Chapter 31 Ember
EMBER
My hand found only empty sheets when I woke and stretched, still warm from where Nate had been lying beside me.
I rolled onto my side, my hand settling on the swell of my stomach where our baby was making its presence known this morning by kicking my ribs.
It made me smile to think of one day very soon waking to soft cries instead of having my insides being turned to burger.
The bedroom had changed over the past month.
My clothes now hung in the closet beside Nate's suits while my books crowded the nightstand.
And the dresser held framed photos of us together at the tree lighting ceremony, both of us smiling despite everything we had endured to get there.
I had officially moved in, though my belongings had been gradually migrating here since Thanksgiving.
I stretched carefully, my back aching from the weight I now carried, though I was glad to be past the worst of the morning sickness.
Life felt good, finally, after months of stress and worry over things that never should've happened, and I found myself content.
Though today promised to be a little nerve-racking with Nate's parents coming for lunch. I still hadn't managed to fully win his father over.
But the Hearthkeeper duties had ended and my temporary leave from work would end on January second.
But I'd decided I wanted to finish my degree in human resources.
I wanted to build a career that was mine, and Nate had already filled out the referral for me to the medical system's tuition reimbursement program.
Things were clicking into place so easily now, it made the past few months feel like a nightmare.
The bedroom door opened, and Nate entered carrying a tray, wearing pajama pants and a white T-shirt, his silver hair still mussed from sleep.
Steam rose from two mugs on the tray, and I caught the scent of hot chocolate and groaned as my belly growled.
"Good morning," he said, setting the tray on the dresser.
He leaned down to kiss my forehead, and I got a whiff of his cologne from last night and remembered how incredible he made me feel. "I thought you might want to sleep in, but then I couldn’t wait to wake you."
"I am not very good at sleeping late anymore, anyway." I sat up against the headboard, accepting the mug he handed me. "The baby's decided that six in the morning is the perfect time to practice gymnastics."
He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on my stomach. "Can you feel him moving right now?"
"Wait a moment." I held still, and then came the familiar flutter. "There."
His face lit up with wonder. "I felt it that time."
His hand stayed pressed against my bump as Baby Bradley rolled around and kicked, and I took the moment to sip the cocoa Nate had filled with almost too many marshmallows.
The moment felt suspended in time, perfect and peaceful in a way I hadn't thought possible months ago.
Nate stared at me for a long moment with a dumb smile on his face, sort of crooked but also misty-eyed.
"What?" I said, chuckling. He looked star-struck.
"I've been waiting for the right moment to do this, and I thought about this evening. But I realized there will never be a more perfect time than right now."
He pulled small velvet box out of the nightstand drawer and opened it.
A ring sat nestled in the satin lining, a simple platinum band with a single diamond that made me tear up.
I looked up at his eyes as he stared at me and knew in a split second what was happening.
It wasn't at all the way I thought he'd do this, but he was right.
This moment, Christmas Eve morning, in his home after waking in his bed, was more perfect than any other thing he could even dream of planning.
"Ember Harrison, Amber Hensley, whatever you want me to call you now." He chuckled, and I sighed as the first tear slipped from my eye. "The past six months have been a collision of two worlds. I can't think of any other way to describe that. But in a good way.
"I did this once before, when I was younger, and I managed to narrowly escape something very bad.
And while this whole town seemed to be waving red warning flags every time they saw us together, I knew from the beginning with you that the only thing I'd ever feel when we are together is goodness. I love you, and I don’t have to wait another second to know that I want you in my life, in my home, and in my bed every day for the rest of my life. "
His voice was steady but his hands trembled slightly. "Will you marry me?"
My vision blurred with tears that just kept coming no matter how much I blinked.
I almost spilled the cocoa as I tried to set it down, and there was no point trying to look at the ring right now.
"Yes." The word came out choked. "Yes, absolutely, yes."
He slipped the ring onto my finger, and I pulled him closer to me so I could kiss him.
"Mmm, salty," he said, deepening the kiss, and I chuckled into his parted lips.
"I love you," he said. "I've loved you since the moment you challenged my terrible handwriting and made me laugh about something I had been self-conscious about for decades. "
"I love you too." I looked at the ring on my finger, still not quite believing this was real. "Even when you dragged me on stage and made me Hearthkeeper without asking first."
"I'll spend the rest of my life making that up to you."
"I'm going to hold you to that promise." I wiped my eyes and he handed me a tissue, but I knew the tears were far from over. Today would be full of emotions and I just had to ride them all out.
Then Nate stood and pulled me to my feet. "Now get dressed. We have a full day ahead of us."
I couldn't even protest.
I knew my parents and his would be over soon, bringing gifts and food to share.
We showered together and kissed a lot and he fed me breakfast, after which we finished wrapping the few gifts we'd purchased, and by the time the doorbell rang, my stomach was growling again for lunch.
The smell of Nate's turkey cooking in the oven made my mouth water.
"Can you get that?" he called. "It should be your parents."
"Of course," I said, dragging myself off the kitchen chair.
I opened the door to find my mother and father standing on the front steps, arms loaded with wrapped packages and a tin of cookies.
My mother took one look at me and burst into tears.
"Look at you," she said, setting down her packages to pull me into a hug. "You're glowing."
"I'm just pregnant and emotional."
But I hugged her back tightly, breathing in her familiar perfume.
It'd been way too long since I saw her, and the cold greeting was giving me a chill, but it was well worth it.
My father wrapped both of us in his arms in a hug so tight I was glad my boobs weren't so sore anymore. "We've missed you so much, sweetheart."
"I've missed you too." I pulled back and gestured them inside. "Come in before you freeze."
They followed me into the living room where our Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with white lights and simple ornaments.
Nate popped out from the kitchen and greeted my parents warmly, taking their coats and offering coffee.
I made the introductions and to my utter shock, my dad didn't even blink at Nate's age.
It'd given me a bit of anxiety, and I knew Nate was very nervous about it, but Dad shook his hand and offered to help carve the turkey if needed.
We were still settling into conversation when the doorbell rang again and this time, it was Nate's parents.
His mother carried a casserole dish and his father held a bottle of wine.
"We brought our contribution," his mom announced, kissing my cheek. "And wine for later, though obviously not for you, dear."
Her cold hand patted my cheek, and I laughed softly at her motherly tone.
It felt so good to be hosting them, knowing she supported us both.
Mr. Bradley nodded at me, then at Nate.
The gesture was still formal, but there was warmth beneath it that hadn't existed before Thanksgiving.
"Nate," he said, reaching out a hand, and Nate shook it.
"Dad," he grunted… "Come meet Mr. Hensly. We'll have some nog and you can teach him how you carve the turkey."
Nate winked at me as he passed me and led his father into the kitchen where my dad was waiting.
I felt transported to a different planet today, and it felt like a dream come true.
Soon the brownstone was filled conversation and laughter.
My mother and Nate's mother disappeared into the nursery together, bonding over recipes and baby advice.
My dad and Nate's dad stood by the oven discussing hospital politics with surprising civility, given how vocal I knew Nate's father to be, and I sat on the sofa and watched them all, my hand resting on my stomach.
Six months ago, I had been alone in a tiny apartment, terrified that my past would destroy any chance at happiness.
Now I was surrounded by family in a home that felt truly mine, wearing an engagement ring and carrying a baby that would be loved by grandparents on both sides.
"When is the baby due?" my mother asked, returning from the nursery with fresh coffee in hand from a pit stop in the kitchen.
"Early May," Nate answered, settling beside me on the sofa. His arm draped around me and I leaned into his side. "May seventh, according to the doctor's current estimate."
"A spring baby." His mother clasped her hands together. "How wonderful."
"Have you thought about names?" my father asked.
"We have a few ideas, but nothing definite yet." I looked at Nate. "We want to wait until we know if it is a boy or girl."
"When will you find out?" my mother asked.
"We're going to wait until he or she is born." I took a sip of water. "We are both hoping for a healthy baby, regardless of gender."
The conversation flowed naturally from there, questions about nursery colors and baby gear and Mr. Bradley's disappointment that we planned to wait to find out the gender.
They even had gentle inquiries about wedding plans, which we admitted we hadn't discussed yet given the engagement was only an hour old.
I watched my parents interact with Nate's parents and saw the way they were finding common ground despite their different backgrounds.
My mother showed pictures of me as a baby, and Nate's mother reciprocated with stories of his childhood.
Our fathers discovered a shared interest in golf and made tentative plans to play a round together in the spring when the Hensleys returned to Boston for the birth and christening of Baby Bradley.
This was family. Messy and complicated and imperfect, but real.
Nate reached over and laced his fingers through mine, his thumb brushing across the engagement ring. I squeezed back and leaned against his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"I'm better than alright." I looked around the room at the people who had come together for us. "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
The community had almost forgotten all about us, though I knew work would be a different story when I returned after the new year.
And of course, I had the normal new mother apprehensions, especially given that my mother lived all the way across the country.
But love had made us a family.
And I knew it was love that would carry us through.
If we could survive the beginning of this relationship, I knew we could survive anything.