Thanksgiving was finally here and no matter how many times I offered to help, mom just wouldn’t hear of it. I was finally released from the hospital yesterday afternoon and Noah had stayed by my side the whole time, dropping me off at my parents once we had left the hospital. I wasn’t exactly sure where we stood right now but it was nice having him around again, but that didn’t mean we were going back to living together so he was once again staying at his parents while I stayed with mine.
“What time is Noah picking up his parents at the airport?” Mom asked sitting a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit in front of me
“Their plane lands at twelve fifteen and then their going to go home and freshen up before Lisa and Sofi come to help you with whatever you haven’t gotten to when they get here.” He reply before taking a spoonful of oatmeal in my mouth
“I told you to tell them that wasn’t necessary.” She let out an exasperated sigh
“I did, but Lisa can be just as stubborn as you when she wants to be.” I shrugged
Mom shook her head at that but didn’t argue knowing I was right, she went back to getting everything ready while I ate my breakfast in peace.
“Have you and Noah talked about how you’re going to make the announcement tonight?” Mom asked once I was finished eating
“No, he’ll probably just tell her on his own, I mean it’s not like everyone else doesn’t already know.”
“Aren’t you going to tell your grandparents or his?”
“What do you mean?” I asked confused
“They’re all going to be here tonight, I just figured you two were going to announce it tonight at dinner like you had originally planned.”
“I hadn’t realized EVERYONE was going to be here tonight, I though it was going to be us and Noah, Sof and their parents.” I frowned
“No, Your grandparents and aunt Lily and uncle Mark are going to be here as well as Noah’s grandparents.”
“Why are you just now telling me this?” I groaned
“Sweetie it’s Thanksgiving, we get together with everyone like this every year.” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world
I guess in a way I should have known that they were all going to be coming over tonight since like she said, it’s tradition but I just figure it would just be us after everything that’s happened recently.
“I guess I’ll call Noah and let him know we have to make it official now.” I sighed taking my bowl to the sink
Making my way to the living room I pulled out my phone from my back pack and dialed Noah’s number.
“Hello.” He answered after the third ring
“Hey, I was just calling to let you know that my parent expect us to tell everyone about the baby tonight at dinner. I don’t know if you want to tell your mom before we tell everyone else since both my parents and your dad already know and then we can just tell our grandparents and my aunt and uncle tonight at dinner or if you just want her to find out with everyone else, but it’s up to you.” I said plopping down on the sofa where dad was sitting reading a book with the TV on for background noise. He handed me the remote before going back to his book so I flipped through it looking for something interesting to watch.
“I should probably tell her on my own and explain everything to her and then we can just tell everyone else tonight.” He said sounding distracted
“Okay, I’ll let you go the, you sound kind of busy.”
“No, I’m just trying to find my shirt, I have to pick my parents up in a few minutes and I’m not even dressed yet.” He said sounding frustrated
“What shirt are you looking for?” I asked already knowing exactly which on it was and exactly where it was
“The one my mom bought for me for my last birthday, the one you like to sleep in.” He added as an afterthought
“Okay, don’t be mad but I have it.” I admitted sheepishly
“That explains why I can’t find it.” He chuckled
“Sorry, but it’s just so comfy.” I defended
“It’s okay, I was just going to wear it so she wouldn’t complain about me never wearing anything she buys me but now I have a legit excuse.” He chuckled
“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d miss it.”
“El it’s fine, really don’t worry about it, I have tons of other shirts to pick from.” He assured me
“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you later, good luck telling your mom everything.”
“Thanks, I’ll call and let you know how it goes before she head over there. I love you.” He said ending the call
“So did you two work things out or are we still looking at those houses next week?” Dad asked closing the book he was reading and sitting it on the coffee table
“We haven’t figured anything out other than we aren’t getting married anytime soon.” I said making a frown appear on his face
“Do you really want to have this baby and not be married?” He asked skeptically
“No, if I had things my way I’d have been married a few years before this baby was born but I made decision without thinking things through and I don’t have that option now, so I’m adjusting.” I shrugged
“This isn’t how it was suppose to work out.” He mumbled just loud enough for me to make out as he ran a hand down his face
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, I know you thought you were doing the right thing at the time, it just didn’t go according to plan, that‘s life.” I rested my head on his shoulder
Dad pulled me into his side kissing the top of my head.
Three hours later my phone was waking me up and I knew it was Noah letting me know what his mom had said.
“How did it go?” I answered after the fourth ring
“Not so good, she’s kind of pissed that were having a kid and not getting married.” I could hear in his voice that he was frustrated
“Did you tell her about Melissa?” I asked hesitantly
“Yeah, she wasn’t very happy with me, she felt the same way you did and completely understands why you called the wedding off.” He sighed
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s only fair, you had to go through the same thing when you told your parents.”
“I guess you’re right, so how are we telling everyone else?” I asked scooting up so I was sitting with my back against the headboard
In the end Noah and I decided we would just make the announcement at dinner so we could tell everyone at the same time. I was extremely worried about what my grandparents would think and how they were going to take the news since we had officially called off the wedding but there really wasn’t much I could do about that now.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
I put my worries aside and called to whoever was knocking to come in.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Sof asked peeking her head in
“I’m good, you can come in if you want.” I patted the bed next to me
She hesitantly walked in closing the door behind her, she was wearing a black scoop neck long sleeve t-shirt with boot cut jeans and black suede platform booties, her hair was down and curled at the ends and her makeup was flawless as usual, I felt extremely shabby compared to her right now.
Sof and I hadn’t talked since I had gone to pick up my stuff at the house so it was kind of awkward being alone in my room with her and I wasn’t sure what I should say.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered taking a seat next to me
“He’s your brother, I’m sure if it was Vince I would have reacted the same way.” I slightly smiled letting her know I wasn’t upset
“Yeah but you’re my best friend and I shouldn’t have acted the way I did, I’m really glad you and Noah worked everything out.” She smiled
“We haven’t really worked anything out, we still have a long way to go before I think about getting back with him if that’s what he wants.” I sighed
“But… I thought you guys were back together, I mean he came back.” She pointed out making it sound like that would fix everything
“Yeah but that doesn’t change everything that’s happened, don’t get me wrong I love your brother but we have a long way to go before we can even think about getting married.”
“But you’re having a baby together.” She pointed out sounding irritated
“Yes and I’m not sure were ready for that either but there’s not much I can do about that now. Sof we’re still young and as much as I would love to be married when I have this baby I’m not going to marry your brother just because I’m having his kid.”
“But you love him.”
“Yes I do but that’s not always enough, just because I love him doesn’t mean I trust him or that he loves or trusts me.”
“He does thought.” She insisted
“Maybe that’s true but for now were just going to take it one day at a time, hopefully sometime in the future we can have our happily ever after but for now we need to work some things out.” I explained hoping she would understand
“Fine.” She sighed “but I don’t get why your not marrying him when you both love each other and are having a kid together, don’t you think my niece or nephew deserves to have his or her parents married and living under the same roof.”
“Yes, ideally I’d love that but we’re not getting married before this baby gets here and we’ll see what happens between Noah and I between now and when this baby decides to make his grand appearance.” I smiled gently rubbing my belly
“Okay, I won’t interfere anymore, obviously I can’t do anything to change your mind.” she muttered
“So how did your mom take the news?” I asked changing the subject
“Better than I thought she would, she’s still a little upset at Noah for waiting until you called off the wedding to get his ass home but she also understands why he stayed.” She shrugged
“I do too, I just wish I didn’t always come second to her, I want to be someone’s first choice not someone they felt obligated to be with.” I explained hoping she would understand
“I get that.” She nodded
There was a few minutes of silence between us as we were both caught up in our thoughts. I was glad Sofi wasn’t too upset with me anymore, she was one of my best friends and my baby’s aunt, the last thing I wanted were for things to be awkward between us.
“Mom sent me up here to get you to go down so she can see you, you should probably get ready and come down before she comes up.” She smiled
“Yeah, it’s getting late and I wanted to see if there was anything mom would let me help with.” I said pushing the blanket off me and getting off the bed
“Oh my gosh.”
“What?” I asked confused
“You have a little baby bump, the last time I saw you you didn’t have that.” She grinned eyeing my bump
“Oh yeah, but you can only really see it when I wear something fitted.” I shrugged
“You have to wear something that shows it off tonight, and we have to take pictures.” she said standing up from the bed
“Sofi we still have to tell the rest of the family.” I frowned
“Oh come on! This is his first holiday, please.”
“I already have my outfit picked out, if it shows it shows if not I’m not going to look for something else to wear.” I sighed walking into the closet
“You’re no fun.” I could hear the pout in her voice
“Sorry, maybe for Christmas.” I tried appeasing her
“Fine, I’ll be downstairs, don’t take to long.”
I let out a long sigh once I heard the door close behind her, the night hadn’t even started and I was already exhausted from the conversation I had just had, this night was definitely going to be long.
I grabbed the clothes I had laid out earlier and went to take a quick shower. Once I had finished my shower and was dried off I blow dried my leaving it damp and spraying it with my sea salt spray to help enhance my natural waves then slipped into my clothes. Since we were just going to be here at the house I had decided to keep it simple with a pair of jeans that wouldn’t be fitting me for too much longer paired a tan tank and a forest green sweater that had a cute owl on the front. I put on my foundation then decided on a green eye shadow that matched the sweater almost perfectly adding eyeliner, mascara and a clear lip gloss to finish the look. It wasn’t anything fancy, which I like, I felt like it was the perfect look for thanksgiving dinner. I went back to my room and slipped into my tan flats, I was just putting on my earrings when there was a knock on my door.
“I’ll be down in a minute Sof.” I called
“It’s me.” Noah said opening the door just enough to squeeze in
“Oh, hey.” I turned to face him
“You look beautiful.” He smiled
“Thanks, can you see my bump?”
“A little, is that bad?”
“No, I just don’t want anyone questioning me before we're ready to make the announcement.” I shrugged turning back to the jewelry box
“I can tell more when I see you from the side than when I’m looking at you.” He said plopping down at the end of the bed
“Well there’s not really much I can do about it I guess, there going to find out tonight anyways.” I sighed
“How do you feel?” He asked concern laced through his voice
“Nervous.” I admitted turning back to him once I was done
“That’s not really what I meant.” He smiled coming to stand in front of me
“A little tired, but I’m fine, a lot better than I’ve felt in a while actually.” I informed him knowing that was what he was really wanting to know
“Good, I’m glad you’re feeling better.” He smiled leaning over to place a kiss on my cheek
“We should probably get downstairs, apparently your mom is eager to see me.”
He nodded placing his hand on my back and leading me downstairs. Mom, Lisa and Sof were all in the kitchen while dad, Aaron and Vince were sitting in the living room talking.
“I’m going to go say hi to your mom, you can go spend some time with our dads and Vince.” I said once we reached the bottom of the stairs
“You sure you want to take on my mom alone?” He joked
“I’ll be fine.” I nodded heading into the kitchen
“Ellie! How are you?” Lisa enveloped me in a hug as soon as I was close enough
“I’m good, how are you?” I smiled at her enthusiasm
“Great, I can’t believe you and Noah are having a baby.” She squealed reminding me of Sofi
“Me neither.” I muttered
“Oh honey, I know you’ve been through a lot recently and I know my son hasn’t been the best boyfriend and you probably wanted to be married when you had your first kid but God is giving you this baby for a reason, things might seems messy now but it’s all going to work out.” She assured me
Deep down I knew she was right, Noah had been put in my life for a reason and we were going to have this baby for a reason, it was just hard to remember that sometimes.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I gave a slight smile
“Now, tell me how are you feeling? When do we get to find out what you’re having? When are you due?”
“Mom, chill, one question at a time.” Sofi stopped her before she could ask anything else
“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited!” She squealed
The next hour was spend answering all of Lisa’s questions and listening to all the things she and mom couldn't wait to start buying for the baby while we set the table and got things ready. Before I knew it someone was at the door and it was time to get the night started.
So far no one had seemed to notice my baby bump and Noah’s grandma Maria was a lot more cordial than the last time we met which I think had a lot to do with the fact that we weren't together anymore.
“Dinner’s ready everyone!” Mom called from the doorway of the living room where everyone was sitting around catching up
Dad was the first to get up and then everyone else followed behind.
“You ready to make the big announcement?” Noah asked just loud enough for me to hear
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“It’ll be fine.” He smiled taking my hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze
For the most part Noah had been right, I was worrying for nothing. Once everyone had taking a seat Noah stood up with me next to him taking my hand in his and made the announcement once we had everyone’s attention, everyone except his grandma Maria had jumped up to pull us into hugs and congratulate us, I was actually really glad everyone knew now and I didn't have to worry about what I was wearing and whether you could tell I was pregnant or not.
“So, you aren't getting married but you are having a baby?” Maria asked once everyone was seated again
“Mom.” Aaron said sending her a look to warn her not to cause trouble
“Yeah, were not saying we’re never getting married just not now.” Noah answered
“So you’re just going to live together and play house until you get tired of each other and then what?” She asked anger clear in her voice
“Grams I know you’re upset but don’t talk to her like that, I love Ellie and we’re hoping that we do end up getting married we just aren't ready for that right now. We know having a baby is a big deal and it’s going to change a lot of things between us but we’re going to do everything to make it work between us.” Noah spoke up
“If you love her why aren't you marrying her?” His grandma Karla asked looking between the two of us with concern
“We just want to know that we’re getting married because it’s what we want and not because we were forced into it, I love her and she loves me and no matter what we are both going to put this baby before anything else.” He said taking my hand in his and giving it a gently squeeze
I looked over at him, a small smile playing on my mouth, and I could help but love him for everything he was saying, it was a step in the right direction and I just hoped he meant everything that just came out of his mouth.
“I really do love you.” He leaned over to whisper and place a kiss on my temple
“I love you too.” I smiled leaning into him
“Look, I know this isn’t what we wanted for them but it’s their life and we have to trust that they know what they’re doing and be there for them no matter what happens.” Lisa said gaining everyone’s attention
“She’s right, this is between us and we have to work it out on our own.” I agreed
I looked around the table to see that for the most part everyone understood that this was our decision and that we wanted the same things they wanted for us we just needed to do it on our time. I could also tell that although Vince wasn’t going to say anything right now he was angry and Noah and I would hear what he had to say before the night ended.