From across the hallway

Part 9

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Wade was sprawled out across Missy's living room floor, his body covered with various brightly colored Christmas bows and a tonne of sticky tape.

Two weeks had passed and since Wade's trip to the park with Missy and Emily, his presence in their lives had tripled, at the very least.

The first couple of days afterwards, he had knocked on their door the moment after they had arrived home after work and day-care. Missy had of course rolled her eyes, but invited him in for half an hour. It was just for Emily's benefit, was what Missy told herself.

Emily adored him, that was obvious, her little green eyes seemed to light up the moment she saw him and she would raise her chubby little arms and make grabby gestures at him until he picked her up into his strong arms.

But that mere half an hour, after two weeks, had gradually increased day by day.

And now, Wade had been here for the past two hours, he and Emily having far too much fun playing with the sticky tape and various other Christmas wrapping utensils Missy had fished out from a large cardboard box she had come across.

"Hey you two," she uttered, walking into the living room, a smirk upon her delicate features. "What's going on?"

Having Wade there had given Missy the time to wrap Emily's gifts from 'Santa' but now that was all done, she had come in to see what all the commotion was about.

Emily, who was busy crawling over Wade's stomach and wrapping his torso in ribbon, looked up at her mom, her tiny mouth hanging open.

Wade merely sat up, grasping Emily around the middle and giving her a gentle tickle.

"Chicken Little here, has decided that I look good enough to wrap up and leave under your tree on Christmas morning..." he said as the toddler giggled, squirming from his grasp. "You wanna unwrap me, Yummy-Mommy?"

Missy rolled her eyes, picking Emily up in her own arms, sitting down onto the arm of the couch and pulling the little girl onto her lap.

"Not. A. Chance," she said in a playful voice, jiggling Emily on her knee and looking directly into her eyes. "Mommy wants some Tiffany earrings and not an annoying neighbor under her tree, isn't that right baby?"

Wade merely chuckled as Emily wriggled from Missy's grasp, dropping to the floor and waddling back over to Wade.

"Waydee play," she said, her tiny hand immediately grasping his for his ear and giving in a small tug.

"Owwwweee," he said in a faux-pained voice, giving her an exaggerated pout.

But Emily merely lifted a bow and stuck it to his lips before giving a quiet giggle and running off to hide behind Missy's slender legs.

Wade suddenly burst into laughter, plucking the crimson bow from his mouth and getting to his feet.

He strolled over towards Missy and Emily, pretending to make a slow grab for the little toddler, who ran from the room shrieking with giggles.

He turned to Missy, who merely looked up at him, one eyebrow raised, but didn't say a word.

"And what's your problem, Miss 'Perfection in Human Form'?" he said, slowly raising an eyebrow of his own. "What's that look for?"

Missy stood, coming to stand extremely close to him, before plucking a, Christmas tree-patterned, ball of sticky tape from his white t-shirt.

"I was just wondering how many kids you have squirreled away in this city?" she asked, slipping past him and strutting into the kitchen, opening the trash can with her foot. "Because you are way too good with her to not have any children of your own."