Page 62 of Falling for the Unexpected

“Hey, everything is going to be fine.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “No worries, okay?”

I nodded my head. “Okay,” I answered with a wavering voice.

If he heard my uncertainty, he didn’t seem to mind. We both got out of the car. Kyle moved to the backseat to get Stella out while I got her stuff from the trunk. I walked next to him and knocked on the door. Trent answered and his eyes darted between the three of us, a look of confusion on his face.

“Did you two… come together?” he asked, brows furrowed as he looked between us then to Kyle’s car in the driveway.

Kyle had recently purchased a car seat for Stella so we could take his car when we went out. It was another simple yet sweet gesture that showed just how much he cared about both of us.

“Yep,” was all Kyle said, and then he shuffled past Trent and into the house.

Trent looked at me for more explanation. I didn’t know what to say, so I shrugged my shoulders and followed Kyle into the kitchen. The entire house smelled incredible and the warmth from all the cooking took away the chill. Marla had decorated the entire house and it really did feel festive.

“Oh! There’s my baby girl,” Marla said as soon as Kyle rounded the corner and was quickly relieved of my daughter.

“Dude,” Trent started, having followed us into the kitchen.

“Just chill, man,” Kyle said, giving Trent a hard look. “I’ll explain everything in a bit.”

For some reason that seemed to appease Trent and he let the subject drop for the time being although he still looked confused.

Over the next twenty minutes the house quickly filled with the arrival of Addie, Ian, and Erik. Addie sidled over and gave me a hug. “You look hot,” she said, giving a nod of approval to my attire.

I laughed but appreciated her comment. However, Addie was the one who looked like she’d just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. She wore a tight-fitting dress with tights and knee-high boots. Her hair was in a loose braid that hung over one shoulder. I was just in black leggings and a red, cowl-necked, long-sleeved sweater. I had kept my hair up and out of the way. Definitely decent, but Addie was probably the best dressed here. As far as I could tell, Ian thought so, too. He kept glancing at us while he talked to the boys about some car stuff.

“So… what’s really up with you and Ian?” I asked quietly, after catching him looking at Addie for the third time since I had started talking to her.

She shrugged casually. “I don’t know what you mean…”

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t needle her for more. I had no right to push for more information since my own relationship with her brother was on the down low—though not for long. And thinking that made me nervous all over again. For the next few minutes, Addie caught me up on her work, which she actually liked quite a bit. She was now working on completing a paralegal certification course. I was happy for my friend. Moving back here was working out well for her.

We made plans for another girls’ night with Kayla and Ashley in the coming weeks then Addie got pulled away by Trent when the boys started to talk about law stuff. I looked over at Jim and Marla who were both lavishing attention on Stella as only grandparents can do.

I stood back a little just observing everyone together. This was truly a family. Not everyone was actually related but they all loved each other deeply. I was grateful that Stella and I got to be a part of this. I really hoped that would continue once Kyle and I came clean about our relationship.

“All right, kids, it’s time to eat dinner,” Jim announced ten minutes later.

Addie waited for me and looped an arm through mine as we headed to the dining room. Marla placed Stella in her high chair and I took the seat between the two of them at one end. Kyle immediately took the seat on the other side of Stella, adjacent to Jim. On the other side Trent sat directly across from Kyle. Ian and Addie did this odd little dance of not sitting next to each other and made Erik sit between them. I wasn’t sure what was going on with them, but it definitely wasn’t ‘nothing’ like Addie claimed. I was sort of glad for the distraction as we started passing bowls around and Jim carved the turkey.

Kyle helped me fill Stella’s plate while food was passed around the table. Trent watched us like a hawk. The conversation flowed nicely, but I continued to feel uncomfortable under my ex-brother-in-law’s scrutinizing stare. After a while, I could tell that Trent just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, I’m sorry to do this right now—but what in the world is going on?” he asked, pointing between us with his fork and interrupting all the other conversations going on at the table.

There was a range of expressions around the table. Addie, Erik, and Ian, continued to eat while looking around the table like the rest of us were entertainment. Marla and Jim shared the exact same confused expression as their son.

With all the attention now on us, I froze up like a deer in headlights and looked to Kyle, who placed his fork on his plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin before talking.

“Well, we were going to wait until after dinner but I guess now is as good a time as any,” Kyle said, without any reservation or cold feet. He gave me a sideways glance and then looked around the table. “Simone and I are dating… and have been for a while.”

I eyed everyone and saw a bunch of stunned faces. All except Addie, she was just sitting there with a huge smile on her face.

“We wanted to wait a little while before telling anyone,” Kyle explained. He reached behind Stella’s chair to gently rub my shoulder. The action made me feel a little better, though I was still tense, waiting for someone to say they objected. “I’m sure this is a surprise to most of you, but we hope you can all be supportive.” He finished speaking and the room remained silent for what seemed like hours, even though I was sure it was only a few seconds. I looked to Kyle one more time and he smiled at me. He seemed so happy about claiming me as his girlfriend and it warmed my heart.

“Well, I think it’s great,” Marla said, her hands clasped in front of her and a huge grin on her face.

“Absolutely,” Jim added. “There isn’t anyone I would trust more with my daughter and granddaughter than you, Kyle.” It wasn’t lost on me that Jim referred to me as his daughter. That one statement made me tear up.

Erik and Ian took it in stride, not that I thought they’d really care either way, but at least they seemed accepting and went back to eating their meals, like Addie.