common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

christmas promises

Nini sighed as her head leaned against her fist while she sat on the couch. her feet were tucked up under her, a red blanket thrown over her lap, the tv playing a Christmas movie but she wasn't really paying attention to it.

the snow was falling in thick flakes outside and she kept checking her phone to see if her husband had texted her. Ricky was traveling home to Salt Lake from visiting his mom in Chicago. he should've been home by now but his flight had been delayed because of the storm.

she frantically reaches for her phone as it begins to ring, her husbands picture flashing across the screen, "Ricky, baby, please tell me you're in Salt Lake?"

there's hesitation on his end before he sighs deeply, "Neens, my flight is grounded. i don't think i'm gonna make it home in time for Christmas."

the tears start to pool in her eyes at his words, "but Ricky, this is an important Christmas. this is the last one we have with just the two of us." she says as she rubs her slightly swollen belly.

"i know sweetheart, i know. i'm trying, trust me. everything is grounded, i tried getting on a flight to Denver and i was gonna drive the rest of the way, i tried to do the same thing with Nevada, everything is grounded. i'm stuck here Nini." she can hear the desperation in his voice and it takes everything inside of her not to cry.

she sighs deeply, "i miss you, so much. i just want you here with me."

"i miss you more than you know Neens. god, i should've never came to Chicago, nothing good ever happens when i visit my mom."

she rubs a hand over her forehead, her fingers poking at her temples a little, "whatever you do, can you promise me you'll be safe? if it comes to it, i don't want you driving across the country in the snow cause i know that you'd do that."

he sighs, "i promise darling. i love you, and the little munchkin. i'll be home before Christmas, i promise."

Nini smiles, her hand returning to her belly, rubbing softly over the area where her daughter sat, "we love you too. be safe."

she sits in silence once they hung up. silent tears roll down her cheeks and she doesn't make an effort to wipe them away. both her hands encase her bump, rubbing it softly as she looks down, "daddy will be home soon baby, he promised. your daddy has never broken a promise before."

this was a special Christmas for the young couple. it was their last one before they became a family of three but it was even more special since Nini was five months pregnant. something about celebrating your favorite holiday while having the child that you made with love growing inside of you was just so amazing to the young brunette. she and Ricky had only been married a year before she found out they were having a baby. they had returned from their anniversary trip that they took in August, Nini finding out she was pregnant two weeks later. they blamed the jacuzzi bathtub in their hotel room for the conception. either way, they were ecstatic to have a baby and start their family. Nini always wanted to be a younger mom so being 23 and pregnant was the dream for her.

she glanced around the room at all the decorations. she had really gone the extra mile this year. the couple had decorated together before Ricky left a week and a half ago but in order to distract herself, Nini had pulled out extra decorations from storage and bought a few more things from Target over the week. the living room itself was fully decorated. the tree looked beautiful with its multi colored lights and all the ornaments that the couple had collected over the years, Nini's new favorite one was the ornament she had specially made with their daughters sonogram picture on it, sitting on the tree right next to the couples first Christmas ornament.

there were little santa statues and reindeer figurines, even an elf on the shelf (because Ricky wasn't allowed to have one growing up and always wanted one). her favorite decorations had to be over the fireplace, that's where the stockings were. the large red one with little green bows was hers, Ricky's blue one with Rudolph on it was across from hers. in the middle between both of theirs was a little white stocking with red stripes on it, a cursive 'B' embroidered on it. they didn't have a name yet so they always called her 'baby b' or 'baby Bowen' so Nini figured she deserved her own stocking.