Y/N wiped her tears in the bathroom staring at her blank phone. Today was December 25th. Christmas day. And she hadn't talked to her parents in five years. She knew that going no contact with them would put her in this situation but this year was different. 

A knock on the door took her out of her thoughts. Her fiance Josh stood outside the door with two glasses of eggnog. Y/N fixed her face before opening the door. He squinted his eyes noticing the red hint of sadness. 

"You okay, baby?" He asked watching her frown. 

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, "I just thought that today would be different. You know?" 

She crossed her arms suddenly feeling embarrassed. Josh sucked his teeth. He placed the cups on the shelf that held family pictures and sighed. 

"I know. With the baby on the way, I thought they'd come around too. You told them right?" Josh placed his warm arms around her waist even though her arms were still crossed. 

Y/N nodded.

"What are y'all talking about?" Jalen entered the hallway of his home dragging his four-year-old son, Josiah, behind him. 

Y/N broke her gaze away from Josh and cleared her throat. Her silence made Josh take the lead. None of their friends knew about her pregnancy and she wanted to keep it that way until it was time. 

"Nothing, man. Just Y/N's parents."

Jalen sighed, "Oh, did they call you today?"

"Nah." Y/N kept her answer short. 

Jalen's eyes shifted back and forth between the couple. He knew weeks ago that there was something Josh wasn't telling him. Josh loved to talk and he had gotten quieter as the holidays came around. 

"Mhm." Jalen smirked but felt his son pulling at his jeans. 

"Daddy...bathroom." Josiah pointed his tiny finger at the bathroom door showing his growing teeth. 

"Oh, right. Come on." 

Y/N moved out of the way so they could enter the bathroom. She looked at Josh. He shook his head trying not to laugh. He grabbed the cups off the stand and handed her one. Kissing her cheek he placed his arm around her shoulder as they began walking back to the living room.

Y/N sniffed the cup, "It's not spiked is it?"

Josh raised his eyebrows at her quiet tone, "No but they think it is. Keeping up appearances." 

Y/N and Josh entered the large living room. The ceiling was high and the big glass windows let in the little light that was left outside. Y/N could see the water fountain outside from where she stood. The Christmas tree was taller than her basketball friends but it was decorated to perfection.

Nia, Jalen's wife, made sure that the house was decked out for all of the holiday events. The long L-shaped couches had Christmas-themed throw blankets. Y/N matched with the girls. White tops and red plaid bottoms. 

Their friend's loud voices resumed as they entered the room. 

"Where'd y'all go?" Nia asked rubbing her pregnant belly, she was about to pop at 7 months. 

"Probably had a quickie in the bathroom," Shareef mumbled.

His long-term girlfriend Alexis punched his arm, "Shut up."

Joshua shook his head, "Nah, family stuff."

Y/N sat next to Omar's fiance, Regal, who was holding their new infant. She smiled at the baby before averting her eyes before Nia read her mind. Omar sat next to Regal digging through the baby's diaper bag. 

"Does she need anything?" He spoke quietly.

Regal shook her head, "Nah she's good." 

Josh sat next to Bronny on the opposite couch facing Y/N. His wife Kayla was half asleep. Y/N watched as Omar rubbed the baby's face. She smiled and gripped his finger. Nia sat on the opposite couch watching Y/N over her tea cup. Y/N could feel Nia's stare so she gripped her cup and sipped the eggnog. 

Jalen entered the room and placed Josiah at the kid's table a few feet over. Grace, Shareef, and Alexis' five-year-old shared dolls with Brianna, Bronny's four-year-old. Josiah placed his trucks with Bryce's action figures (Brianna's twin brother).

Nia smirked, "Oh my gosh, since being pregnant I've been having the weirdest dreams."

Y/N sipped her drink scrunching her eyebrows. Why is she bringing up this topic now, she thought. Bronny rubbed Kayla's thigh bringing her back to life. Alexis giggled at Nia's statement. 

"And? Most people experience different stuff while pregnant." Regal said passing Skylar to Omar. 

"See that's what I thought at first but I realized that my dreams can tell me about the future. The other day, I was at the grocery store and I saw the tanks with the lobsters. The night before I had a dream that a lobster tank cracked open. So I get to the aisle in front of the tank and three seconds later it cracked open. Lobsters on the floor and everything." Nia said pointing to her temple.

Y/N smiled finding her story cute. 

"You know maybe it was just a coincidence," Shareef spoke while everyone laughed.

"Be serious. Like, tell us something that isn't that simple." Omar asked. 

Y/N took a sip from her cup again. They went through this every year. Somebody in their friend group ended up pregnant or engaged. It was always an addition to the little family their friend group had created for someone. 

Nia cleared her throat, "Fine. Since some of y'all don't believe me...someone in this friend group is trying to hide something."

Y/N's smile dropped slightly. Her eye's found Josh's. He held a blank expression on his face. Y/N lifted the cup to her lips again. Her poker face wasn't so good. And if Nia looked at her one more time she'd crack under pressure.

Jalen looked around the room, "Babe, are you sure you're okay?"

Alexis shrugged her shoulders, "I mean that's not really specific. Plus, we don't hide anything in this friend group, right?"

"Right!" Y/N spoke too soon. Her loud voice seemed out of place. Like she just said it for shits and giggles. 

Omar side-eyed Y/N. He never spoke much but his face always told what he was thinking. He knew she was hiding something the minute she spoke up. The guilty ones always speak first.  The rest of the group broke out into a debate about who was hiding something.

"Wait a minute!" Shareef waved his long arms in front of him.

"That's crazy who hiding something?" Bronny asked.

"I don't even like this for real." Kayla turned her head, she hated conflict. 

"Hiding what though?" Joshua asked trying to play along with the group. 

Y/N kept sipping from her cup of eggnog. It was almost gone. At this point, she needed to change the subject for they started digging. Jalen got them to quiet down so Nia could finish. 

"Somebody in this group is pregnant!" Nia shouted causing Shareef to cuss and scream. 

Y/N almost spit her eggnog out. Josh looked at her as the group started yelling.

"Oh hell nah. It ain't us! We're one and done!" Alexis stated.

The group looked at Regal and Omar.

"Man, we just had Skylar. Why would she be pregnant again." Omar said quietly. 

"Sis just came out of the womb like four weeks ago!" Kayla mentioned. 

Nia turned her head to Kayla and Bronny with an eyebrow raised. Bronny shook his head, "Mmmm, no. Soon but not now!"

Jalen waved his hand, "Okay, you're already pregnant bae. So it can't be us. If it's not Bronny and Kayla, not Omar and Regal, nor Shareef and Alexis then it's gotta be..."

The entire group turned their head to Josh and Y/N. Josh smiled innocently. He was always smiling so it didn't matter. Josh looked to Y/N for permission. He wouldn't say anything if she didn't want it. 

Y/N placed her cup down, "Yeah it's us. Baby coming next fall."

"No fucking way!" Regal shouted. 

Y/N wasn't prepared for the group hug. Once they all said congratulations Josh sat next to Y/N holding her hand. 

"I knew it! I peeped y'all in the hallway earlier." Jalen waved his finger between the two of them. 

"I was right. See, very much accurate."  

"Yeah, we're super excited! I wanted to wait until I was further along but I guess the secrets are out now." Y/N said her cheeks hurting from all the smiling. 

Despite not getting the reaction she wanted from her parents she knew that she didn't need them. Her true family was sitting right in front of her. Showering her and Josh with love no matter what happens. This Christmas turned out way better than it started.

authors note:

happy holidays!!!

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sorry for the errors, this isn't edited