twenty one: milestones & mistletoe
one year later
early december 2023
Ally stood in the living room, holding Ava's hands above her head to help her stand up while Austin knelt on the carpet, patting the ground in an attempt to get her to take her first steps.
"Here, girl!" he exclaimed, "You can do it, Ava! Come to daddy!"
Ally rolled her eyes. "Austin, she's not a dog. That's not going to work."
"Well, then, what do you suggest?" he raised an eyebrow, "You have to let go of her hands some time, or else she'll never learn to walk on her own."
"I will," Ally responded, sounding unconvinced, "Just...not right now. If I let go right now, she'll fall flat on her face."
"That's how you learn," Austin argued. "You have to fall on your face a couple times before you get it right."
Ally glanced over at her husband, saying nothing, but just giving him a small grin, which he returned. He's smarter than we give him credit for, she thought.
"So," he said, "are you ready to let her fall on her face?"
Ally let out a laugh and, one, by one, let go of her daughter's hands. Ava looked up at her mom before taking two steps forward and falling flat on her face, as Ally predicted. Ally picked her up right away.
"Did she just..."
"I think she did!" Ally lifted Ava high in the air, spinning around in a circle. "Ava, you just took your first steps!"
"That's my girl!" Austin pinched Ava's cheek. She let out a giggle and Ally hugged her close to her body, planting kisses on her cheek.
"As much fun as this little celebration is, little missy here needs to go down for her nap. I'll go put her down, and then we can start planning the Christmas/Ava's first birthday party extravaganza!"
"Awesome!" Austin yelled sarcastically, plopping back onto the sofa.
/
ten minutes later
Ally came back down the stairs, letting out a deep sigh as she flopped down on the couch. "Man, that girl has an attitude. It took me, like, ten minutes to get her down. I think the terrible twos have come early."
"Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from," Austin teased.
Ally shot him a look. "Not funny."
"I thought it was pretty funny."
"Well, it's not. Now focus, we need to start planning Ava's party," Ally said, taking out her laptop.
"Slash Christmas party," Austin finished.
"Right."
"Oh, don't forget my birthday," Austin pointed out. "And our anniversary. Don't know how that would fit in, but..."
"Right, yeah." Ally paused. "Geez, there's a lot of things that happen in December."
Austin sighed. "I know, right? I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."
"Yeah. How are we going to all of those into one party?"
"I don't know." There was a pause, until Ally spoke up again.
"I can't believe Ava's almost one," she said, "This past year flew by so fast."
"I know. It's so crazy. I just want her to stay my little girl forever."
"Me too. Before we know it, she's going to be headed off to preschool...and then elementary school...and then college, and then the next time we blink she's going to be running for president"—
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Austin chuckled, "Slow down. She's only one."
"Which means she's on track for becoming the youngest president in history," Ally joked. Austin gave her a playful slap on the arm. There was another pause.
"So...when do you want to start trying for another kid?" he asked what felt to Ally like out of nowhere. Her eyes turned to saucers and she fiddled with her hands.
"Uhhh...well, uh..." she stammered, "I thought we would wait a couple of years, but"—
"I know, I know," Austin argued, "but...don't you want another little mini-Ally? Or, if we're lucky, a mini-Austin? How fun would that be?" he exclaimed, a goofy grin forming on his face.
Ally grinned. "How about this. When Ava says her first word and can walk on her own, we'll start trying."
Austin shrugged. "I can live with that."
/
two days later
austin and ally's 3rd anniversary
Ally woke up the next morning and rolled over, grinning when she remembered what day it was. She snuggled next to Austin, inserting her head in the crook of his neck. His eyes opened slowly and he smiled too, kissing her forehead.
"Morning, Als," he croaked, "happy anniversary."
"Happy anniversary, Austin." He let out a laugh, pulling her closer.
"I can't believe it's been three years," he mused.
"Best three years of my life," she murmured, leaning up to kiss him gently on the lips. He deepened it and before long they were making out, seconds away from starting to strip (Austin was already shirtless and Ally only wearing a tank and pajama shorts, so it wouldn't have taken much) when Ava's cries echoed from the baby monitor sitting on the bedside table. Ally pulled away and hopped off the bed, striding into the nursery to tend to her daughter. Austin flopped back down on the bed, sighing. It's like she can see through the walls, he thought, getting up to join them.
/
a few hours later
Austin was sitting at the grand piano in the living room, staring at Ally's songbook, hoping that inspiration would strike. She was currently in the shower, and he had sat down with the intention of writing a special song for her as an anniversary present. However, that was easier said than done—inspiration had been hard to come by lately. He glanced down at Ava, who was sitting on the floor contently, slobbering over a blue foam ball, then back up at the book.
Should I touch it? He thought. I want to touch it. He reached his hand out, then quickly pulled it back.
Are you out of your mind? She'll kill you!
Austin shook his head. The little voice in his head was right. Even after they got married, Ally still forbid him from touching the book. Touching it might actually end in an untimely demise.
I'm gonna do it.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not!
Do it!
Austin reached out again and grabbed the book, squeezing one eye shut as he opened it ever-so-slowly. He gradually opened his eye again and glanced over the lyrics in the book.
"Wow," he breathed, looking down at his daughter, who was now sprawled out on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Ava, I hope you get your mom's songwriting skills, because these lyrics are amazing."
"I get that a lot."
Austin screamed when he heard his wife's voice, chucking the book to the other side of the room on instinct. "A-Ally. Didn't see you there."
Ally sauntered over to where the book lay on its side, against the wall to the left of the TV, and said placidly, "Don't touch my book."
"I-I'm sorry," Austin stammered, getting up from the bench, "I just wanted to see what you've been working on."
She let out a laugh. "Well, there's not a lot of new material in here. I've been pretty busy with Ava." She stroked the book and held it close to her chest. "Why would you throw my book across the room like that? It's like my child." She looked at Ava, who stared up at her from the floor. "Well, my other child."
As she started to leave the room Austin yelled, "Wait!"
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering...if I could use it. To work on a song for you—for our anniversary. I don't have another notebook." he gave a small grin. "Please?"
Ally grinned at the floor. "I guess..."
"Wait, seriously?" Austin's smile grew bigger.
"Yeah." Ally bit her lip. She gently set the book back on the piano. "I never thought I'd say this, but...you have my permission to touch my book."
Austin's face lit up. "Really?"
She let out a laugh. "Really. Now, I'm going to go work on the surprise I had planned while you work on yours. If you need me, I'll be upstairs."
/
thirty-seven minutes later
Austin let the sounds of the last chord echo from the piano until it tapered off. He'd just played her a song that he had been working on for a while called "Love of my Life." Ally said nothing and leaned on his shoulder.
"Austin, where did you learn to write such good lyrics?" A tear slid down her cheek and Austin let out a laugh. "That was absolutely amazing."
"From you."
"Stop, you're gonna make me cry!"
"Too late," he teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and using the other to dry her tears. "So, what was your surprise?"
"Well, I, uh," she paused, letting out a laugh and attempting to compose herself, "I made us reservations at the Magic Café."
"Wait, seriously?" Austin exclaimed, "That's so cool, Als."
"Yeah, it was where we went on our first official date." She paused again. "Although, I'm not sure if it'll compare to what I just heard." She looked up at him. "We should release it."
"Really? You think?"
"Absolutely. It's a perfect first dance song for weddings, it would get tons of streams— which wouldn't exactly hurt, since the record company isn't up and running yet and we're not recording music ourselves. The only income we have is from our partial ownership of the music factory." She shrugged. "So... I don't see why we shouldn't."
Austin nodded. "Yeah... I guess that makes sense. Hey, why don't we come up with a harmony line so it can be a duet?" Ally's lips curled into a smile. Austin watched as her face lit up and she started tapping out an idea on the piano. He usually only saw that look on her face when they wrote together— which they hadn't done since before their tour together in 2019. He had missed it.
/
about half an hour later
As they were working on the melody idea for "Love of my Life," trying to get a solid melody idea fleshed out before Ava woke up from her nap, Ally thought she heard her daughter stirring through the baby monitor. She started up the stairs and was followed closely by Austin over to Ava's room.
When Ally reached her daughter's crib, she found the toddler standing up, supporting herself by gripping the side of the bed tightly. Ally greeted her cheerfully, picking her up and planting about a dozen kisses on her cheeks.
"How's my little Avie bear doing?" she cooed, to which Ava responded by grabbing her nose. Ally giggled. "Did you hear daddy playing piano?"
Ava gave a toothless grin. "Pah-no."
Ally's eyes widened. "Austin, did you hear that?"
He nodded, his lips curling into a smile. "Yeah. She said piano."
"She said piano!" Ally exclaimed, lifting her daughter into the air. "I can't believe her first word was piano!"
Austin's smile faded. "I can't believe her first word wasn't 'dada'."
"She'll say it eventually, Austin, don't worry. But hey, I think she just gave me an idea for her own birthday present."
"What?"
She laughed. "Well, I can't say it in front of her." She set Ava back in her crib, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "A piano," she whispered into his ear, "A tiny one, with colorful keys."
Austin's face lit up. "Ohhhh, right." he paused. "But, isn't she a little young?"
"Well, if she's going to be the next female Mozart, then we've gotta start her young. I mean, our kid could be a virtuoso. Just look at those little fingers." She held up Ava's chubby little fingers, commenting about how she had the hands of a piano player. Ava wriggled her hand out of Ally's grasp, whimpering in protest. "Okay, yeah, maybe she is too young. I still think it'd be fun to get her one, though." She picked her daughter up again, and the three of them retreated back downstairs.
/
a few hours later
Austin and Ally walked into the Magic Café that night, feeling the rush of nostalgia from when they'd been here years ago. Austin pulled out the chair for his wife, and Ally grinned.
"Just trying to be a gentleman," he said, sitting down himself. The waiter came over with their menus and handed them each one, asking what they'd like to drink. Austin and Ally both said water and he disappeared (literally—with a wave of his cape, he was gone). "Wow, I forgot how cool this place was."
"So cool." they burst into a fit of giggles. Seconds later, the waiter reappeared and poured water into their glasses. They ordered their food and Austin's eyes wandered around the restaurant. "Speaking of cool, I found a cool little piano for Ava," Ally said, snapping him back to reality. "Here, let me show you." She pulled up a picture of a miniature red piano with colorful keys. "The price isn't that bad, either, see?"
"Huh. That's cute." Ally nodded.
"Ooh, also, my mom said she got Ava a little t-shirt for Christmas that says 'I just made a sonic boom.' Funny, right? I mean, technically it's not sonic boom anymore but"—
Austin chuckled. "You said sonic boom."
"It's funny, right? A total play on words!"
"Huh, I never thought you'd be one to laugh at potty humor," Austin commented. That's usually me and Dez's thing."
Ally shrugged. "What can I say? Having a kid has changed me." she paused, then dug out her phone again. "Ooh, I just thought of the perfect thing that we can get Ava for Christmas. Here, let me"— she was cut off when Austin stood up from his seat and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. She set the phone down, putting her hand on his cheek and deepened it until she broke away. By this time they were both out of breath. "Huh. That's an effective way to get me to shut up."
"What would you say," Austin's voice became lower, "if I suggested that you and I go," he raised his eyebrows flirtatiously, "in the bathroom, over there?" Ally glanced to their left, where there was a unisex bathroom.
"I'd say hell yes."
/
Twenty minutes later, Austin and Ally emerged breathless from the bathroom. Austin's lips curled into a smile. He leaned down and whispered, "Best sex I've ever had. Hands down." Ally smirked and waved a hand.
"Oh, stop it," Ally said. "You know, I'm surprised that you still carry emergency condoms around in your purse," she mused, earning a grin from Austin. "Not that I'm complaining..." Austin smirked and a smile formed on his face.
"Yeah, well, you can never be too prepared." He paused, glancing over at the table, where their meals were waiting for them. "Oh, look, our food is here."
"Well, that's perfect timing, because I worked up an appetite," Ally teased. They both sat down, trying to act like nothing had even happened.
/
two weeks later
day of the party
"Wait, what do you mean, you don't feel well, Trish? You have to come to the party! It's a Christmas and double birthday extravaganza!"
Ally poured the white, powdery cake mix into the plastic bowl while wedging the phone in between her shoulder and her ear. All day, she'd been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to make sure everything was perfect for the party, while Austin watched Ava and made sure she didn't get into the presents. They'd hung birthday decorations in the kitchen for Austin and Ava and had set up the Christmas tree as well as tinsel around the railing leading upstairs. A single string of mistletoe above the doorway, and they'd even put a wreath on their front door. All that was left to do was bake the cake, glaze the ham, and mash the potatoes.
"I'm sorry, Ally, but I feel like crap. Chuck won't let me go in case it's contagious and I get someone else sick. I've been hurling every morning, and I've got these constant headaches, and my memory is foggy and"—
"Wait a minute." Ally finished cracking the egg she was holding and set the eggshells down on a napkin. "That doesn't sound like the flu..."
"Well, then, what does it sound like?" Trish snapped. Ally frowned. "Sorry. I've been having mood swings, too. Drives Chuck nuts. Anyway, what were you saying?"
Ally bit her lip. "I was saying I don't think you're sick. I think you're pregnant!"
On the other end, Trish narrowed her eyebrows. She could feel a small smile creep onto her face. "You think so?"
"I know so! That's exactly what happened when I was pregnant with Ava! Do you have a test? You should take it while I'm on the phone with you! Ooh, Trish, this is so exciting!"
"No, I don't." She paused. "But if I leave to go get one now, then I'll be back before Chuck gets home from work..."
"Exactly!" Ally chirped, "Now, what are you waiting for?"
Ally could hear Trish fumbling to grab her keys in the background. "Um, okay, um..."
"Okay, I'm going to hang up the phone so I can keep cooking dinner, but call me the second you get back. Okay?"
"Okay," Trish replied hesitantly, jamming a shoe onto her foot. "I'll talk to you in a bit."
"Bye, love you!"
"Love you, too!"
Trish put her phone in her pocket and went out the door to the garage, down the steps, and over to her car. She flung the door open and sat there for a few seconds before turning the ignition and pulling down the driveway.
/
half an hour later
When her phone started to ring, Ally practically jumped over the couch and sprinted into the kitchen to reach it before it stopped. She answered the phone panting, leaning up against the kitchen counter.
"Trish! Did you get the test?" she blurted before Trish had the chance to greet her. "I've been on the edge of my seat over here."
"Yeah, I did," Trish said in a low tone, "But I think Chuck just got home. I'm in the bathroom trying to figure out how to use this stupid thing. I don't want him to know you're on the phone with me in case it's positive. I want to surprise him."
"Oh, right, okay," Ally whispered, knowing that she was on speaker, "so did you read the directions?"
"I'm going to text you," Trish whispered.
"Okay." Ally pulled up her messages app and continued talking to Trish while she texted her responses.
Just read the directions. I have to pee on this thing? GROSS!
"I know it's gross, but that's the easiest way," Ally replied, "Just put yourself on mute, and then talk to me when you're done."
Will do.
"Oh, and then hang up the phone call and facetime me."
Ally paced the floor of the kitchen for what seemed like hours until Trish texted again.
Okay. Done. What now?
"Now...we wait."
Ugh. I hate waiting!
"I know. But hey, it's only two minutes. That's not that long." Seconds later, Trish hung up the phone and her face appeared.
"What are we supposed to do while we're waiting?" Trish whispered, looking nervously at the door, as if Chuck was going to open it any minute.
"Good question." Ally attempted to make small talk for a while as Trish's mind swirled. She occasionally nodded, trying not to let Ally know that she wasn't paying attention. When her phone alarm went off, Trish gulped.
"So I suppose this is it, huh?"
"Flip it over! Flip it over!" Ally exclaimed, jumping up and down in the middle of her kitchen. Trish reversed the camera and focused in on the test. Ally saw Trish's hand reach out and flip over the test. Just like Ally had predicted, there were two bold lines.
"Trish..." Ally put a hand up to her face, already tearing up, "Y-you're going to be a mom."
"I'm.. I'm going to be a mom..."
"You're gonna be a mom!"
There was a pause, and the camera flipped back around to show Trish's face, which was slowly turning into a smile. "I'm really, pregnant, huh?" she whispered, and Ally nodded.
"I'm gonna be an aunt! And you and Chuck are gonna be parents, and— Ooh, Ava's going to have another playmate!" she squealed, "Trish, this is so exciting!"
"I'm going to be a mom," Trish repeated, "Wow."
"You have to announce the news at the party this afternoon!" Ally insisted, "And you can surprise Chuck at the party, too! Oh, I can't wait to see his face..."
As Ally rambled on about how they could reveal the big news, Trish found herself tuning her friend out. Her mind raced. She could hardly believe it.
Though she desperately wanted to tell Chuck as soon as she got out of the bathroom, Trish stopped herself. After convincing him to let her go to the party because the symptoms she had were in absolutely no way contagious, they took off for Austin and Ally's house. Trish tried and failed to suppress her smile. He had no idea what was coming.
/
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Austin and Ava...
Happy birthday to you!
Austin blew out the 28 candles on his birthday cake as everybody cheered. Ava looked around curiously as Ally put a single cupcake in front of her.
"Alright, Ava! Dig in!" she exclaimed, and Ava blinked up at her mom.
"C'mon...smash your face in it!" Austin yelled maybe a little too loudly, "Make daddy proud!"
Ava reached out, grabbed a fistful of frosting, and brought it to her mouth. Austin and Dez cheered, and Austin wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."
Ally, who'd been snapping a million pictures of the birthday girl (and boy), rolled her eyes. A few minutes later, she decided to step in when she saw that Ava was almost completely covered in cake.
"Hmm, this picture looks familiar," Dez mused, lightly bouncing Darrie in his arms. His fiery red curls bounced with him and he stared at his dad's bow tie, feeling it with his chubby fingers.
Ally let out a laugh as she grabbed a rag from over by the kitchen sink. "Maybe because you saw Austin cover me with cake during our home ec wedding in high school, and Ava looks exactly like me..." she glanced over at Austin, who gave a small smile.
"Mmm, nope. That's not it."
She rolled her eyes as she attempted to wipe her daughter off, then set the rag down. "You know what, let's just skip this step. I'm gonna go give her a bath really quick." she picked Ava up, who fussed a little, reaching for the cake. "Trish?"
"What?" Trish mumbled, her mouth full of cake. Ally raised one eyebrow before she disappeared around the corner, and Trish nodded. "Hey, um, if I could have everyone's attention please?"
Austin and Dez's conversation ceased, and Carrie, who'd wandered over to the sink and was trying to figure out how the automatic faucet worked, looked up.
"Um, okay." she paused.
Chuck frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Just come out and say it," she muttered to herself, before raising her voice again, "Um, I have an announcement to make, that nobody knows about yet, not even Chuck. Well, I guess Ally technically knows, but"—
"Just spill the beans!" Dez interrupted.
"I'm pregnant!" she blurted, and her face twisted into a smile. Carrie bounced up and down, clapping her hands. The boys' jaws dropped.
"Wait, seriously?" Chuck asked, grabbing her hand gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just found out today," Trish replied, "Plus, I wanted to see your face when I told everyone else." Chuck said nothing but embraced her in a hug, and lightly planted a kiss on her lips.
"I love you."
"Love you, too."
After a few seconds they heard Ally yell from the upstairs bathroom, "Did you tell them yet?" Trish laughed.
"Yeah!"
About ten minutes later, Ally came bounding back down the stairs, holding Ava, who she had changed into new clothes. She squealed and ran over to hug Trish.
"Gah, I'm so excited for you!" Trish giggled again.
"Thanks. Now Ava, Darrie, and the new baby can all play together!"
"They're all going to be best friends," Ally mused, motioning for the rest of them to join the group hug, "Just like us."
/
a few hours later
"Smile for the camera, Ava!" Ally attempted to console her daughter, who was currently screaming bloody murder after being placed on Santa's lap at the mall. "This is going in the photo album!"
"I feel so bad," Austin said, frowning, "She's so scared of him, and I want to just make her feel better, you know?"
"I know you do," Ally replied, "but let's just leave her there for a few more seconds—maybe she'll calm down." The man in the suit bounced his leg in an attempt to get her to stop crying. Dez was also making faces from behind the camera, but nothing worked. Finally, Austin rushed forward and grabbed her, holding her close to his chest.
"I just couldn't take it anymore," he murmured, "She's my baby. And she just looked so sad."
Ally sighed, wishing that Ava had cooperated for pictures but at the same time, her heart swelled at the sight of Austin consoling his daughter. She quickly snapped a photo and said to herself, "That's going in the album, for sure."
"Okay, Darrie it's your turn!" Dez exclaimed, setting his son down on the man's lap. Darrie stuck out his lower lip and it trembled a bit, but after a few seconds he looked curiously up at the man's fluffy white beard, reaching up to grab it.
"Huh. He's doing better than I thought," Dez mused, taking out his camera.
"That's so adorable," Ally gushed at the sight of the nine-month-old as he shoved his fist in his mouth and looked directly at the camera. Austin was still holding Ava, who had buried her head in her dad's shoulder. She snapped a few pictures of Darrie and Santa, noting what a cute album this would turn out to be. Dez ran forward to grab his son and hand him off to Carrie. "Are we ready to go?" she asked, and everyone except Dez nodded.
"Wait! There's one more thing I want to do," Dez said, rushing back over to Santa and planting himself on his lap. Trish rolled her eyes.
"Oh, brother. Here we go again." The gang watched, amused, as Dez excitedly spilled what he wanted for Christmas. "Is anyone going to tell him that Santa's not real, and that this is just some guy in a suit making minimum wage?"
Austin spun around. "Wait...Santa's not real?"
Ally gritted her teeth. "Trish!"
Trish shrugged. "I'd blame it on the hormones, but let's be real—I would've said that if I wasn't pregnant."
/
forty minutes later
"You're going to be so shocked when you find out what I got Ava for Christmas," Austin said as they came back inside the house.
"In a good way or a bad way?" Ally asked hesitantly.
"I guess we're about to find out," he murmured, running upstairs to get the present. Everyone else trickled in the front door and gathered in the living room, preparing to open gifts. Ally handed Ava over to Trish while she ran and got her present to Ava. Austin's definitely going to be shocked when he finds out what I got her, she thought, going into the bedroom where the small, tabby kitten was sleeping soundly in its kennel.
"Hey there, Pickles," she said, putting a finger up to the bars and letting the kitten smell her, "I'm not sure if that's your name yet, but I'm crossing my fingers."
Upstairs, Austin had snuck into one of the spare bedrooms and opened the medium-sized box with sizeable holes poked in it. The golden retriever puppy jumped up to lick his face. Austin laughed at the feeling of the puppy's rough tongue on his cheek. "Pancake, stop it! Seriously, that tickles!" The dog let out a small yelp, and Austin shushed it, worried that Ally would hear the barking from downstairs. "Now, be quiet so I can surprise Ava!" He picked up the box and crept out the door, down the stairs, and into the living room. "She's going to be so surprised."
"Okay," Ally mused, still panting from coming up the stairs, "This is Ava's present, and it's not really wrapped, I guess, but we're going to have her open this one first." She set the kennel down on the carpet, where Ava was sitting, and waited for Austin to come downstairs to open the door.
Austin's jaw dropped when he saw the kitten climb out of the kennel, making him nearly drop the box. The kitten slowly made its way toward Ava, sniffing the carpet. Ava reached her hand out, squealing, as everyone gushed at the sight.
"Wait, you...you got her a cat?" Austin squeaked, setting the box down. He scratched the back of his head. "Well, this is awkward."
"Why, did you get her a pet for Christmas, too?" Ally joked, glancing up at him briefly. Her smile faded.
"You did not."
Austin opened the box and lifted the squirming puppy out, holding it so she could see. "I did."
Ally groaned. "My mom was right. We really need to communicate more." She got up, excusing herself, and dragged Austin into the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting Ava a puppy?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were getting her a kitten?" he shot back. Ally bit her lip.
"Yeah, I guess we both are kinda at fault, here." she glanced into the living room, where Dez, Trish, and Carrie were all fawning over the puppy and kitten, and Chuck was sitting back in a chair, watching the scene unfold.
"So, the question is, which one do we keep?"
Austin stifled a laugh. "You're kidding, right? We can't just give one of them back!"
"Well, how are we supposed to keep up with a kitten, a puppy, and a toddler? It's too much, Austin." She bit her lip and went back into the living room, where Dez and Carrie were helping Darrie unwrap a box that looked rather heavy. Dez lifted the top off and Darrie peeked inside, but quickly lost interest and instead started eating a piece of ribbon.
"Wait, no, Darrie!" Dez protested yanking the ribbon out of his son's mouth, "Look at the present mommy and I got you—it's a dictionary, so you can be as smart as daddy one day!" Dez lugged the giant book out of the box and opened to the very first page, reading every single word aloud.
Trish scoffed. "In what world is Dez considered smart?" She unwrapped a Lindor chocolate and popped it in her mouth.
"Okay, now I want to give Ava her birthday present, since it's so close to Christmas," Ally said, grabbing the box and bringing it over to her daughter, who was petting the kitten almost aggressively. She took the cat out of Ava's hands and placed the box in front of her. Ava gave her a blank stare, as if to ask, 'What do you expect me to do with this?'
Ally tore the wrapping paper and guided Ava's hands so she could learn how to unwrap it herself, but Ava just put the piece in her mouth—which was about what everyone else had expected. Ally grabbed the paper out of her hands and tore the rest of it off to reveal a box with a picture of a colorful piano on it.
"See, Ava? It's a piano!" she exclaimed, opening the box and taking it out. "Here, touch the keys, like this!" Ava reached out with both hands and smashed the tiny, plastic keys with full force. The kitten sniffed around cautiously, occasionally stopping to play with the wrapping paper, and the puppy bounced from person to person, sniffing rather aggressively. Austin took a seat on the couch and exchanged smiles with Ally.
/
Later, after everyone had trickled out and Ava had been put to bed, Ally poured two glasses of wine and sat down at the table. The puppy came up to her and sniffed her heels, putting its paws up on her leg.
"Well, aren't you just too cute for your own good?" she asked the dog, smiling, as Austin sat down across from her.
Austin smirked. "Why, thank you."
She looked up at her husband. "I wasn't talking to y—never mind. Look, I know how excited you were about getting Ava the dog, so why don't we just keep the dog?"
Austin shook his head. "No. I know how you feel about dogs. I say we keep the cat."
"No, no, let's keep the dog. I insist."
There was a pause, and Austin bit his lip. "What's so wrong about keeping both?"
Ally sighed. "I don't know, I just...it's a lot, Austin. We're in the beginning stages of starting our own business, we have a toddler, we're thinking about having another baby, and now a dog and a cat?"
"We can handle it," he said, reaching across the table and gripping her hand, "We can handle anything."
Ally bowed her head, realizing that he was referring to the miscarriage. "This is different than...that," she whispered, not wanting to say it, "Pets are a lot of work, and I know you don't have experience with pets growing up, but"—
"Which is exactly why I want Ava to have that experience," Austin replied, "I want her to have everything that we didn't have growing up." Ally felt a small smile creep onto her face.
"Okay, you convinced me. We can keep them both."
"Yesss!" Austin cheered.
Ally giggled. "Not so loud, Ava's sleeping!"
"Right, sorry," he murmured. "Oh, by the way, I thought of the perfect name for the puppy."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Pancake!"
Ally rolled her eyes. "Austin, we're not naming our dog after your favorite food."
"Okay, well, what do you want to name the cat?"
"Pickles," she muttered. Austin raised an eyebrow.
"Really? You have the audacity to tell me that we can't name our dog after my favorite breakfast food, and then you go and name the cat Pickles?"
"Really. But in my defense, Pickles seems to suit the cat. I mean, doesn't he look like a Pickles?"
"He does," Austin mused, "'Kay, now what about the puppy? If we don't name her Pancake, then what are we going to name her?"
Ally bit her lip, trying to think of a good name for their puppy. Suddenly, her face lit up. "What about Paris?"
A smile formed on Austin's face. "The place where we got engaged. I like that."
"So, it's settled then?" Ally asked, taking a sip of her wine. "Pickles and Paris?"
"I guess so." Austin let out a yawn, "Man, I'm tired. Let's go to bed." He stood up and climbed the stairs, beckoning to Paris, who trailed behind him, apparently having caught onto her new name. Ally reached down and picked up Pickles, turning off the lights in the kitchen and following her husband upstairs. Once they'd both changed into their pajamas, Austin and Ally climbed into bed, Paris and Pickles right behind—who were, to the couple's surprise, actually getting along fairly well—and snuggled in closely next to each other. Austin and Ally fell asleep that night to the sound of each other's breathing, Pickles' purring, and Paris' soft snoring. The two of them slept more soundly that night than they had in a long time.
/Okay there's a lot to unpack here lol. Ava took her first steps and said her first word, Trish is pregnant, Ava got a puppy and kitty for Christmas, and their names are Paris and Pickles. I mean, it can't get better than this right (pun intended)? lol. Anyways, tell me what you think in the comments! Thanks so much for reading, I love you all! *muah* -EJ