Don't Promise (Don't 3)

“Cole is very helpful. Your father never would have been able to get all of that stuffed moved.”

“I’m glad he could help.” I considered adding something, but I didn’t want to push him on them. They had accepted him years ago as Ryan’s best friend. It was going to take small steps to accept him as my boyfriend, fiancée, and husband. Father of my child was going to be a stretch.

“I’m glad he decided to fly up. It’s nice having him here. And having Grayson here is going to make Christmas feel like it used to.” She added another shake of salt to the pot.

“What do you mean?”

She sighed. “I love our Christmases with you and Ryan. I do. But there’s something about children at Christmas that changes everything. One day, we’ll be grandparents.” She stopped stirring. “Not anytime soon, but one day. And those are going to be even more special Christmases.”

“Right, of course.” I took a heavy breath. My scarf hung long over my belly. I wanted to tell her. The guilt was crawling through me. How had I kept this secret so long? How had I denied telling her she was going to be a grandmother?

But we had a plan. We wanted everyone together at once. And for that to happen, Ryan had to be home. We still had two more days until his leave started.

“Mom, I’m going to call Mary Ellen and find out what her plans are this week. I’ll be right back if Cole asks.”

“All right, honey.”

I walked out of the kitchen, and left her crumbling bacon into the soup. Lunch was going to be delicious.

I pulled up Mary Ellen’s number on my phone.

“Hey, mama. Merry Christmas.”

I blushed. She was one of the few people who knew my secret. “Merry Christmas. How’s it going at your dad’s house?” Mary Ellen was with her dad for a few days then switching over to her mom’s house for the second half of the holidays.

“Fine. My stepmother has made me watch every Lifetime Christmas movie ever made, but other than that everyone’s getting along.”

“What about Aiden?”

“He’s going to be at my mom’s on Thursday. I can’t wait to see him.”

“Cole and Grayson made it in last night before the snow hit.”

“Oh good. And Grayson is feeling better?”

I laughed. “No more fever, but he saw the snow and I think it cured him completely.”

“That’s too cute. So what are y’all doing the rest of the week?”

“We’re getting ready to go out for a walk and tonight is the pageant at church. We’re waiting for Ryan to fly in so we can tell everyone the news at the same time.”

“It’s going to be ok, Kaitlyn. They’re going to be happy. Your parents might need time to adjust to the news, but look how far they’ve come since you and Cole moved in together.”

“Right. And it’s Christmas.”

“Do you still want to get together?” she asked. Normally, we planned a girls’ day during the holidays, but nothing was the same this year.

“I think we should do something. Cole and Aiden see each other regularly now and no one has been punched. I think we’re ok over the holidays. Should we plan dinner?”

“Oh what about that farm with all of the Christmas lights and the hayrides?” she suggested.

“Wonderland Lights?” It was run by a local farmer who turned his working farm into a side business at the holidays.

“Yes. And I heard this year they have bands playing.”

“That sounds like fun. We can always grab dinner after if we want,” I added.

“I’ll tell Aiden, and I’ll text you later about the time.”