close to heaven | james & kelsie
platform: chatzy timeline: October 14, 2018 summary: James surprises Kelsie with a trip the the Falls. While there he surprises her with a question that will change their lives forever. word count: 3,166 trigger warnings: pregnancy, all the fluff
James: It had been a few weeks since James and Kelsie discovered they were expecting. In those few weeks, James had made dozens of lists, detailing how they would need to prepare for the baby, his plan for savings to save for the baby, and so forth. It also involved a visit to his mother, Dianna, telling her about his relationship with Kelsie. He left the pregnancy out, not wanting to shock his mother or implicate Kelsie's comfort, but asked for his mother's blessing in proposing to Kelsie. After all, Kelsie was pack and Dianna knew enough about the young woman in the two years she had been in the pack. Here they were now, the family moonstone ring in a small box in James' pocket, one hand on the wheel of his truck and the other resting on Kelsie's knee. Tonight was the night, and he felt jittery. Keep it calm, seem relaxed. They drove towards the woods, to the cusp of the woods where the hiking trails started. The radio played softly in the background. "It's so nice we can get a chance to get away. We won't have much of this after junior comes around, right?" he asked, making small talk. He needed to let his mind drift elsewhere for a moment, lest he give away the surprise.
Kelsie: Kelsie was still in a state of shock and wonder from discovering she was pregnant. It was so crazy to think there was a child growing inside of her. She was going to be a mom. They were going to be a family. When he spoke about the baby she smiled. "Oh right. We're gonna be so busy and overwhelmed but it's going to be good. I'm really glad that we have some time to figure out what we're doing. Especially since we have so many other things to do. I mean...we have that appointment with the realtor next week to start looking at houses." That was another thing Kelsie couldn't wrap her mind around. They were buying a house. They were making a home and family for their child. It was absolutely incredible and she felt blessed that she had James by her side through all of it.
James: James sighed, a little exaggerated but mainly as a way to exercise some of her energy. He wasn't even sure if it was anxiety, or excitement, or a hybrid of both. He had to pretend that buying a house and the appointments were the first thing on his mind, and not the family heirloom burning a hole in his pocket. "Right. We should synch google calendars or something. I don't want to miss any appointments. Because when is the one where we can hear the heartbeat? Do they let you know that in advance?" He asked, pulling into the parking area at the trail head. It was difficult to keep it cool. James only hoped that Kelsie was so wrapped up in the planning they had to do that she wouldn't notice anything awry about him. He wanted tonight to be special, enough of a surprise, and to completely fit them.
Kelsie: "Oh that's a good idea!" Kelsie replied happily. "I have an appointment right before Halloween scheduled. I think we might get to hear the heartbeat then," she told him. It was all very exciting for her. She still couldn't wrap her mind around everything that was happening, but she'd figure it out. "I think it's on the 29th? I'll double check my schedule and we can sync our calendars." She really didn't want James to miss out on anything that was going on. This was something they needed to handle together, but she knew they could make it through together.
James: "Really? Wow, that soon? Is it the first one? I want to be there for the first one, is all. If that's okay," James clarified. He wanted to be there as much as he could, be involved and make sure Kelsie didn't feel like she was doing any of this on her own. Even though James didn't know what to do with kids and even less so with babies, he knew he could be the guy to hold her hand and stare at ultrasound screens. That seemed like it would be the easiest part. "Sounds good," he said, leaning forward and giving her a kiss on the cheek before hopping out of the car and walking around to the passenger side to open the door for Kelsie. "Watch you step," he said, holding his hand out to help her out of the car. She wasn't even showing really, yet, and he was already treating her as if she were a fragile flower.
Kelsie: "Yeah, it's the first one. The doctors said they'll use that appointment to check the baby's size and make sure everything is on track," she told him. She wasn't really sure what else to expect. This was all so new to her and the appointment she made had left her with more questions that couldn't be answered until she went. Once he helped her out of the truck, she held his hand and smiled. "I've got it," she reassured him. "My center of gravity isn't completely screwed up yet. Give me a few months before then." Laughing lightly, Kelsie shook her head. She felt so lucky to be there with him. "Alright so, which trail do you want to do today?"
James: "Okay, good. I wonder which appointment will tell us the gender. We should start placing bets on boy or girl," He replied, holding her hand and letting their fingers effortlessly interlace. He chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. You're not a dainty damsel in distress, my mistake," he said, smiling. He squeezed her hand, maybe a little too tightly. This energy he had bubbling inside of him was too much. He wanted to just pick her up and run to the falls already. However, that might ruin the surprise and would almost certainly terrify Kelsie. At the very least, confuse her. "I was thinking maybe the one where we first made us, well, us," he offered, as if he'd only put a little bit of thought into it. As if he didn't have a picnic by the falls awaiting them. "The rainy season'll be here before we know it. Why not enjoy some time by the water, you know?"
Kelsie: Kelsie pondered his comment for a moment. "I don't think we'll find out the gender until closer to Christmas? Maybe January? It's usually the middle of the pregnancy, I think. At least that's what my Google research has told me," she admitted. Kelsie had done a lot of research already in the hopes of quelling her anxiety over the whole situation. "Do you want a boy or a girl?" she asked cautiously. Kelsie knew she would love their baby no matter what, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a preference. Still, his comments made sense and she smiled. "That's really smart. And it's not too cold or anything so we should spend time by the water." She held his hand while they started walking the familiar trail to the falls, the one they followed that day they shared their first kiss.
James: "Christmas?" James asked, genuinely surprised. Maybe it was how the media portrayed pregnancies, or maybe it was just evidence of how little James paid attention to pregnancies until the woman he loved was pregnant, but he always thought things fell into place very rapidly over the course of nine months. As they walked along the path, side by side, James smiled to himself. He could see them doing this forever. Taking weekends to go on hikes together, eventually a little James or little Kelsie toddling along between them. Talking about everything from their plans for the week to the dreams they had the night before. It felt so natural, it was like walking into memories that hadn't been made yet, but knowing they would be coming soon. "I'm happy with whatever, but I have to warn you, Armstrongs only have boys," he said with a shrug, squeezing her hand. His werewolf sense told him the falls were nearer, the sounds of the rushing water coming a little closer. "What about you? What do you hope for?"
Kelsie: Kelsie nodded when he questioned her. "That'll be around the half way point, or so website I used to figure this out said. The doctor will give us a more firm due date when we see them at the end of the month. Then everything else will get scheduled." It still seemed like it wasn't real, yet it also did. It was so easy to imagine what life would be like when they had their child. James would be a fantastic dad and Kelsie hoped she would be a good mom. Still...it all felt like the world was spinning too quickly. "Oh really? So I guess we should put money on a boy then?" Kelsie teased. "I'll be happy with either so long as our baby is healthy," she admitted. "I just want our baby to love us and for everything to go smoothly. I think that's all anyone can ask for in this situation." She could hear the falls as they approached and she smiled. "Someday we'll have to bring our kid here and tell them about how we had our first date."
James: "Money on a boy. Even my half brother was a brother, it's a surefire thing. But I'm with you," he said, hurrying that last part of his sentence to show he was on Kelsie's side with the baby's wellbeing. "I'm with you in that the baby should be healthy. First and foremost. Just, the boy thing. Takes the surprise away. But who knows, maybe we could be surprised?" He said, posing it as a question. Mentally, he knew it would be a boy. "We'll have to think of names, next. Thankfully, we don't have a naming tradition on my side. I'm not fond of the name Atticus anymore," James said quietly, shuddering slightly before shaking it off. The falls were closer. By now, Dianna would be on her way away from the picnic site, her part of the setting-up finished. He smiled warmly at Kelsie, giving her hand another squeeze. "Yeah, we'll probably have a few stories to tell them."
Kelsie: Kelsie nodded. It seemed almost certain that they would be having a son. That was fine. She was happy with having a son. Maybe they could be surprised, but they'd see. Even if it didn't feel surprised they'd be happy. "We don't have a naming tradition in my family either. We can just...pick whatever feels right for our kid." She smiled at him then. "We've got time to worry about names though. There isn't a rush. We will have so many stories for our kid...it's exciting to think about. Full moons and dates and we'll probably have funny moving stories when we move. Setting things up. Cravings? There's so much..."
James: "That's nice. We'll have to look into those baby name books when the time comes," he replied. He chuckled, the falls coming right into view as they rounded a bend of trees. The sun was lower in the sky, but not quite ready to begin setting. The trees glowed orange, the warm light reflecting off the ripples in the water. Beside the falls, on the bank, a picnic basket with candles around it was set up. Hence, Dianna's involvement. James wasn't about to burn down the forest. He smiled at Kelsie as she talked about the stories they would tell their child, and led her to his set-up. "There is so much. Two years of memories, and more to come, right?" He said, gaging her reaction to his set-up. He led her to the blanket and let her sit down, and sat beside her. "Alright, how did I do so far? Still the world's best boyfriend?"
Kelsie: Once they rounded the bend and Kelsie saw the picnic setup, she beamed at him. It was a surprise that caught her off guard in all the best ways. She smiled, looking from the picnic to her boyfriend, unsure how he had managed to pull this off. "There is so much left to come," she agreed before sitting down. He sat close to her and Kelsie took his hand. "You're the world's best boyfriend by far," she agreed. She was happy, surprised by the picnic. They were going to have a perfect night and watch the sunset. She couldn't have asked for anything better. "You are amazing," she murmured. "I've never had someone do something like this for me before."
James: James couldn't resist it. The whole day, he had been suppressing his energy, his giddiness, his nerves. But now the moment was here. She was here. She was enraptured by the atmosphere, she was glowing in the low light of the autumn sun, the light from the candles creating reflected sparkles in her eyes. Or maybe that was just how James saw her. Their first kiss, everything had a surreal and magical blue hue from the light in the cave behind the falls. Now, it was as if they had come full circle in the best way. From the beginnings, when things were new and full of discovery, to now, when the love was truly strong and the warmth was there. The familiarity. The chance of a new beginning for the both of them, for them together. James smiled at her and pulled the small wooden box out of his pocket. "Kelsie Isabelle Woods, the past four months have been unexpected. I think for both of us. But in the best way. I've spent my whole life calculating, trying to plan, trying to keep people at arm's length to protect them but also protect myself," he explained, certainly reciting as best as he could the speech he had been carefully crafting for the past two weeks. "But you surprised me. You showed me that sometimes, the best things in life aren't the things you plan. Or the things you expect. They are the things and people that you let in, the people who see you for who you are and love you in spite of what others may judge you for." He felt like his speech was starting to ramble. He wasn't the best at expressing his emotions, which explained the weeks of speech writing to prepare for this moment. "What I'm trying to say is, Kelsie, I love you. I want to be by your side forever. I want our child to have two parents that they know are soulmates. I want to be the father of your child and the man you wake up next to every morning. What I'm trying to say is, Kelsie, will you marry me?"
Kelsie: When she was a child Kelsie had wondered what it would be like when someone asked her to marry her, but Aiden took that away. She found herself praying he would never ask. At first she didn't think much of what James was saying but then she saw the ring box. It was wooden and not quite what you would expect as a ring box, but in that moment of clarity Kelsie knew exactly what was happening. Her heart was racing as she looked James in the eyes. Every word he spoke rang true to what was happening between them. The best things were spontaneous. Nothing worked out according to plan, but that was okay. Everything about this was incredible. She felt tears beginning to gather in her eyes and it took a moment for Kelsie to remember how to breathe. While when she pictured her future life, it always included James, she never anticipated this would happen. Not now, but it was happening. She swallowed hard, pushing down the emotion she felt. "I want that," she agreed. "I want out baby to know it was something made of love. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want that simple life with the one person I can't live without," she told him as the first tear dripped from her eyes. "Yes," she breathed out. "Yes! I want to marry you." She was laughing lightly in complete disbelief that this was happening. It should have been too soon, but Kelsie didn't care. She loved James. They were having a baby. This was right.
James: James wasn't a crier. He wasn't. Even now, he wasn't crying, but he had to admit, his eyes did feel a little wet when he saw Kelsie's expression turn. James hadn't thought about marriage much. He always knew he'd be married and have kids someday, but it all felt like ghostly silhouettes acting out his future when he tried to envision it. But now, his future was here: she had a name, she had a face. His future, his love, his life, was Kelsie. He laughed breathlessly with her, taking out the ring and holding it to her hand for her ring finger to slip through. "This ring has been in my family for generations. The moonstone is really important to us, so I'm sorry it's not a traditional ring," he explained hurriedly. Fuck, he had forgotten that part of the speech. But as they fell into the moment, the speech didn't matter. Once the ring was on her, his arms were around her small frame as he pulled her in for a kiss. And another. And another. "I love you so much, Kelsie," he said, grinning and running his hands up her arms to her hair and then her face. He looked into her light eyes, memorizing every blend from blue to almost green, traced the freckles on her face with his gaze. This was the face of the woman who had given him everything, and the face of the woman he would give everything to.
Kelsie: Kelsie was still so stunned. There was so much happening. It was overwhelming and incredible. They were going to get married. She was going to be Kelsie Armstrong. It felt like a lot, but it also felt so right. He got the ring out and explained about the significance. This was his family ring. She gave him her hand so he could slip it on. "It's so beautiful," Kelsie told him. "I love it. I love you," she said. He kissed her and she returned it. Everything about this moment needed to be burned into her memory. It seemed impossible that they reached this point, but two years of friendship turned into love and a baby. Marriage seemed natural in this instance. It felt completely right. She was comfortable. She was safe. "This is everything I've ever wanted, but never thought I'd have," Kelsie admitted. "You are giving my life back to me and I don't know what I would do without you by my side."
