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Rolling my eyes, I let out a giggle before thinking back to what I’d said while we were sitting on his bed. “I mean it though, Josh. I don’t want you to feel like I’m relying on you for everything. And I don’t want you to get in trouble if people find out about this.”
“I wouldn’t, not if we came out officially as a couple,” the man across from me reasoned. “And we could make up some story about only being attracted to each other but doing nothing while I was your client so you wouldn’t lose your new job.”
“But what about Laila?” I pressed, scrambling for anything that would show him this was a bad idea.
“Amelia,” Josh sighed, looking at me meaningfully, “it’s my kid too. And didn’t you show up at my door last night saying that you wanted us to be together?”
When I didn’t respond, Josh added, “I love you and I love our child. I’m not going to let some stupid reporter or my ex-wife ruin our chance for happiness. Please, pretty girl…this isn’t worth arguing about. We don’t even have to tell anyone anything if we don’t want to.”
I felt myself tearing up again at Josh’s compassion and found I had nothing to further my argument. Still, I felt the need to blurt out, “I’m keeping my job though, okay?”
It felt silly to have to declare something like that as though I wasn’t capable of making my own choices, but I needed to know that we were on the same team, one-hundred percent.
Josh chuckled, assuring me, “of course, Red. I wouldn’t dream of making you quit the job that brought us together in the first place.”
Then he smirked playfully, his brown eyes twinkling mirthfully. “You’re the one in charge here,Mama.”
Despite my effort to remain assertive, the new nickname made me snort out a laugh. Satisfied that he’d made me smile again, Josh repeated, “I don’t care what happens, as long as I have you.” And that was all I needed to hear.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joshua
Overthenextcoupleof weeks, Amelia and I rebuilt our relationship. Unfortunately, I’d had to leave two days after Amelia told me she was pregnant, and despite my protests she’d decided to stay in the city for the time being. I didn’t like the thought of her being by herself while pregnant but Amelia assured me that this was only temporary while she figured out her next steps regarding her career.
So while the days got darker and were only lit by Christmas decorations, we took turns going between each other’s houses to get the most amount of time together possible. And I came to find that even during the moments Amelia wasn’t near, she was still on my mind—
“Do you think now is too soon to propose?” I asked Anthony, watching as his face lit up excitedly.
“No! I mean, you’ve known her for almost a year, right? And even though you just started dating—technically—a couple weeks ago, an engagement doesn’t mean you have to get married right away,” my best friend replied reasonably.
We’d happened to be walking by a jewelry store when the question popped into my mind and now we were standing at the window admiring the sparkling gems within. “Why don’t we just go look and see what they have?” Anthony suggested after a while and I let him lead me in, glad that he was taking the reins.
An hour later, we went back outside after looking at every variation of engagement ring they had, settling on a princess-cut with a simple gold band. “Don’t you think it should be, you know, more?” Anthony had asked, pointing to other pieces that were far more elaborate.
“No,” I’d said with finality and a little grin. “Amelia would prefer this.” In all the time I’d known her, Amelia had never shown any interest in the grandiose, and I figured she would want a ring that was beautiful but wouldn’t get in her way.
With the small, black velvet box in my coat pocket, Anthony and I parted ways, after he made me promise that I would wait until just the right moment to propose. “Now that you have the ring, I’m sure you’ll be practically chomping at the bit to give it to her,” he’d said, advising, “I think you should wait until Christmas.”
It was a very romantic idea and so I did, placing it under the massive tree in my living room after wrapping it as best as I could. In the days leading up to Christmas Eve, I was a nervous wreck, stumbling over my words and almost revealing my gift to Amelia on more than one occasion. If she noticed she didn’t say anything, and I was almost grateful for all the other distractions in her life.
Amelia
Josh and I agreed that it would be more fun for us to spend Christmas Eve at his mansion, given how wondrously the staff had decorated it and its close proximity to all the parties happening the next day. We spent the day in each other’s company, reading and watching holiday movies, and taking breaks every so often to make more hot cocoa.
We were cuddling on the couch, listening to the fireplace crackle, when I looked up and saw Josh glancing at the tree for the tenth time in the last hour. “Is something wrong?” I asked, pausing my fingers where they were massaging his right knee.
“No,” Josh replied, turning his head to smile down at me. “Did your family ever have that tradition where they opened one Christmas present the night before?” His manly face was framed with childish glee and I couldn’t help but let out a giggle.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I answered, shifting my hips slightly to take some pressure off my lower back. “Why? Do you want to continue that tradition with Peanut?” Originally, when I had told Josh the name I called our growing child, I’d expected him to wave it off as ridiculous, but he became just as enamored with it as I was, proclaiming that now he had a way of addressing the baby when he talked to it with his cheek on my belly.
“Mmhmm,” Josh hummed, lifting his leg and moving to stand slowly. “And what better time to start than tonight?”
I began to grow suspicious when Josh pulled two presents from the tree—a large box for him which I knew held the most ornate bookends I’d ever seen and a small box for me. Although my mind immediately began to race with what I hoped would be in that box, I remained casual. “Do you want to open yours first, Old Man?”
Josh rejoined me on the couch, grunting exaggeratedly for effect as he sat, making me roll my eyes. “Sure,” he replied, moving the wrapped box into his lap before shaking it vigorously.
“Be careful!” I yelped, joking, “you’re going to make the snakes in there very angry.”
