Day
A lamp comes on and Bea scrunches her face against the so-bright, mewling against Daddy's chest. The sleep that lives inside her is still chattering away, but Daddy scoops her out of bed, his hand pinning the blanket to her back so that it comes too.
"Is it so late?" she whispers, her spider legs dangling down and almost making Daddy trip.
He huffs a noise and moves her in his arms until she's comfy, each step of the stairs making her brain wobble. At the bottom, Mommy's perfume comes to say hello to her nose and Beatrice tugs her eyes open to see, smiling at Mommy from over Daddy's shoulder.
"It's very late, baby girl," Daddy says, carrying her over to the couch and setting her down on the cushions. He tucks her blanket up around her shoulders and Bea kicks her feet against the couch cushions. Mommy comes to sit at the end of her legs and puts a hand under the blanket to squeeze Bea's toes.
It makes her squeal and Daddy groans, covering his ears with his hands and sticking his bottom lip out at her. "Don't be so loud, Little Bean. It's very late. Daddy's brain is sleeping."
"That's silly," she giggles, and Bea glances at Mommy for approval. Mama smiles at her and opens her arms, scooping Bea up and squeezing her tight, and Beatrice peers around the living room. Only one lamp is on, and she's careful not to look at the shadows for too long, not to see the eyes that blink back. "Where's Jack-Jack."
"He just went to the bathroom, sweetheart," Mommy says, kissing the warm of Bea's neck. It makes her squirm. Her elbow crashes into Mommy's hip and she yells, shifting Bea in her arms so that her pointy bones aren't hurting anymore.
The shower curtain is hanging up specially. This afternoon, Bea hopped around Daddy's ankles like a little bird as he hung it from the ceiling. He tested that it was working by playing videos of Jack and Bea when they were just babies, their faces red with so much yelling.
In Bea's favourite one, Mommy's hair covers some of the screen, her smile big and good, and she sings a song to a tiny baby who waves their fists around. It's Beatrice, too little to remember it, and it makes the places next to her heart feel all warm and melty.
"Is it nearly time?" she asks Mommy, her head to heavy to hold up. She rests against Mama's chest, rubbing her face against Mommy's pajama shirt because she still has sand in her eyes. A nudge makes her jump and she peeks past Mommy's shoulder to see the screen, all of the people.
"Daddy," she says, tugging on his sleeve. Her big brother comes back from the bathroom and Daddy sits on the couch beside Mommy, Jack sitting in his lap. Daddy tugs the big blanket up over all of them and now Bea has got two and she is so toasty and snug-as-a-bug. "You can see the crowd outside?"
He turns over his shoulder, but you can't even see out of the window from all the way over here and that's silly. "No baby. Not from here. Maybe when you're bigger we could go to Times Square."
"Have you been before, Dad?" Jackson says, sitting up straight like he's too big to curl up with Daddy. Mommy pulls her legs up to the couch and she pokes her toes into Jack's side until he wriggles and giggles, letting Daddy put his arms around him.
"Not for a really long time. Mommy and I went one time."
Mama knocks her head against Daddy's shoulder and she leaves it there, all four of them squashed in close now. A whistle makes Bea jump and Mommy laughs at her, kisses her cheek. "Sorry sweetheart."
Snicket's ears stand up tall and he trots over to the couch, jumping up when Mommy pats the cushion next to her. Beatrice's dog lays his head in her lap and she strokes his fur, bends down to whisper to him. "Snicket, it is almost the New Year."
"He doesn't know what that means," Jack says, scowling at her, but Daddy shushes him and then the people on the screen are all smiling and yelling and counting. They make it to one and then fireworks go off, loud inside Bea's chest.
Mommy and Daddy are doing kissy-face over the top of her and Jack and she pulls a face, but she doesn't really mind. She likes it when they smile at each other, when Daddy puts his hand on Mommy's face and she closes her eyes.
"Do you know what year it is?" Mommy is saying now, stroking Bea's hair, and Snicket licks Beatrice's palm, his tail thumping against the couch.
"It's twenty twenty five," Jack blurts out before Beatrice even gets a chance to think and she for sure knew the answer and that's mean. She pokes her tongue out at him, but Mommy gives her a look and Bea curls up small and hides her face against Mama's arm.
Daddy tugs on Jack's ear, one of his arms curling around Mommy's shoulders, and his fingers slide down to tickle the top of Beatrice's head. "And does anybody know why this year is special?"
"It's the quarter century," Jack says, and Bea wants to punch his stupid smug face. It's not fair that he's learned more stuff than her.
"It is," Daddy says, and then he kisses Mommy again, his forehead touching hers until Jack butts his head back against Daddy's shoulder. "But there's another reason it's special."
Ha! Mama told her earlier, and it's not even cheating. It's learning. Bea pokes her tongue out at her brother and sits up a bit more straight, turning to look at Mommy and her big smile.
"This year it is ten years since Mommy and Daddy got married."