Page 103 of Babies for the Christmas Grump
In fact, the garlands are practically strangling me, the lights are fighting back because they’re on a mission, and I just spent five minutes with a tinsel garland wrapped around my head like a sparkly boa.
Tinsel is living up to her name by taking full advantage of the madness, while I’m over here trying to appear as if I have it together.
Right now, I’m standing on a ladder, attempting to untangle some lights that apparently have a grudge against me. These little bulbs are conspiring to make me trip and fall into a pile of Christmas cheer, and they’re doing a pretty good job of it.
“Sunny, can you—” Marjorie starts to shout across the room, but before she can finish, I hear a thud, followed by a yowl.
“No!” I scream, dropping the garland and rushing to the source of the noise.
There, on the floor, is Tinsel, looking entirely too pleased with herself. She’s knocked over a whole stack of Christmas-themed candles and is now batting them off the table like it’s a sport.
“Tinsel!” I rush over to her, hands up in a protective stance, but it’s no use. She looks at me as if she’s the one who’s been wronged here. “You’re going to break them.”
I pick her up, but she squirms, clearly unimpressed with my sudden maternal instincts. “You’re supposed to be the best cat ever. Not the Grinch of The Garland Rose!”
Marjorie walks by with an eyebrow arched. “She’s definitely the Grinch. A Grinch with claws.”
“Ugh. I swear, the holiday gods sent this cat to ruin my life,” I mutter. “How are we going to finish this whole place with Tinsel being destructive?”
“We’re probably not,” Marjorie grins, “but at least we’ve got snacks. And help… although I can’t help but notice that Ryder is nowhere to be seen.”
My heart sinks. “Yeah… Ryder has been… distant. I think he’s working on the hotel finances, and I don’t want to add on stress if he’s onto something.”
Marjorie immediately stops what she’s doing and looks at me with full attention. “You think he’s got something?”
I rub the back of my neck, trying to keep my tone light, but I know it’s not working. “I don’t know. I think so. But I haven’t had much time to talk to him. It’s stressing me out.”
Marjorie crosses her arms, eyes narrowing. “Sunny, I’m going to say this, and I know you’re not going to like it, but maybeyouare closing yourself off. Maybe you’re trying to avoid talking to him about something…”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Iwantto tell him, but the timing is all wrong.”
But Marjorie isn’t fazed by my sarcasm. “I don’t know if there’s ever a good time to drop a pregnancy bombshell.”
I wince at the mention of the pregnancy. My stomach does this weird flip. It’s trying to escape my body in the most dramatic fashion possible.
“Can we not? Can we just focus on… I don’t know… Christmas chaos for a second?”
Marjorie raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t the pregnancy part of the chaos?”
“Okay, fine. Yes. But I’m still not sure how to even bring it up to him.” I glance over at Tinsel, who’s now pretending to be a sphinx, thoroughly unimpressed with the fact that she almost caused a minor candle-related disaster. “But shh, I don’t want anyone else to hear before I even get the chance.”
Marjorie leans in, about to spill some top-secret wisdom. “Look, I get it. You’re worried about timing. But you can’t let him keep drifting off into his own little world, especially if you’ve got a major secret to drop. You owe it to both of you to be real with him. Otherwise, it’ll just make everything weirder when it finally comes out.”
I fold my arms, staring at the tangle of fairy lights like they’re going to untwist themselves if I stare long enough magically.
“I know. It’s just… what if it’s too much for him? I mean, this is Ryder Hale we’re talking about. He’s probably got a thousand things on his mind, and I don’t want to be one more complication. I don’t want to bethatgirl.”
“You mean the girl who’s carrying his twins?” Marjorie smirks. “I’m sure he can handle it. Trust me, men love feeling needed. It’s in their DNA.”
I snort, shaking my head. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“Nope. It’s true.” She shrugs, unconcerned. “Look, I know Ryder can be a little… intense sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you have to pull back. You have to figure out how to meet him halfway.”
I sigh, not sure what I’m looking for—validation or permission to ignore the whole thing.
“I just… I don’t want to be a burden. You know? This whole hotel situation and the pregnancy —it’s one giant weight. I don’t know how to juggle it all.”
Marjorie’s expression softens as she steps closer, dropping to a gentler tone.
