Bracing her arms on the handle, Avery pushed the cart through the crowded store. Every time they went shopping, she knew they would definitely need a cartᅳ otherwise they would all end up balancing tons of clothes on their arms.

Unlike her sister and best friend, which Ima had become over the past few months, she wasn't a big fan of shopping. But she enjoyed spending time with them both and some new clothes wouldn't hurt her either. She also wanted to help Lyla, who also needed new clothes for Piper, Kenny and Ellie.

"Oh look, that looks cute!" Grinning, Lyla held up a baby dress. "Now that we know you're planning some little Lowman's and Dvorak's, we can buy some stuff."

Avery snorted a laugh. "We were talking about one child, Lyla, one. And only in two or three years. So hang the dress back."

"Oh come on, let her buy the dress if she enjoys it. Look, that's cute too", Ima chimed in with a grin, teasingly picking up a second dress. "So you still have to explain how you made Happy want kidsᅳ more kids I mean. And one that's planned."

"She wrapped him around her finger and made him fall in love with her. That's enough to make men suddenly want kids." Lyla waved her hand and shook her head in amusement.

"Well, first of all, I didn't do anything. It wasn't my fault that he fell in love with me", the redhead defended herself eagerly. "But I'm glad it turned out this way", she added quickly, a lovestruck smile on her lips.

"Wow, he has wrapped her around his finger just as much", Ima observed at her friend's dreamy look. "The two definitely belong together."

"They do", Lyla nodded in agreement and carefully placed the dress in the cart, which already had other items in it.

Avery just rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You do know that if I get pregnant, it could be a boy, right?"

"Well, then I guess we'll have to go shopping again", the older Dvorak winked. "Although with a boy you hardly have to go shopping anymore. You can have Piper's old things and I'm sure Jax would give you Abel's and Thommy's stuff too."

Ima wrinkled her nose when the name Jax was mentioned. To this day she wondered why she was even into him once, since he was more into uptight women like Tara. Her taste had definitely changedᅳ changed quite a bit.

"If Tara let her have the stuff." The blonde couldn't quite resist adding a snarky comment.

Even though Avery shared the same opinion as Lyla and Ima, she shrugged slightly. "I think Tara isn't that bad, just pretty.. uptight and insecure."

"I bet", Ima huffed.

"She's okay", Lyla said as she looked through a clothes rack and picked out a few nice pieces for Ellie. "But she's still quick to judge and her opinion of the club will never change."

"You're probably right." Sighing, Avery tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But she helped me get that appointment without having to wait half a year or even longer, and I'm grateful for that."

"That's probably the only nice thing she's ever done. And well, saving Abel's life, but that's her job", noted Ima, who gradually threw more clothes into the cart.

They hadn't even been here half an hour and the cart was already almost full. Avery let out a chuckle at the sight, simply because she hadn't expected otherwise.

"Oh, before I forget." Lyla turned back to the others with a swing, causing a few tops almost falling off her arms, which she caught in time. "About Christmas, would you mind if I came with the kids too? To visit mom, I mean."

"Why should that bother me?" The redhead raised an eyebrow in confusion. The opposite was the case and Lyla should know that. "I think it would be good. That way Debs has other kids to play with and mom would be super happy to have us all around."

"I think so too." The warm smile on Lyla's lips faded slightly, now there was more concern in her eyes. She gently placed a hand on Avery's arm. "Are you sure it's not too early to go back to our old house?"

Avery swallowed quietly but kept her smile. Even though it seemed a little strained now, she wasn't going to let go of her facade. The memories of Ian would probably suffocate her as soon as she entered the house that she hadn't stepped a foot inside since Ian was goneᅳ but she couldn't avoid it forever and her mom managed to live there too.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't want to leave mom alone on Christmas and she can't ask her to drive all the way down here again. Besides, Debbie is so excited to finally see some snowᅳ and so am I. You know I love Christmasᅳ but with the warm weather it's hard to get into the Christmas spirit", she said firmly with the slightest grin on her red lips.

"Okay, that's a good argument", Lyla chuckled, still keeping an extra eye on Avery. "Uh, I have to go to the boys section quickly. Piper and Kenny really need new clothes, I'll meet you at the checkout, okay?"

"Sure, we'll pack a few more things for Elli", promised Avery, whereupon Lyla walked off after a quick 'thank you' and a kiss on the cheek.

When Avery wanted to ask Ima something, she just frowned when she noticed the look Ima was giving the older Dvorak while she looked after her. Only when an older woman bumped into the blonde to get past did Ima flinch and step aside.

"You could have asked nicely", Avery called after the older woman, who was still fairly fit and could have simply asked Ima to take a step aside.

"Leave her alone, they'll never learn anyway", Ima sighed, who was actually the first to open her mouth about something like that. Instead, she took over pushing the cart through the store.

"Can you please explain what's going on with you?" Avery asked carefully, but she couldn't hide the curiosity in her tone. "You would never allow anyone to be this rude towards you. And what look was that on your face?"

"What look?", Ima asked innocently while looking at her friend, who just raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms as they strolled through the store.

"Really now, Ima?" Avery scoffed with a shake of her head. "You were literally staring after Lyla like you didn't want her to leave. There was something in your eyes.. omething I haven't seen in them before."

Ima's silence, which was again quite unusual for the otherwise loud and quirky porn actress, said more than a thousand words could. And all Avery had to do was put two and two together.

"Holy shit." With her eyes widening, Avery let out a soft gasp. "You like her. Like, really like her. Ima Tite, are you in love with my sister?"

The grin on Avery's face grew wider as Ima's cheeks turned redder. She would never have expected that her best friend was into women, especially Lyla. But her sister was a smoke show, as was Ima. The two would be the perfect match for each otherᅳ at least in Avery's eyes.

And she also knew that Lyla wasn't just fixated on men, she had had a girlfriend in her past.

"Please don't tell her, Avery", Ima practically begged, stopping abruptly and reaching for the redhead's arms, her nails gently sinking into Avery's skin. "I don't want to lose her. I don't even know if I really like her that way."

"You do, your look said enough", Avery replied quite calmly, placing her fingers gently around Ima's wrists and squeezing them encouragingly. "Lyla likes women too, just so you know."

"I- uh, are you sure?" Insecurity didn't suit Ima at all, but that was exactly what she was right now. Insecure, embarrassed and overwhelmed with her own feelings. "I've never felt anything like that, Avery. Shit, I thought I was going to die alone because I'm incapable of feeling any love. But when we started filming together...for me it wasn't just an act. And when we last year stopped doing that so we could work behind the camera, I justᅳ"

Ima struggled to find the right words. Her mouth opened several times, but she said nothing. Instead, she just sighed in despair and slumped her shoulders.

“That’s when you realized you were going to miss it?” Avery asked with a small smile.

Seeing this side of Ima was new, but Avery liked this vulnerable side. This confirmed that Ima also had feelings like everyone else. Not that the redhead ever doubted that.

"Yes, exactly", the blonde answered meekly after a moment, her thin eyebrows furrowed. "I don't even know exactly what I feel, but I feel somethingᅳ and it's strong."

"Then you should find out what it is", Avery replied with a slight shrug and smiled encouragingly at the blonde. "What are you doing on Christmas?"

"If it were that easy", the blonde panted, then thoughtfully ran a hand through her perfectly styled hair. "Nothing, like every year. I'll probably go to a bar, get drunk and go back home."

"Yeah, no, you won't do that this year", Avery decided without further ado and linked arms with Ima, who she gently pulled with her through the store. "You're coming to Boise with us. My mom loves company, the more people come, the happier she'll be. And you don't have anything planned, so."

"I can't just come with you." She shook her head, slightly horrified by Avery's plans. "Besides, Happy is there, the whole club isn't a fan of mine."

"If Happy had a problem with you, he would have said something to me a long time ago already and wouldn't want me to see you regularly. You don't have to worry about him", Avery assured, her voice sounding soft yet firm.

"Are you sure?" The last thing Ima wanted was to cause trouble at Christmas. Yes, she also had a conscience, even if many people didn't believe that.

"Yes", Avery assured again, this time with a gentle laugh. "So, are you coming?"

After thinking for a moment, Ima shrugged her shoulders, now smiling too. "Sure, sounds better than a lonely night in a bar. But I'll still ask Lyla if it's okay for her if I come along."

"Mhmm, do that", Avery hummed happily before spotting Lyla on the way to the checkout, following with Ima only a moment later.

ᚔ

Debbie's face was scrunched up in concentration as she tried to wrap a present. Of course not a gift for her, after all she should believe in Santa for a while longer.

"W-why do adults have to get t-t-their own presents?”, she asked confused, struggling with the tape.

"Let me help you." Avery gently pulled the tape from Debbie's fingers before looking at the four year old. "You know, Santa already has so much work with all the presents for all the kids, so the adults get the presents for other adults themselves."

After a moment's hesitation, Debbie was satisfied with Avery's answer. "Mhmm...m-makes sense. And who is t-t-this for?", she pointed at the gift in front of her, which was kind of chaotically wrapped in paperᅳ and Avery wouldn't change a thing about it.

Happy and her tried everything to support Debbie in an age-appropriate way and if she wrapped the present perfectly now, Debbie would only get the feeling that her attempt wasn't good enough. But for her age she had done a great job.

"This is for Lyla. You think she'll like the photo album?" Avery asked, important to hear Debbie's opinion.

"Yes, I t-t-think she'll love it!" Leaning over the table, the four-year-old reached for a bow, from which she peeled off the attached tape and stuck it onto the gift. "Now it's p-perfect!"

"That it is! You did great, Peanut." Avery's smile reached from ear to ear, super proud of Debbie. She lovingly  ruffled the girl's hair. "Do you wanna pack another one? We still have a few."

Debbie smiled sheepishly as she was praised, which was a regular occurrence here. She still thought about her mom sometimes, but not often anymore. Unlike Kim, Happy and Avery gave her the attention a child deserved.

"T-thanks Avy", she mumbled, giggling, before pointing to one of the unwrapped items sitting next to a pile of wrapped presents. “Can I w-wrap t-t-this one?”

Avery placed a hand on her chest, touched by the sweet and polite thank you Debbie had said. She really loved the little girl like she was her own and, like Happy, wouldn't allow Kim to ever lay her hands on that girl again and drag Debbie down with her.

"Sure, gold or red paper this time?" Grinning, Avery held up two new rolls of Christmas paper to choose from, causing Debbie to gasp enthusiastically.

"The red one w-with the Christmas t-t-trees", the girl exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down on her chair with her hands outstretched.

"Okay, okay, take it easy." A small laugh escaped Avery's lips before she cut off a piece of the paper and handed it to Debbie.

For the next twenty minutes they both spent time wrapping the remaining presents. Photo albums for Lyla, Celine and Happy's mom plus a wellness set for each of them, a body lotion and a voucher for Ima, and Avery had put together a photo album about Debbie for Happyᅳ for this she had asked Gemma for old photos of the four-year-old a few days ago.

Of course she would wrap the presents for Debbie and the other kids alone, otherwise the Santa lie would eventually be exposed.

"Cookie no!" With her little hands pressed to her cheeks and her mouth open, Debbie watched as the cat tried to tear up all the wrapping paper.

"Hey, why did you choose to make a fuss today, huh?" Avery scolded her cat lovingly before reaching for its slim but not so light body and slid her hand through Cookie's fur. "Someone's not a fan of Christmas I suppose."

Cookie's meowing filled the kitchen, the cat nuzzling its head against Avery's neck before jumping back to the floor and darting out of the kitchen.

"Oh Cookie", like an adult, Debbie sighed and shook her head, her small hands clenched into fists and placed on her hips. “But she’s still getting a present, right?”, the four-year-old asked mischievously.

"Of course she'll still get a present", Avery whispered with a wink before fixing the mess Cookie had created. "Oh, I think Daddy's here. You hear his bike?"

Debbie's eyes lit up when she heard a bike park in the driveway and without thinking twice she jumped off her chair and ran straight to the door, which Happy stepped through just a moment later and caught Debbie as she jumped into his arms.

"Hey Peanut", he greeted her, looking down at her with a grin as he saw all the strips of tape and glitter hanging on her dress. "You've been busy, I see?"

"Yes." Debbie nodded eagerly, giggling. "We w-wrapped p-p-presents. I know w-what you're getting!"

"Oh yeah? What do I get?" He gently pinched her nose, kicked off his shoes and searched with his daughter for Avery, who was leaning in the kitchen doorway with a smirk plastered on her pretty face.

"She won't tell you, she promised me", she purred against his lips once he was close enough and greeted her with a soft but demanding kiss, whereupon she let out a pleasant sigh.

"T-that's right, I'm not s-saying anything", Debbie whispered as if she had to keep a secret and gestured to lock her lips with a key.

"I see, I don't have a chance", the SAA said amused and put Debbie back down on the floor. "Go wash your hands, brush your teeth, and then put on your pajamas, okay?"

“Do I have t-t-to go to bed already?” The four-year-old pouted and looked up at Happy, putting on her best puppy eyes look as she wrapped her short arms around his leg. "C-can we watch another movie? Or t-two?"

At Debbie's look, Happy mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, earning an amused look from Avery when she noticed how difficult it was for him to say no. But she understood, it was also hard for her to say no to that sweet face.

"If you do what I told you now, we can watch a movie. But then you'll go to bed."  His tone stern now after a quick look at the clock.

"Okay! T-thanks Daddy!" Satisfied, Debbie rushed off and shortly afterwards disappeared into the bathroom and obediently listened to what Happy had said to her.

"So soft for her", Avery teased him, whereupon he quickly threw her over his shoulder, the redhead squealing softly, and carried her into the living room. Then he dropped her on the couch and threw one of the small pillows in her face.

"You better watch your attitude, woman", he rasped with a chuckle before handing her blanket. "Stay here, I'll take care of the rest."

"You know that I like your soft side", she winked cheekily and let her hand slip into his before looking up at him with a smile. "Are you sure? I can take care of the chaos in the kitchen."

Happy shook his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead after leaning over her a little. He was out all day, which meant Avery had to work and then take care of Debbie, including making dinner and entertain the four-year-oldᅳ she deserved a little break.

"You've done enough for today. Pick a movie with Debbie, I'll join you guys in a moment." His deep, gravelly voice immediately made her feel deeply relaxed, as always.

As soon as Happy was home she felt a calm within her that she craved almost like a drug.

"Thank you baby." She watched him walk off with a smile before snuggling up in the blanket and waiting for Debbie to come and choose a movie, but she was already dozing off. The shopping day yesterday and today had just been two long days and her body needed some sleep.