Page 119 of Ask Your Mom If I'm Real

“You’re welcome,” she said. “Love ya! See you in a few!”

After hanging up, I said, “My sister is overly excited about meeting you.”

Merriam flushed. “That makes me really nervous.”

“My family is really chill,” I said. “You’ll like them. I guarantee it. Grams raised us to be awesome.”

She giggled.

A whisper of “Mama” had her looking over at Anleigh, who was just now walking into the room from her night of sleep.

“Hey, my baby,” she said as she walked to her and lifted her into her arms. “Merry Christmas.”

Anleigh hugged her mother, and my heart did this weird melty thing at the sight of the two of them in the middle of my apartment.

I liked having them there.

Even more, I liked that I wasn’t alone on Christmas and that she’d come to me yesterday.

Fuck, I hoped that I could make myself worthy of her trust in me.

“Merry Cwissmas,” Anleigh whispered.

So freakin’ sweet.

“How are you today? Feeling okay?” I asked as I walked up to the pair of beautiful ladies and pressed the back of my hand against Anleigh’s head.

“Okay,” she said.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

“Milk,” she replied sweetly.

Damn, if I wasn’t careful, the little girl would wrap me around her little finger.

“I have chocolate milk and regular milk,” I said. “Chocolate is my favorite.”

I always made sure to have it on hand for when I wanted it.

It was one “bad” for me food item that I could explain away as being great for the protein factor.

In reality, it was full of sugar and chocolate, and it was one of my only indulgences.

“Choccate,” she answered, holding her hand out to me.

I took her hand and kissed it before heading into the kitchen for drinks.

“What about you, Mom?” I called out. “I have coffee, hot chocolate, and both types of milk.”

“I’ll have what everyone else is having,” she said. “Anleigh got her love for sweets from me. Chocolate milk is a must-have when you’re dealing with my sweet tooth.”

I had the refrigerator open and the chocolate milk in hand when Christoper knocked on the doorjamb and said, “Knock-knock.”

I lifted a brow at him. “What if we’d been indecent?”

“With a child?” He rolled his eyes. “That frisky business comes to an end when you have kids.”

The cute little thing next to me snorted. “Please don’t think that when your child comes into the world. It’s not fair to either one of you.”

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