Chapter 20: Chapter 20

SHAY

^SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25^

^CHRISTMAS DAY^

For the past few months, things had been great. Shay had moved in with Ethan, keeping her apartment for her photo shoots and office, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, finding every opportunity to ravish each other.

Today they’d be spending Christmas with both of their families gathered together at her father’s house, and they’d invited the Ramsays over for dinner afterward.

Almost everyone was in attendance. Her twin sister, Sky, was still in Sweden, and her mother had gone to Sweden to spend Christmas with her, leaving everyone else to celebrate in New York.

The house was filled with family members and noisy as the kids ran around. Shay sat on the stairs, just watching as their families integrated, blending together and talking to each other. She couldn’t be happier.

“Dinner!” Billie yelled, and everyone started moving toward the dining area.

Shay knew not everyone would be able to get a seat. Instead, they would be eating in odd areas around the house. There were more than fifty people over—mostly from her family, but some of Ethan’s cousins had come.

Her cousins and their kids came through, running through the house like a playground, and Shay couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shay!” a voice called her as she made her way to the kitchen. Turning back, she spotted Pete and a girl.

She smiled and walked toward him, arms extended. “Pete!” She hugged him as soon as she got to him.

“I missed you, Shay. Haven’t seen you in a while,” he said in her ear before letting her go.

Her eyes darted to the beautiful girl standing beside him.

“Shay, this is Stephanie, the girl that I was telling you about,” Pete said.

She remembered the last time they spoke, that he said he’d gone on a few dates with a girl. “Nice to meet you, Stephanie. I’m Shay, Pete’s, uh…stepsister,” she said, feeling awkward.

Stephanie’s eyes instantly lit up, before darting back and forth between Shay and Pete.

“Yes.” He nodded as he closed his eyes, sighing.

Stephanie raised her eyebrows in confusion. “You guys…” But she trailed off when her eyes focused on something behind Shay.

Turning around, Shay spotted Ethan walking toward her and smiling.

“I was looking for you,” he said, grabbing her by the waist and kissing her on the top of her head.

“Stephanie, this is my boyfriend, Ethan,” Shay said as Ethan stared at Pete, his face hardening. Using her elbow, she nudged Ethan to be polite.

“Let’s get some food in our belly,” Ethan said as he lifted her off the ground and carried her away with ease, not even bothering to greet Pete or his girlfriend, Stephanie.

Pete and Ethan did not get along. Ethan knew the things that went on between Pete and her, and he wasn’t mad at her, but he was mad at Pete. In his eyes, Pete took advantage of her.

She’d assured him that wasn’t the case, but he didn’t trust Pete and avoided talking to him at all costs. And although her brothers had never suspected anything, she made sure Ethan understood he could never tell her brothers.

They were clueless, and she wanted them to remain clueless about her relationship with Pete.

When Ethan put her down gently, Shay readjusted her dress—it had gone askew when he lifted her up. As expected, the dining room was packed, and their twelve-seater dining table was filled with food, not an empty space in sight.

There was a variety of dishes, some cooked by Billie while the rest were brought over by other family members.

“I think I’ll grab a plate later,” Shay said as she started backing away. There were just too many people squeezed into the dining area. It was difficult to maneuver, and she was sure that there would be extra food.

What most didn’t know was Billie always kept extra in the fridge for guests that arrive late. Or for midnight snacks.

“Are you hungry?” she asked Ethan.

“A little,” he confessed.

She nodded. “Stay here.”

Taking a deep breath, she went into the dining room and grabbed an empty plate, then quickly glided through the room collecting food. It was easy to squeeze herself between all the people, as most of them easily towered over her.

When she returned with a plate filled with food, Ethan stared at her, amazed by what she just did. “How did you…”

“Perks of being short,” she said in a smug tone, then grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

Walking into the living room, she spotted her father sitting in his chair with a heaping plate of food, scarfing it down.

“Dad!” she called as she took a seat on the ottoman in front of him.

“Aren’t you eating?” Hank asked, noticing her hands were empty.

“Later. I’m not hungry yet.”

Ethan took a seat on the nearest sofa, and Hank returned his focus to his plate. She chuckled lightly as she watched her adorable father work his way through his food.

“How are things with you?” she asked him. She hadn’t seen her family since Thanksgiving because she hadn’t had the time. She felt a little guilty, but she knew he’d understand.

“Things are good. Looking forward to stepping down and retiring. How are you guys?” he asked before taking a piece of turkey and stuffing it in his mouth.

She glanced over at Ethan, who was eating corn. “We’re good… We’re kind of living together now.” She knew her father wouldn’t be too happy about it, but she also knew it was better for him to hear it from her than anyone else.

Her father tensed before looking angrily at Ethan.

“Dad, it’s fine.” She sighed and placed a hand on his thigh. “We love each other and we’re happy. I’m happy.”

“Hank…” Ethan placed his plate to the side, then leaned forward and rested his elbow on his knee. “I’m in love with Shay, and I won’t do anything to hurt her.”

Her father’s eyes darted back and forth between her and Ethan for a minute before he nodded his head in agreement.

Feeling the weight of the world lift from her shoulders, Shay allowed herself to relax now that she knew that her father wasn’t going to kill Ethan.

As the day went on, Shay sat on Ethan’s lap most of the time, talking and catching up with their families, enjoying their first Christmas together. Her father got along well with the Ramsays, even making travel plans with them.

“I’m going to step out for just a moment,” Ethan said, and she got up from his lap, allowing him to get up before taking a seat in his spot.

One of her cousins decided to do karaoke, singing “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor completely out of tune. Laughing along with the rest of them, Shay scanned the room.

Seeing both families together, some laughing, some in the kitchen talking and getting to know each other, warmed her heart. Growing up with a big family, Shay had always looked forward to having a big family of her own.

“Nah, nah, nah,” Ian said, stopping the cousin from going further. Instead, he started playing music on the speaker, laughing as he started to dance. Ian was a certified horrible dancer.

Getting to her feet, Shay swayed her hips and lifted her arms, dancing with her brother and not caring if they looked like idiots.

Laughing, she mimicked his actions. As many cracked up at their terrible dancing, others joined in on the fun, dancing as awkwardly as possible alongside them, as was their tradition.

Shay had taken years of ballet and was a very capable dancer, but on Christmas Day or during family gatherings, they all had a silent agreement to dance silly.

Taking her brother’s hand in hers, she spun him as he awkwardly tried to find the steps, careful not to trip on each other. The little kids joined them, and they all giggled, having fun with each other.

Shay remembered how as kids, they would gather in the living room, dancing in their pajamas until they were all tired out. Pete, the serious one, would sit in the corner.

He and Billie would always join them in the afternoon, after having their own mini celebration with Billie’s family. That was their tradition.

As the music slowed, Shay felt a hand grab her waist. Her smile widened when she realized it was Ethan joining in. The mood in the room suddenly changed as the lights dimmed, and her giggling subsided.

She looked around, confused, feeling like there was something she was missing.

Ethan pulled away, and in a swift motion he was on one knee. Her eyes widened in shock when the realization of what he was about to do set in. Tuning out her entire family, she stared at Ethan.

“Shay, you are beautiful, inside and out, and from the first time I laid my eyes on you, I knew I had to change, to give up my old ways.

“I knew that with you I could no longer be the man I used to be. And being with you has made me hate the man I was.

“I knew that you wouldn’t settle for less. The way you resisted me, rejected me, and cussed me out—no girl has ever done that to me.

“You didn’t care about how much money I had or what I could do for you, which made loving you so easy. Through every depth, I choose you. Because, Shay, you’re it for me. No one else.” Tears escaped the corner of his eyes.

She just listened, chuckling through her own tears.

“No one else.” He paused as she wiped the tears from his face. “I can’t imagine a life without you, a ~day~ without you, and I never want to.”

He took out the familiar small velvet box. “Before you, I never thought I was the marrying type. I never thought that I wanted to get married, never truly considered it. Now I can’t imagine my life not being married to you.

“Because that’s all I’ve wanted to do for the past few months.”

He opened the box, and she nodded, wiping her tears.

“I love you, and I would die for you. Shay Haze, you are the most infuriatingly beautiful, sassy, amazing, smart person I’ve ever met. Will you do me the honor of growing old and wrinkly with me?”

“Yes!” she screamed. She gave him her hand, and he instantly slipped on the ring. Throwing her arms around his neck, she smashed her lips against his, kissing him as he held her close.

Putting her down, he rested his forehead on hers as they stared at each other.

She felt a few taps on her back, then Ian and Ivan wrapped their arms around the two of them. Flooded with love, Shay cried happy tears.

When her brothers released them, Shay laughed as she stared at her hand. This all felt so surreal.

Everyone in her family congratulated her, hugging her one by one. She couldn’t even focus as she felt their arms wrap around her for a few seconds before letting go. She was too happy to care about anything else.

Turning her head, she spotted Ethan. Her fiancé was wiping his tears as his own family congratulated him.

The whole experience was unexpected. She’d known he had the ring, of course, but she had no idea that he was going to propose today.

Their eyes connected, and they both laughed and reached out to touch each other, but they spent a few more minutes talking with their families before making a move.

They were excited to spend time on their own, wanted to be just with each other. Thankfully everyone understood and shooed them off. The lovebirds needed some alone time.

“Go! Enjoy being in love,” Billie said as she ushered them to the front of the house.

“Thank you, Billie. Merry Christmas,” Shay said, leaning over to give her stepmother a kiss goodbye. Shay’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

As soon as they got into the car, the engine roaring to life, Shay stared at her ring. “Am I dreaming?” she asked.

“No, baby, soon you’ll be mine forever.” He looked over at her and beamed, flashing his pearly whites.

She nodded, her fingers touching the beautiful ring.

“Your Christmas present is sitting on the bed at home,” Shay said, feeling butterflies in her belly. She wasn’t sure how he would react to it.

The rest of the car ride was filled with laughter as they recalled their families meeting and how lively everything was. They talked about how much they looked forward to future family gatherings.

Bringing their families together was something they agreed they would do more often.

When they walked through their apartment door, Shay dropped everything on the sofa before taking his hand and dragging him upstairs. Nervous and excited all at the same time, she led him to their room.

The box was on the bed just where she left it. Nervously she took it in her hands, and directed him to take a seat.

“Before I give you this, just know that my answer to your proposal would’ve been a yes either way,” she explained, nervously tugging the bow of the box.

“What is it?” he asked curiously.

Positioning herself between his legs, Shay took a deep breath and handed him the box. She could almost hear her heart pounding rapidly against her chest.

Keeping this secret had been practically impossible, but she had to.

As he lifted the black box, Shay closed her eyes and backed away. She couldn’t watch the sight in front of her, so she paced in front of him.

“Are you…?” he asked in a small voice.

She stopped and nodded her head, then slowly turned to look at him. He was staring at the ultrasound and the test kit in disbelief.

“Are you okay?” she asked carefully, unsure how he would react to the news.

They’d discussed having kids, had even discussed the possibility of twins since they ran in her family, so she knew he wanted kids with her. She just worried that it was too soon.

“Is this real?” he asked, still staring at the ultrasound.

“Yes,” she sighed, feeling tears pool in her eyes.

He put away the ultrasound and test kit, and held up two onesies. One read “Daddy’s fave,” and the other, “Mommy’s fave.”

“We’re having twins,” she said awkwardly, unsure how to read his expression.

He put the box on the bed and looked up at her. His eyes were watering. Then, dropping to his knees for the second time today, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her belly.

“We’re eight weeks pregnant, baby!” she cried, fisting his hair. “Are you okay with it?”

“Are you kidding me?” he shouted, startling her. Pulling his face away from her body, he stared up at her, his face drenched with tears. “You’ve made me the luckiest man in the world!”

He lifted her off the ground, twirling her around as she giggled,

glad that he was just as happy as she was.