An Online Soap Opera
1053: Settling Down“You dressed up, that’s unexpected. I didn’t even have to prod you about it,” Ava said. “You seemed pretty relieved at the end of a day at the store to take off whatever costume I’d made you wear.”“Some of them can get uncomfortable after awhile,” Sebastian said, “but I figured one more night won’t kill me, especially since this astronaut get up is comfortable, no wig required.” “It’s just I’m the one usually more enthused about holidays,” she said. “I always thought it was kind of a case of you going along to get along.” “Yeah, I guess sometimes it has been like that. I want to make you happy and you enjoy every corny little thing about holidays, so I go with it for you. I just don’t come by this stuff naturally, as you know my family wasn’t great at family stuff, so I never cultivated that enthusiasm you have for it thanks to your mom. Holidays aren’t as effortless for me as they are for you.” “You shouldn’t pretend to like something just to please me.” Ava wondered if he understood that she wasn’t just talking about Halloween. She also wondered if she should even get into this all again, if she shouldn’t just try harder to let it go. “It’s important to be honest about how you feel,” she said. “Marriages depend on it.” “Whoa!” Sebastian held up a hand. “You’re having a big serious response over something that isn’t serious. I’m wearing a costume of my own free will. It’s not to please you. It’s to please me and our future kid, too. I just want to be different from my dad. I want to make a fuss over the holidays. I don’t want to just phone it in while you and the kid genuinely make the most of it. I want to be a fully involved fun dad. So I thought why not get in some practice before the kid comes along, why not start now by handing out candy in costume?” “I really like the sound of that, I really do. I like that you’re already thinking about our future child when I’m not even pregnant yet. It does sound like you’re trying to get into the holidays for the right reasons but after everything with Xavier… I just… I wonder.” “There’s nothing with Xavier, I’m not conspiring with Lila against him. I haven’t been faking that I’m fine with having him around just to please you. It was important for me to move past that stuff. I don’t love that he has you mistrusting me about this. But I’m not out to get him. Would Lila be more comfortable with him out of town for obvious reasons? Yeah. And when Lila came to pick up a book Nate ordered, and I saw Xavier’s order sitting there, the music book, I thought well maybe she’ll get her wish, maybe he’ll get back out on the road again. That’s why I said what I said, not because I have some scheme to push him out of town. Marriages also depend on trust, Ava. How many times do I need to say I wasn’t doing anything shady before my wife believes me?”
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