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“Jesus, that breast milk did him good.”
“And now he’s so small,” she whispers.
“I’m not small!” Dante yells, offended. “I’m bigger.”
“Don’t worry, I was small too, bud.”
“How did you get big?”
I chuckle. “Big boy breast milk.”
“Mommy, can I have some of that?”
“In twenty years,” Parker answers.
“I’m going to tear your little elf off,” Clarissa grumbles as I open another box, and she moves to take it from me. “Not that one.”
“No way,” I slap her hand. When I open it, I see the contents of what I know is Clarissa’s childhood.
Parker passes me my refreshed cup of eggnog while I sort through pictures. In the one I hold, Clarissa’s smiling, toothless, and wearing an NSYNC T-shirt.
“Awesome,” I say, chuckling as she rips it from my hand, trying to steal the box back. I swat her hand again.
“Ouch,” she says, withdrawing.
“Then leave me alone.”
“You two play nice,” Dante scolds, hanging a wreath ornament. “Santa is watching.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, studying the pictures. I flip through them, stilling on one of Clarissa and a beautiful woman, who is, without a doubt, her mother. They’re doing dishes.
“That’s the only one I have of the two of us.”
I flip it over and read the scribbling on the back.
My baby & me, AG 5
She lifts another picture from the box.
“This was her headshot. She’s like Julia Roberts beautiful, right?”
“Yeah,” I agree readily. “So are you. You look just like her.”
“Aww, well damn, now I feel guilty,” Parker says as I lift my mug. “Uh, Troy, I may or may not have slipped an Ambien into your eggnog. The buzz choice is up to you from here on, my friend.”
“Parker!”
“Sorry. You said he never gets any sleep. I was just trying to be helpful.”
“You worry about my sleep too?” I ask Clarissa, who casts her eyes down, grabbing the box from my hands.
“I just don’t see how you do it.”
I lean in with a “Hey,” and she finally looks up at me through her lashes. “Don’t worry about me, pretty woman.”
“You’re pushing so hard.”
“I’ve got this,” I say softly. “And thanks for having my back. You too, Parker, but I think I’ll toss this out.”
