an hour from Kingston to visit their annual Winter Fest.
I looked up at him and smiled. “Stick with me, and the fun will never stop!” I joked. I took a sip of my eggnog. “Hey! They have sleigh rides here, too. Want to try it?”
Parker nodded and laughed. “See, that’s what I’m talking about.”
“Adventure is my middle name, sweetheart.”
We got tickets and hopped into the next sleigh that came around.
I cuddled up close to him, and he didn’t disappoint, kissing me softly on the lips as the horse-drawn sleigh took us through the forest and over hills. The full moon reflected from Parker’s deep brown eyes.
I hadn’t mustered the courage to tell him I was pregnant yet. I was enjoying every moment with him, and I was fearful of ruining it. I was afraid of ruining what we had, which was fun, easy, simple, and carefree. No seriousness, no commitments, no expectations.
However, it wasn’t fair to keep the pregnancy a secret from him for long, and when we fell into a moment of silence, I couldn’t stop myself.
“Parker,” I said with a more serious tone then he was used to, “I have to tell you something.”
“Sure, what is it?” he asked, glancing at me briefly but then turning back to admire the landscape blanketed with snow.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.
“What? I couldn’t hear you. There’s a breeze.”
I gulped. “I'm pregnant!” I almost yelled this time.
He whipped around to face me, and there was a look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. Was it shock? Terror? Horror?
I had to stop driving myself crazy. Parker remained eerily silent.
“Well? I’m pregnant. What do you think? I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your life.”
My eyes welled up. I knew that telling him would be weird, but I didn’t think it would go quite as badly as this. The pain and humiliation were too much. I was mortified and thought I’d start bawling at any minute.
“What are you talking about? Ruining whose life? This is amazing! You’re pregnant? You really are?” By now his whole body had turned in my direction, so I turned to face him too, with a tentative smile.
“Yes,” I said, nodding. I’m really pregnant, and it’s yours. I promise.” I cleared my throat.
He let out a laugh that echoed through the night air. “I don’t doubt that it’s mine. It had better be! This is awesome! All this time, I’ve been wondering whether you’d want to be with me. Boring, dependable me. But I guess the decision has been made for us, assuming you want to be with me and raise this baby together.”
I kissed him and laughed. “Don’t be silly! Of course, I do! But Are you sure you want to be tied down to me? I’m unemployed, broke, with no serious prospects. I’ve been around the world, but I haven’t kept a job for longer than eight months at a time. I’m flighty and crazy. Am I what you really want for the father of your baby?”
Parker wrapped his arms around me and shut me up with a kiss.
“Oh, be quiet already. I wouldn’t trade you for anybody in the world. You’re fun, exciting, and you can show me how a life should be lived. For fuck’s sake, you could probably raise the dead from the grave! I don’t want to be stuck in some office at eleven PM, poring over financial statements—I want to be here! Out in the world that’s full of wonder and joy! This is what you’ve shown me, and I’ll be eternally grateful for it. In fact, I don’t think I’m ever going back to Manhattan, except to pick up my shit and bring it back here, to my new home.”
He kissed me again, and I knew that every single word out of his mouth was true. It had to be. My happiness depended on it.
“That’s wonderful, Parker. But I do promise I’ll try to be more responsible. I'll have to be, now that we're having a baby. We might not trek around the world regularly, but I’ll learn to keep a job, and I’ll learn how to pay the bills on time. Of course, we’ll also keep the baby alive for good measure.”
“You’re perfect the way you are. I’m sure you’ll do great. Better than great. Hey,” Parker said quietly. “You don’t want to go back home tonight, do you?”
“Why?” I asked. “What did you have in mind?”
He nodded up at the hotel resort that towered over the village.
“Let’s stay