Nine | Sam
Nine
Sam
A very moans when she enjoys what she’s eating, which basically meant that my dick now identified as an all-you-can-eat buffet. I tried desperately to ignore the sounds and not focus on how she looked with her eyes closed and lips slightly parted as she devoured dinner, but it was hard. Literally hard.
After dinner, I cleaned up while Avery and Kennedy decided on which movie to watch. We had decided that we were going to watch one Christmas movie every night from now until Christmas, which left us with a lot of movies to choose from. I initially voted for Die Hard but then retracted when I remembered that Kennedy didn’t need to go around telling anyone, “Yippee-ki-yay mother fucker” and that it was a bit violent. We’d settled on Miracle On 34 th Street, and I was surprised to hear that Avery had never seen it.
We settled in on the couch with Kennedy cuddled under a mountain of blankets between us as we watched the movie. I’d made popcorn and didn’t tell Avery that I had purchased twelve of those movie theater-sized candy boxes until they were scattered around the ottoman with the other snacks. She pretended to be mad, but her smile gave her away as she reached for the Hot Tamales and popped a handful into her mouth.
She didn’t moan with them the way she did with the fried chicken and mashed potatoes, but I was impressed that she also didn’t seem bothered by how spicy they were. Maybe I was a wimp because I could only handle a few at a time without my eyes tearing up and my mouth catching on fire. I didn’t want to allow myself to think about all the things Avery’s mouth could handle because that was a deep, slippery slope I had no place being on.
Once the movie was over, Avery got Kennedy to bed while I sat in the living room, unsure whether she was going to call it a night herself. It was barely after eight, but I knew Avery had been more tired than usual lately, so I didn’t want her to feel obligated to stay up with me.
I was washing out the containers we’d used for snacks when I heard Avery come into the kitchen.
“Do you need help?” she asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
“I’m done, but thank you.”
She nodded and looked around the kitchen, which was now spotless.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who kept his house as clean as you do.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I teased as I hung the towel on the hook and leaned against the counter to look at her.
“You should. It’s a huge compliment. So many men don’t care about all of the little things, but you do, and it shows. Someday, you’re going to make one woman very happy.”
My heart jumped at the thought that possibly she meant deep down that woman would be her.
“Are you staying up for a bit?” I asked, trying to get a feel for what she wanted to do.
“Yeah. I’m tired but not ready for bed just yet.”
“Want to watch a movie?”
“That depends...” Her smile made her brown eyes light up.
“Are you about to con me into a late-night latte or pancakes and bacon like your daughter?” I asked playfully, pointing a finger at her.
“Oh, heck no. I don’t do caffeine this late unless I want to be up all night. The only exception I make is if it’s an Irish coffee, and even then, I usually go for decaf coffee.”
“I can make that happen.” I looked past her to the shelf that held my assorted collection of whiskey.
“I’m not trying to con you into making me a drink, Sam,” she said with a laugh as she walked past and swatted my arm. “I am, however, going to sneak into the snacks I bought the other day, BUT you cannot tell Kennedy that I ate them.”
My jaw dropped and hung open as she reached into the pantry and pulled out a family-sized bag of Cheetos.
“Okay—I know we’ve had a lot of deceit happening in here the past twenty-four hours, but you have got to be kidding me. You’re seriously asking me to keep a secret from Kennedy?”
She opened the bag, stood right in front of me, and pulled a Cheeto out. She looked me dead in the eye as she slowly parted her lips and placed it inside her mouth. I tried desperately not to be fixated on her mouth or on how she was so close I could smell the sweet fragrance of her shampoo.
The Cheeto crunched loudly as she chewed, continuing the stare down.
I shook my head, forcing myself to break free from the spell she had me under as I shoved a hand through my hair.
“Fine. If I’m keeping your secret, you’re going to have to keep mine and not be mad about it.”
She stepped back slowly, a smirk crossing her lips as she frowned, wondering what I was up to.
“I won’t tell Kennedy that you had Cheetos after dinner if you promise you won’t be upset when I show you what I got her.”
“Like for Christmas?” she asked, her head tilted in confusion. “You didn’t have to get her anything for Christmas, Sam. I don’t know if we’ll even be here—”
“Stop,” I said, holding my hand up. “You will be here for Christmas, and I will buy both of you gifts. Fighting me on it won’t do anything but increase your frustration when you find you won’t get your way with me.”
“Sam—”
“Nope. Na uh. I don’t want to hear it. Now, before I show you what I got her, do you promise not to be mad?”
“I can’t promise anything. For all I know, you went crazy and bought her a pony.”
I shook my head and scrunched my nose.
“No, no ponies. They’re too messy, and she’s too little to really enjoy them. Maybe next year.”
“Sam...” Her voice came through as a warning.
I grimaced and opened the door to the garage, knowing she was going to either love what I did or hate it.
“Now remember, you can’t be mad.”
She raised her eyebrows and set the bag of Cheetos down on the counter.
I reached inside and grabbed the two large bags from Waldon’s that I had gotten yesterday.
I didn’t think it was even possible, but her eyebrows rose even higher.
“What in the world is in there?” she asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.
I took a deep breath and steadied my hands as I pulled the box out of the bag and set it down in between us.
She went from shocked to confused in a matter of seconds.
“I know you weren’t planning to stay for Christmas, but I would really love it if you would reconsider,” I said softly, lifting the box with the light pink mini Christmas tree. “I thought it would be fun for Kennedy to have her own tree in her room that she could decorate. I know this isn’t the home she’s used to, but I don’t see why we can’t try to make it feel like home for her while she’s here.”
Avery covered her mouth with her hands as tears filled her eyes.
“Sam, you didn’t have—”
“I know. I wanted to, Avery.”
I gave her a few minutes while she wiped at her eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.
“I thought maybe tomorrow the three of us could decorate the house. My tree is up, but I haven’t had time to put lights or ornaments on and could really use the help.”
Her lower lip quivered as she nodded yes.
It was a small victory, but at least one small step headed in the right direction.