“Huh? Gaggle? Isn’t that a word for geese?”
“Probably, but I like it and I'm determined to use it more. How often do we discuss a group of geese?”
“Fair enough.”
We hung the ornaments at eye level so we’d see them whenever we walked past.
“I’m hungry.”
“Shall we order in and have a floor picnic Christmas dinner?”
“Absolutely.”
We ordered Thai food, and I rummaged in one of Merrick’s boxes for Christmas lights. After stringing them on the tree’s branches, they made the place appear festive.
“When do we tell our families about the baby?” I asked as we waited for the food.
“Not yet. The pregnancy is so new, I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around it.”
“Same here.” I was scared that I’d make a mess of being a dad, as I hadn’t had great role models growing up. But while Father hadn’t been aware of what he’d been doing, I at least knew some of the pitfalls to avoid.
The delivery guy’s Christmas Day got a lot better when I gave him a huge tip.
“This is so good.” Merrick sniffed. “I hope the baby likes Thai food because I’ll be eating it a lot during the pregnancy.” He blew his nose as tears rolled over his cheeks. “It’s spicy but so good.”
“Me too.” I flapped a hand in front of my face, feeling as though I was breathing fire.
My mate gazed at the tree while gulping a glass of milk. “You know what we did?”
“Is that a trick question?” I pondered what special significance we could attach to us decorating.
“We put up reminders of our past and we painted our future.”
Awww, that’s so sweet. Give him a hug.
I will, I am.
I slid my butt over the floor and kissed him. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Merry Christmas.” He held up his curry and I got mine. We clinked them and each took a swig of our milk.
15
MERRICK
My pregnancy was flying by, and I still hadn’t seen my father or brother. Part of that was because I insisted on working. There were things I didn’t like about my job, but now that it was the place that held the memory of when I met my mate again, I couldn’t quite let it go.
Being mated to someone who was rich kind of changed how “working” looked, though. As a surprise three-month anniversary gift, not even a real anniversary in my opinion, my father-in-law gave me the venue. Gave. It. To. Me. He bought it, put it in my name, and handed the documentation to me in a gift bag covered in party hats. Life with my new family could never be described as boring.
He must’ve noticed my panicked face when I finally understood what he’d given me. I wasn’t a business owner or even a hospitality graduate. I served people food and drinks and cleaned tables. That was it. But he told me he’d help me find better managers and that I didn’t need to work any job at all there, and if I did, it could be of my choosing.
I took him up on his offer of help. Manager Steve was long gone, and we moved Sally up to his spot. What a difference that made.
At first, my coworkers were skeptical that I would still be one of them, and I got it. Why would I be? I was the owner. I could sit in the office, wander around, schmooze… all of it, but I didn’t want that. I also didn’t want to bus tables, although now that money wasn’t an issue, I didn’t mind it as much.
I hadn’t realized how much being in debt and working to pay off my brother’s medical bills had impacted so many areas of my life. Now that my debt was gone, I felt so much freer.
As my pregnancy progressed, I worked less and less, always listening to the advice of my midwife. Most recently, I’d slid into the host position a couple nights a week, as carrying the trays was becoming a bit too awkward with my belly in the way, but it was nice to still feel needed.
