Page 76 of Single Mom's Christmas Wish

I’m quiet as she dries my face, then applies a series of toners and serums over my skin, massaging each drop until it’s absorbed into my flesh. I feel like a little kid, well taken care of and downright nurtured. In some ways, Chelsea reminds me of Sally. She’s just as sweet and patient, just as kind and loving. Someday, some guy is going to be stupid lucky for landing a woman like her.

“Are you going to tell them?” she asks when we’re settled by the table, halfway through the primer phase of my makeup. “About the baby, that is.”

“At some point, yeah. Just not today,” I reply.

“Fair enough. But how do you think it’ll play out? It’s a pretty big bombshell.”

“It’s a hot mess, isn’t it?”

She sighs deeply, fingers gently dabbing the concealer into my cheeks and under my eyes. “Well, it could’ve been a lot worse. You could still be facing foreclosure on the house, still dirt poor, and losing the Monroe money. At least you’ll be rich enough to afford to raise an entire football team if you want.”

“Bite your tongue, woman,” I can’t help but laugh.

She gives me a long, pensive look. “Dakota, listen. First of all—and I mean this with all honesty—congratulations. Having ababy, no matter the circumstances is a reason for joy. You’re bringing a new life into this world, and you’ve already proven yourself as a more than capable mother. With you as a mom, that little guy or girl is going to be the luckiest,” she adds, nodding at my belly. “And Maisie will be one hell of a big sister.”

I feel a smile stretch across my face as Chelsea proceeds with a delicate layer of foundation, using a sponge to blend everything in.

“I just wonder how the guys are going to react. They’re so good to Maisie, and she’s gotten so tight with Trevor. I swear, if it weren’t for this wretched morning sickness and the pregnancy hormones, I think I’d be a whole lot happier about this day, despite the reason we’re doing it in the first place.”

“It’s a complicated situation, honey. It’s all clearly happening in the wrong order,” she says. “But no matter what, these guys have already proven themselves worthy on so many levels. I mean, they’re great dads, and they obviously care deeply about you.”

“They really do,” I admit.

“They’re also good providers,” Chelsea continues. “You’re going to have to let them provide, though, in the long term. You do what you want with your inheritance, but you need to let these men provide for you. In every possible way.”

“Yeah, I know. Honestly, I’m working on it.”

“Everything is going to be all right.”

I sigh heavily. “I just wish—”

“You just wish it had happened differently,” Chelsea finishes for me, adding powder to my face with a thick, kabuki-style brush. “Tough titties, sister. It happened the way it did because it wasmeant to happen this way. It doesn’t mean it’s not genuine, though, does it?”

I shrug slightly. “I guess not. But it still feels forced.”

“You’re all under a lot of pressure. You, in particular, because of what’s on the line if you don’t get married by Christmas Day,” she reminds me.

“Probably. I am happy, you know, in a weird, unconventional way. But you said it so well. There’s just too much happening all at once, and I don’t have the bandwidth for all of it.”

I take a look in the mirror and smile. Chelsea has a light hand, but she knows her way around a makeup kit.

“What do you think?” she asks, then holds her breath for a minute.

“I look like a princess out of a fairy tale,” I mumble, admiring the shades of pearly pink over my eyelids, the black, fine lines, the perfectly arched brows. “You’ve outdone yourself.”

“What if this is your fairy-tale wedding, huh?”

I stare at her for a long, awkward moment. “You’re joking.”

“Just think about it for a second,” she laughs. “Technically, you’re marrying not one, but three strapping, handsome princes. Sure, it’s just one of them on paper, but you know you’re marrying all three.”

“I am.”

“And you’re building a family of your own. Forget the circumstances, the rushing into it, the chaos, and the terrible timing, and take a step back. Look at the whole picture. Life isn’t a fairy tale. It was never intended as such. For the majority, it’sjust a series of events, some more or less fortunate than others. For you, today is the key to so many wants and needs. It just didn’t come to you in the desired package. It didn’t come with a glossy gift wrap, let’s say.”

That’s food for thought.

A minute ago, I was close to brooding over the whole thing, wishing it had happened differently. “It’s the closest I’ll ever get to a fairy-tale happy ending, isn’t it, Chelsea?”

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