Baby Love

Bonus Chapters

Happy New Year! I'm so pleased to share the chapters below. They are what I like to consider extended moments—moments that are "cannon" to the story but didn't make the cut for one reason or another.

So without further ado, let us begin! (P.S. I might add more to these in the future so if you have ideas/requests please let me know!)

Word Count: 8792

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Christmas 2017

Nobody's POV

The kitchen buzzed with holiday cheer. The table was a delightful mess of icing, gumdrops, and half-eaten candy canes. Averie sat beside Joe, her little hands steady as she placed a peppermint swirl on the gingerbread roof they'd carefully constructed together.

"This is the best house ever," Averie declared proudly, her grin as wide as the frosting streaked across her cheek.

Joe nodded with exaggerated seriousness. "It's an architectural masterpiece, Nugget. A gingerbread mansion fit for a princess."

Taylor laughed from across the table, where she was helping Austin glue gummy bears to their house. "A princess in a castle and a gingerbread house? You're living the dream, Averie."

But before Averie could respond, the house began to shift ever so slightly. Joe froze, his eyes darting to the side of their gingerbread house, which was starting to sag ominously.

"NO! NO! Nooooo," Averie shrieked as the house slowly collapsed much to Joe's dismay as he tried to rush to reinforce the walls and roof with frosting.

It was no use, the house still collapsed. "Uh-oh," Joe muttered, pulling the pipping bag out of the way just as the entire structure collapsed into a sticky heap.

Averie gasped, her face going pale as tears welled up in her eyes. "No!" she cried, her voice trembling. "Our house! It's broken!"

The room fell silent for a moment before Grandma Alwyn let out a chuckle, quickly followed by Grandpa's booming laugh. "Well, I guess it's a gingerbread demolition site now," Grandpa joked, earning a round of giggles from the adults.

But Averie didn't find it funny. To her, the shattered house was more than candy and frosting—it was a disaster. Her lip quivered as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "It's all ruined!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

Joe knelt beside her, a smear of icing on his forehead as he tried to piece the crumbled house back together. "It's okay, Nugget. I'll fix it. Watch this—Daddy to the rescue!"

His hands fumbled with the gingerbread pieces, icing dripping everywhere. As soon as he pressed it on, the roof slid off, and the walls leaned precariously.

"Daddy, stop!" Averie cried, her sobs intensifying. "You're making it worse!"

Taylor had been watching quietly, but quickly moved to Averie's side and crouched down. "Hey, baby love," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair from Averie's tear-streaked face. "Come here."

Averie clung to her, burying her face in Taylor's shoulder. Her frosting-covered hands left sticky smudges on Taylor's sweater. "It's all broken, Mama. Everything's broken."

Taylor rubbed soothing circles on Averie's back. "I know, I know, but it's not the end of the world."

"But it is! Daddy and mines house is ruined, it's broken!" Averie whined as she watched Austin and Joe try to fix the house once more.

"I know, baby. It's really hard when something you worked so hard on doesn't go as planned," Taylor said softly, gently rocking Averie in her arms. "I'm so sorry your house keeps falling. It's okay to feel sad about it. But didn't you still have fun making it?" Her voice was warm and understanding, though the hint of a smile betrayed her amusement at her daughter's dramatic reaction.