toward me, I knew everything was going to be alright.”
Sydney was too emotional to speak. All she could do was nod.
“Like my folks sent him to me to show me I could and should trust him, so…yeah. I feel like it was one of those things where you pray for some kind of sign or answer and you get one.” She smiled at Kyle. “So again, thank you.”
“I told you yesterday, Hales, we’re family, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my family.”
“So we’re good here?” Sydney asked. “You sure you’re comfortable with the possibility of Kyle moving in with us?”
“Of course! And really, if you think about it, it’s kind of like Kyle was already living here. With all the work he did on the house, he was here all the time. The only difference is now he’ll be here overnight.”
It was hard to argue that logic.
“I guess…”
“Did you set a date? Can I be a bridesmaid? Are you going to have a baby? Can we move my bedroom downstairs so I have more privacy?”
“Whoa…one thing at a time,” Sydney said with a soft sigh. “We want to get married sooner rather than later. Hunter and Violet are getting married this weekend, so we were thinking possibly as soon as next weekend. But we haven’t finalized that yet.”
“Yeah, the more we thought about it last night, the more we realized we might want to take a little time and plan something a little bigger,” Kyle explained.
Nodding, Sydney added, “I’d really love for Mia to be here, and we don’t want to take any attention away from Hunter and Violet’s big day. So we’re probably not going to say anything to Kyle’s family until after the wedding.”
“So I have to like…keep it a secret? Can I really be trusted to do that?” Haley asked.
“Yes, you can be trusted,” Sydney said, ruffling her niece’s hair. “We’ll even let you be the one to tell Grandma and Grandpa when they get back.”
“Just about the wedding, right? There’s nothing else I’m supposed to share with them?”
“Well…we also talked about me moving in and we wanted your input on it.”
“Dude, I just told you it’s no big deal,” Haley said, talking to him like he was five.
“O-kay…”
“And the baby thing?”
“We’re not having a baby right now,” Sydney went on. “But that is something that we’re hoping will happen in the future.”
“Cool. By that time, I’ll be really good at babysitting. Plus, hopefully, I’ll get to practice on Hunter and Violet’s baby, so by the time you have one, I’ll be really helpful.”
Sydney couldn’t believe the change in her niece.
“And the room?” Haley asked hopefully.
“We’ll think about it. We just got done with all the construction and that room doesn’t have any windows…”
“I was just trying to be considerate of the two of you,” she replied.
“One thing at a time, Hales,” Kyle told her. “For now, let’s get through the wedding this weekend, planning our wedding, and me moving in.”
“That’s kind of a lot.” Pausing, Haley’s expression turned serious. “I do have something I’d like to add, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. What’s going on?”
“I’d like to continue going to counseling, just not with Teresa. She’s nice and all, but…I don’t think we’re a good fit.”
“That’s a great idea, Haley. I’ll do a little research and try to find someone else.”
“You don’t have to. Yesterday while you were out, Pastor Steve came over to see Grandma and Grandpa. The church has a youth group—Janie and some of my friends already go to it—and he mentioned how they have a youth counselor. I’d like to give it a try going there. Again, if it’s okay.”
“Of course it is! And I’m so proud of you for wanting to do it!”
“Yeah, well…there have been a lot of changes in my life lately, and it sounds like more are coming. I need to be able to handle them better than I have.”
“Hales,” Kyle began, but she stopped him.
“You guys have waited a long time to be together and I know I wasn’t part of the plan…”
This time Sydney went to stop her, but Haley cut her off too.
“I know I wasn’t part of the plan, but here we are. I’ve seen all the work the two of you have put into your relationship with each other and your relationship with me. I think it’s only fair that I learn to put in some work too.” She let out a long breath and smiled at them. “Kind of mature of me,