✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

131. A Decent Proposal

This chapter is dedicated to Alyssa, with thanks for all your support on Patreon. Thank you!

Tess and Spike stood back and looked at their handiwork. The spare room had started to look like someone actually lived there; much more than it had done when Tess had temporarily moved some of her stuff over. The difference had been a couple of posters and some ornaments, things that Tess hadn't cared about enough to move them into another room. Some of the posters were for things like The Mini Miko Movie, which had thrilled toddlers around the world when it was released a couple of years ago; Tess had found them in one of the big closets in the nursery, and offered them with a laugh. They made the room feel lived in, at least, even if the impression they gave was that a baby lived there.

"Oh, one more thing!" Tess said, leading Spike through to the nursery. He looked around nervously; probably remembering that the last time he'd seen this room hadn't gone too well. But Tess reached down for a bunch of plushies gathered together on the bed, and held them out towards him.

"Very... cute?" he said.

"Yes. Take one. A proper housewarming gift, so I won't be the only one with soft toys invading my sleeping space."

"I think I'd need to get to know them first," he said, with just a little smile. "If I get to sleep with one of them. And I don't want to break up the family either. Do they have names?"

The last question was asked so seriously that Tess couldn't help breaking out in laughter, completely shattering any tension that was left in the air. Somehow, without another word spoken, they were both handing plush ferrets to each other, almost like some slow-motion juggling performance where it was impossible to track the ever-changing groups of Dookbros in each person's hands.

The laughter didn't stop until they heard the sound of the door downstairs opening. Tess immediately started to get nervous; they hadn't expected Gabby and Ffrances to be back for a while longer. It seemed like the lunch date had gone very quickly, which could have meant all kinds of problems.

"I thought they were going to be out most of the day?" Spike asked; but Tess was already picking up her own phone, which was sitting on the desk to charge, and looking to see if Ffrances had sent her any advance warning of their return. Of course, there was a message waiting. She had just been too busy with moving all her stuff around, and hadn't found time to check.

"Ffrances says the date went pretty well, but she wants to share her present with us."

"Present?"

"Gabby got her a gift. It was supposed to be a big surprise, and I think Ffrances is expecting we'll be surprised to see it as well. But Gabby already told me, so... just pretend we've got no idea. Okay? I don't want to take away from the magic of today, not if Gabby can remain civil."

"Okay..." Spike said slowly. "So what's she got her? Something she wants us to see?"

"Wait and see. At least one of us can be surprised."

She could tell that Spike was going to ask more; he didn't know how Gabby would react to see him there, and he was pretty nervous. But there wasn't time to tell him anything more before Gabby's voice shouted up from the kitchen.

"Tess? Are you here?"

"We're home, kids!" Ffrances called too. Tess guessed that they'd already talked about the move after Gabby asked her permission. It wasn't a certainty, but it meant that they were probably supposed to admit they were both there.

"Coming!" she called back, and hurried down the stairs, with Spike proceeding at a more careful pace behind her. She saw Gabby smile when she saw her, and then immediately saw that same smile fade.