Page 92 of The Rules We Broke
When Caroline returned, she stopped abruptly. Her eyes went wide as she spotted us standing close, our hands joined.
“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?” she asked, head tilted, curious as ever.
Brady leaned in and whispered, “I wish I could say wife. Or at least fiancée.”
“We’re getting there,” I whispered back.
“Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed Caroline’s suspicions.
She threw her hands in the air. “I’ve been praying for it all week. I just knew it was going to happen!”
The faith of a child. Maybe I should get her to pray that our parents would all think it was a great idea. We could use all the help we could get.
Caroline was her chatty, happy self as we drove to the movie theater in Birmingham. She gave us a review of the Christmascartoon we were about to see. From the sounds of it, her friends were giving it two thumbs up. I hadn’t seen a cartoon in years. I supposed it was what I had to look forward to when I had kids of my own.
I loved being with Caroline—her enthusiasm was contagious. The only drawback was that she insisted on sitting between us at the theater. Brady tried to talk her out of it, but she wasn’t having it. Brady looked longingly at me from his seat. I winked at him and grinned. We had survived ten years apart. We could deal with two hours.
The best part of the movie, for me, was watching Caroline’s reactions and hearing her laugh hysterically at the silliest things. The more I was around her, and the more I thought about Brady, the more my biological clock kicked in.
I had been suppressing it for so long because honestly, I never thought I would find anyone I wanted to have children with. Now that my first and only option was available, it kind of set things in motion. I had thought a lot this week about having a baby, and admittedly, I was hoping sooner rather than later. I wondered if Brady would agree.
Caroline gave the movie two thumbs up. She also convinced her uncle we needed to stop for hot chocolate. He was definitely a pushover when it came to her. We stopped at a new place in downtown Kaysville called Macie’s. It was a cute little restaurant, and apparently, they had great hot chocolate and desserts. I wasn’t too thrilled to be out and about in Kaysville, but I figured we might as well come out and prove all the rumors true.
Sure enough, when we walked in together, a hush fell upon the crowd. We instantly became the center of attention.
Brady leaned close and whispered, “Just remember, I love you.”
I smiled, despite the wave of curious glances that met us the moment we stepped inside. It wasn’t hostility—just small-town curiosity, laced with speculation. A few faces offered tentative smiles. And a few offered silence.
Brady requested a booth, clearly hoping to sit beside me. But Caroline had her own agenda. She plopped herself firmly by me, radiating confidence. Brady gave her his best pleading look. She wasn’t impressed.
He reached across the table and took my hand, undeterred.
Our teenage server looked a little starstruck—nervous and blushing, sneaking glances at Brady as she scribbled down our order. I couldn’t blame her. He had a charm you didn’t forget quickly.
While we waited for our hot chocolate and pie, Caroline launched into a full classroom exposé—who was nice, who wasn’t, who picked their nose, and who made the best friendship bracelets. She was like the Kaysville edition ofTheEnquirer. If I ever needed the inside scoop, she’d be my first call.
Brady and I couldn’t stop smiling. Her chatter filled the booth, and for a moment, it drowned out everything else.
I tried to keep my attention on her, and on Brady—on the sweetness of the night.
But the quiet glances from other tables tugged at me. Not cruel, just . . . watchful.
I hoped that if we chose Kaysville as our forever, people would come to see us for who we were—two people in love. Not an Eaton and a Jackson. Just husband and wife.
A few brave souls stopped by to ask about my aunt. I was happy to share that she was recovering well and would be coming home Sunday. The conversation didn’t flow much beyond that. They stared at our joined hands, and Brady noticed. He raised mine to his lips and kissed it.
Caroline blinked at the gesture, then summed it up perfectly.
“Uncle Brady, you sure like to touch Miss Ellie a lot.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Brady gave her a playful wink. “That’s because I love her.”
“You love her? Does that mean you’re going to marry her?” Caroline practically shouted.
The room fell silent.
