I open my eyes and start breathing so quickly.“Jack, where are you?” I ask. I look around and I see my parents, Hannah, Tanner and Chelsea. They’re all surrounded around my bed. My mom fixes my hair.“Sweetie, Jacks not here. They just brought you out from the c section.” Mom says. Turns out it was all just a dream.Tears start to form in my eyes. “He’s not here? He didn’t come?” I ask.“I’m afraid not darling, I’m so sorry.” Dad says.I look over at Tanner. He's holding a blue Teddy bear and Chelsea has balloons in her hands. “Why is the teddy bear blue Tanner? Where did Hannah go?” I ask.Tanner and Chelsea look at me and smile. Tanner moves his head to look at the door.“Carol. There’s someone I would like you to meet.” Hannah says, while holding my baby and walking into the room. I look at my baby and realize it’s a boy. I reach out to hold him. He starts crying a bit. “Waaaaaa.” “Shhh my precious darling, you’re such a handsome little one. I love you.” I say in a quiet
The house is completely empty as I step inside. No sign of my wife, her sister Hannah, her brother Tanner, or anyone from the baby shower for that matter. The house is so silent I can hear a pin drop. As I make my way upstairs to the room. I see a note on the bed. I rush over to read what it says. It’s from my wife, Carolina. "Dear Jack,I guess we can agree that we have both come a long way together. When I first moved to Pennsylvania, I never thought I’d meet a dashingly handsome and loving guy like you. It all happened so quickly for us. It’s like our souls have collided into one, after seeing each other again from when we were kids. Did you ever think it all happened too quickly? Did you ever feel a source of regret? Apparently, I can answer that question for myself now after seeing you hook up with Adriana in the car. Jack, since we both moved out here to LA it has changed everything. I wish you all the best with Adriana. Always remember I love you. Bye Jack. -Carolina"My fac
Max and Eric should be here by now, I don’t think they’ll go inside the club without me. They said they’ll meet me here, I think. As I walk, I look at every corner. There they are! “Tanner, hi, you’re here finally!” Eric says.“Good to see you bro.” Max says.I laugh.“Guys I’ve been walking in circles;you both have been behind the building the entire time.” I say.I greet my friends, but when I turn my head around, I cannot believe my eyes. Wait, is that Jack?“What are you looking at dude?” Eric says.“Look, guys, isn't that Jack sitting on the pave over there?” I say.We all look at each other then stare at Jack. He’s alone and crying. I wonder if he misses Carol. I don’t care how sorry he is. That dude broke my sister down to pieces and left her when she was pregnant.“You want me to go over there and talk to him?” Max says.“No bro, it’s okay, I’ll do it. You guys go inside, I'll catch up with y’all in a bit.” I say.“Alright, see ya Tanner.” Eric says.“Okay be careful.” Max
Staying strong, holding it all together and standing up for my son, Leland is all that’s important to me at this point. It’s now been four months since Jack, and I are apart from each other. It was challenging at first, I was heartbroken and felt betrayed by him. But I realized I need to put it all behind me, I have to think about my son and his future. All my life I never imagined what life would be like as a single mom. It’s harder than anyone could even imagine, but when I hold him in my arms, it’s like I have light in my life that showers me with happiness. It’s all worth it in the end. My sister Hannah, brother Tanner and his fiancée Chelsea, have all been beyond helpful. They never left my side ever since I gave birth. Hannah and I moved in with Tanner and Chelsea since I came back to LA after giving birth to Leland. Now I’m sitting on the couch watching TV and feeding Leland. Chelsea really wants me to go out with her to one of the frat house parties. I love going, for some
“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight. We're happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland.” I sing as I place ornaments on the Christmas tree. I’ve been having so much fun with little Leland all night, he’s so cool, he just looks at me and laughs at everything I do. I’m so happy that I’m able to entertain him. He understands fashion, decorating, and most importantly how to work it! Unlike the rest of us in the family. Leland is still small but extremely smart, he knows good style incredibly well. I hear knocking on the door, it’s already 10:00 p.m. Maybe they decided to come home earlier from the party. I really hope they had a good time. “Carol, you’re back early.” I say.“Well, yes of course I had to come home early, remember I have a little one now too you know.” She says. She looks very happy, I’m glad she’s smiling. It’s a good sign I guess, she probably enjoyed the party. “How was the party tonight sis?” I ask.“It was gr
As I rub my eyes to roll myself out of bed, I see so many decorations around the room. It’s so organized and lovely. So much Christmas garland and lights wrapped around it. Hannah must have done all this last night when I was at the party. Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something, oh crap! Gabriel. I think I promised I’d have dinner with him tonight, I just feel so weird going alone. I would really love it if Hannah and Max came as well. “Morning sunshine.” Hannah’s say, while entering my room and bringing me a cup of coffee. “Morning sis, wow, what a crazy night for us!” I say.“Not us. Correction Carol, you mean yourself and your new friend Gabriel.” She says and laughs at me.“I just feel weird sis. I don’t know, well, I promised I’d meet him tonight for dinner.” I say. “We’ll go! That’s wonderful Carol, so it’s kind of like a date.” She says.“I just don’t want to go alone and then I thought about you and Max.” “Oh no.”“Please.” “Carol, I warned you about Max!” “He likes
I don’t usually like keeping secrets from Carol. Well, I take that back, I guess it really depends on what it is. How should I begin telling Carol about Jack? He still cares about Carol I can tell from the conversation we had. I wonder if he even has a plan to win her back? Anyway, I need to stay focused on the main idea here. Telling Carol I saw Jack. I wash my face and walk out the bathroom and see Carol waiting to go inside.“Ahhhhhhhhh.” I scream.“What? I know, I know I’m that scary, my date already made it super clear.” She says and begins to cry.She goes into the bathroom and locks the door.“What did you say to her?” Chelsea asks.“Can you keep a secret?” I ask.“Babe, yes of course. Tell me, what’s up?” She says.“I ran into Jack a few days ago.” “You ran into Jack!”“Shhhhh, keep your voice down, dang woman.” I say.“Sorry. Okay, now tell me. You ran into Jack?” She says, whispering it this time. “Yes.” I say nodding my head.I freeze for a second hearing the sink water
I’m furious with him. How could he be so selfish? All this time he spoke with Jack, and he’s been keeping it a secret, ugh. “Waaaaaaa.”I pick up Leland from the crib and hold him in my arms.I pat his back softly and he slowly stops crying. “Shhh my precious. Mommy’s here now.” I say to him. He’s such a good baby, he’s so calm, smart, and most importantly he listens to me. I rock Leland in my arms, and he begins to fall asleep again. RING, RING! I can hear my cell phone ringing from my dresser. I gently place Leland into his crib and walk over to my dresser and pick up my phone. Oh my god. I throw my phone on my bed. It’s Gabriel. What should I say? Shit, maybe he’s calling me for another date. Should I answer? Okay Carol just stay calm you got this. I walk over to my bed and just before I answer, my phone stops ringing. Well, everything happens for a reason right. Maybe it’s good I didn’t answer, maybe he’ll just forget about me. My hands are so sweaty holding my phone. Gos
The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity as I anxiously observed the conversation between the tattooed man and me. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios, unable to comprehend the danger we had stumbled into. The silence outside the car was deafening, broken only by the distant sound of passing traffic."What do you want from me?" I finally spoke, my voice filled with a mixture of frustration and apprehension. I strained to hear our exchange, my heart pounding in my chest.The tattooed man leaned in, his voice low and menacing. "You know exactly what I want. Don't play dumb with me."My eyes narrowed, my face a mask of defiance. "I told you I'm out. I'm done with that life."The man's lips curled into a sinister smile, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. "You think you can just walk away? We had an agreement. You owe me."A knot formed in my stomach as I tried to piece together our cryptic conversation. What agreement? What was I involved in? The man's words hinted at
The car trailed closely behind us, and a wave of fear washed over me. This was undoubtedly the most terrified I had ever been in my entire life, and it was difficult to comprehend that this was actually happening. Just as I was starting to find a semblance of happiness, everything had to go awry.The sound of impact reverberated through the air as the person behind the wheel repeatedly rammed into our car. Panic consumed me, and I couldn't help but scream out Jack's name in desperation. Jack glanced up at the rearview mirror, and the expression on his face confirmed my worst fear - he knew who was pursuing us. "Would you relax already?" Jack's voice attempted to calm me down, but my heart pounded in my chest as I clung onto the leather seat, seeking some solace."Calm down? Really, Jack?" I retorted, my voice shaking with fear.Another crash resonated through the vehicle, intensifying my anxiety. I couldn't help but question the motives behind the relentless assault. "Why is he doing
The living room of the ranch house in Pennsylvania was now filled with tension, despite the twinkling lights and festive decorations. The air felt heavy with negativity, as my mother, Emily, continued her relentless efforts to drive a wedge between Jack and me. I couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and sadness, knowing that this Christmas gathering was turning into a battleground.As I hurriedly set the table, my hands trembled with anxiety. Jack, sensing my distress, approached me with a worried expression."I can't believe how much your mother is trying to sabotage our relationship," I whispered to Jack, my voice filled with a sense of defeat. "I don't know how much longer I can endure this."Jack placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, his eyes filled with determination. "Carolina, we won't let her tear us apart. We'll stand strong and show her that our love is unbreakable."Just then, Emily entered the room, her face contorted with a malicious grin. "Oh, Carolina, dear, I
Jack and I have been talking all evening, while sitting by the fireplace and listening to Christmas songs. Suddenly we hear the sound of the doorbell ring. “Baby stay here with Leland, I think I know who it is. It’s actually another surprise.” Jack says. “Babe you’ve already done so much! This is the best Christmas Eve ever; I couldn’t be happier!” I say while holding Leland in my arms. I hear so much talking, when I turn around, I see my parents, Jack’s parents, Hannah, Max, Tanner and Chelsea all standing there! My eyes open wide. “Oh my god. You’re all here!” “Yes indeed, it’s Christmas Eve after all.” My mom says. “It’s like a blizzard out there!” Dad says. “Leland!” Jack’s mom says, running up to hug me. She holds my face and looks at me. “You know every time I see you Carol, you're even more beautiful.” She says and smiles at me. “Let me see my grandson.” Jack’s dad says. I hand Leland over to Jack’s mom and she holds him. They’re both so excited, it’s their firs
After cleaning up the ranch house, I end up having so much trash laying around. I put everything into a garbage bag. That evening I opened the door to take the trash outside, it’s freezing here. But it feels like the holidays even more when it’s cold. It’s Christmas Eve so it’s normal. I think it’s even snowing a little as well. Snow makes everything more magical.I lift my head up and realize Jack is standing right there in front of my house. Is that really Jack? How is he here? Oh my god, it is him. His face looks so red, how long has he been standing there? Is so cold outside. I drop the garbage bag on the floor and run straight up to him. “Jack!” I say loudly, while running up to him.I hug him so tightly, like I never want to let go of him. Then I look into his eyes and kiss him. We both start crying, we’ve been through so much together. It was some adventure! “Carol, I love you so much, I never want to lose you.” Jack says.“I love you too Jack!” I say.“I’m so sorry for e
“Okay that should do it. Wow, wait, no, ahhhhhh.” I say, as I fall from the ladder.“Ouch.” I say.“Okay well I guess it’ll have to do after all.” Richard says.“Thank you, dad, the sleigh is perfect, just in time too.” I say.“Yep, Benny from the mechanic shop is one heck of a good helper.” He says.“Well, whatever you did, thank you so much!” “The house looks incredible son, honestly.” He says.“I’m so lucky I finished it in time too.” I say.“Well hard work pays off son. You know, I think it might even snow later this evening!” He says.“Awesome! The house looks incredible now but wait till tonight, it’s going to look even more beautiful because of all the lights.”“I know, it definitely will be gorgeous.” He says.The rest of the afternoon goes by and it’s starting to get dark. I think it’s even snowing lightly outside. I miss Carol so much; she’s probably having the best time in California with her family. I just miss her and miss my son. I want to meet him so bad. I walked dow
I finally arrived here in Pennsylvania again. As I walk inside the ranch house with Leland, I start to remember the moments when Jack and I first met. When he first picked me up and took me to the lake, when he threw pebbles at my window, when he proposed. It all happened here in Pennsylvania;I wasted my time moving with him to California. Being with him was the happiest moment of my life.I sit on the couch with Leland and look around, I just start crying. I miss him so much, how did we get here? Why did I move to California to begin with, Jack and I had everything here this entire time? I unpack my things and I see all our wedding pictures hanging up on the wall. I take out a framed picture of holding Leland in the hospital and hang it up on the wall. If I could talk to him again or see him again, I would just tell him thank you for everything because we did have special moments together. Moments that I could never forget. He showed me what it was like to feel loved by someone. G
“Finally, I think this is the perfect house. It's lovely. I’ll take it sir.” I say.“Great, it's all yours. Please sign here for me!” The real estate man says. “Sure.” I say. I skim all the paperwork and sign all the documents.“Great, the key is all yours now!” “Thank you, sir.” I say.As I enter the house it looks like it was made for us, Carol and Leland will love it. It’s so lovely and cozy for us, it feels like home. I don’t waste time at all, I get all my things ready to start decorating and designing it like a beautiful Christmas house. I have an image in my head, I want this house to be perfect. I want it to impress Carol, after all I need to win her back and I think this is the only way I can. I need to prove to her I love her and I love our son with all my heart. I pick up the hammer and start adding nails to the walls for the Christmas green garland. I’m also going to fill the entire house with holiday lights, starting from the front entrance and continuing. Wait, I
This is my favorite time of year. It sucks that it doesn’t snow here, I know Hannah tried her best making it her style for the holidays but it’s not the same without snow. Leland needs to experience his first holiday with white snow. I’m so lucky to have him with me but something inside me just feels completely empty. “Guys I need a vacation.” I say. “You’re leaving, great I’ll help you pack!” Tanner says. “Seriously Tanner, stop it.” Chelsea says. “Carol, why are you leaving?” Hannah asks.“I need Leland to experience the holidays with snow, I think I’ll just go stay at the old ranch house in Pennsylvania for some time.” I say looking at everyone. I don’t see anything but sad faces in the room. “Are you sure you want to go?” Chelsea asks.“Yes, I’m positive.” I say.“I’ll go with you.” Hannah says to me.“No sis, you have all done so much for me already. I just need to go by myself with Leland.” I say. Everyone gets up to give me a hug. We all form a group hug together. I can