Chapter Text
Two steps behind as they enter the apartment, Nicole tosses her keys onto the table in the entryway. It lands with a thud and scratches across the wood, but she ignores the look she undoubtedly receives from her girlfriend. She closes the front door and locks it behind them, immediately turning on her heel and heading for the couch.
She drops her exhausted body onto it, the blue cushions shifting beneath her weight. A sigh escapes her lips and she lifts her arm to cover her eyes from the bright light shining directly above her. She kicks her shoes off, the sneakers dropping with a thud to the wood floor, and finally lets her feet breathe for the first time since 7 o’clock this morning.
“I hate this,” her girlfriend murmurs as she sets a glass of water on the table in front of Nicole.
Nicole slowly moves her arm and peers up at her. She sees the adorable pout gracing her girlfriend’s lips and immediately matches it. She fixes her voice with a whine and says, “I know, baby. I hate this too.”
“Why can’t we just tell them?”
The weight against her torso somehow manages to take her by surprise as her girlfriend straddles her waist. Cold hands press against her ribcage and she feels it through her t-shirt, tickling lightly. Instinctively, Nicole moves her hands to wrap them around slender wrists and instruct the woman forward. With the movement, the space between them gets thinner and thinner until she’s close enough for Nicole to lift up and meet her mouth in a gentle kiss. Her stomach muscles scream in protest, tired from their workout in the gym in their apartment building.
“I feel disgusting,” Nicole murmurs as she flattens her back out on the couch, “And exhausted.”
“You’ve had a long day,” her girlfriend hums, “You had to work this morning.”
“Then my girlfriend made me work out,” Nicole adds with a pout, “It was terrible.”
“Hey,” she says, slapping Nicole’s shoulder before lowering all of her weight onto her chest.
Wrapping her arms around the woman’s middle, Nicole says, “I haven’t even told them that I’m dating anyone at all. When they find out it’s you, I’m a little nervous to see how that’ll go over.”
“Am I so bad?” She asks, nose sliding along Nicole’s jawbone.
“No way, baby. You’re the best,” Nicole replies. They lay there in silence for a moment, her arms tight around her girlfriend’s waist. Nicole moves her head, tilting it up to tuck the crown of her girlfriend’s head under her chin. “I’m so happy with you that I want to just tell everyone, but my dad had that heart attack a few months ago. I just don’t want to give him another one when he finds out I’m dating Julian Adams’ daughter.”
“What is between you cops and firefighters anyway?” She asks.
“I dunno, Waves,” Nicole says, “It isn’t as bad here in the city but back home it’s almost unbearable.”
“Obviously,” Waverly says with a snort. Nicole feels her fingers slide across her neck and dig into her skin. A shiver skates down her spine and she holds Waverly tighter. “If they weren’t such jerks about it, I could bring my girlfriend home. Hell, we could take the same freaking flight.”
Nicole laughs, finding the humor in Waverly’s word choice. When the weight against her becomes lighter she stops laughing to look up at her girlfriend. Her face shows she’s less than amused. Truthfully, it isn’t funny. They had to buy separate flights home for the holidays despite their parents living across the street from one another. It would be simple for them to catch a ride together. If not for this lifelong feud between Nicole’s stepdad and Waverly’s birth father who her mother is now married to.
“At least we have the same flight out,” Nicole tries to reason.
“Ugh,” Waverly groans, “I’ll have to go almost a week without you.”
“You have an early flight,” Nicole reminds her, “Let’s take a shower and go to bed.”
🎄
Waverly wakes up to the first alarm on her phone. The sun hasn’t even begun to creep into the skyline of their 6th floor apartment when she crawls out of bed, determined to give her exhausted girlfriend just a little more time to sleep. She packed the night before. All she has to do is get changed and give herself a few final touches.
On her way to the bathroom, she trips over one of Nicole’s shoes but catches herself before it can be disastrous. She grumbles as she turns the bathroom light on, noticing that their bathroom seems to be in complete disarray from their mutual exhaustion the night before. Their dirty clothes are all over the floor and towels left right beside them, damp heaps that will no doubt need to immediately go into the laundry the moment they return.
They’ve only lived together for 6 weeks after having dated for a little over 8 months. Waverly would admit that they’re still in that love bubble where every annoying thing Nicole does is adorable, and probably the same when it comes to her own annoying habits. Even then, they spend most nights they do have together getting distracted with one another rather than being productive.
After brushing her teeth, she pulls her hair up into a bun and exits the bathroom. She leaves the light on so she can have a little bit of light until she gets into the closet. Once there, she immediately flicks the light on and finds something to wear comfortably on the plane. She settles on a pair of black yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
All changed, she exits the closet and sees that the sun is beginning to peek through the blinds. She stands in the middle of the room to stare at her girlfriend under the glow of sunlight, watching as it highlights her warm and inviting curves. The second alarm goes off and Waverly sighs, moving to shut it off. With the alarm silenced, she sweeps a hand across Nicole’s forehead to tuck the hair behind her ear.
“Morning, baby,” Waverly whispers. Nicole stirs and rolls over onto her back, throwing her arms up into a stretch. After a soft groan, Waverly finds herself being pulled down onto the bed and curled up in Nicole’s arms. She’s gasping as her girlfriend presses a soft kiss against her neck. “I need to leave soon.”
“Let me get dressed,” Nicole says.
Nicole’s hand slips beneath her sweater, fingers tracing her skin. It distracts her for a moment, makes her forget that time hasn’t stopped and is ticking away until the time her flight leaves. She blinks as Nicole’s lips press against her cheek.
“Why are you getting dressed?” Waverly asks.
Nicole is suddenly filled with energy as she hops over Waverly, the blankets all being pushed towards the foot of the bed. Waverly wonders how she always wakes with a start, so energetic and ready for the day. She watches in awe as Nicole kicks off her shorts and pulls on a pair of jeans, quickly followed by a t-shirt.
“You can’t wear that sweatshirt,” Nicole says as she crosses back from the closet. Waverly is bracketed by her forearms as Nicole leans down, placing a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth. Her hands wrap around those strong arms and squeeze. Nicole pulls back and adds, “That’s my sweatshirt.”
“I always wear this though,” Waverly says with a pout, “It’s practically mine now.”
“And you look cute in it,” Nicole says, kissing her again, “But it’s too risky.”
Waverly huffs as Nicole heads to the bathroom. She gets up and finds another sweatshirt to wear, something that doesn’t announce the police department Nicole works for. She misses the barely there smell that the sweatshirt had, the one that reminds her of Nicole. Tears begin to well in her eyes at the realization she’s going to sleep without Nicole for the first time since she moved in. She hasn’t even worked a night shift yet.
“Baby,” Nicole hums, rounding the corner and seeing her, “Hey, come here.”
Nicole immediately folds her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. Waverly desperately secures her arms around Nicole’s waist, not letting her move very much. Her tears press into Nicole’s t-shirt.
“I hate this,” Waverly says, pulling back and angling her chin upwards, “It sucks.”
“It does,” Nicole replies, “But I love you. A few days apart isn’t going to change that.”
Waverly nods in agreement. She pushes up onto her toes and places a soft kiss against Nicole’s mouth. Nicole’s lips part eagerly and their tongues touch, fresh breath and minty taste. The kiss deepens as Nicole’s hands slide down her sides, tickling her ribcage, and they only pull away when they need air.
“We better get to the airport,” Nicole says, still seeking air.
“But your flight doesn’t leave for a few hours,” Waverly says.
“That’s ok,” Nicole says, smiling reassuringly, “I want to spend every minute with you.”
“Well, ok,” Waverly says with a grin.
With that settled, they get their bags and head downstairs. They call an Uber on their way down and meet it in front of the building. They arrive to the airport with an hour to spare before Waverly’s flight and 3 hours before Nicole’s. Waverly tries not to cry when she boards the plane and on the flight is even harder.
This is going to be a long week.
Her flight to Lansing lands right on time. As her phone turns back on, it chimes with notifications. She’s barely able to look at the screen before the person beside her silently ushers her to stand up and begin gathering her things for exiting the plane. She tucks her phone away onto the pocket of her hoodie, University of New York.
She follows the pace of the crowd as she exits the plane, nerves and dread settling into the pit of her stomach. Waverly had lived alone after college for a few years, but when the lease on Nicole’s apartment was up it had been a no-brainer. But then Waverly had her entire flight to think about how she has 6 sleeps without the person she shares her bed at night with, and she’ll be sleeping in a room right across the street. So close and yet so far.
Waverly pulls her phone out of her pocket on her trek to baggage claim, looking at the messages on her screen.
Baby <3: I love you
Nonna: Where do I pick u up?
Waverly sighs, knowing that Nicole is in the air right now and wouldn’t get her reply text, but her heart soars at her girlfriend thinking of her. Once again, tears gather in her eyes as she waits for her bag and types out a reply to her sister. She can’t help herself and sends Nicole a few heart emoji before her bag slips out into the claim area.
She grabs her bag and makes her way outside. The air is freezing cold, especially without her normal space heater by her side, and she shivers. Upon seeing that familiar Ford F-150 out front, a warmth spreads through her. Her niece is 4 now and she’s so excited to see her again.
Wynonna pops open the passenger door and hops out, throwing her arms out and screaming. Waverly is slightly embarrassed at her sister, but she should have been expecting it. She’s just all up in her feelings about Nicole. She manages to paint on a convincing smile.
“Baby girl!” Wynonna yells, like Waverly hasn’t already seen her.
“Hey,” Waverly says slowly, dragging it out as she approaches. Wynonna immediately wraps her in a big hug the moment she’s close enough. A few years ago, Wynonna wouldn’t have been so free with her hugs, so Waverly sinks into it. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Of course,” Wynonna replies, something around them jingling as it crashes together when she pulls away. Waverly peers into the cab of the truck and sees her boyfriend, John Henry, behind the wheel. He smiles and tips his hat. “The little monster was so excited to see you.”
“I’m excited to see her,” Waverly says. Wynonna takes her bag from her grasp and opens the back door, depositing it onto the floorboard. Waverly climbs in, already dreading being crammed between a car seat and the door when she already misses her girlfriend. She settles in to her seat and closes the door. “Hi, John. Hi, Alice.”
John says his hello as Wynonna climbs back into the passenger seat and he takes off into the airport traffic. Alice talks for the first 10 minutes before Wynonna snaps and tells her to let her get a word in, but their subject matters are pretty much the same thing. Meanwhile, Waverly looks at her phone and sends Nicole a text. One that she won’t be getting for at least two more hours.
🎄
The taxi pulls up to the house, coming to a stop on the street, and Nicole pushes the door open. She fishes out her wallet and pays the man with her credit card, thankful that the systems have updated enough that she doesn’t have to carry cash on her at all times. The driver hands her card back and gets out of the vehicle, popping open the trunk to retrieve her luggage.
Looking up at the two story house, she notes that it hasn’t changed much, if at all. She cringes at how basic and boring it looks, no lights hanging from the house. Her dad usually likes those icicle lights, but there isn’t a single decoration for the holidays. She doesn’t understand why her mom never mentioned anything during their phone calls. Granted, she’s constantly trying to get off of the phone with her mom in fear that she’ll let her best kept secret slip.
She sighs heavily as the taxi driver sets the wheels of her bag down on the concrete, feeling frustration settle into her bones. She just needs to let it all go and get through this week. Chancing a glance towards the house across the street, she squints as she peers towards Waverly’s old bedroom window. She doesn’t see anyone, misses that smile that always warms her to her core. She’s been holding it together for Waverly’s sake, but she hates this all too.
“Thanks,” Nicole says, taking her bag.
She watches the guy get back into the taxi and drive away. Alone with her thoughts and no distraction, she goes for the front door. The walk to the big blue thing seems to take forever, each step becoming heavier and heavier and she approaches. When she finds herself staring at it, she feels weird. She hasn’t been home in so long and it’s the first time they’ve given her the days off for the holidays since she started working at the police station.
She sucks in a steadying breath before she lifts a closed fist and knocks on the door. The seconds tick away as she waits for someone to come to the door, and it opens slowly. Chrissy stands on the other side, a tiny bundle cradled in her arms as she answers with an exhausted smile and immediately gestures for Nicole to be quiet.
Nicole swallows as she enters, peeking at the baby in Chrissy’s arms and getting the first real life view of her nephew. He’s tiny and pale, but still has the features of her stepsister that are clear. Nicole smiles and closes the front door behind her, making the noise soft so as not to disturb him.
“When do I get to hold him?” Nicole asks, leaving her bags at the bottom of the stairs.
“You’ve got work to do first,” Chrissy says, laughing at her. Nicole huffs as she furrows her brows, wondering what task her mom is going to give her. Surely she could pass it off to her little sister.
“Do I want to know?” Nicole mumbles.
“Probably not,” Chrissy answers, “But it’s either you or Dad.”
“Nice to see you too, by the way,” Nicole huffs.
“You tried to steal my child,” Chrissy retorts.
“He’s my only nephew,” Nicole says defensively, holding her hands up, “I just want us to bond.”
She continues following Chrissy into the kitchen where her mom is already working away at dinner. It prompts her to check the time, to see if it’s even close to time to eat. Her stomach growls but she’s acutely aware they won’t be having dinner for at least 2 more hours.
“Hi, Mom,” Nicole says.
“Hey, honey,” her mom says, dropping the food in her hands and turning to face Nicole. She sees the excitement all over her face, pure joy at seeing her eldest daughter again. They hug for an extended period of time. When she pulls back she says, “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” Nicole admits.
Her mother makes her a quick sandwich. It settles her angry stomach. As she finishes the last bite, her stepfather comes in from his shed and gets his hellos out of the way. Before she knows it, she’s being sent to handle the task of hanging all of the Christmas lights on the house. Damn that heart attack.
🎄
The reunion with her parents goes over rather smoothly, except for the part that Alice is in full meltdown mode and has been for at least the last hour. She, of course, only cares about her Nana right now while Julian is still at the fire station. Both John and Wynonna have been roped into being a united front to calm Alice down and they’re really hoping she will go down for a nap.
Waverly uses this time alone to shoot Nicole a text to make sure she arrived safely, but it’s been about half an hour and she hasn’t received a response. Her worry heightens at the silence. It just isn’t like Nicole to not reply rather quickly, unless she is in the middle of a call at work.
As the worry bubbles up, she hides away in her bedroom while everyone else is preoccupied. Twisting the hem of her sweatshirt in her hands, she chances a look out of the window. Relief instantly courses through her at the sight of her girlfriend in the front yard, but that relief is quickly replaced with a new worry.
She attempts a few of the breathing exercises she learned in her yoga classes but they don’t seem to work. Instead, she gives in and rushes down the stairs after checking on the meltdown. Everyone except for John seems to have given in to the sleep fairy and he doesn’t notice her appearance.
Grabbing her jacket from beside the door, she heads outside. The cold chill bites at her, drastically different than the warmth inside of the house, but she’s on a mission. The snow crunches beneath her feet and when she steps foot onto the Nedley’s driveway she nearly slips, but her presence still goes unnoticed.
Feeling overwhelmed with emotions, all she can do is stare. At least she gets to look at her girlfriend’s cute butt. Nicole must finally hear the crunch of her boots on the snow because she turns from on top of the ladder to look down at her.
“Oh, hey, Waves,” Nicole says with a grin. She comes all of the way down off of the ladder, feet planted on either side of Waverly’s feet. She can feel Nicole’s warmth but she’s truly still too far away. “You should really go back inside. It’s cold out here.”
“Alice has been having a meltdown for the last hour,” Waverly says. After a brief second of her skin going numb, she leans a little more into Nicole’s warmth. With a pout, she adds, “Plus, I saw you out the window and I got worried.”
“Me worrying you?” Nicole teases, “That’s shocking.”
“Shut up,” Waverly replies.
Instinctively, she presses her hands against Nicole’s stomach. There’s a brief second where Nicole allows it to happen before her hands circle Waverly’s and pulls them away. Still, she brings Waverly’s hands to her lips and places a kiss on her knuckles.
“I chase bad guys every day,” Nicole reminds her, “Don’t worry about a ladder.”
“I can’t help it,” Waverly says, pout deepening, “I worry about you.”
“You’re the cutest,” Nicole says, shoulders dropping the facade. Nicole drops her hands and boops her on the nose, a grin spreading even wider on her mouth. Waverly knows she’s been putting on a big front, offering kind and reassuring words, but she knows this is hard on Nicole too. “I’m lucky that you worry about me, but I’m just hanging Christmas lights on the house.”
“Thirty-four percent of holiday decorating accidents are falling,” Waverly says, voice flat.
“Baby,” Nicole says, voice hollow as she leans in a little closer but keeps her hands to herself, “I’m not falling, ok? Trust me.”
“Fine,” Waverly huffs.
“Now, either you help or you go back inside cause Chrissy isn’t going to let me hold my nephew unless this is done,” Nicole says. The mention of the baby makes Waverly’s eyes light up. She had completely forgotten about that little bundle of joy, Pearson Randall Nedley. Nicole grins at her, but catches her before she can move around her. “Remind me to give you Alice’s gift before you leave.”
“Shoot,” Waverly says, realizing she forgot it back at the apartment, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby,” Nicole whispers. Waverly watches as she takes a look around before stepping forward, hands pulling at Waverly’s hips. She immediately gives in. “Kiss before you go?”
Waverly laughs into the hollows of her throat while shaking her head. Nicole gives her a pout that easily wins her over. She pushes her hands against Nicole’s stomach again and lets them slide around her waist as she pushes up onto her toes. Their lips touch and Nicole’s breath is warm, but their kiss doesn’t deepen.
As she pulls away, Nicole whispers, “Ok, ok. Go inside and see that baby.”
Nicole taps her ass and urges her forward, moving towards the front door of the house. When she looks at Nicole over her shoulder, her girlfriend sends her a wink before climbing back on the ladder. Waverly sighs and enters the familiar house with the blue door. It immediately smells like home when she enters, Nicole’s mom’s cooking wafting into the entryway from the kitchen. She takes a look around the house and sees that the pictures on the wall have only changed slightly to make room for pictures of little Pearson.
She advances further into the house and smiles upon seeing Chrissy on the couch in the living room, holding the baby. Waverly does everything she can to hold in the excitement just in case he’s asleep. Locking eyes with her best friend, she wiggles her eyebrows.
“Welcome home, Waves,” Chrissy says, barely above a whisper, “You want to hold him?”
“Yes, please,” Waverly says.
Chrissy quickly hands over the baby. He’s quiet and adorable, with that fresh out of the oven smell. She sucks in a deep breath, smelling him. His skin is so soft that it almost feels foreign.
“Do you mind if I go to the bathroom? I have to pee so bad,” Chrissy says.
“I’ve got him,” Waverly says, staring at his little features. He has Chrissy’s nose and his father’s cheeks, but he still somehow looks like Nicole’s mother in certain places. Waverly absently wonders how that’s possible. She smiles down at him for a moment and when she looks away, she finds Nicole staring at her while leaning against the wall. “Don’t.”
“What?” Nicole says with a shrug, “I’m just really jealous you got to hold him before me.”
“Is that all?” Waverly asks.
“Maybe another reason too,” Nicole admits with another shrug, “But mostly the jealousy thing.”
“Oh, hush,” Waverly says with a laugh.
Chrissy quickly returns from the bathroom and Nicole excuses herself to the kitchen for a glass of water. After a few moments of asking how Chrissy has been since the baby, with Xavier being deployed before Pearson was ever born, Nicole returns. Chrissy announces she’s going to run upstairs to change the baby and Nicole takes the opportunity to grab Alice’s gift out of her bag. Overcome with sadness, she gives. Nicole’s hand a lingering squeeze before she makes her way back over to her parents’ house.
🎄
Wynonna wakes up slowly, brain feeling hazy and feeling rather disoriented after her unexpected nap. John is no longer in the bedroom, but her mother is still fast asleep with Alice cradled in her arms. At least the little demon child is finally quiet. She blinks a few times before getting up, wandering to the bathroom to empty her bladder.
She could really go for a shot of whiskey. Or two. It feels like it’s been forever since she’s had a drink.
She wanders out of the bathroom and into the living room where John sits on the couch watching an old western film. It’s one of the things she hates most about him, that he’s all cowboy and mustache and brimmed hat when he’s not at work. She never thought he would be her kind of guy. And, sometimes, he isn’t. Sometimes they break up for a few days but they ultimately get back together. Because he’s a good dad, he’s a good lay, and she kind of likes him. He definitely makes it on the list of top 5 favorite people in the world and that’s saying something.
The sight of him so engrossed in that boring western annoys her so she decides to treat herself to a well-earned drink. Just a tiny one. She deserves it after the headache Alice has given her. And she needs to do something good with her silence. At least he’s considerate enough to turn the volume on those westerns way down.
She wanders into the kitchen where her mother and Julian keep the good whiskey, in a cabinet so high that Alice can’t reach. As she screws the lid off she looks out of the window and across the street. Blinking, she wonders if her brain is still foggy at what she’s seeing - her baby sister standing very close to Nicole Haught. She blinks rapidly for a moment, thinking that perhaps she’s imagining things. But, no. She is absolutely certain that the two are kissing.
She finally takes a big drink of the whiskey bottle in her hand, not even worried about leaving her germs on the opening of it.
When she lowers the bottle, Waverly is heading inside of the house with the blue door. Like that boy in blue who took their daddy’s role when he was killed. She narrows her gaze and leans against the counter with one palm holding her up, continuing to watch that no good flat foot hang Christmas lights up on the house.
“Whoa,” John says in his thick accent, mustache slightly muffling his voice, “Hitting the hard stuff so early in the afternoon?”
“It’s been awhile,” Wynonna mumbles.
She can’t tell anyone what she saw, not even John.
What if she had been seeing things? She did just wake up from an unexpected nap. She drowns her confusion with another mouthful of whiskey before she hands the bottle over to John. He thanks her and takes his own swig before returning the cap to the bottle and putting it away.
She will definitely get to the bottom of this.
🎄
By sun down Nicole only has the downstairs portion of lights hung and will absolutely have to wake up at sunrise to finish the job. Still, it’s a job she can’t do without light so she puts the ladder away in the garage and closes it. The door roars to life and lowers, separating her from every chance she might get of catching sight of her girlfriend’s glowing smile. With a defeated sigh, she goes inside.
The house smells even more like her favorite meal than it had earlier in the evening. The only downside of dating Waverly is that she never gets her favorite meal, beef wellington, because most of their meals together are vegan. She doesn’t complain because she truly does need to eat healthier, and she also knew what she was getting into before they even went on their first date, but she misses meat sometimes.
“Smells great mom,” Nicole yells as she peels her jacket off. She hangs it on the coat rack and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She has a few missed texts from Waverly that she immediately reads.
Waves: This sucks
Waves: I wish you were here
Waves: I’m having a really hard time remembering why we can’t tell them
Nicole sighs, all of the sadness gathering in her shoulders as she types out her next message. They have to plan their announcement carefully. She hasn’t even had her entire family in the same room yet and she really needs to feel them out. Especially where her dad is concerned.
She puts her phone back into her pocket and heads into the kitchen. Her mother has moved on to baking cookies and all she can do is be abundantly grateful that she doesn’t have to be on decorating duty anymore. Smirking when she looks at Randy as he decorates a snowman shaped cookie.
“I don’t even want to hear it,” he grumbles when he catches Nicole looking.
Her phone vibrates in her pocket but she ignores it in front of her family. She laughs and gently shakes her head. She holds up her hands and says, “I didn’t say anything.”
“Well, don’t even think it,” he replies.
“I wasn’t,” Nicole says.
She moves away from the pair, letting her mom and Randy crowd around the island to continue decorating the cookies. As she takes a seat in a chair at the small kitchen table, she pulls her phone out and looks at the message. Waverly’s replied to her message (I love you, baby. Hang in there) with a picture of Alice smiling. Nicole can’t help grinning as she replies, She’s adorable. Like her aunt.
“What’s got you smiling at your phone like that?” Nicole’s mom asks.
“Oh, uh,” Nicole says, quickly tucking her phone away into her pocket. She stands up from the table and sucks in a deep breath. She really wanted to get a better idea of which way this might go before she said anything. She swallows the lump gathering in her throat, trying to brace herself for dropping a huge bomb in them. “There’s something-“
“I’m home!” Interrupts her.
She shuts her mouth quickly, deciding that now really isn’t the time to tell anyone such big news. A thunderous sound comes down the stairs, a rush from Chrissy as she plans to undoubtedly scold Nicole’s little sister. It doesn’t take long to hear Chrissy’s shushing float through the house, which makes both Nicole’s mom and Randy laugh.
“In here, Sweetie,” her mom calls back once her laughter has subsided.
“Hey,” Devon says as she enters the kitchen. She swipes an unfinished cookie from in front of Randy and immediately takes a bite out of it. Nicole’s little sister is almost as tall as she is, but with much longer hair. She’s been growing it out for quite some time. Chrissy is two steps behind Devon, scowling ever so slightly. “I just saw that our hot neighbor is back.”
Devon wiggles her eyebrows suggestively while Chrissy’s scowl deepens. Nicole just stares at her confused to what she’s talking about as she leans against the kitchen island. Chrissy snatches the cookie and puts it back down on the island. Nicole shrugs and picks it up, taking a bite.
“Her name is Waverly,” Chrissy corrects, “And you’ve known her like your entire life.”
“Have not,” Devon mumbles while she chews.
“You have too,” Nicole adds around her bite of cookie, “And you shouldn’t say that about her.”
“Oh please,” Devon says with a laugh, “She’s hot. You know she’s hot, and don’t lie to me.”
“Oh my god,” Chrissy snaps, clutching the baby monitor in her hand quite tightly, “That’s my best friend.”
“Yeah,” Nicole chimes in, standing up straighter, “That’s her best friend.”
“Still didn’t deny it,” Devon says with a smirk.
Nicole huffs. Of course she isn’t going to deny that she thinks her girlfriend is hot. It isn’t her fault they don’t know Waverly is her girlfriend. Ok, maybe it’s her fault a little bit. But she’s wanted to tell them in person and she hasn’t seen them much since her and Waverly started dating. Except that one time Randy had a heart attack and that timing was just not right.
“Ok, fine,” Nicole relents, “She’s hot. Of course I think she’s hot. I have eyes.”
“Oh,” Devon says loudly, like she’s only realizing something, “You two live in the same city. Did you know you two live in the same city?”
“I am aware,” Nicole replies. Sighing, she runs a hand through her hair and absently wonders how they even got on this topic of conversation. The last thing she wants is to talk about her girlfriend behind her back. Suddenly, it hits her that Devon knows where Waverly lives. “Wait. How did you know where she lives?”
“Her insta,” Devon answers with a shrug.
“Oh,” Nicole says with genuine surprise. She wasn’t exactly aware Waverly had an Instagram account. Partially because she stays off of social media as much as possible and the rest because every conversation they’ve had about social media ends in Waverly calling it toxic. An uneasy feeling settles into the pit of her stomach and she feels like she’s going to throw up. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom.”
“Dinner’s ready in ten,” her mom calls after her as she leaves the kitchen.
Her phone vibrates in her pocket but she just can’t deal with it right now.
🎄
Explaining that she’s vegan for the umpteenth time proves to be as difficult as the first umpteenth times as she has to ask for every single ingredient in each individual dish. Finally, her plate is settled with Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Not exactly what she would want, but beggars can’t be choosers.
She smiles at her mother across the table before taking a mouthful of Brussels sprouts. She sinks her teeth into the food and chews, chews, chews until the pieces are small enough to swallow. Her mother still isn’t smiling back.
“So what made you decide to be vegan?” Her mother finally asks, the one word holding so much disdain.
Waverly sighs, not understanding why she has to describe her choices to yet another person. She begins to push food around her plate, missing Nicole and her support. Nicole would reach over and grab her hand and squeeze until she has the strength or courage to answer however she pleases.
“I saw a TED talk about the damage that meat processing does to our environment,” Waverly explains, “Also, the general lack of humanity when it comes to care for the animals.”
“I think it’s great, Sweetie,” her father chimes in. Waverly gives him a smile, appreciating how supportive he’s always been of all of her choices. He smiles back before taking a bite of his roasted turkey. He chews and swallows. “There’s this guy at the firehouse I want you to meet.”
“Dad,” Waverly whines.
“I know, I know,” he says, “But he’s a nice guy and-“
“She doesn’t have to date a dude,” Wynonna interjects.
“Wynonna,” their mother hisses.
“I just don’t know any single, available girls who would be interested,” he says. Waverly gives him a reassuring smile. He at least has the decency to be embarrassed. He sets down his fork and reaches over, laying his hand on top of Waverly’s. “I’m sorry, Sweetie. I just worry.”
“I know, Dad,” she says, “But I don’t even live here.”
“Besides,” Wynonna says, giving a mischievous smile like she’s trying to stir the pot, “She might be dating somebody. Did you ask her if she’s dating somebody?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Michelle says, “What matters is that she’s happy.”
“Are you happy, Sweetie?” Her dad asks.
She hesitates. She doesn’t know why. Well, she has some idea why. She hesitates because she’s happy with Nicole but she already misses her so much, wishes that they could be sharing this together. She could just tell them right now and put it all out there. Cause she is happy.
She smiles and nods slowly. She says, “Yes.”
“Then who am I to argue with that?” He says. He squeezes her hand once more before going back to eating.
“Since no one else is going to ask,” Wynonna says, “Are you dating anyone, baby girl?”
Waverly eyes her sister very carefully but before she can answer, Alice takes a handful of potatoes and throws them at Wynonna. Silently, she thanks her niece for the diversion. She stifles a laugh as she watches her sister’s shocked face. She doesn’t get the opportunity to see Wynonna in the motherly role much, but it’s interesting to see her be stern about anything.
“Oh, honey,” Michelle says, immediately coddling Alice as Wynonna starts screaming.
Another meltdown seems to start and her father just gives her a smile like this is the normal around here.
🎄
Nicole manages to get out of staying downstairs for too long after dinner with the excuse that she has to wake up early to finish the Christmas light decorations outside. Despite retiring early, she can’t sleep. She spends most of the night tossing and turning without her girlfriend’s weight beside her. Around 4am, she finally gives up trying to sleep and takes a nice, warm shower.
Once getting dressed, she goes downstairs and starts the coffee maker. After a few minutes, it starts pouring out steaming liquid and Nicole grabs a mug from the cabinets. Good thing her parents still keep everything in the same place. And they have since they got married nearly 20 years ago.
Nicole was 8 when her mom and Randy got married. He had been so good with them, and they had been really good at blending the three of them together. She had really appreciated having Randy many times in her life, a father who shows up. He’s been the dad for her that her actual dad isn’t. That’s why, she reminds herself, that she really doesn’t mind being awake at the crack of dawn to do this for him.
At the first sight of the sun, she heads back to the garage. She gets the ladder and the string of lights to head out into the cold morning air. It looks like it snowed a little bit more overnight, but the street sweeper has already made its way through the neighborhood. Devon’s car is packed in with snow and Nicole makes a mental note to clean it off as soon as she’s done hanging the lights.
It’s nearly 10am when she puts up the last strand. She returns the ladder to the garage and makes her way to Devon’s car on the street. After cleaning it off, she goes back inside to a rather loud house. Her stomach is growling and her phone has a few missed notifications. She taps out a reply to Waverly, mostly trying to be reassuring and reminding her that they will see each other later. If she’s being honest, she’s looking forward to this little time their families always spend in the same place and hopes that she can get a moment in with her.
With Christmas in 2 days, the weight is starting to press down on her. She’s trying to spend time with her family, spend some time with her nephew before she goes back home, but there’s someone else she wishes were here with her. With a heavy sigh, she sheds her jacket and hangs it by the doorway.
Pearson is crying in the living room, screaming at the top of his lungs. When she first sees him, she’s instantly worried about his red his face. Her instincts try to kick in, the cop ones, but she ignores them to let Chrissy deal with it. Nicole heads into the kitchen where Devon and her mother are working around each other to make food. She absently wonders where Randy is.
“Hey, honey,” her mom greets upon seeing her.
“It’s the golden child,” Devon adds sarcastically.
“Am not,” Nicole says weakly.
“Thanks for putting up the lights,” her mom says, ignoring them, “I think I would have had a heart attack myself if Randy got up there and did it.”
“It’s no problem,” Nicole says.
“You’re my only child who would,” her mom replies, giving Devon a hard look. Devon rolls her eyes but decides to not take the bait. For once. “Plus, Chrissy has her hands full with that baby.”
“Too bad her hunk of man meat got deployed,” Devon says with a sigh.
Nicole narrows her eyes at her sister, wondering why she just sounded so airy. She realizes Devon is staring off into the distance, distracted from her task of egg making. Nicole says, “Jesus, is there anyone you aren’t lusting after?”
“Might take my chance with the hot neighbor,” Devon says cheekily, bumping her hip against Nicole’s. Eyes widening, she shakes her head in protest almost too quickly. “One of us should take our shot.”
“One of us?” Nicole says, voice getting higher like maybe Devon knows more than she’s letting on. Nicole sighs when her phone vibrates in her pocket, undoubtedly her girlfriend replying. “You know what...forget it.”
Devon smirks.
“I’m so excited you get to go to the First Responder’s event with us this year, Nicky,” her mom says. Nicole smiles tightly, the nickname feeling weird to hear again since no one else really calls her that. Nicole watches as her mom pauses in her food making tasking to lean over Devon’s shoulder, laying a hand on her arm. “Remember when we used to go to the rink for your hockey?”
Devon’s smirk slips.
“Mom,” Devon snaps, “I told you I don’t want to talk about my old life.”
“Sorry,” her mom huffs, turning back to her food, not really sounding sincere at all.
“Can’t we just get through one day without bringing it up?” Devon says, immediately storming out of the room.
“I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal,” her mom mutters.
“Uh, I’ll go talk to her,” Nicole volunteers, following Devon out of the kitchen. She takes the stairs two at a time in an attempt to catch up. She doesn’t quite catch Devon before she can enter her bedroom, but she does keep the door from slamming in her face. “Hey, wait.”
Devon huffs before letting Nicole in. The door is shut softly behind her and she takes a look around. A little bit has changed about the room. The hockey posters are gone and she’s replaced them with a few elegant pictures in frames. She still sees a few photos of the three of them - Devon and Chrissy and her - but they’re all from recent years. Nicole feels the guilt bubble inside of her at her own nostalgia.
She watches as Devon sits on the edge of her mattress before she takes a seat in her really cheap desk chair, turning the back towards Devon before doing so. She swallows, wishing she knew the right words to say, but she hasn’t really been here to witness Devon’s journey. All she knows to do is apologize for being so...absent.
“Mom doesn’t mean anything by it, you know. She’s just nostalgic,” Nicole says.
“Don’t you dare stick up for her,” Devon says.
“Sorry, sorry,” Nicole says quickly, “Not the right thing to say. I just...she loves you. We all love you. I don’t know why it’s so hard for her.”
“She keeps asking me if I’m going to change my name,” Devon says, “I love my name.”
“It’s a good name. It suits you,” Nicole replies. She sighs and stands up, moving to the spot beside Devon on the bed. Pulling her sister into a hug, Nicole lets them sit in silence for a moment. Finally, she says, “I’m sorry I’m not here.”
“No, don’t be sorry for that,” Devon says, “You can’t let us hold you back.”
“I know,” Nicole says with a sigh, “But I feel like I’ve missed so much around here. Between Dad having the heart attack and Chrissy having the baby...besides, I don’t even know what’s been going on with you.”
“Well, I don’t know what’s been going on with you either,” Devon says with an elbow to Nicole’s stomach.
She skips a breath and lifts a hand to the spot Devon hit, shaking her head. Her phone vibrates in her pocket again and her chest aches, missing the constant communication and contact she usually has with Waverly. Maybe she can tell one person.
“I’ve been...busy,” Nicole admits. The silence hangs between them. She feels Devon look at her sharply for a moment before she turns her gaze towards her sister. “My life is great. I’ve been dating someone and she’s...she’s awesome.”
Devon stares at her, mouth opening in awe like she’s getting poised to say something.
“Don’t tell anyone, please,” Nicole says, cutting Devon off before she can say anything, “I’m getting to it. I just need things to settle down a little bit before I tell them.”
“Great,” Devon says under her breath, “A secret you expect me to keep.”
“Not for much longer,” Nicole says with a sigh.
🎄
Waverly arrives early to the First Responders Event, accompanying her father so she can get some time alone with him.
Well, away from her family.
After getting nearly no sleep and freezing half to death throughout the night, she needs a little peace and quiet. Helping him set up the firefighters’ booth is somewhat relaxing, at least it gives her a job to do. He’s always been a quiet man in the morning, slightly more talkative with her than others, but this morning he seems to be extra quiet.
“Dad,” Waverly ventures softly. He seems to be staring off into space until he looks at her slowly, smiling instantly when his eyes land on her. She doesn’t understand what’s going on, but it’s something. He’s being...quiet. “Is everything ok?”
“Yes, Sweetie,” he says. He’s graying around the edges of his hair, but the brunette strands she inherited from him are still bold. He runs a hand through his short hair and sighs. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so happy you’re home.”
“Me too,” Waverly says with a nod.
“Things are just crazy at the house,” he admits, “Alice is definitely in her difficult stages. There’s a lot going on at work too. I don’t mean to be so...absent.”
“It’s ok,” Waverly assures.
“Are you sure?” He asks, sighing so much that his shoulders slump, “Because something seems...off. You can talk to me; you know?”
Waverly nods. Her phone finally vibrates with a response. She knows her girlfriend is awake because she saw her outside lining the Nedley house with lights when they left for the rink, but she hasn’t heard from her today. It’s worrying Waverly a little bit, that they haven’t spoken much and when they have, Nicole’s responses have been short and to the point.
Maybe it would all be easier if Waverly just told her dad about them. She should. She would. But she doesn’t want to make Nicole mad. Worst case their families lose their minds and they can just go stay at a hotel. Or maybe even at Gus and Curtis’. They don’t seem to hold the same feud.
She swallows and decides to choose her words carefully. She doesn’t have to tell him everything. She can just tell him some things. That’ll go over better.
“Would it...bother you if I told you I’m dating somebody?” Waverly blurts out, “Would you be upset?”
“No, honey, no,” Julian says, “I couldn’t be upset with you about that. Not if they treat you right.”
“The best,” Waverly says with a small smile, “They’re kind and thoughtful and just the sweetest. I guess I just...miss her.”
She braces herself for his reaction. The truth is that she told them years ago about her sexuality, but since then she’s never really actually dated someone. Nothing long term anyway. No one as big and important as Nicole. In fact, Waverly’s pretty sure every future she pictures has Nicole in it.
“Why didn’t you bring her?” Her father asks.
“I couldn’t just spring it on you,” Waverly says, looking away to hide her guilt, “And, I don’t know, I just feel like it’s all happened so fast. One minute we’re on our first date and the next it’s been eight months and we forgot to tell our families.”
“Eight months,” her dad repeats.
She can see the disappointment on his face. It’s Christmas Eve Eve and she’s finally managed to disappoint her father. For the first time in her life. She might as well go build an igloo and live in it. Absently, she kicks at the snow.
There’s silence between them as he finishes hanging up the strand of lights on the wall of the rink. It’s then that Waverly realizes she isn’t being very helpful at all and she’s overwhelmed with guilt. She watches as her takes a step back and turn around, leaning his weight against the wall as he folds his arm over his chest.
“Is it my fault?” He asks suddenly.
“What?” She says, voice small. She feels like a child again. She feels like she won’t be able to say anything right, that it’s all downhill from here. “Is what your fault?”
“That you didn’t tell us,” he says, looking at his boots, “That you didn’t tell me. Was I not supportive enough?”
“It’s complicated,” Waverly answers truthfully.
She isn’t entirely sure but that doesn’t seem to be good enough for him. There’s so many depths to reason that it’s complicated. She’s asked herself numerous times how she could fall in love with the girl from across the street hundreds of miles from home, how that could be possible. All she knows is that she now believes in right place, right time.
“How can it be complicated?” Julian says, “I want to meet someone if they’re important to you.”
“I know,” Waverly says, dropping her own gaze. It hurts her to see her father so sad. He’s always so strong, so kind, and he always knows the right thing to say. She could really use his comfort right now.
“I’m sorry you miss her,” he says, “It’s always hard to be apart from someone you care about.”
“Yeah,” Waverly says, releasing a deep breath, “Harder than I ever knew it could be.”
“Did I ever tell you about me and your mother?” He asks.
She instinctively cringes at the thought but quickly fixes her reaction into a smile. She lightly shakes her head, wondering if she’s going to get a version of the story she’s never heard before. All she knows is that they’ve never gotten married, she doesn’t even have her dad’s last name, but they love each other very much. He’s always taken care of her sisters and never once considered him less than his own. Even if they did test him sometimes.
Children are screaming all around her and she knows she should be used to it by now, being the curator at a museum and all, but she just isn’t. It’s a lot and all it manages to do a feed into her sadness. When the rest of her family arrived, she saw them all filled with love and it made her miss Nicole even more.
Now, she’s using the excuse of having to use the bathroom to wander around the festively decorated garden. It has a sleigh poised in the middle with lots of trees wrapped in Christmas lights surrounding it. It’s decorated this way every year, with a new addition every once in a while. No one else seems to be enjoying the decorations with her. Probably because the lights don’t shine as bright in the sunlight.
She sighs, sitting on a freezing bench about 10 feet away from the sleigh. From where she sits, she can see that there’s a mechanic Santa waving to no one in particular in a pre-programmed pattern. She feels really guilt about her conversation with her dad, making him feel like he did something wrong when he’s never done anything to make her scared to be open with him.
She can still hear screaming and Christmas music in the distance, but it’s quieter now. She feels a tear slip down her cheek. It causes a chill to run its course through her.
“Hey,” comes a stable voice, warm and addictive.
“Hey,” Waverly replies, turning her head to look at Nicole. She turns her head away and wipes at her eyes, hoping to keep them unnoticed. She can tell it doesn’t work when Nicole looks at her with more love than she’s ever felt. “How’d you find me?”
“My cop senses,” she teases. Waverly can’t help but laugh at that, despite feeling all of the emotion of the last few days pouring out of her. Nicole sighs like she feels helpless, but Waverly’s too afraid to look at her to find out. “Hey, come ‘ere.”
She feels Nicole wrap her hand up and tug, requesting her into a standing position. She complies, following Nicole’s lead over to the sleigh. Wordlessly, Nicole helps her up into it before following her. They sit at the same time, their bodies immediately pressing together as Nicole drapes her arm across the back of the sleigh. She feels Nicole’s fingers against her arm, sliding up and down like she’s summoning warmth.
“Why are you crying, baby?” Nicole murmurs quietly.
She sucks in a deep breath, doing everything she can to stay calm, but when she turns her eyes to Nicole’s caring and supportive face it all comes pouring out.
“God, I think I upset my dad. He thinks he did something wrong. I think he’s disappointed in me. I hurt his feelings,” Waverly admits.
“How did you hurt his feelings?” Nicole asks, fingers tightening against her arm.
“Because of this, us,” Waverly says, huffing but not out of frustration, “Because he thinks I feel like I can’t tell him things.”
“Did you tell him?” Nicole asks slowly.
“Not about you specifically,” Waverly says, “I wanted to, but I didn’t want to upset you.”
“You won’t upset me,” Nicole says, “You should tell him. I want them all to know.”
“I don’t want them in our business either,” Waverly replies. She’s afraid of the questions that their families will ask, how much they’ll try to meddle. Her and Nicole have found a good thing. A great thing. And, looking at her, Waverly thinks, probably a forever thing.
“It’ll just be for a few days,” Nicole reminds her, “Then we’ll go home to our little apartment in the city six hundred miles away where we don’t have to listen to what any of them say about it.”
“I know you’re right, I do,” Waverly starts, “And I really just wish you were there with me.”
“Me too,” Nicole says softly. It warms her heart to feel the sincerity in Nicole’s voice. She feels Nicole’s cold fingers on her cheek and she turns her head to look at her. “I’m gonna tell them tonight. I don’t know how the rest of this trip will work out but I want us to figure it out, ok?”
Waverly sighs and leans her forehead against Nicole’s, lifting her hand to Nicole’s neck. Her muscles flex beneath Waverly’s fingertips and she closes her eyes in wait until Nicole’s warm mouth touches hers. She feels like the piece of her that’s been missing is filled and it lingers even when Nicole pulls back. She smiles softly, leaning back into the seat and holding Waverly tighter.
After a few moments of sinking into Nicole’s embrace, she says, “I heard you have an Instagram.”
“I only post stuff about work,” Waverly replies. She lets her hand drift from Nicole’s shoulder to her stomach. Absently, she scratches and Nicole must feel it through her jacket because she grabs Waverly’s hand and entwines their fingers together.
“Devon found it,” Nicole says and chuckles in the back of her throat, “She thinks you’re hot, by the way.”
“Sorry, I’m taken,” Waverly says with a grin.
“You sure are, baby,” Nicole enthusiastically agrees.
🎄
Chrissy sure can talk. That’s one of the things Nicole has forgotten as they sit at the dinner table in their dining room with Waverly sitting right across from her, right next to Chrissy. Of course Chrissy had done the honors of inviting Waverly to dine with them, her best friend who lives in a land far, far away who she never sees. Nicole is absolutely not jealous. After all, she sees Waverly all the time.
Eventually, they finish eating and all wander outside to watch her light the house up and admire her handy work. She did spend a good portion of time on it and it is part of their tradition. They gather around outside, huddle up, and watch Randy turn on the lights. This year she gets the honors since she hung them.
She stands closest to the house, extension cord in one hand and the power cord in the other. Her family is staring at her. And Waverly. Her family and Waverly are staring at her. Waverly is clutching Chrissy’s arm tightly, smiling like the proudest woman on the planet. Nicole looks at Waverly for a long time, blood whooshing through her veins and warming her belly while all of those butterflies erupt from their cage for probably the thousandth time.
Nicole smiles then, staring at Waverly. Waverly smiles even wider somehow, eyes crinkling. She nods at Nicole and Nicole nods back.
First, she expels a breath, the fog floating into the night sky above her. Second, she closes her eyes. Third, she counts to three. Silently. In her head.
She holds her breath and opens her eyes, pushing the 3 prong adapter into the socket of the extension cord.
She thinks, And let there be-
Nothing happens.
Her mouth drops open. She looks at the connection, Waverly, the connection, Randy, her mom, the connection, Waverly again, the connection, Devon, Waverly, the connection, Chrissy, the house, Waverly, the connection.
“What the fuck?” She finally says. She looks at Waverly again. She groans. “Ok, hang on.”
“Did you plug it in?” Randy asks.
“Yes, I plugged it in,” Nicole snaps.
She follows the extension cord all of the way to the outlet just to make sure it’s plugged into the house. It is. It’s secured tightly. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and shines the flashlight on the outlet, pushing the teeny tiny reset button just below the top receiver, and...still nothing.
“Did you check the lights?” Her mom asks.
“I checked the lights,” Nicole says with a sigh. She turns the flashlight off of her phone and shoves it back into her pocket. Standing up, she drags a hand through her hair before pushing both of her palms against her temples. “Twice. I checked them twice. I hung them on the house. I checked them again. And now...this is a fucking disaster.”
“Nicole,” she hears Waverly start.
“No,” Nicole says loudly, dropping her hands and slapping her thighs, “It’s a disaster. Nothing you say is going to make this anything less than a disaster.”
“Nicole,” Waverly tries again.
“No,” Nicole says, louder this time, “I spent hours working on this. It’s supposed to work.”
“Nicole,” Devon this time.
“Wait, hang on,” Nicole says, turning her back to the group. She follows the cord trail and looks at it. She unplugs it and plugs it back in. That usually works.
The baby monitor in Chrissy’s hand goes off, the echo reverberating off of the snow. Nicole feels Pearson’s crying in her chest, thinking about how relatable that is right now. She sighs, frustration boiling and boiling and boiling.
“I have to get him,” Chrissy says. She doesn’t wait for a response but excuses herself, moving around Nicole’s disaster and going into the house. The door closing sounds so, so loud right now.
“I need to take the cookies out of the oven,” her mom says, following Chrissy’s path.
“It’s fucking freezing,” Devon says, dramatically chattering her teeth and practically running into the house before their mother can close the door.
Randy sighs and steps forward, plopping his hand on her shoulder and squeezing. He says, “You did good kid.”
He also goes inside.
It’s just her and Waverly, standing outside in the freezing cold.
“Baby,” Waverly says softly, practically floating closer and closer until her gloved hands are cupping Nicole’s face, “Just breathe, ok? It’s ok.”
“Easy for you to say,” Nicole snorts, “You didn’t disappoint your dad by being a failure.”
“You did not disappoint that man,” Waverly says, sliding her hands down Nicole’s chest, “He’s so proud of you. I’m proud of you.”
“Ugh, look at your house,” Nicole says, gesturing behind Waverly’s back, “It’s so fucking bright they can see it from space. You know how important this is to our dads.”
“It’s stupid,” Waverly replies, “Every year they do this. Maybe this year it isn’t a big deal.”
“Of course you say that,” Nicole says, “You’re winning.”
“Hey,” Waverly says softly and grasps Nicole’s hips, “This is not me versus you, ok? We are a team.”
Nicole blinks, wildly. She turns beneath Waverly’s hands and looks at the house. The blinking stops as she stares, hoping that perhaps she can get the lights to come on out of sheer will.
“Why don’t you head home and warm up, yeah?” Nicole suggests, not even looking at Waverly, “I’m going to just have one more look.”
“Please don’t do this,” Waverly asks, sighing in frustration as she lifts her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.
“I’m going to fix it,” Nicole says, “I did not miss out on time with my nephew for nothing.”
She looks back at Waverly and smiles. Her girlfriend really doesn’t seem convinced. She leans forward and presses her lips to Waverly’s forehead, the kiss lingering. God, her skin is freezing.
“Please go warm up,” Nicole says, “I can’t have you freezing to death. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Finally, she sees Waverly smile. The tension between them falls as Waverly leans forward to place a chaste kiss against her mouth. Nicole watches her cross the street back to her house and once she’s closed the front door behind her, gets back to work.