By Christmas, Chris had wrapped and was settling back into hiatus mode despite the offers he had awaiting his consideration. His press tour went swimmingly as his film turned out fantastically, obtaining several nominations and great reviews. The couple was even invited to the BFI London Film Festival in October where they stole the show. With Chris in a three-piece suit by Dolce & Gabanna and Denise in a chiffon gown by Jason Wu; they looked fetching in emerald and black. They were even awarded the title of 'Best Dressed Couple' in several fashion articles covering the festival, and favored as 'Hollywood's Favorite Couple' by fans on social media. It became a whole thing, especially after a Twitter joke-war broke out between Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds. Ryan accused Chris and Denise for stealing the spotlight from him and his wife, Blake Lively, and it quickly took over the internet as a hilarious meme.

Amongst the honored guests were Sebastian Stan and Luca Safford, who'd also been invited. Though Chris had only seen them a couple weeks before- while he was promoting his film in New York, a solid amount of time had passed since they were all together. The urge to have a bender while they were, and not in the presence of their children was amid them. However, before they even begun to paint the town red, Sebastian and Luca disclosed news that disrupted those plans. As it turned out, the glow Luca had wasn't due to the magnificent work of a makeup artist, but the fact that she and Sebastian were expecting their second child. They'd found out while Chris was in New York, but kept it a secret until they were all in London together to share the news. Upon hearing that their best friends were expecting their second child, they realized the decision to have their own second child soon was the right one.

Denise had a similarly productive few months. She spent a lot of time with her son and her husband's family, getting to know Boston while short listing preschools for Jack. She started writing again, brainstorming ideas for a new script. She spoke with her brother and future sister-in-law about the length of their engagement and not-so-subtly pushed them towards the idea of getting married in June of 2023. She browsed dozens of home magazines and catalogs, and spent hours scrolling through Pinterest and WeHeartIt for interior ideas. She FaceTimed her mother every other day, and in-between, organized lunches and shopping trips with her mother-in-law so they could discuss ways to turn their house into a home. By the end of September, that was exactly what their house became; a cozy, warm, aesthetically pleasing home. And by the time Christmas rolled around, they were so settled into their new place that no one would've believed that they'd only been living there for a few months.

Christmas was a big holiday for Chris and Denise, it was the one holiday they truly indulged themselves in. With their time freed from work obligations, they were able to deck out their entire house. Chris even did the typical suburban dad thing and strung up lights on the roof, hoping their house would fit in with the rest of the houses in the neighborhood.

They loved Christmas so much that their Christmas Eve started at 7:30AM with cinnamon pancakes, homemade cocoa topped with whipped cream and little marshmallows, and 'Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas'. At 10AM, Chris gathered all the presents so they were ready to be tucked under the tree at midnight, while Denise distracted their two year old with the task of helping her bake sugar cookies and gingerbread. At 12:18PM, they tried to assemble a gingerbread house. At 12:22PM, Chris dropped one side of the roof which Dodger devoured in seconds. And at 12:24PM, the project was abandoned and they started picking at the candy decoration. It was about the same every year, Denise had been with Chris for almost six years and not once had they successfully assembled a gingerbread house. It actually would've been a stray away from tradition if a gingerbread house was successfully made.

Another tradition was to spend Christmas Eve at Lisa's place, at least when it was her turn to have them for the holidays. Chris and Denise agreed- after the spending the first set of holidays apart- to spend it alternately with each of their families. This year, however, an exception was made to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year in Boston as they'd just moved states. While they could afford to return to California, they didn't want to confuse Jack with the constant traveling. They'd planned to make up for it next year, opting to FaceTime this year.

Christmases in Boston usually meant attending Lisa's Christmas Eve party- though she'd much rather use the word 'gathering' to keep things casual. And it was a fairly causal event, mostly attended by family and close friends. Another reason Christmas was so highly regarded by Chris and Denise was that they could actually sit and talk to their friends and family; where Jack could actually spend time with and build a bond with his cousins. There were no jobs or urgent matters to attend to, occupy their mind, or vie for their attention; they were free to be normal human beings, which Chris loved more than anything in the world. Additionally, there were good food and free booze. No one could complain about that, they'd just eat, drink, and be merry.

By the time they left Lisa's and arrived back home, it was 11:12PM and Jack was fast asleep in his booster seat. He'd a pretty big day, it was no wonder he was worn. Though there was doubt he'd wake, Chris still tried to pull the car into the driveway as slowly as possible. Denise glanced over her shoulder, and Chris, through the rear view mirror at Jack. Breathes were held as Chris quietly killed the engine. They both sighed with relief and Chris patted Denise's leg before getting out of the car. She yawned and stretched before exiting the car, closing her door behind her as gently as Chris had with his.

"I'll get him." Chris told Denise, quietly opening Jack's door. "You get the door." He instructed as he unbuckled Jack from his booster seat and lifted the boy into his arms. They tensed when Jack began mumbling inaudible words, then chuckled when they realized he was simply sleep talking. "Shhh," Chris soothingly rubbed Jack's small back, holding him as tightly as he was subconsciously clinging onto his dad. "I've gotcha, buddy." He whispered then kissed the side of his head.

Denise smiled and unlocked the front door, shushing Dodger when he came barreling towards the intrusion. He wagged his tail excitedly but settled, sitting on the hardwood floor. "Off to bed, Dodge." She pointed at the stairs and he rose to his paws. Chris walked ahead, quietly up the stairs to the second floor; Denise and Dodger followed behind them. "You were waiting for Jack, weren't you?" She scratched his back as he padded beside her. "Couldn't sleep without your best friend, huh?"

"Babe?" Chris glanced over his shoulder at Denise when they arrived in Jack's bedroom. Denise looked away from Dodger to meet Chris' gaze and saw him beckoning his head at Jack's bed. She nodded and walked over to pull back the covers so Chris could carefully lower their little boy and tuck him in. "Shhh," Chris whispered, gently patting the belly of their stirring child. "Goodnight, pal. Sweet dreams." He leaned over and kissed his tiny forehead before stepping out of Denise's way so she could do the same.

"Sleep tight," she brushed his soft hair with her hand then smiled and kissed his forehead, "my sweet prince." Denise flicked on his 'Twinkle Star' night light then stepped over Dodger who'd settled beside Jack's bed. "Goodnight, Dodge." She scratched his furry head then let Chris take her hand and pull her out of the room.

"Here's hoping he sleeps through the night." Chris huffed as he wrapped an arm around Denise, taking the lead as they headed to their own bedroom. "I am so relieved the car ride knocked him out. Did you see how excited he was when Ma asked him if he was ready for his presents tomorrow? He reminded me seven times to leave out the carrots and cookies for Santa tonight. Seven times, Denise," he emphasized and she laughed. "Less than ten minutes in-between each reminder."

"He reminded me eight times, less than five minutes in-between each reminder so...I think I win this round," she joked and he laughed, nodding in agreement. "I am so ready for bed," she admitted, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I'm glad we wrapped the presents already, I couldn't possibly do it tonight. I need sleep, like- a solid nine or ten hours," she said and he chuckled, pressing his lips to the side of her head. They pulled away from each other as they entered their bedroom, taking off their party clothes to change into their pajamas. "Can you help me with the zipper, Chris?" She quizzed as she moved her hair out of the way and he nodded, walking over to help her out of her beautiful red dress.

The corner of Chris' lips curled into a smile when he caught a whiff of her perfume. He slowly dragged the zip down then pressed his lips onto her bare shoulder as she slipped out from her dress. She chuckled, tilting her head to give him the access he wanted to her neck. He drew away and turned her around, caressing her face in his hands as he kissed her lips. She hummed, resting both hands on his waist as she took a step closer to him. "About what you said," he began in a hushed whisper as he broke the kiss. "About us having a second child..." He trailed off as he pressed his lips to hers again.

"If you're wondering if I've changed my mind," she spoke when his lips moved to her neck. "I haven't." She assured him and she felt his smile widened, his teeth gently scraped her supple skin. "I want us to have another child, as soon as possible. I told you I was ready in August, now I'm going to show you how ready I am."

"You're going to show me, huh?" A smug smirk appeared on his face. "And what happened to wanting a solid nine, ten hours of sleep?" He raised a brow and she giggled. "We both know if we do this, we're going to do this right which means you're going to get six, at most." His statement was one she nodded in agreement to. "So would you like to weigh your options before you make a decision you regret? We've got a big day tomorrow, y'know."

"Okay, let me weigh my options." She humored him and he laughed. "Would I rather have sex with the man of my dreams and possibly get a beautiful baby out of it, or have an extra few hours of sleep but still wake up somewhat tired? I wonder," she quipped, pinching her chin in her hand. His laughter increased in volume and intensity as he shook his head in disbelief. "I think I'd rather make a baby." Her hands tugged at his bomber jacket and he chuckled, letting it fall to the ground as he slipped it off. "If that's fine by you."

"Oh, it's more than fine by me." He pulled his t-shirt over his head, tossing it aside, along with his jeans. "And just so you know," he smiled as he leaned in, "I, too, would give up sleep for you any day of the week. Baby, or no baby," he added and she rolled her eyes, making him laugh.

"You just have to win, don't you?"

"I believe I won when I married you."

"That just proved-" Before she could finish, his lips were on hers. She smiled and melted into the kiss, letting him carry her to their bed. As he broke the kiss and gently lowered her onto the bed, her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him down with her. He gently pecked her forehead, smiling when she whispered, "I love you, Chris."

"I love you too, Denise."