"I appreciate the offer, Mom, but I've been away from her so much over the past few days, I hate the thought of having her gone all week."
"Well, at least let us keep her during the daytime instead of going to preschool, then you can pick her up every evening. That way, you can take care of whatever you need to take care of with the move and the statement and whatever else needs to be done." My dad was the voice of reason, as always.
Nico spoke up before I could open my mouth. "That sounds like a solid plan. I'll pick you up at 9:00 then, Sunshine. We'll record the statement at our house, then head over to your house to start packing."
"Our house?" I questioned in surprise.
He smiled and dropped a kiss on my forehead. "Yes, Sunshine, our house."
I gave him what I was sure was a goofy, lovestruck smile and settled back against him on the sofa. The four of us chatted for a while longer about the logistics of the move, then my parents excused themselves for the night. As they headed toward the stairs, Mom yawned and commented how tired she was, then my eyes widened when I saw Dad pat her on the butt. I cringed when I heard him murmur "I hope you aren't too tired, Colleen." Judging by Mom's girlish giggle, she was not too tired. I needed brain bleach.
Nico pulled me tighter against him, burying his face in my shoulder as he tried to stifle his laughter. "Oh my God," I groaned in an embarrassed whisper, shaking my head.
Nico looked up at me and grinned. "What's wrong, Sunshine? I think it's sweet."
"I think it's sweet, too, but I don't need to see or hear about it. And might I remind you that you don't think it's sweet whenyour parents do that. Remember when we caught them mid-grope in your pool house last summer?"
"Oh, hell no, that did not happen. That was only a bad dream," Nico stated firmly.
"Uh-huh, bad dream my ass. If we'd been thirty seconds later, I'm pretty sure we would have seen naked bits. As it was, your mom almost dislocated her arm trying to get her wet swimsuit back in place before we walked in." I laughed, remembering how mortified his mother had been, and how proud his father had looked.
Nico wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me in for a gentle kiss. "So, twenty years from now we'll need to continue the tradition and gross out our kids when I grab your ass and they catch us making out." He gave me a satisfied smile. "I can get on board with that."
I stopped smiling and just stared at him, stunned, as his words sank in.
"Our kids?" I asked hesitantly, stressing the plural.
Nico kissed me again, a quick peck on my lips, followed by a slightly longer smooch, before smiling at me. "Yes, our kids. Gracie and however many babies we have."
He had mentioned the future before, but I guess it hadn't really sunk in that he was serious about forever. Seeing the look on my face, he cupped my face in his hands and stared at me in concern.
"What's wrong, Allie. Do you not want more kids?"
"Yes, of course," I hurried to reassure him. "I just hadn't really thought that far into the future, I guess."
"Well, you need to think even further than the next twenty years, Sunshine. Try the next fifty or sixty years. I'll be the handsome old fucker chasing you around the nursing home as fast as my walker allows. Our grandkids will come visit us and cover their kids' eyes because Papaw's grabbing Memaw's ass again."
I snorted out a really unladylike laugh. "Papaw and Memaw, huh?"
"That's what the great-grandkids can call us, to distinguish us from their other grandparents."
"You sound like you've given this some thought, honey."
He stared into my eyes and smiled softly. "I've been dreaming about it for years, love."
