The Christmas Proposal - Miley Maine Page 0,52

from the beginning. You know that I’ve had a crush on Grayson.”

“Well of course, you hardly kept it a secret. You were so cute then, I still have some of your old doodles of the two of you together.”

I flushed. “Mom, stop.”

“Alright, alright. So you had a crush on Grayson.”

“Maybe still have? We kind of maybe...well after Thanksgiving….” I didn’t know if I could say it, especially not to my mom. It was just so embarrassing. “We maybe, got together? Would that even be the right term for it? We kind of, uh, hooked up.”

My mom nodded, not seeming disturbed by this information as I had expected her to be. “That’s normal for people your age.”

“You don’t think it’s weird? Or wrong?”

“Darling, no. Of course it would have been strange if you two had done those things when you were younger, but you’re both adults and free to make your own decisions. And six years is not a big age gap at all for people of your age.”

“Okay.” I sighed. It was a great relief to know that, unlike Sebastian, my mom did not find our relationship wrong, or disturbing.

“I’m sensing there’s more,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “You know I’m not going to judge you dear. Go ahead.”

“So when I went for the internship, I mean, I did go for the internship, but it was also for the two of us to spend more time together. Our relationship ended up developing into more than it was supposed to be, like an actual relationship and not just some arrangement to satisfy both of us.

“When Sebastian came down, he found out, and he got really, really mad.” I could feel tightness building up behind my eyes, a pressure that was threatening to burst. “And he and Grayson fought, and I think I might have ruined their—their—” I couldn’t finish my sentence, I just broke out into sobs against my mother’s chest. She held me tight, stroking back my hair.

“It’s okay dear. It’s not your fault. I promise. It’s not your fault.”

Just then, the tea kettle began to whistle, and my mother stood. “I’ll go pour some tea,” she said. “I think that’s exactly what you need right now.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say in between sniffles.

“Of course dear.” She poured me a cup, then set it in front of me before sitting back down.

“There’s more,” I finally said after taking a few sips of my drink.

“Go ahead.”

“I—I’m pregnant.”

At this her eyes did go wide, though she tried her best to suppress her surprise. “With Grayson? That’s such a short time.”

I shook my head. “No, it couldn’t be his. He used protection the whole time.”

“Then….”

I nodded. “It’s his.”

“Oh darling.” She pulled me to her chest. “We can figure this out, don’t worry, you won’t be alone in this.”

“I know. I just don’t want him to be in our baby’s life.”

“That’s okay, we’ll make sure he doesn’t find out. He has no right to your child.”

With this, there was a rustling, and Sebastian entered the room, looking even angrier than I had seen him before.

“I knew it,” he said. “I can’t believe he did that to you. He should have known better.”

“Sebastian—” I reached out, thinking he must have misheard something.

“No, don’t try to justify his actions to me. He might have been my best friend once, but no longer.”

And with that he stalked out of the room.

“He heard it all wrong,” I said, suppressing a sob. “I can’t let him think that...Grayson was always so careful of me.”

My mom cradled me to her chest. “Shhh, let him go. He’s too angry to hear reason right now.”

“He’s been so angry. I feel so bad.”

“It’s not your fault, love. Don’t worry, I promise that I’ll fix things. For the moment, you just need to get some rest. I know that pregnancy can be an emotional time, and you’ve got a lot going on. Let’s get you back up to your room.”

“Okay.” I let her lead me back up to my bedroom, feeling a bit like a little kid again. Somehow my mother always knew what to do, and how to make me feel better. I didn’t know what I would do without her.

“I’ll see you after you get some sleep,” she said, kissing my forehead and then heading to my bedroom door. “Should I wake you up for breakfast?”

I shook my head. “No, I think I’ll sleep in.”

“Okay, just make sure you come down for food at some point.”

I nodded, then