Page 20 of Grumpy Santa

Garrett: Congrats, man. I know you’ve wanted her a long time.

Me: You did know that?

Garrett: Uh yeah. It was pretty obvious.

Me: Have you known anything about her?

Garrett: What do you mean?

Me: Like how she felt about me.

Garrett: Sure. Everyone in town knows y’all are crazy about each other.

Garrett: You bicker like an old married couple.

But she doesn’t want to marry me. Why doesn’t she want to marry me? I need to know that answer so I can fix whatever it is.

Me: She’s pregnant.

Garrett: Fuck. Really? When did y’all find out?

Me: Earlier today. We haven’t told her parents yet, so maybe keep it to yourself.

Garrett: Yeah man, I’ve got you.

Garrett: So y’all are not together? Officially?

Me: I think so. She’s in my bed.

Me:

Garrett: Holy shit, man! That’s so cool.

“You’re just sharing pictures of the baby to people?” Audrey’s voice comes from over my shoulder.

Lola mews at her, then jumps down off my lap.

“You didn’t nap for very long,” I say.

“I had to go to the bathroom.” She glances at my phone. “Did you post it on the Saddle Peek too?”

“It’s Garrett. If you don’t want me to tell anyone else, I won’t,” I say.

She winces. “It’s not that. I’m sorry. I know I told my friends.”

I grab her hand and pull her into my lap. “Then what’s the matter?”

“It’s just a sticky situation. The more people who know you knocked me up, the more that are going to make assumptions.

“What are these assumptions?” I ask.

“I mean they already do about us. But they’re going to think we’re together. That we’re a couple. A real couple. Not just two people who work together and who have fucked.”

Her words are a knife to my heart. “Is that what we are to you?”

She shrugs. “I don’t feel like we have to put a label on it.”

“We could just be a couple. Solve all of those problems and would-be pesky rumors.”