kie brushes against me, reaching for a bottle of wine in the cabinet suggesting, "remember when we used to get shitfaced?" as she wiggles her eyebrows. I giggle and reach my fingertips towards the cold bottle, "every friday," I said. "Every friday," she responded as we hushed our growing laughter after hearing heavy footsteps behind us.
I feel a large, warm hand on my waist and lock my fingers into my husbands hand as he starts to speak, "you guys think you're slick, don't think I forgot about your friday night debacles." This elicits a snort from Kie as my cheeks start to turn red. I turn my face up to meet Rafe's as his lips meet mine for a quick peck. I hear glasses clink as Kie pours just enough into two wine glasses, asking, "Rafe?"
"Thanks Kie, I'm alright," he says quietly with a hand over his chest. I give him a kind smile as he looks at me knowingly. Rafe has been secretly sober since rehab. I couldn't be more proud of him, coming out of the teenage drug addiction he had couldn't have been easy at all. I put my lips up to the edge of the glass but never sip the wine and loud voice booms, "HEY! Wine without JJ, what's going on in here!"
I shoot JJ a glare as little Maya follows behind him. He quickly covers his lips with his fingertips with an "oh shit," look on his face as Kie just sets her glass down in a laugh. Maya reaches for Rafe's arms as JJ steals a sip from Kie's glass, "hey baby," I hear him say to her. I smile in my head, remembering all the nights Kie would go on and on about JJ and claim to not be absolutely in love with him. It took everything in me not to tell Kie that JJ came to me even more nights, ranting even more about her. Even through the certain valleys I've hiked through in my life, it's good people like that who give me hope for happiness.
"Daddy, JJ runs way more than you! He's funner!" Maya beams, earning a joking scoff from Rafe and a smile from JJ. "Aww," Kie starts, "I really wish you guys would stay longer," she says with a pouted lip, reaching her arms out for Maya as she happily accepts. "We do too but it's time for this one to see the in laws once again," Rafe jokes as pats my head like a dog with his now free hand. I scoff and smile as I see Kie stroke Maya's hair.
