Christmas in Pine Island: A small town holiday romance

This is the first time Stacy and I are announcing our pregnancy to anyone outside of Ryan, and I don’t want it leaking to the tabloids before we get a chance to fully process the news ourselves.
I'm looking forward to becoming a full-fledged parent. I always knew I wanted to play football, but fatherhood is newly appealing to me. As much as I adore the kid, being a father-figure to Ryan hasn’t been without its ups and downs. I had to change my life completely so that he could have a chance at happiness. Even though I was willing to do it, I really couldn’t grasp the depth at which I needed—wanted—to change so I could be the best version of myself.
That is until Stacy came along.
As far as I'm concerned, I’d still be struggling to parent Ryan if that angel of a woman hadn't crossed paths with me when she became Ryan’s first-grade teacher last year.
Ryan and I both adore her. She’s our whole world. She’s the one who helped pick up the pieces of both of our broken hearts after my sister’s death.
Ryan still loves and misses Jenny, but Stacy has helped mend his tiny heart. Stacy found a way to help us talk about my sister without all the sadness seeping in. She helps us keep Jenny alive in our hearts, while taking up her own prominent spot there as well.
Now, with another little one on the way, I have to be even more careful. It’s a blessing for sure, but I can’t help worrying about the paparazzi. They’ve caused some real trouble for me and my NFL friends in the past. I won’t have them hassling my pregnant fiancée. She doesn’t deserve that, and neither does our baby.
I’ll do everything in my power to keep my family safe from the prying eyes of the tabloids, which is probably why I’m having such a hard time sitting still. Everything about this crowded club makes me want to scoop Stacy up and run all the way back to our penthouse.
Next to me, Stacy shifts, her brown hair spilling against my shoulder as she gives a little sigh. Naturally, she’s been extra tired lately.
“Hey,” I murmur into her ear.
She looks up at me with a faint laugh. “Hey, yourself.”
“You doing alright? You need anything? You want to go home?” I ask, lacing my fingers with hers.
She gives a small shake of her head. “I'm just fine. Let’s enjoy this moment.”
I nod, but that’s easier said than done. It’s hard to enjoy much of anything when I'm constantly vigilant of our surroundings. I feel like an eagle-eyed papa bear. It’s not unpleasant. I kind of like the idea of being the protector of our little family, but my worries intensify each day that Stacy’s pregnancy progresses.
Across the VIP booth, I see faint movement as Eric nudges Donovan in the ribs and nods his head toward Stacy and me. It’s only then that I realize the dark-haired business mogul has been strangely quiet this whole time. Donovan’s always a little stiff and straitlaced, but usually a nice scotch is enough to get him to loosen up a bit.
I nudge him with my foot under the booth. “So, how’s it hanging, Dunn?”
He shrugs, offering a slight smirk. “Oh, you know. Same as always; dominating the business world. Nothing as exciting as your news.”
I can’t help but grin wildly. I’m just so damn happy this is happening.
“You two look excited,” Donovan offers formally. “This is good news?”
Chloe just rolls her eyes and pats Donovan’s arm. “It’s not a merger, hun, it’s a baby.”
Stacy laughs, nodding shyly.
“It’s great news,” I answer honestly before pulling Stacy against my side. “I'm the happiest I’ve ever been.”
As I speak, I notice a few camera flashes from within the chaotic crowd on the dance floor. It could be anything, it could be nothing, but it makes my heart rate spike all the same.
Nothing is ever easy . . . but I wish that Stacy, Ryan, and I could spend these next few months in our own little bubble, where I could keep them safe and protect them as fiercely as I yearn to. Especially now. The holidays should be a time of peace.

Stacy Davis
While Jake is distracted, I rub my fingers against my aching cheeks.
I’ve been forcing smiles so hard and so long during this conversation that the muscles in my face are getting tired.
Everyone seems so thrilled about the big news that Jake and I have just shared, but anxiety is still bubbling in my veins.
Motherhood is going to be such a big change. I’ve already begun to read book after book about what to expect over the next few months, but I still don’t feel prepared in the slightest for this new chapter. Jake is so confident that it’s going to be the most wonderful time of our lives, but I'm not so sure. What about the hard parts of parenthood that we can’t anticipate?
I’ve been a teacher long enough to know parenting won’t all be amazing and joyful. There will be tough times too. How do we prepare for that?
I’ve certainly stepped up to the plate when it comes to helping raise Jake’s sweet young nephew, who I met last year while teaching him at St. James Academy. But this is different. Ryan was a self-sufficient first-grader when I met him. This will be an infant—a tiny little life completely dependent on Jake and me in every single way imaginable.
Plus, it’ll be the first baby of our friend group. We’re breaking new ground here. And I know that means things are going to change.
It’s already hard enough to get time for ourselves and to connect with our best friends. What if we never see them again after the baby arrives? What if we lose touch with the people nearest and dearest to our hearts?
They’re my family as much as they’re my friends, and I can’t bear the thought of losing them.
This will be