Hey babes! Back again with a new one for ya! Genuinely meant to have this one up way back in December, but it just wasn't working, and it's only recently that I managed to finish it. So consider it a very late Christmas present.

Also, it is starting to get really difficult trying to come up with titles now with the artist that I'm using since most of their songs are about mental health and super dark topics, lol. But I'm managing.

Enjoy!

Skye can't help the wide smile that takes over her face as Grant pulls their rental car up to her parent's house. Her mom is already standing out on the front porch, a sweater wrapped around her to combat the cold, her usual bright smile in place. Her heart swells, excited that her baby is never going to know a day where they aren't loved so fiercely. It's all she's ever wanted for them since the moment she found out she was going to become a mother.

Once the car is parked and turned off, Skye unbuckles herself and steps out of the car, eager to see her family. She pushes the door closed and makes her way up the sidewalk, the smile on her face widening as she approaches her mom.

"Oh, look at you, my sweet baby. I still can't believe you're having your own baby now."

Skye laughs lightly and happily accepts the warm hug, holding tight. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

Skye lets out a breath, pulling out of the hug. "Nauseous mostly. And I have to pee a lot. And my feet always hurt. But Grant's been taking really good care of me since we found out."

Her mom smiles. "I'm glad to hear that. I wish you lived closer so I could see my grandbaby more once they get here."

"I know. But I kind of need to live in LA to do my job. And you and Dad could always move out there at some point if you really wanted to."

Her mom waves her off. "Oh, no, we like our little neighborhood here. Besides, that's your home now, with Grant. And I think it's just a little too busy for our liking."

"Yeah, on second thought, you'd probably hate it," she says with a laugh. "But we love the chaos that comes with living there."

"And soon enough, you'll have a sweet little baby to join that chaos."

Skye smiles, rubbing her hands over her belly. "Yes, we will. And I can't wait. Just a few more months to go. I'm not sure if we're really ready for this."

Her mom smiles reassuringly. "Oh, everyone feels that way. I was a mess when I had your brother, constantly worried I was doing something wrong. And when we got you, I was still terrified I'd do or say the wrong thing. You'll figure everything out eventually, but don't let other people get into your head about how you raise that baby. Every child is different, and every family is different. You need to figure out what works best for the three of you. You can read all the books and take all the advice from everyone around you, but at the end of the day, all that matters is what you feel in your heart about how to take care of your child."

Skye smiles, quickly wiping at the tears forming in her eyes. "Thanks, Mom. I think I really needed to hear that."

Her mom smiles brightly. "Anytime, sweetheart. Now come on, get off your feet for a little while."

"Alright." She lets her mom lead her inside and over to the couch, the faint chatter of her husband and her dad drifting in through the front door. She settles easily onto the couch, letting out a heavy breath as her body relaxes into the cushion, her eyes fluttering closed. "Oh, this is perfect."

Familiar lips press against her forehead. "Are you good here while I take our bags upstairs?"

She nods. "Mm-hm. Love you."

"Love you too."

She isn't sure exactly when she fell asleep, only that when she wakes up again, she's no longer on the living room couch, but is instead in her old bed in her childhood room. The blanket is pulled up over her and the lights are off, not another soul in sight.

Tossing the blanket off of her body, she climbs out of bed, a yawn escaping her as she does so, and then heads toward the door. She shuffles across the carpet to the stairs and makes her way down to the first floor.

"Hi," she greets her husband as she steps into the living room, running a hand through her hair. She immediately moves toward him, pushing the open book in his lap away and sitting down there instead, draping an arm around his shoulders. "Did you carry me upstairs?"

He snakes an arm around her waist to help keep her upright. "I didn't want to wake you, but figured you'd be more comfortable in your bed than on the couch."

"Mm. Well, thank you. I think I really needed that nap."

Grant chuckles. "I could tell. How are you feeling?" he asks, his other hand coming to rest on the side of her small belly.

Skye lets out a breath, leaning more into him. "Good. Don't feel like I'm going to be sick right now, so I'd say that's a plus."

"I would have to agree with you there. Nothing worse than being sick on Christmas to the point of not being able to enjoy it."

"Yeah. Can you believe that this is our last Christmas as just us two? This time next year it'll be our baby's first Christmas."

"Honestly? Not really. It's gonna be great, though."

"Yes, it will. Mom and Dad are definitely going to go overboard with presents, though."

Grant chuckles. "I think that's their right as new grandparents."

"As long as they don't get anything too crazy I think I'll be okay."

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"Oh, I'm so glad you're here for this," Skye says, nearly managing to hold back a squeal as she pulls her best friend into a tight hug.

Bobbi laughs, hugging her back. "Of course I'm gonna be here for it. You're finding out if you're having a boy or a girl, this is exciting stuff."

"I know. I've been so eager to know, but I wanted to do it with everyone I love."

Bobbi smiles, squeezing her hand. "Well, I'm honored to be included in that."

"Like I'd leave you out. You're my baby's godmother, you gotta be here for this. I would not have even taken 'no' for an answer."

"As if I would have refused to be here. Do your parents and Lincoln know this holiday gathering is doubling as a gender reveal?"

Skye smiles and shakes her head. "They do not. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, I think you're going to achieve that. Do you need any help with anything for it?"

"No, but thanks. I think we're gonna do it after dinner, though."

Bobbi grins. "Oh, I can't wait. This is so exciting."

Skye matches her friend's grin, her heart thudding in excitement. "Me neither."

The next few hours pass in a relative blur. Skye does her absolute best to have fun with her friends and family, but the only thing that's really on her mind is the envelope from her doctor that's burning a metaphorical hole in her husband's pocket. They both knew he'd be the better person to hang onto it as Skye's not sure if she'd be able to stop herself from opening it ahead of time.

Soon enough, once everyone's bellies are full, they all gather together in the living room with cups of cocoa and Christmas cookies. It's the perfect moment and Skye really couldn't have planned it better if she tried.

Glancing at her husband sitting next to her, she locks eyes with him. "Hey, you still have the envelope on you?" she asks quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them just yet.

He nods, shifting to reach for it. "Yeah. You wanna do it now?"

She nods. "Mm-hm."

"Okay." He pulls the envelope out and hands it to her, then leans forward to set both their cups of cocoa on the coffee table. He leans back and smiles softly at her. "No time like the present."

Taking a deep breath, Skye shifts her focus to the rest of the room, taking in the light, easy conversation passing through the space. There really couldn't be a more perfect time to do this.

Standing up, she leans slightly into Grant when he stands up beside her, and then clears her throat to gather everyone's attention. Her hands grip tightly to the sealed envelope. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but Grant and I have a surprise for you all. Before we left L.A., Grant and I had another ultrasound and we asked our doctor to put the sex of our baby in an envelope because we wanted to find out with all of you."

"We decided against doing anything crazy because that's not really us," Grant adds.

"The least you coulda done was get a cake with pink or blue on the inside," Lance pipes up, gently bouncing Sammy on his knee.

"Cake!" the young girl echoes, her face breaking out into a wide smile.

Bobbi sighs. "Now look at what you've done."

Lance chuckles lightly. "Yeah, that one's on me. My bad. Please continue."

Skye rolls her eyes at her friend's antics and then glances around at the other. She takes a deep breath. "Okay, here we go." She runs one finger along the underside of the envelope seal to break it, then pulls out the sheet of paper inside. She sucks in a sharp breath at the words written across it, shifting to look up at her husband.

There are already tears in his eyes as he leans down to kiss her. "I love you so much," he whispers against her lips.

"Hey, don't leave us hanging," Lincoln calls out. "Am I getting a niece or a nephew?"

Skye breaks away from the kiss laughing, turning toward her family and wiping some of her own tears off her cheeks. "Sorry." She grins wide. "It's a girl!"

The entire room breaks into cheers and Skye's immediately engulfed in multiple hugs at once. Her mom and Bobbi are both crying while her dad and brother can't stop grinning. Lance is laughing with Grant, seemingly already giving him advice on what it's like to raise a daughter. It's wild and crazy, but she loves every single second of it. She can't wait to bring her little girl into this.

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*agenthaywood: it's nice to see them together with Skye's family for the holidays. Hope they all enjoy it, even with the snow.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!