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BossLady: Considering how long it took me to get out these chapters, I don't blame you at all! And you'll have a lot to catch up with now ;) Snow and Emma are very slowly building back their trust and support of one another, and I think these talks will be helpful for them. Thank you so much, sweetie!
Title: Shower Gifts
Summary: They decide to go through the first round of gifts before the party.
Note: Prompted from 2 anons (same anon?), asking for Graham's reaction to Emma in glasses. Set maybe a week or so before Outside Looking In.
"So," Emma began, holding up the baseball mitt. "Who gave this one?"
Graham looked at the item in her hand, a smirk crossing his face. He fell onto the end of the bed, his eyes lit up with mirth. "Garcia. He also got a mini jersey."
She gave a chuckle, assessing the size of the thing. "He knows the kid's the size of an eggplant, right?"
"'Never too young to be a Yankee' was his excuse," he replied. "I didn't want to break his heart by telling him we're not baseball fans."
"Speak for yourself," Emma said, plopping onto the bed next to him. "I used to watch games."
"'Used to' being the operative phrase," he said wryly.
She giggled and placed the mitt on top of the pile of gifts.
The shower that she hadn't actually asked for was in a few hours still, but the presents from those that wouldn't attend were already waiting in the corner of their room. They had decided earlier to go through those beforehand, knowing at least she would be too exhausted to open them after.
The pile had gotten big over the last week, as work friends and acquaintances sent little things. Something inside of her was warmed at the idea of so many people being excited for their little one, showing support the in the mountain of personalized gifts they had already received.
Henry wanted to be surprised later, so he was going to go through the open packages when he got home tomorrow. She had no doubt it would be just as much fun to see her son's excitement over the tiny things. She also knew full well that he'd want to have a family shopping trip to pick out the rest of the items they'd need. The thought of how excited Henry was for his sibling made her heart pull in all sorts of directions.
She picked out a manila folder next, the one she'd gotten in the mail. "Should we dare guess what Mags bought?"
"That would take longer than necessary." Graham took the package and tore a side. A small oblong box fell out of the opening.
"Seriously?" Emma sighed, and grabbed the box. She cracked it open, a grin crossing her face regardless. "Okay, they're kinda cute."
"What is it?" Graham asked.
She turned the case to him so he could view the tiny black frames that would be comically large on a newborn. "She's teasing."
Graham took the case, head cocked to the side. He had a small, confused smile on his face. "They will no doubt be impracticably adorable, but … I don't get it?"
Emma walked to the nightstand and rummaged to the back for her own case. "It's because she remembers these," she said, and placed her glasses on her face. She grimaced at the blurred image he made and immediately took them off to place on top of her head.
Graham looked appropriately amused. "Well, why don't you wear those more often?" he asked, his accent drawling.
Emma snorted. "I got Lasik. Now they just give me a headache," she said. "But I didn't get that until three years ago, at least in this timeline."
Graham's gaze didn't stray from the frames on her head, his smile stretching wide as he walked to her. He placed his hands on her hips, bringing her close until her distended belly hit his stomach. "I like them," he said simply.
She breathed him in, lips edging up as she brushed her hands just under the pale blue shirt he was wearing, lingering along his ribs. "How much?"
He plucked them off her head, and broke from the embrace. She pouted slightly, but watched him with her head cocked to the side. He turned to the counter and carefully took out the lenses. He then turned to proudly place them back on her face. "There. Now you can match the eggplant."
Her nose wrinkled as she grinned. "You're a dork."
"Hey, now," he protested. "You're the one in the hipster glasses."
She leaned forward to brush her nose against his. "You like them, then?"
He nodded. "Matches mine."
"You have glasses?" she asked skeptically. She had never seen any on him, and had never seen him struggle beyond the crease that formed between his brows when he was really piecing out a report.
He nodded. "I had them prescribed, you know, just for reading. But I always forget to wear them."
She fell back onto the bed with a groan, her arms splayed out. "So, you're saying our kid will definitely need the Maggie-purchase?"
He shrugged, and then joined her, head propped on his hand as he stared down at her with twinkling eyes. He used his other hand to rest on her stomach, the disbelief just barely hinted behind his gaze. The breath in her chest tightened slightly, tears catching the back of her throat to see how awed he still was. "Guess so."
"Anything else I should know?" she asked, blinking back the hormonal display. "Things that may pass on to the eggplant?"
He shrugged. "Animal affinity is going to probably factor in," he said with a laugh.
She hummed and came closer, kissing him sweetly before lying back, holding her stomach over where the baby was stirring. "Does that mean Andie's gift will contain something pertaining to that?"
"Either that or tiny liquor bottles," he joked.
She tried to hold back a laugh. "Yeah, that I can see. And Leo'd probably encourage it."
"Likely," he agreed.
She reached forward to pull her hands through the thickness of his beard. "Time to shave again, I think."
She could just barely see the dimpling of his cheeks beneath the scruff. "I'll do it before they get here."
She liked hiding his razor every once in a while, just to be reminded visually that he was the same person she knew, that it wasn't a trick. When she felt comfortable enough, that fear dripping back to its hiding place, she let it appear back among the other things on his side of the sink. She had let it go longer this time, to the point where his beard was much thicker than it had been before. She wasn't completely sure if she knew the reason why, beyond the way her hormones had peaked.
He brought his fingers to trail along her cheek before resting on the arm of the glasses. "It's good to see the past sometimes."
She nodded and leaned in to rest her forehead on his. "Yeah. But the future's good, too. That's why I'll have to see those glasses on you at some point."
"I'll get Grandma Emma's sweater out of the closet, too," he teased.
She buried her face in his chest, trying not to laugh at his lame in-joke. "Shush, you." She sealed their lips together to prevent any further words.
She'd have to thank Maggie for the glasses later.
