Page 65 of All in December
Emma answers before Caleb can. “They’re so good, Dad. Can you make them more?”
I lean in and press a quick kiss to Caleb’s cheek without really thinking about it—just one of those small, sleepy morning things that I’ve been wanting to do since we met.
But the second I pull back, one of the kids gasps as the house falls silent.
Benji, Emma, and I had a quick talk last night, and they seemed totally fine when I told them I liked Caleb and hoped he and Sam would be around more, but I’m realizing right now that maybe I didn’t spell it out clearly enough.
The kids are looking at us expectantly as I quickly glance at Caleb, but Emma speaks first.
“Wait. You guys kiss now?”
Caleb clears his throat, clearly trying to keep a straight face. “That was a kiss on the cheek.”
“Still counts,” Benji says, wiping his mouth. “That’s definitely a dating thing.”
Sam shrugs. “I already knew.”
Benji whips his head toward him. “What?”
“Dad told me last night. I think it’s cool,” Sam says. “Besides, we get cinnamon rolls.”
“We get cinnamon rolls because they’re dating?” Benji asks, clearly confused by Sam’s logic.
“Yeah, I think. Dad told me last night he liked your dad, and then I asked for cinnamon rolls when he said he was going to sleep over too. Would you rather not get cinnamon rolls?” Sam replies, and I want to laugh at kid logic, but this is a big moment for all of us.
Emma looks between us with a questioning look. “So… you guys are boyfriends? You kiss?”
Caleb and I both nod. “Yeah,” I say gently. “We are.”
“We wanted to make sure we talked to all of you,” Caleb adds, his voice warm. “We care what you think, since this affects you too, and we want to make sure everyone feels okay about it.”
Emma nods along as Caleb speaks. “What about Christmas?”
Part of me wants to laugh because, of course, that’s what she leads with. Not the kissing or us being boyfriends. Christmas.
Caleb glances at me, and I reach for his hand, giving it a quick squeeze.
“We still have to talk about that,” I say carefully, glancing at all three kids. “But I’d love for us to celebrate with Caleb and Sam… if you’re all okay with it.”
Emma reaches for another cinnamon roll and says, through a mouthful of frosting, “So does that mean Sam is our brother now?”
“Are we all gonna live together?” Benji adds, looking back and forth between us. “Like, in one big house?”
Caleb’s eyes widen slightly, and I have to fight a laugh. Not at the question, but at how fast kids can go from do we kiss to a new blended family home in under ten seconds.
“Okay, so… no one’s moving in anywhere just yet,” I say, trying to keep my tone light but honest. “But those are big questions, and they’re important, so if that is something we were thinking about, we’d talk to you all first so you could be part of that conversation.”
Caleb nods beside me. “What matters most right now is that everyone feels safe and loved and valued. That’s what we care about.”
“I think it sounds kinda fun,” Sam pipes up. “Even if we don’t get to move to a big house.”
He glances at Emma and Benji, and Benji grins in return.
“Me too,” Benji says, nudging Sam’s arm. Emma nods quickly beside them, wiping cinnamon from her hands onto her pajama pants, and I groan, moving to give her a napkin.
“Emma.” I sigh, reaching for a napkin. “We have so many napkins, honey.”
She blinks up at me and shrugs, taking the napkin from my hand as I let out a laugh. The tension in the room loosens a little, and I know there’ll be more questions eventually, but for now, I think we’re good.
