Simple Kind of Life

The musky air filled Avery’s nostrils as she climbed the ladder into the attic. A drop in temperature made the woman shiver, but she ignored it and focused her eyes on a box of Christmas ornaments. A light layer of dust coated the cardboard and its contents from a year of sitting stagnant in the small space. The plastic tree lay dismantled in four pieces next to the metal stand that would prop it up once it was constructed.

“Anyone home?” She heard Jeff’s deep voice reverberate through the house and it made her grin. He must have let himself into the empty house. Despite their fight and time apart, they managed to jump right back to where they’d left off without skipping a beat. It almost felt like nothing had happened.

“In the attic.” She called back. His heavy footsteps grew louder as he approached the unfolded ladder. Avery crawled over to the opening and peered down at him before waving. He was still clad in his winter coat with white flakes sitting on his shoulders and dark knit hat.

“It’s still snowing?”

He nodded. “Yep. It’s starting to stick to the ground too,” He pulled his hat off and shoved it in his back pocket. “What are you doing up there?” He asked, his boyish face contorting in confusion.

“Getting my Christmas tree.”

“Oh yeah. You’re a plastic tree family.” She could hear the mocking tone in his voice. Apparently, he grew up in a family where it was a sin to have a fake Christmas tree. But Avery simply didn’t have the patience or time for all the work that went into a real tree.

“What’s so wrong about a plastic tree?”

He laughed. “It’s not a Christmas tree. It’s just sad.”

She shook her head before handing down her box of ornaments to him. “You can’t even tell the difference.”

He scoffed. “What? They always look so fake and dumb. You need a real tree.”

“You gonna vacuum up pine needles for the next couple weeks?”

“You’re such a Scrooge.” He frowned up at her. “Get your coat on, we’re getting a tree.”

“Yeah, OK.” She rolled her eyes and continued to dig around in the attic for tinsel.

“I’m serious. Get down here and put your coat on.”

She sighed and crawled back to the opening. “I don’t have the proper vehicle to lug a tree home.”

“I have the truck.”

Of course he did. She could tell by the determined look on his face that he wasn’t going to leave her alone until she agreed. Avery peered at her watch.

“OK, but we gotta make it quick. I have an hour and a half until the kids come home,” Hank and Angie had taken Aaron and Lili to the mall to buy Christmas gifts, giving Avery some time to decorate the house without interruptions. “And I don’t want to get stuck in the snow.”

His face broke into a smile, like he had won something. “Not a problem. It’ll only take two minutes.” She started to climb down the ladder and grinned when she felt his large hand on the small of her back, guiding her down to the ground.

“A few minutes? The nearest tree lot is like 20 minutes away.” He tossed her coat at her and dragged her to the front door. Out in her driveway was his SUV.

With a tree strapped to the roof.

She glared at him. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. C’mon, let’s get it in here.” He was so excited about a dumb tree that she couldn’t even pretend to be angry. Jeff could come off as the apathetic type, border lining on cold and uncaring. But certain things made him light up and one of those things was Christmas. She thought his preoccupation with the holiday was endearing. It humanized him.

Without argument, Avery helped schlep the tree inside and they stood it up. They decorated it with lights and tinsel, saving the ornaments for when Lili got home. She’d never forgive them if they started without her. Jeff plugged in the lights and turned them on, making the tree glow with different colors. Avery examined it as Jeff stood next to her, laying a heavy arm on her shoulder. She relaxed into his embrace, relishing in the warmth that his body gave off. It was the perfect Hershey Kiss shaped tree, but she wouldn’t tell him that.

“I can’t believe you did this.” She muttered, shaking her head. He leaned down and kissed her temple before tightening the grip he had on her.

“You love it.” She certainly didn’t hate it. It had been a long time since she had a real Christmas tree in her home. The last one she remembered was Lili’s first Christmas, back when she and James were happy. But things changed and Avery found herself having to function alone without the help of her husband.

“I suppose it’s alright.”

He scoffed, staring down at her incredulously. “Alright? It’s gorgeous,” He inhaled deeply. “You smell that? That’s real pine smell. Your shitty little plastic garbage tree doesn’t do that.”

She couldn’t stop from laughing at his serious face. “Stop hating on my tree.” She pinched at his stomach, making him wriggle away from her.

The front door burst open and the stampede began as Avery’s troop filtered it with Ang and Hank trailing behind them.

“Mom! I got you the best gift in-” Lili stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the tree. “The world.” She whispered, staring up at it in awe as she approached it. Her fingers reached out and touched the needles.

Jeff jabbed at Avery with his elbow, a smug look on his face.

“Aren’t these supposed to be outside? What’s it doing in here?”

The male turned to Avery and frowned. “This kid has never had a real Christmas tree?”

Hank’s hearty laugh filled the air. “Please. I’ve been trying to get Avery to buy one for years. Plastic ones are so…”

“Fake looking. It cheapens the experience.” Jeff cut in.

“Exactly! It’s practically child abuse.”

“Can we decorate it now?” Lili was already digging through the decorations and pulled out her Baby’s First Christmas glass ornament.

“Knock yourself out, Squeaks,” Avery grinned and turned her attention back to her guests. “You guys wanna stay for dinner? I’ll throw on a pot of spaghetti.”

“With homemade sauce and meatballs?” Hank asked, shrugging out of his coat.

“I can defrost a batch.”

“You got yourself a deal.” He dug around in the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. He poured a few glasses and handed them out before everyone splintered off. The boys and Lili started decorating the tree while Angie and Avery settled into the kitchen.

“You totally have his balls in a jar, huh?” Angie mused, taking a sip of her wine.

“I don’t appreciate your castration analogy.” Avery frowned as she filled a pot with water. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Angie shrugged and sipped from her wine glass. “He went to Lil’s recital, he got you a real tree. He’s decorating it with your daughter.”

“OK, so Lili has his balls in a jar, not me.” Angie smacked her friend on the behind.

“I’m just saying he’s actually turning out to be a decent guy. Much more than we gave him credit for.”

Avery shrugged before she pulled a box of spaghetti out of a cabinet. “He’s just on his best behavior.”

Angie smiled. “Give him some credit. He’s come a long way.”

Avery placed the box of spaghetti on the counter by the stove and stared at her friend, arms crossed. “Why are you praising him?”

The blonde averted her eyes to the floor. “No reason.”

“What do you know?” Avery grabbed her shoulders and forced eye contact.

“Nothing. I know nothing.”

Avery narrowed her eyes at the older woman. “Ang, spill it.”

“I can’t, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

She frowned, headed for the freezer and pulled out a Tupperware container of sauce. “Since when do you and Jeff have secrets?”

“He asked me for help with your Christmas gift. Now drop it.”

Avery crossed her arms over her chest, sending her friend a disapproving glare. “Angela Moira Pattonson!”

Angie mimicked her stance, crossing her arms as well. “Avery Tomiko Nanahara! It’ll ruin the surprise. Be patient.”

The wheels were turning in Avery’s head, thinking about what Angie could possibly offer as far as helping with a gift and why she was being so coy. Art supplies? Clothing? Another dog?

Jewelry?

A strange feeling washed over her when she thought about it. A diamond bracelet? Maybe earrings. Certainly nothing more significant. But the smirk on Angie’s face didn’t make the possibility seem that remote. And frankly, it made Avery uncomfortable.

“He’s not gonna do anything stupid, right?”

Angie frowned. “Like what?”

Avery shrugged and focused on dumping spaghetti into boiling water instead of the blush that was creeping across her cheeks. “I don’t know.”

That smirk returned to Angela’s face. “He’s not proposing to you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

She let out a gush of air that was held up in her lungs. “Good. Because that would be insane.”

Angie shrugged. “Why? You’ve guys have been together for what? Like six months? Hank asked me to marry him after six weeks.”

Avery wanted to bring up the fact that Hank was gay and their marriage was a sham, but she didn’t. Hank and Ang loved each other and got what they wanted out of their strange union, so she couldn’t pass judgment.

“My divorce isn’t even finalized yet. It would be crazy to jump into another marriage. Besides, could you really imagine Jeff settling down?”

Angie’s blue eyes were briefly focused on something in the distance before they met Avery’s stare. A warm, maternal smile perked up the older woman’s face. “I think he’s already settling down, babe.” She nodded gently toward the living room. Avery turned to see Jeff lifting Lili off the ground to put the angel on top of the tree.

Dinner was lovely. The conversation flowed well, especially between Hank and Jeff. It was the first time the two men had really hung out and they got along well, which was a pleasant surprise for Avery. Perhaps double dates would be in their future. After eating, the couple helped clean up before getting ready to go home. The snow was really coming down and they opted to leave before it got bad. Avery walked her guests to the door and frowned when she saw the thick layer of white snow on the ground.

“You sure you guys don’t want to stay over? It looks pretty bad out there.”

Hank brushed it off. “We have an SUV, we’ll be fine.”

The woman sighed at the stubborn male but decided to let it go.

“Be careful. Call me when you get home.” She kissed them both goodnight and watched from the window as they hurried to their vehicle. Two long arms curled around her shoulders and hugged her from behind.

“They’re pretty cool,” Jeff’s deep voice warmed her ear. “We should all hang out more often.”

Avery grinned, turning in his embrace to face him. “We should.”

“Momma?” They’re attention turned to Lili, who was already in her jammies. “I’m ready for bed.”

She was surprised to see the child took it upon herself to enforce her bedtime. Sometimes she had to practically drag the girl to her room kicking and screaming.

“Alright. Let’s tuck you in.”

She shook her head. “I want Jeff to do it.”

Avery shared an unsure look with the blond. “I don’t know-”

Jeff cut her off by hoisting the child in the air. Lili let out a loud laugh as he held her up over his head and she jutted her chubby little arms out like she was flying. Amused, Avery watched him carry her off while she made airplane noises.

“Oh no, we got turbulence!” He hollered before shaking her, making her giggles turn into ear splitting belly laughs. Avery sat down on the couch and could still hear them long after they disappeared upstairs. Thinking back to when she first met Jeff, she never anticipated this was how their relationship would develop. She had underestimated him, writing him off as a jerk looking for a good time. She never thought he’d still be hanging around, tucking her daughter into bed. And she certainly didn’t think she’d fall for him. But she did.

Jeff returned a few minutes later and plopped down next to her, throwing an arm around her.

“Thanks for doing that. You didn’t have to.”

He shrugged. “It’s OK. I wanted to.” His attention turned to outside. “Look at that snow. It’s really coming down.”

Perfect white flakes danced by the window and lazily swirled to the ground. It made Avery smile.

“You’re definitely not driving in it.”

He pulled her closer to him. “I guess we’ll have ourselves a sleepover.”

His lips found their way to hers and she didn’t object. Her arms automatically slid around his neck allowing her fingers to linger in his blond hair. A low growl reverberated in his throat. She knew how much he loved having the back of his neck rubbed and it had the corner of her lips curling as he kissed her.

“Let’s go play outside.” He whispered against her lips. She pulled away from him and tilted her head to the side.

“Change ‘outside’ to ‘in the bedroom’ and you’ve got yourself a deal.” He chuckled as she leaned in for another torrid kiss.

“It’ll be fun.”

He had a child-like quality to him that Avery couldn’t say no to, even though she really wanted to. She liked being in her warm house, nestled on the couch with her warm boyfriend. The last thing she wanted was to go out into the cold night.

“You’re so weird.” She whined as he pulled her up from the couch. In silence, they dressed in their winter gear before Jeff dragged her toward the door.

It was blisteringly cold as they slipped into the clear night. The moon was high and its light reflected beautifully off the glistening snow, illuminating everything. The flakes whizzed by and quickly spotted Avery’s coat and jeans. They hit the exposed skin of her face in tiny bursts of cold explosions before melting into her pores.

It really was beautiful, she decided as her eyes scanned over the snow covered scenery. It’s amazing how the mundane things she saw every day suddenly seemed striking when covered in frozen precipitation.

Jeff was slowly spinning, trying to catch flurries on his tongue. The sight made Avery smile widely as him, her eyes crinkling in the corners. He paused when he noticed her gaze upon him.

“What?”

She shrugged, bending down to grab the slushy substance in her gloved hand. “Nothing. You’re just cute. That’s all.” Her palms rounded it into a ball. He frowned and stepped back, holding his hands up defensively.

"Avery," He warned, his breath accumulating in gray billows around his mouth that dissipated into the air. "Don't do it. Do not throw that at me."

Like that was going to happen.

It hit his shoulder, causing him to reel back slightly as the ball splattered against his coat and the side of his neck and chin. His mouth formed an O as he stood there, stunned.

Avery let out a yelp as he reached for the ground and chased her around the yard, a fresh snowball in his hand. His arms found their way around her waist before he flung her to the soft barrier of snow. She grabbed his arm and pulled him down, bringing their noses together. The carefree, childish behavior had them giggling uncontrollably. Avery never knew snow could revert two adults into snorting adolescents.

His laughter subsided and he brushed some dark hair from her face with his gloved fingers. Those crystal blue eyes twinkled as he peered down at her.

"I have a secret." She whispered against his lips.

"What is it?" A smile illuminated his boyish face as she craned her head next to his ear.

"I love you." She said it so quietly, and had it not been for her lips moving he wouldn't have understood it. She tried to read his expression; a lopsided grin with soft eyes that sparkled from the moon's light refracting off the snow.

“I-”

"Don't say it because I did," She said softly, bringing a gloved finger to his lips. "I want you to mean it when you tell me," She whispered, watching as his eyes darted over her face. He slowly nodded and rested his forehead against hers.

“Come to Ontario with me.” He finally said after a deafening moment of silence.

“What?” She asked quietly, unsure of where he was going with the conversation. Avery knew he was making a quick trip back to Canada to visit his family after Christmas, but she didn’t expect to be invited.

“Come home with me. Everyone wants to meet you and the kids.”

And the kids.

Before she could articulate any feelings about it, he ripped her wool hat off and smashed a slushy snowball against the top of her head, grinding it into her scalp.

“You’re so dead, Carter!” Avery cried as he ran off, laughing manically.