Page 49 of His Christmas Gift

I nodded before turning to Jenna.

“You all seem like such great parents. Does it come naturally or is there some big secret?” I asked her with a kind smile. When I thought of having kids, I was excited, but I was nervous as well. I wasn’t nurtured all that well as a kid, so I was afraid that I would be cold to my child without even knowing.

“No big secret,” Jenna laughed softly. “But all you can do is love them unconditionally and pay attention to them. If you listen hard enough, they’ll tell you what they need.”

I nodded as I listened to her. I hoped that I could be a good mother like how Jenna and Hannah were. I watched them with their kids during the tree lighting and during breakfast, and they were so caring and practiced, even just being a few years older than me.

“Are you thinking about having kids soon?” Jenna asked.

I shrugged with a sheepish look on my face.

“Maybe. It’s definitely a thought,” I replied. That depended on what happened between me and Dean. He was the only guy with whom I could see myself having kids. He was the only guy who ever got me to seriously think about having kids.

Jenna nudged me encouragingly.

“When the time comes, you got this. You and Dean are a good team,” she told me.

I gave her a grateful look, hoping that she was right. I knew that some part of parenthood was natural instincts. I just hoped that they were enough until I learned what to do next. I also wanted to know how to be healthy for my kids. I was already fit and ate well most of the time, but I had no idea about keeping fit while pregnant. I felt like I didn’t know anything.

“Hey, do either of you have a tampon or pad? I just started,” Hannah groaned when she joined us.

I shuffled around in my purse. I always put tampons in my purse when it was time for my period. However, I didn’t find any for some reason. I frowned as I kept looking through my purse, wondering why there weren’t any tampons.

I thought back to the last time I refilled my purse, and the memory seemed so far back in my mind. It was before Dean took over the company. A month had basically passed since then. I apologized to Hannah for not having one before grabbing my phone and looking through my calendar. I should’ve started my period not too long ago. Probably late last week. It hadn’t come yet, though.

It was just stress. I had periods a few days late. Not as late as this one, but I told myself not to worry. I had been under a lot of stress for this entire month. Of course, it was going to throw my hormones off. It would probably show up any day now.

“Oh, that’s okay. I can run over to the pharmacy and get some,” Hannah said before walking off again.

“It must be nice living in the city,” Jenna told me as we browsed through some kitchen accessories and dishes.

“It is. I still love this place, but I needed a change when I turned eighteen,” I explained as I glanced over the mugs on a table covered with a lace cloth. It wasn’t a split-second decision either. I had been thinking about taking off since I was sixteen.

Jenna gave me a concerned look.

“Did something happen?” she asked me.

I didn’t really talk about my rocky relationship with my family to anyone. Dean was an exception because he had to know what he was getting into if he was going to be my fake fiancé. However, I felt comfortable around Jenna and Hannah. I didn’t think telling them about my family would send up any red flags that would make them suspicious about our sudden engagement.

“I just don’t get along with my family all that well. Certainly not like the Everards,” I told her. “They want me to rise up to impossible standards, and I just needed to get out and set my own standards for myself.

“Good for you,” Jenna said as she placed her hand on my arm. “You made the right choice. Sometimes, you have to take matters into your own hands.”

After getting chastised over and over again by my parents about my running off to New York City, it was nice to have someone praising me on my decision. These people just got me in a way that my parents didn’t. No wonder I got along with them so well.

“I’m glad I did that too because I met Dean,” I added with a small smile. My past self would’ve been shocked at hearing me say that, but it was true. I was glad that I ran into Dean again, and it wasn’t just because he was helping me out this holiday season. He had made me happy in a way that I hadn’t ever felt before.

“Aw, see? It was meant to be,” Jenna said. “I know things are rocky with your family, but you’re always welcome to be with us.”

“Thank you,” I told her sincerely. I knew that she meant that, and I had enjoyed every interaction that I had with the Everard family. I hoped that I would continue to have interactions with them. The thought of never seeing them again made me sad.

“Alright, I’m back!” Hannah called out as she came back into the store. She joined us in the kitchen section.

“Welcome back. Ready to shop now?” Jenna smirked.

“Of course,” Hannah laughed. “Did I miss anything?”

“I was just telling her that she’s always welcome to join us. She’s family now,” Jenna replied as she smiled at me warmly.

“Of course! Soon, your little ones will be playing with ours,” Hannah quipped excitedly as she gave my arm a squeeze.

It was easy to imagine chatting and drinking wine with them while the guys grilled and our children ran around and played. It seemed so natural, so meant to be. Of course, that would only happen during the holidays since Dean and I had no plans to leave New York City soon, but those days would be magical. If they ever came true.

“Alright, Autumn, we need to find Dean a gift. Do you see anything?” Jenna asked me as she gestured to the store.

I took a look around before glancing back at the mugs, reading the words on one of them. A smile slowly crossed my lips as an idea popped into my head. It was perfect, but I couldn’t tell them that. There were some things about Dean and me that his family couldn’t know.

“Not yet. Let’s keep looking,” I replied, waiting for them to walk off before grabbing the mug off the table with a smile still on my face.

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