Page 53 of Everything I Promise

He just looks at me and nods his head before running off to find his boots and slippers. I slip the gift into a bag and sneak it out to the truck.

By the time I get back upstairs Oliver has his stuff ready to go and Lacey is putting on her coat. “Are we all set to head out?” I ask.

“Sure are. Are you sure you want to come today? I know yesterday was long. You totally don’t have to come.” She’s still questioning if I want to be there with them on Christmas. It kills me that someone did this to her.

“I do. Wherever you guys go, is where I want to be. Plus, Preston texted me and said if we don’t hurry up he’s eating all the fresh baked cookies.” I smirk at her.

“What? Mommy! Hurry up, we gotta go. Uncle Preston will eat all the cookies!” Oliver tugs Lacey down the stairs and I lock the door, chuckling.

If I thought Lacey and I spoiled Oliver, I was wrong. Walking into Mrs. Harper’s house was like walking straight into Santa’s workshop. And since a big majority of the presents have littlekids wrapping paper on them, I’d say she outdid us. “Wow sweetheart, you were not kidding when you said he’d be spoiled here.” I lean down to whisper to her.

“I know. I’ve got nothing on Lorelei Harper. You should have seen our Christmases growing up. At least she had Dad to keep her in check then.” She giggles.

“Oh, Lacey and Colton, you’re here!” Mrs. Harper comes into the living room to greet us. She pulls Lacey in for a hug and looks at me over her shoulder. “Don't you let my girl here tell you stories. She loves Christmas. And my spoiling.” She winks at me, and I can’t contain the laughter that bubbles up. Their Christmases must have been so different from the ones Preston and I had growing up.

“I already love it, Lorelei. No one has given me a medical book yet.”

Lacey looks at me with pity, but I place my hand on the small of her back and usher her forward into the kitchen where everyone else is. I grab Preston’s attention and nod toward the living room. Luckily, he gets my hint and follows me.

“Hey, you told Scarlett that Lace changed her mind, right? She won’t say anything?”

“So, about that.”

Shit. “What aboutthat,Preston?”

“I did tell Scarlett. But we were already here, and you know how nosey those women can be. We had to tell Addy & Lorelei. So they know too. But I promise they won’t say anything and they’re all so happy for you two.” He looks at me as if he’s trying to convey he’s sorry, but I know him. He’s gotten as nosey and gossipy as Mrs. Smith since he moved here. He loved getting to share that tidbit with Lorelei and Addy.

“Really, Preston? What if she says no? What if she rejects me? Now they all know and have expectations!” I whisper-yell at him. If we were still kids I think I would definitely punch him.

“Do you honestly think Lace will say no? I mean come on, dude.” He has a point. I’m pretty sure she will say yes but that never means there isn’t a chance for her to say no.

“Boys, time for dinner, please come set the table,” Lorelei calls. Even though I’m in my thirties now, I kind of like that Lorelei gives us chores and treats Preston and I like part of the family. It’s something we never had growing up.

"I'm still mad at you!" I say pointing a finger at Preston while I back away from him.

Yesterday’s meal seems casual compared to the feast that Mrs. Harper and the girls cooked today. The entire island is covered in serving dishes, and dessert isn’t even out yet. Lorelei, Scarlett, and Addy keep giving me weird looks and it seems I’m not the only one who has noticed. I’ve caught Preston giving Scarlett a look, like he’s telling her to get it under control.

“Why are you guys all looking at Colton like that? Did I miss something?” Shit. Lacey picked up on it too.

“Oh, nothing, Honey. No looks. Did you guys get to do gifts this morning?” Lorelei asks Lacey. That sneak, she already knows we didn’t.

“Nope. We decided to do gifts with everyone here. Oliver just opened up his presents from Santa this morning,” she says smiling as she ruffles his hair.

Luckily, this prompts Oliver to go into a long speech about all his gifts from Santa and she is distracted by the conversation.

I, however, did not get distracted and shoot a look at Scarlett and Preston who just shrug their shoulders at me. I swear I’m more nervous about asking Lace to move in with me than I ever was about asking Elizabeth to marry me. I guess looking back on it that should have been my first clue that we shouldn’t get married. I really didn’t care if she said no to marrying me, but if Lace says no, I just know my heart will shatter into a million pieces.

Now if we can just make it through dinner without alerting Lacey to anyone’s weird looks I would be eternally grateful. I can already tell that it is going to take a lot of work on my part to not have any silences.

“Hey, Addy, how’s school going? Happy to be on break?” I ask knowing that Addy will be able to talk for a while about school.

“Ugh. I don’t want to talk about it. I have a student that I’m really worried about. You guys remember how I told you about Maura’s daughter?”

“Oh, who is this?” Lorelei asks.

“Maura Jackson. Her daughter, Kayla, just got transferred into my homeroom. She’s being bullied by a few kids about Maura. I’m not sure if you’ve heard the rumors about her since November, Maura and Lacey were friends in high school.”

“Unfortunately, I have heard. She’s big into drugs now isn’t she?” Lorelei asks.

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