Life Happens | ONC 2024

Chapter 15 🌶️

❅ Christmas.

BLANCHE

Decorated tree. Check.

Sugar cookies in the oven. Check.

Lights and festive music playlist. Check.

It's Christmas Eve and with all the deliveries picked up at Hotcakes, I'm now standing in my dad's kitchen, preparing tonight's dinner. My dad has been a rock to lean on, never judging my situation with the accidental pregnancy.

Everyone stepped in to help and now that Hotcakes is closed throughout Christmas day, I'm staying home to get everything ready. The breather is necessary before jumping back into work for the New Year's rush.

Having my trusty checklist at hand, the tasks keep me grounded from not wandering my mind to less pleasant destinations. Themed pastries are my favorite, and I'm doing my best to replicate some of my mom's favorite dishes.

Dragging my ass out of the house to the hairdresser yesterday, I arrayed to the occasion with freshly colored red hair and styled it with mistletoe clips, in combination with a flared Christmas skirt in a vintage print.

Cute as a fluffy cupcake with sprinkles. Check.

Physically, I finally feel better, but emotionally, I'm still a wreck. Lex shares my pain and helps me get through the rough times. Reflecting on it now, my body has gone through a lot. The stress of a life-changing decision, to have it afterwards ripped from me.

I never expected the pain I would go through. Even if I wasn't ready yet to be a mother, I am devastated by losing the baby. Because it was Lex and mine, something wholly ours.

I check for the timer of the oven and get back to my rolling pin and the pastry dough for the savory entrants, some little pot pies to open up the appetite. My phone skates across the table, the vibration function buzzing, and I read the incoming message.

@T.Lex: Come outside.

@Blanchecakes: On my way.

I type as I walk, looking for the little reply dots, opening the front door without looking.

Honk, honk.

Shouting something in surprise—almost dropping my phone in the process—my eyes land on Lex, standing next to a sparkly forest green car parked in the driveway.

"Why?" I sob as I take it in. "You bought a car?" Lex nods with a grin on his face. Did he spend part of his savings on it? I run around and look inside the second-hand vehicle. I see a bobble head stormtrooper on the dashboard, and can't help the corner of my mouth uplifting into a smile. Until I get to the backseat. "It has a baby seat?"

"Well, yeah." Lex smiles. "I had an offer put in when you told me we were expecting, so I had to go pick it up yesterday," he says, lifting his shoulders, before sauntering to my side of the car, where I'm looking in wonder at the baby seat in the back. "It doesn't matter now. We can keep the seat, but no more bicycling around town for us. Now we can move through town together without sore behinds, and even do some deliveries for the bakery."

He went to buy a car when he found out about the pregnancy, because he knew we were going to need it, but then we lost the baby. I must still be hormonal, because I can't control the tears now.

"Well done, son." My dad has glimmering eyes as he slaps Lex on his shoulder. He sputters a bit and tries to keep upright as my dad is a big man, who sometimes doesn't realize his strength. "Which leaves us to discuss something over the wonderful dinner Blanche is preparing."