Watermelon

NYE

[spicy]

"Ready? We've gotta count down, okay?" Shawn told the 3-year-old girl in his arms. He poked her nose, making her giggle.

Everyone in the room — Shawn, Camila, Jace, Maggie, Chloe, Aaliyah, Sofi, Shawn's parents, and Camila's parents — all started counting down from ten as the shiny, sparkling ball on the TV screen slowly started dropping down in the heart of New York City.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" Everyone was clapping and cheering and blowing on the shiny silver and gold noisemakers that Karen had picked up from the party store. Maggie lit up with excitement, her smile wide and her hands enthusiastically applauding the beginning of a new year.

Or at least, what she thought was the beginning of a new year. She was so desperate to join in on the New Year's Eve festivities but Shawn and Camila knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake until midnight, so Shawn played an old NYE ball drop video he found on YouTube on the TV while the rest of the family played along. It was only 8 PM.

They let the excitement of the new year be celebrated with the little girl for a few minutes before telling Maggie, much to her disappointment, that she needed to go to bed. She only put up a fight for a moment before realizing that she actually was quite tired, and maybe sleep didn't sound so bad. She gave goodnight hugs to everyone that was there before being tucked into bed by Shawn and Camila by 8:30.

"Did you have a good new year?" Camila asked, brushing her fingers through her daughter's curls. Maggie's eyes were already getting heavy, and she had only just laid down in bed.

"Yeah," she yawned. Camila leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Good. Sleep good, pretty girl."

Shawn sat down next to her next, booping the tip of her nose with his finger. She sleepily giggled, grabbing his thumb and pulling his hand close to her, hugging it against her face. "I love you, stinky."

"I love you daddy," she replied with a yawn. Camila nearly melted watching the interaction — most interactions between the two of them made her want to melt into a puddle. Shawn leaned down and hugged her, kissing her cheek before standing back up.

"Goodnight, Mags. Whatcha gonna dream about?"

"Mingos," she stated matter-of-factly. Shawn and Camila both chuckled, turning on her nightlight before stepping out of her bedroom and closing the door.

Everybody else was still scattered about the living room and kitchen. Camila, Karen and Sinu had spent the afternoon and into the evening making a wide spread of snacks and appetizers that seemed to be a big hit among the guests, especially Chloe — who was officially at the point in her pregnancy where every kind of food sounded like the most delicious thing in the world. Jace would often joke about the fact that pregnant Chloe could easily out-eat him — and on a few occasions, she had.

"I think I'm gonna try to run a marathon," Aaliyah was saying as her brother stepped past her and into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

"Oh my god, I could never!" Sofi laughed. "My resolution is to start getting better at saving my money."

"What about you?" Aaliyah asked, turning towards Shawn as he took a swig of his beer. "Any new year's resolutions?"

"I'm gonna get Camila pregnant."

"Ew!" Both of the girls, and Jace, exclaimed. Shawn laughed at their reaction and took down another gulp of beer.

"Hey! I thought you guys would be excited!"

"Not when you say it like that," Aaliyah replied with crinkled nose.

"Well you literally got someone pregnant," Shawn said, nodding towards Jace. "You're not allowed to be grossed out by it."