Sunday night

Myka smiled at her phone. They were about ten minutes from school and she really wanted to see Si.

"I'm assuming you have plans with him tonight?" Jana said, trying not to sound mad about it.

"Yeah. But I told him that you're going to hang out with us a few nights a week."

"What? No, I'm not going to be the third wheel, Mykie. Sorry."

"What's the other option?"

"Um, just us? Why is that hard?"

"Its not. I just thought that way I could still see him."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll be fine. You just hang out with him and I'll study." She wasn't fine though. She was sad.

When they got out of their car and headed into the dormitory building, each took their suitcases to their room to unpack. Myka rushed through the process and basically ran out of her room toward the second floor which was the men's floor.

She knocked on his door and waited. He opened the door and smiled. "Hey."

"Hi." She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding tight. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He eased back and softly kissed her lips. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah and maybe we can talk?"

"Sure. About what?"

"My family."

He put on his coat and boots and took her hand. They walked slowly to his truck and then drove to the old fifties diner just off campus. She loved the atmosphere and it was comfortable and the food was great.

He sat next to her at the high back red vinyl booth. She slipped her fingers into his and smiled.

"What's going on, Mykie?"

"I sort of told my mom about us."

"Okay. Well, that's good. I told my dad about you."

"Was he okay with it?"

"Yeah, of course. He wants to have dinner with us soon. Why? Wasn't your mom cool?"

"She was."

"But…"

"But I feel like I'm neglecting Jans and with my dad...I'm not sure what he will do."

"I'm sure he will be fine with it. You're eighteen and on your own and you have a good plan for the future. I don't see why he'd be upset."

"I don't think he will be upset. Just...concerned. My grades and everything need to be good and if I get distracted...things might change."

"So, I'm a distraction."

She turned and smiled, touching his cheek. "The best kind but yes. Jana is feeling left out and she doesn't want to be the third wheel. And my workload is heavy this semester."

"Myka, are you breaking up with me?"

"No. I just think we need to take a step back. Make sure we don't spend too much time together."

He sat back and sighed, fingering his straw wrapper. "I didn't know that was a thing. Too much time?" He stood and put his jacket on. "I think we should go."

"Si, please. Please don't push me away."

"Myka, that's what you're doing. I thought we had something good here. I figured we were on the same page."

"We were. Are."

"Yet, you don't want to spend too much time together."

She grabbed his hand and gently pulled him back down next to her. "Si, please. Don't leave."

He sat and the waitress came back over. "What can I get you two tonight?" she asked.

"Are we staying?" Myka asked him.

"I guess."

"We will share a basket of fries and we need a side of ranch, please," Myka told the waitress.

"Anything to drink?"

"Two cokes, please."

"You got it."

"Si."

"Myka, I don't understand."

"I know, but I need you to trust me. I'm not breaking up and that's the last thing I want to do. I care about you a lot. I just have to make time for Jans and my school work. We will still see each other, I promise." He nodded. She gently turned his head so he was looking at her. "Are you mad?"

"No. I'm sad I won't see you as much, but not mad."

"We just have to make the times we do, count, right?"

He smiled and leaned down, brushing her mouth with his and then wrapped his arms around her. "I'm falling for you, Mykie."

"I'm falling for you too, Si."

"It's kinda scary."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "It is but it's good."

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"That's okay."

As they ate, they looked at their schedules and decided that at the very least, Friday and Saturday nights were their date nights. No one else would be involved. That made him happy to know that it was set in stone.

For the next three weeks, they kept to that. On the fourth week, Myka asked him to come home with her for Christmas and to bring his father too and he agreed.

So on Wednesday of Christmas week, she and Jana drove home. Christmas was Saturday so Si and Mr. Shepherd would be arriving on Friday afternoon.

"What are you going to do, Mykie? Not seeing Si for two whole days," Jana teased.

"Haha. We do that all the time."

"But you miss him."

"A lot, yes."

"You got it bad, don't you?"

"Yeah. I love him, Jans."

"Have you told him?"

"No. I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Like when you are standing under the mistletoe?"

"Yeah or when we are snuggling under a blanket by the fireplace, sipping hot cocoa." She couldn't wait for that part.

"Sounds romantic."

"That's the plan."

When they arrived at home, they took their bags into the house and up to their room. Then they took the gifts they had brought and put them under the tree.

Jana wandered into the living room to see her dad while Myka found Elizabeth in the kitchen.

"Do I smell cookies?"

"You do," Elizabeth confirmed. "Wanna start on the apple pie?"

"Of course." She kissed her mom's cheek and grabbed her apron after washing her hands.

"How are you, sweetie?"

"Great."

"I can see by the look on your face."

"Think we have room for two more places at the table?"

"Is he coming? And his dad?"

"Yeah." As she rolled out the crust a few minutes later, she paused and looked at her mom. "What do you think Dad will do?"

"He will be fine. I can't believe you haven't told him yet."

"Told me what?" Jack asked, stealing a cookie and kissing Elizabeth's cheek.

Myka stayed quiet. "Myka has two guests coming for Christmas."

"Yeah? That's good, sweets. The more, the merrier. What are their names?"

"Silas and Carson Shepherd."

"Those are weird names for girls."

"Because they aren't, Dad. Silas is my boyfriend and Carson is his dad."

"Boyfriend, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How long have you been together?"

"Three months."

"Are you serious? Did you know?" he asked Elizabeth.

"Not that long, but I have known since Thanksgiving," she admitted.

"And you didn't tell me. Nice, Beth."

"Honey, I'm sorry but I told her she needed to tell you and that if you suspected or asked, I wouldn't lie."

He nodded and left the room.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I should have told him. The last thing I want is for you two to be fighting because of this."

"I'll worry about your father. You just concentrate on having a good holiday."

After finishing her cookies, Elizabeth went to Jack's office and closed the door. "Jack, we should talk."

"Now you want to?"

"Jack." She sat on the desk next to him and touched his handsome face. "I love you."

"I love you too but I didn't think we kept things from each other."

"Honey, it was something that wasn't my news to share. I asked her to tell you and left it at that. I'm sorry."

"I wonder why she didn't tell me."

"She was nervous."

"Why?"

"Because they know you, love. You are protective of your daughters. My guess is she didn't want you to tell her she couldn't see him."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I think you need to tell her that. You may not realize but you didn't congratulate her or say you were happy for her in there."

He thought back. "I guess I didn't."

He stood and she put her arms around his waist. "Jack, are we okay?"

He wrapped her in his arms in return and gave her a long kiss. "Of course we are."

They turned when they heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Hey," Myka said, a pensive look on her face. "Can I talk to you both?"

"Of course, sweets," Jack said, waving her in. "Before you start though, I want you to know that I'm happy for you."

"You are?"

"Yes. How can I be anything else? I just want you to be happy, Myka."

"I am."

"That's good. So when are they coming?"

"Friday afternoon."

"I look forward to meeting them."

By Friday afternoon, Myka was going stir-crazy. She wasn't nervous because of her Dad anymore. She was just anxious to see Si. She felt strange without him. Like a part of her was missing.

When the doorbell rang, she hurried to the door and opened it and wrapped her arms around Si's neck. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." He leaned back slightly and gave her a long, slow kiss.

"Alright, alright. Break it up," Carson teased from behind them.

"Hi, Mr. Shepherd," she said, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Hey, Myka." He winked as he stepped past them. They followed him inside and she took their coats.

Jack and Elizabeth walked into the room. "Welcome," Jack said, offering his hand. "I'm Jack and this is my wife Elizabeth. You must be Carson and Silas?"

"Yes, that's us," Carson said, returning his handshake. "Thank you so much for having us."

"Glad you're here," Elizabeth said, shaking both hands.

"Anyone want coffee or tea?" Myka asked them.

"Coffee would be great," Carson said, rubbing his hands together.

"I'll help," Silas told her, following her into the kitchen.

"You're going to help me make coffee, Si?" she asked him with a laugh.

"I can do things," he told her gently pushing her back to the counter. "Like this," he told her, capturing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

"Yeah…you can do that…for sure," she said, holding on to him, her eyes closed. "Um, we should make the coffee."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment before letting her go. "I love you, Myka."

She smiled and looked into his blue eyes. The kitchen itself wasn't romantic but hearing the words come from him made it so. "I love you too, Si."

Later, after everyone was in bed, they sat under a blanket sipping cocoa, much like she had envisioned.

She smiled, thinking about the man next to her. He had become the one for her. The one she wanted to see first and the one she wanted to tell everything to. The one whose kisses and touches made her melt. The one she wanted to be a family with.

"A penny for your thoughts," he whispered.

"I'm just grateful for so much. Including you of course." She kissed his slightly stubbled cheek. "I was going to tell you that I loved you tonight. Right here. Under this blanket."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry if I ruined your plan," he teased, brushing his lips against hers.

"Mm, you didn't. It was perfect."

"So, I may be jumping ahead," he mentioned. "But my dad and I have always stayed up until midnight on Christmas Eve and opened a gift then. I think that I'd like that to be our tradition too."

"Our tradition, hm?"

"Yeah. I...I plan on being with you forever, Myka."

"Sounds like a good plan."