Page 34 of Merry Little Mishap

Marty wagged his tail.

“Yes, I know! It’s just… there’s never been a good time to tell them. I got promoted, we fell in love, we moved in.”

“Yes. Good, good, good. Those sound like positives to me.”

“And they are, but they don’t believe in this…” I motioned around the entire apartment. Nick followed my hands, confused as I pointed to the walls.

“Believe in what? Bricks?” he laughed.

“No. In us, living together…sleeping together.” I whispered, still struggling with the Nativity.

“You mean sex?”

“Uh, no, Nick, not just sex! Fucking. We’ve fuckedeverywhere.This place is a love nest, it’s evidence to what I am: a living, breathing, sexually active woman!”

Nick pursed his lips, furrowing. “We have fourteen people coming to our apartment, most of whom are your cousins to the same couple… I think they knowallabout fucking.”

“Yes, Catholics fuck, but we don’t talk about it… or at least my family doesn’t.”

“So the Nativity will fix this?” he asked, confused. “You don’t even believe in it, and you still want it up?”

“I’m just trying,” I said pathetically, as Nick came to help.

“Here, let me open that up.”

“I got it, trust me.”

“You don’t. If I can just?—”

I gasped as I yanked on the Nativity, dropping it, falling back into the pyramid of fortune cookies. The large styrofoam lid popped open, as a scattering of sheep and wise men rolled along the constellation of unwrapped cookies.

“Oh, shit!” I covered my mouth. “The baby! Where’s the baby Jesus?”

“There, there!” Nick pointed as we both dropped to our knees.

“Why is he blonde with blue eyes?” I asked mildly panicked, my hand splayed across the floor as I crawled to him.

“I don’t know? Immaculate adoption?” Nick cringed, trying to get to me as fast as he could, “Wait, Elena just don’t?—”

Nick stopped his sentence as I froze.

Stunned.

Speechless.

The room got incredibly quiet, the record in the background ended, and Marty scurried away. My heart pounded in my chest.

“Oh my god, Nick.” My eyes welled with hot tears, my curls falling loose from my butterfly clip. Right at my knees, beside Jesus, smashed open from a fortune cookie, was a ring. But not just any ring…

A small.

Perfect.

Diamond ring.

Nick squeezed his face shut, taking a deep breath. “It was going to be a surprise.” He closed his eyes, before peeking up apologetically.

“Is this?”

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