About Nice: Connections
by J. Rocci
29 pages / 7800 words
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This Christmas is going to be a special one for Officer Josh Dabbs and his husband Garrison Williams: For the first time, they're sharing the holiday with their children, Henry and Gabriella. Of course, this being the Dabbs-Williams household, there are crazy dogs, visits from the in-laws to prepare for, and the uncertain waters of parenthood as Gabriella tests her boundaries. But Josh and Garrison have each other, and their family and friends, and a house full of love, so the holidays will be perfect.
Sample
The patter of tiny stocking feet past the
cracked-open bedroom door has Josh finally sitting up with a yawn. Their
knee-high ninja is awake. So much for sleeping in. Blearily, he gropes
on the floor for his track pants and jams his feet in his battered
running shoes before heading out to the hall.
Henry is sitting on the foyer floor, face screwed up in concentration as
he tries to pull his sneakers on without undoing the Velcro straps.
Muttlee is sitting between Henry and the door, gray muzzled face
vigilant as the youngest member of the household finally succeeds in
getting his shoes on. The German Shepherd has adopted Henry as his
favorite person ever, mostly for the carelessly dropped chicken nuggets
and French fries at meal times.
"Hey, buddy," Josh says quietly, keeping his voice low in deference to
the still-slumbering member of the household. "Are you jogging with me
this morning?"
Henry nods vigorously, not looking up as he single-mindedly pulls a
holiday sweater over his head. He's already wearing three T-shirts that
Josh sees, and Josh can just imagine the state of his dresser drawers.
Chuckling, Josh kneels down to help pull the sweater over his ears,
untangling the short ends of Henry's cornrows from the collar. The
braids are still holding a week later, so Josh counts it as a win for
himself. Garrison's attempt at braiding had only lasted through two days
of a very energetic five-year-old who approached daycare like it was a
contact sport.
Reindeer sweater straightened, bright orange fleece pants pulled all the
way up, and his sister's knit hat with the cat ears pulled snugly over
his head, Henry looks expectantly up at Josh with an arched eyebrow that
he's definitely learned from Garrison and all the fashion sense of a
five-year-old.