Page 39 of Aria

"Easy.Citizen Kane."

Noah shook his head with disapproval. "Overhyped."

"Are you kidding me? It's a classic. Name something better," I challenged, feigning horror.

"Fight Club. Apocalypse Now. American Psycho.I could go on.”

"Wow, could you be any more of a stereotypical guy?" I shot back, a playful smile tugging at my lips.

Noah's smile mirrored my own. "Those are great films. You can't deny it."

"Fine, butCitizen Kaneis better."

"Please. It's contrived and highly overrated," he argued.

I threw a pillow at him in response.

“See?” Noah tossed it back at me. “You have no argument to support your claims, so you have to resort to violence.”

Laughing, I was about to pick up another pillow when a small figure appeared in front of us. We jumped up as if we were two teenagers who'd been caught making out on our parent’s couch.

"Daddy, I can't sleep. There's a monster in my room."

Noah pulled Sam in for a big hug. "Monsters, huh?"

"Just one monster, Dad. He's—"

"Let me guess," Noah interrupted. "Under your bed."

"No, that's silly. He's in my closet."

My heart fluttered as I watched father and son interact. I approached them both, running a hand through Sam’s hair. “I can get him back to bed if you want.”

"I want Miss Chelsie to tuck me in," Sam pleaded. "Please, Daddy? She can scare the monster away."

Noah raised an eyebrow at this assessment. "I don't know, Sammy. She's not very threatening," he teased.

Sam looked confused. "What does that mean?"

We both chuckled, and Noah nodded his head toward the staircase. "Never mind, Sam. Chelsie can tuck you in if that's what you want."

"Yay! Let's go," he squealed, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the stairs.

I noticed a fleeting look in Noah's eyes as I followed Sam, but I didn't know how to describe it. My chest tightened.

"My closet is super,superscary, Miss Chelsie," Sam warned as he leaped onto his bed at full speed and hid under the covers. "The monster has yellow eyes and sharp teeth. He might eat you."

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm very brave. I'll go talk to him and tell him to find another closet."

Sam peeked over the edge of his blanket. "What if he eats you before you can talk?"

"I promise he won't eat me." I stepped over to the closet door and reached for the knob, then swung the door open and let out a theatrical sigh of relief. "Your closet is monster-free, Sammy," I said, holding the door wide open so the young boy could investigate.

Sam climbed out of bed and tiptoed my way. His eyes lit up. "Wow, you did scare him away!Thanks, Miss Chelsie." Two tiny arms enveloped me in a tight hug.

I returned the hug and guided Sam back to his bed. "Now, it's time to get tucked in," I told him, watching as he scurried under his bedsheets and snuggled a raggedy brown bear close to his chest.

"This is my teddy bear," he announced, holding up the floppy animal friend. "His name is Bear, and he sleeps with me every night."

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