27. #schnappsanddiamonds #2
So I’ll take one for the team, as it were. A team is like a family, after all. And that’s exactly what Vance, the blob in my uterus, and I are—a family.
“I’ll tell the realtor to put an offer on it.” I hold up the listing in my hand. “Cash. That should stop the bidding war.”
“Whoa.” Vance shifts me on his lap, half turning me so he can see my face. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Let me?” The tone and my one raised eyebrow has him backtracking.
Immediately he holds up his hands. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Uh-huh.” I glance at the boys still absorbed in their game. “Just be glad I successfully wrestled for and won those headphones, otherwise if the boys had heard what you said, you’d be done for.”
The back door slams, and Matt walks in, pulling off an oven mitt.
Pinterest had a recipe for smoked brisket that Brit thought would go great with her mother’s tamales, so the poor guy has been up even before his sons, stoking the fire, trying to maintain an even temperature all in the name of love and Pinterest.
“Oooh, Vance is in trouble,” Brit sings, then giggles.
“What did Vance do now?” Matt leans over and kisses his wife. His eyebrows jump when he gets a whiff of schnapps.
I pretend to be mad. “He said he won’t let me buy a house.”
“Hey, man.” Matt glances at his sons. “Let’s not get the feminist parade started again, okay?”
“I just meant”—Vance dips his head forward—"I’d feel bad you doing that by yourself. I don’t have that kind of cash. But if we put in a down payment and got a mortgage, we could split the cost, no problem.”
“Then we might not get the house.” I shake the listing in his face. “I want this house.”
He frowns, and I can tell he wants to argue, but he also doesn’t want to take the chance of me not getting what I want. He’s so cute.
I drop the paper and lean into him, lifting my shoulders to bring my boobs, now slightly bigger from pregnancy, to his attention. “Just think of it as my Christmas present to you.”
He talks to my chest. “You already got me a car.”
I did. A gold one. Jackie is already jealous of the C7 Corvette.
I shrug, the move also doing good things for boobs. “It’s a perk of having knocked up a billionaire.”
Brit blows a raspberry at us, distracting Vance from my ta-tas. “Damn it, I knew I should’ve gotten you to elope with me. I could use a sugar mama.”
“Again.” Matt’s resigned voice matches his expression. “Thanks.”
Brit pats Matt’s hand. Or tries to—she ends up patting the oven mitt he’s holding instead. “There, there.”
“Okay.” Vance lifts me again, this time setting me beside him. “I’ll agree to you buying the house as a Christmas present for me if you agree not to argue about my Christmas present.”
“My ring?” I hold up my hand. “I’d never argue about this. I love it.”
He kisses my cheek. “I’m glad, Rosie-girl, but I was talking about the second Christmas present I got you.” Vance pulls something out from behind him and hands it to me.
It looks like one of those envelopes you get when you purchase a gift card. “What’s this?”
“It’s not a house, but I’m hoping you like it.”
Tilting my head, I study him. “So you’re telling me that if I accept this”—I hold up the envelope—"you won’t complain if I buy the house for us?”
Vance nods. “Correct.”
This seems too easy. But thinking it’s probably a gift card to some sex shop or some other store he thinks will embarrass me, I nod. “Deal.”
“All right then.” He gestures at my hand. “Have at it.”
Not a gracious gift opener, I tear the flap of the envelope off instead of lifting it, revealing a three by two piece of white card stock with the NASA logo on it. “A business card?”
Vance’s knee bounces. “Read it.”
“Vance Lonan Bodaway, chief astronaut.” Chief? Where have I?—
“Chief astronaut?” Matt asks. “What’s that?”
“My new job title,” Vance answers, eyes still on me. “Took over from Luke. Effective immediately.”
A rush of emotion hits me when I remember where I’ve heard that title before, and I fall back against the couch.
My heart thumps, remembering what Jules said about her friend Luke, the tall guy at the wedding.
How he wasn’t going on any missions right now because he’s in charge of all the flight rotations for the other astronauts.
How she’d rather be caught dead than take that desk job, even if it was temporary.
“What did you do?” I choke out the words, it suddenly hard for me to talk.
“Now remember,” Vance says, leaning away from me as if bracing for impact, “you said you wouldn’t argue.”
“But—but your flight.” I look at him, then the card, then at Helen, the boys, then back at the card. “You...”
“There will be other flights. And I’ll be on them. Just not right now.”
My eyes land on his, and I see his conviction. His commitment to me and our new family.
He taps the card in my hand. “This isn’t about me being afraid to fly up while you’re here with our child.
It’s about me wanting to be here so I don’t miss out on helping you bring our child into the world.
” His fingers wrap around my hand. “Though, honestly, even after one doctor’s visit, it’s pretty apparent that the sum of all my help is me just holding your hand. ”
“Useless,” Brit mutters.
“But—"
“No arguing. That was the deal, remember.” And with a quick peck on my cheek, he stands, grabbing the oven mitt from Matt.
“Come on, let’s go check on the brisket.
I have barbecue skills to practice.” He takes a step to leave but stops, turning back to me.
“Oh, here.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and tosses it to me.
“You might want to call the realtor. Even with it being Christmas, I don’t think they’ll mind taking a call if it means a cash commission. ” He winks. “A deal’s a deal, right?”
With that, he finger guns me and leaves.
The bastard stole my move.
Hashtag best Christmas ever.