Kisses and Near Misses

Chapter 15

The next week was filled with light and laughter and Christmas/winter fun. The Delaney family went to parties and had get togethers with the Chung family, had double dates with Derrick and his latest squeeze and spent time with Cassandra and Jacq's siblings.

They were nearly unaware time was moving forward.

Suddenly it was Christmas Eve night.

Jacq baked gingerbread people and sugar cookies to go with her hot chocolate and they watched Batman Returns on the floor in a nest.

With the Christmas and fairy lights (the only Christmas decor they had), it looked and felt festive.

When the movie ended, the kids were washed and put to bed. The parents cleaned up and went to bed themselves.

"I have a gift for you." Jacq spoke up suddenly.

"You do?" Cole smirked.

"Yes." She moved out of his arms to retrieve it from her nightstand. She came back and gave it to him.

He sat up to open it. He was excited to see what it could be then he made it to the hard cover. He turned his light on to see that she'd gifted him a journal. It was black with gold moon and stars decals. It was beautiful. "You got me a book?"

She giggled. "You know how I have my songbook?"

"That spellbook?"

"It's my songbook." She swatted him.

"You cast spells from it onto me."

She covered her mouth so she wouldn't get too loud. "Cole!"

"Alright, your songbook."

She snuggled up to him. "I want you to have something like that. Something to put all your thoughts or something. And we match."

He blinked, overcome. "You think I have thoughts?"

"Cole?" She sat up with a frown.

"I just- I can't believe it. Why do you think I can think? I'm stupid."

Is this how I sound to Gabi? No wonder she gets so pissed. "You are not stupid, baby. You're so smart that people overlook it."

"The only class I'm doing well in is Life Sciences. Because I have you."

"School does not measure intelligence."

"What do you mean?"

"If you judge a fish by well it can climb a tree, it'll spend its whole life thinking it's stupid. You're a fish, honey. You cannot climb trees. But you're a helluva swimmer."

He wasn't too good with metaphors but that sounded like she was saying he wasn't stupid and it wasn't his fault other people didn't see that. "Thanks, Mamí."

"You're welcome, Bàbà." She kissed his chin. "Just keep swimming."

He felt full of love and had to show her.

≈

Christmas morning dawned early.

Cole was snoring away atop Jacq when he felt something sit on his side. He blinked awake and turned a bit to see Xuê peering into his face. He yelped.

She giggled. "Bàbà!"

He almost peed on himself, her and Jacq. He looked at Jacq quickly and noticed both of them were naked beneath the covers. "Xuê?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get out of your crib?"

The baby giggled.