To Have, To Hold, and To Leave: A Bryce Hall FanFiction «completed»

17

"Guys! Come on! We are going to be late!" I called up the stairs. I hadn't had to get all three of them ready for one of these dinners by myself, especially while pregnant, but I had to do it quickly if we were even going to make it there. "We're meeting Daddy and Auntie Addison there!"
All three kids came bounding down the stairs, and I let out a sigh of relief. "I got it, Mom," Isaiah said, looking unbelievably proud of himself. 
"Thank you so much, kiddo," I replied, kissing him on the top of the head. "Alright, let's get in the car, guys."

The kids were silent on the ride to Noah and Dixie's house, and it was like a breath of fresh air. We could never get in the car without an insane amount of noise. 
We pulled into their driveway, and I noticed that we were the last people there. "Look at that, you guys! We're the last people here."
"Mom!" Isaiah exclaimed. "It's not that serious. People are late all the time. Let's just go inside."
When had my ten-year-old become the only voice of reason in my life?

We went inside, and everyone greeted us excitedly. "Long time, no see," Noah greeted me, hugging me tightly. 
"Sorry about that, you guys," I apologized weakly. "Sometimes you just go through some shit."
"Hey, this might sound a little bit rude," Quinton began, "but have you put on a little bit of weight?" 
"Jesus, Q!" Cynthia chastised him. "Sorry, Kate."
"No, don't apologize," I laughed. "I have put on a little bit of weight, but it's no fault of my own. I'm, uh, I'm pregnant."
The room erupted again. "You're pregnant?" Dixie exclaimed. 
"Yeah. I guess that closing myself off from everyone but Nessa, Josh, Jaden, and Mads would kind of keep that a secret from everyone," I shrugged. 
"Wait, you guys knew?" Blake asked. "How come you guys never said anything?"
"Did you know, Bryce?" Noah asked. 

I could see the discomfort in Addison's face as Bryce answered. "I, uh, yeah, I did."
"How come you didn't say anything?" Amelie asked. 
Bryce shrugged. "I guess that it just never came up. Now, enough about us. Can we please eat?"
Dixie had set up a taco bar, and I helped the kids make their plates. When I got them settled at the kids' table, I went back up to make my own plate, and Jaden nudged me softly as he put some food on his plate. 
"How are you doing?"
"Everything is right on schedule. I feel super good about everything, you know?" I responded. 
"Yeah, I was talking about like, emotionally," he clarified. "Is everything okay at this very moment? Like, are you comfortable with Addison and Bryce being here?"
"You know what? I was a Braddison shipper once upon a time. I can get over my own feelings. It's for the best. Not only for me but for all four of my kids," I replied, shrugging.

Dinner went by uneventfully, and Addison approached me as it came to an end. "Hey, Kate."
"Um, hi, Addison," I responded, confused. 
"Bryce would absolutely kill me if he knew that I was talking to you right now," she muttered. 
"That feels like a little bit of a stretch, but if you say so."
She sighed. "I know that this is very last minute, but do you mind if Bryce and I take the kids tonight? I feel really, really bad that he and I fought, and it caused his weekend to be cut short. I'm trying to make it up to him."
Maybe it was the way she had made herself small, or maybe it was the fact that I had completely accepted that my marriage was over, but even I was shocked at what I said next. "I think that that would be really good for the kids. They really miss you guys," I said, reaching out to hug her. 
She stood there for a few seconds, her hands remaining at her sides before she eventually wrapped her arms around me. "I missed being friends with you, Kate."

Bryce and Addison left with the kids, and I sat down on Noah and Dixie's couch. "What the hell was that?" Nessa asked, plopping down next to me. 
"I, uh, I don't really know. I think that it might have been the pregnancy hormones. I don't know. Don't ask questions please," I sighed. 
"Alright," she replied, resting her head on my shoulder. "How are you really?" 
"I'm fine. Accepting that Bryce and I won't ever be together again, but fine nonetheless. I wish that you and Jaden would stop asking me that every five seconds," I snapped. "Sorry. That was shitty."
"No, it was warranted. We just worry about you, you know? You close yourself off from all of us, and we all really worry." 
"I close myself off because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to face all of you. How am I supposed to look all of you in the eye knowing that the one thing that tied me to you guys is gone? How am I supposed to pretend that I don't live halfway across the country from my family, and now I'm all alone? How do I do that, Nessa? Please explain it all to me," I muttered, wiping the tears off of my face angrily. 
"Hey," she whispered, sitting up. "Hey, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you. You're not all alone, honey. You've got all of us. We're all here for you, even if you and Bryce aren't married anymore."

I shrugged her off of me. "I need to go home. Do you still need me to watch the kids tomorrow for you and Josh?" 
She nodded. "Yes, please, if that's not too much to ask."
"No, of course, it's not too much to ask. My kids are suddenly at their dad's house, so, I'll be all on my own."
She stood up, wrapping me in a hug. "I love you, Kate. Please don't forget that I'm always here for you if you need me."
Everyone said that, but at the end of the day, I couldn't help but feel completely alone.