Taking the Next Step

July 2033 - Pine Hollow, North Carolina
Gates family - Xander is 44, Chelsea is 43, Caleb is 21, Emily is 19, Bianca is 14

It's a great summer so far this year. Xander loves the outdoors and so does Chloe, so they spend their mornings going for a jog before the heat takes over.

 Xander doesn't mind the heat. He likes sunny days and looks forward to summers each year.

Chelsea is staying busy this summer, though not with jogging. She gets up early in the morning to work on some paintings for the gallery. Most of the time she's just not sure if anyone would want them, but she is selling a steady number of artwork each day.

 But the biggest part of summer at the Gates house is the addition of baby Noah. Caleb is home from college for summer break and Emily and the baby have moved in with him.

Motherhood is wearing Emily out. Chelsea does what she can to help the kids. Kids, she still calls them kids even though they are legal adults and now parents. But they're still kids. She was a kid just like them, an unexpected baby born during her college years.

Xander doesn't mind helping out with his little grandson either. Let Caleb and Emily get all the naps they need. Xander is here to spoil this baby as much as he can.

Caleb takes naps anytime, anywhere he can. When they go over to Emily's parents’ house he'll go upstairs to her old room and sleep on that bed.

 Really, he'll sleep anywhere.

Zane and Belinda are happy that Caleb and Emily are home this summer with the baby.

Emily comes over to see her parents as much as she can. She still has a house key so she can even let herself in when they're not home. But Belinda and Zane don't mind. They'll take their baby girl and her baby boy anytime of the day or week.

***

"Are you sure it's what you want to do?" Chelsea asks her son one night while Emily is still at her parents' house. "Are you sure you're ready? You won't change your mind if you do it, right?"

"We did it and didn't change our minds," Xander reminds her.

"I'm sure," Caleb says. "I bought a ring already. It's not much, but I used my savings from the few comedy gigs I've had. I hope she'll like it."

"I hope you'll like it," Chelsea says. She lets out a long sigh as she gets up from the table. She knows there's no changing her son's mind. He can be determined things will go how he wants them to. "Marriage isn't an easy task every day."

"Should I take offense to that?" Xander asks.

***

 His parents agree to watch the baby while they go out skating the next afternoon. It's been a long time since she's been skating, Emily says.

She is reminded even more of that fact when she loses her balance and crashes onto the hard wooden floor.

 "You're not laughing at me, are you?" Emily asks. She gave up skating and insisted on doing something else. Now they sat on a nearby bench and tried to think of what to do.

"No," Caleb told her. "I was thinking about how hot you look in those cut off pants you're wearing."

Emily giggles. "You'd rather see the pants actually cut off, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not going to ruin your clothes," Caleb says, "but I wouldn't object to you doing it for me." He laughs and then looks a bit tense. "Um, Emily, I have something I need to ask you."

"What?"

He won't let himself change his mind or get too nervous. So he stands, pulling her with him. And then he's on one knee, managing to stutter out the question as he pulls the ring from his pocket.

It is a small ring, as he told his parents. Maybe one day he can get something really nice for her. Maybe his comedy dreams will come true and he'll make all the money needed to take care of her and Noah. But for now, he hopes this is enough to offer her.

And it seems that it is. Emily grins wide and says yes, making Caleb jump back to his feet relieved.

They already feel like they're married, but Emily can't wait to see the official court document saying they legally are.

"Did you ask her?" Chelsea asks when her son comes home.

Caleb grins wide. "Yep. We're now officially engaged."

Chelsea smiles as she feeds her grandson. "Congratulations. I know you'll be happy together." And although she's nervous about what this means, a little sad at seeing her son have to go through the same young parenting while still in college experience that she did, she's also happy that he and Emily will be together.

--------------------------------------

Both of them rolled the wish to get engaged, so of course they had to take that next step in their relationship!

Chelsea was not in a good mood and kept that look that showed it. Xander was thinking about wedding cakes while they talked and I imagined Caleb's talk about doll houses must be his description of the future house he plans to build for Emily, lol.

But Chelsea knows all about having a baby while trying to finish her degree. 

We didn't even get to see Bianca in this household this time, did we? Poor girl! The youngest of the family and the one overlooked because of her older siblings taking all the attention right now. I didn't even add Olivia to the house even though she's on summer break from college too. My focus right now was on Caleb and Emily and what's going on with them as new parents.