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Chapter Fifty-Eight: Maggie

It took a lot of persuading for Tiffany to make the fruit salad without the gummy bears but eventually, we got her to budge, though that wasn't to say she was pleased about it.

It wasn't long before Christmas finally rolled around, with half of the Williams' kitchen being bombarded with different selections of food, ready to be served during dinner.

Mom was still at work but she promised to drop by at 6:00 PM considering she still needed to pick up her gifts for Tiffany, Mason, and Evan as well as my gift.

Speaking of gifts, I took a lot of time to try to coordinate my gift for Evan, probably two weeks before Christmas even started really, as I did a lot of planning but even now, I was still quite hesitant about my choice.

But there was no backing out now considering I already wrapped the damn thing and sealed it with a ribbon on top for good measure, but I couldn't help thinking if it was good enough, to begin with.

Again, this was our first Christmas as a couple and so I wanted to get him something special, something he'll remember me by and something that's simple and he'll actually use in the future.

I thought a lot about it and at first, I was actually quite proud of it, but as the days went on I started to feel anxious if it was even as great as I made it out to be.

It didn't help when my anxiety amplified by tenfold when I realized Evan was planning to tell our parents about our relationship tonight. So I had two things to fucking worry about.

Dinner was right around the corner and I helped Evan set up the table while Tiffany finished up the last remaining meals she was cooking.

"I'm so nervous," I confessed while setting down the plates and utensils, as Evan looked up at me with his eyebrow raised.

"About what?"

"You know what," I said exasperatedly, placing my hands on the table. "I'm just overwhelmed about it, that's all. What if they don't take it lightly?"

Evan stared at me and said, "We both know my parents will be ecstatic once they find out we're dating, they were practically praying for this to happen."

"You got a point there," I mumbled.

Evan walked around the table as he made his way towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me into a hug. "I know you're worried about what your mom might think about our relationship, and you don't have to hide it anymore because honestly? I understand," he said, eyes warm and comforting "I can understand why you would be nervous to tell your mom about us considering she's been wary of me ever since."

I shook my head at that "That's not it."

"It is and you know it," he sighed, turning me around so I was facing him "You don't have to hide it from me in fear I'll take offense because if we're being real here, I didn't make the greatest of impressions to your mother. Plus she knew more about our past conflicts than my parents and if only you hadn't persuaded her, she would've probably terminated the contract long ago."

His fingers drew gentle circles onto the small of my back as he pulled me closer against his body and bent his head down a little lower towards mine.

The distance between us both practically nonexistent at this point "But you don't have to worry because I'll try to make it up to your mother and regain her trust again and to prove to her that she doesn't have to be worried about me."

"Evan, you know you don't have to-"

"I do, there's a reason why you're feeling this way and if it means that I have to go through such lengths to rid your mother of her worries and to ease down your burden, then so be it."

I wasn't even able to argue with him when he sealed his lips against my own, making me jump surprised as he held my waist with a firm grip.

I felt myself become potty in his hands as I melted at the rough but somewhat secure hold he had on my body, all the while as he pulled away only when we felt ourselves struggling to maintain our breathing.

He pressed his forehead against mine afterward, his breathing labored "Please just trust me on this, okay?"

It took me a while to agree to his proposition before I found myself left with no other choice but to admit defeat and just nod my head, making him smile as he loosened his grip on me.

"They'll understand, don't worry. And even if they don't, who cares? They were the ones who got us engaged in the first place, one way or another they have to come to terms with it. They had so much say when they brought us together through this engagement that we didn't ask for, so who are they to get mad at us if we make the most out of it?"

"I can't argue with that logic." I mused, running a hand through his hair as I stared up at him, all the repressed tension in my system a while ago slowly simmering down after letting his words take their usual calming effect on me.

But he was right for the most part, our parents were the reason why this engagement even happened to begin with and they've had enough say already for them to give us this.

The one thing that even though at the start I never would've expected I'd end up wanting, wound up being the one thing I'm so afraid to lose now more than ever. But I knew it was more of my paranoia towards my mother's approval than it was more about getting Tiffany and Mason's approval because their blessing was already guaranteed.

Even though I wanted to convince myself to be brave about the possibility of objection and to deny it, I know my empathy towards my mother's innate concern for me was something I still needed to take into consideration.

Whether I like it or not, and as much as I wanna disagree with Evan on this matter, in the end, what my mother thinks still goes above anything else.

"So who's ready for dinner?!"

Instantly pulling away from each other as soon as Tiffany's voice echoed in the dining room, we watched her bring the giant bowl of fruit salad and place it on the table with a contented smile.

All the while as Evan and I diverted our eyes back at each other, mirroring his mother's gratified gaze with one of our own "Ready?" I asked him.

He nodded, a soft glint in his eyes "Ready."

* * *

It wasn't until we placed all of the servings on the dining table that my mother finally arrived, wrapped up in her typical Christmas attire which consisted of a sweater and a thick coat.

She put down the dozens of paper bags she was holding, which I assumed were the said gifts she had mentioned earlier, as she took off her jacket and placed it on the coat rack beside the doorway "Hello everyone!" she declared.

"Oh my, Veronica! You're here!" Tiffany cheered as she dashed out of the kitchen to pull my mother into a tight hug, both women smiling fondly at each other.

"I'm so sorry that I took so long to get here, even when it's the holidays the hustle never stops," she pulled away from Tiffany to hand her one of the paper bags she was holding "And of course, I was late because I had to get these."

Tiffany squealed as she snatched the gift from my mother's hands and immediately started digging through it, making my mother laugh as she made her way towards me.

She inspected the dining table filled with countless selections of food before her eyes settled on mine "Hello, sweetheart." She greeted me as she gave me a quick peck on the side of my head. "It seems like you guys got busy, sorry if I wasn't here to help."

"Don't worry about it, you got busy with work plus we got everything under control anyway," I told her as she just beamed at my enthusiastic tone.

"Did you help?"

"Oh, she did more than help, dear!" Tiffany shouted from the living room, all the while gushing at my mother's gift which happened to be the latest handbag of one of her favorite designer brands.

"Yup, your daughter did more than just help," Evan suddenly chimed in as he faced my mother. "Without her, I would've probably passed out from exhaustion but she made Christmas shopping worth it."

"Well, it's nice to know you two had fun," my mother said as she gave Evan a sweet little greeting kiss on the cheek which he accepted, making the ends of my lips tug up as I watched them.

"Oh, we had fun, alright." Evan grinned mischievously as he stole a swift kiss on my lips the second my mother turned around to go back and to talk with Tiffany.

"Behave," I scolded, pointing a finger at him. "We can't risk getting caught before we even tell them the big news."

He smirked, leaning forward as he playfully bit my finger, making me squeal "I love it when you boss me around." he said with a devious glint in his eyes.

"I will literally whoop your ass to next year, Williams. And trust me, it's not that long from now so it'll be easy." I threatened, which just made him snicker.

"Fine, I'll behave."

It wasn't long before Mason was the last one to arrive and with that, we had started digging in. The food was impeccable and the room roared with chatter as we began to discuss our days.

"I can't believe we're really celebrating our first Christmas together," Tiffany gushed, beaming "It wasn't that long before we all got together because of the engagement, and look at us now, we're practically family."

The rest of us nodded in agreement as Evan and I spared a glance at each other, feeling a hand nudge mine from below the table and I looked down to see him caressing the side of my palm with one of his fingers, his touch leaving feather-like grazes that made my insides churn in giddiness due to the mere contact.

It was almost as if we had our own secret world despite our parents sitting literally across from us, but we didn't care as I took his moving finger and looped it with my own.

I could see the littlest bit of smiles pulling at the corners of his mouth as I found myself ogling at the sight, wondering how I ever got so lucky to share this kind of connection with someone.

The kind of connection that though at the start I was so reluctant to welcome into my life, is single-handedly the most precious thing that I wanna keep to myself for as long as this engagement is bounding us together.

But even if it'll eventually end someday, I can't imagine myself letting this go.

Our rivalry morphed into a friendship that then became something entirely different, because all of it was more than just business at this point.

None of it was contrived anymore and though I was terrified at the beginning that we had just forced this relationship onto ourselves because we had no other choice, I knew for a fact it wasn't like that.

Considering I've had the choice to back out of this, and even if I ended discarding that option, we also had the choice to not get attached. To stay loathing each other's guts in an intense fashion, thinking it'll never be anything more than just hatred.

But as I look at our joined hands I realize this was far more powerful than any amount of hatred I've mustered for Evan in the past, considering this was way more fierce and passionate that I don't think if this ends, is that I'll end up being the same ever again.

"Exactly, look at them." Mason said as he gestured to Evan and me with a proud look on his face "I don't think I've ever seen these two become closer since the engagement but look at them now, they're always attached at the hip these days."

"I've noticed so too, and if I didn't know any better, actual romance probably sparked between you two since the engagement." Tiffany insinuated as they laughed at her comment.

While Evan and I just stayed silent, his grip on my hand tightening "Um, now that you guys say that actually..."

My heartbeat thrummed erratically inside my chest, the wave of doubt already engulfing my mind as I forced myself not to pull out of our plan, even though in the very depths of my subconscious I desperately wanted to do so to avoid doing this.

Our parents looked at us with a curious gaze as Evan gulped, evidently anxious to continue "You see the thing is, Maggie and I have gotten incredibly close these past few months-"

"Evan and I are dating."

Choking on his own breath, Evan stared back at me with a dumbfounded look in his eyes as our parents held the same shell-shocked expression on their faces as soon the announcement left my lips, quite abruptly at that.

It took them some time to let the news sink in until eventually "You two are together? Like together, together?" Tiffany asked as she broke the ice.

"Yes," I answered, straightforward "We started dating in early November, and we were afraid to tell you guys, that's why it took a while for us to come forward about our relationship."

"But yes, we are dating now," I clarified "And even though I was having second thoughts telling you guys in fear you that won't approve of our relationship, it honestly doesn't matter to me at this point because you guys brought us together through this engagement in the first place, so we might as well make the most out of it and make it official."

The room was dumbstruck quiet as everyone remained silent, including Evan as he just sat there completely dazed at my current display, stunned to say the least.

And quite frankly even I'm shocked with myself and what I had just done, wondering how I was able to muster the courage to speak so boldly like that when not only a few hours ago I was so ready to abort the mission.

"Mom? Dad? Anything you wanna say to that?" Evan asked after he was able to collect his bearings and continue the discussion for me.

Tiffany and Mason both glanced at each other with a knowing look on both of their faces, and after what seemed like an eternity they finally had it in them to give their first-ever reaction. One that both Evan and I certainly didn't expect.

They laughed.

Wholehearted chuckles emanating from them as Evan and I just stared at them, utterly stunned by their vague response to our much-anticipated announcement because seriously? After everything that we have gone through-

"Why are you guys laughing?" Evan asked as he practically read my mind and maybe even my mother's, considering she was also looking at the two like they were the most ridiculous individuals she's ever met for them to be laughing at a time like this.

"I'm sorry but I just," Tiffany started as she wiped a tear in the corner of her eye due to excessive laughter. "I just find it so funny, actually no, we find it so funny that you two had to worry about this in the first place."

We blinked at what she said, "What do you mean by that?"

"What we mean is of course we approve, you two!" Mason exclaimed, laughing as well "For a moment there we thought that you two were secretly fed up with each other and wanted to cancel the engagement but to tell us that you two are officially dating now?"

"My God, this is practically your gift to us for Christmas!" Tiffany cheered.

"Told ya," Evan then remarked underneath his breath.

I shook my head "So you guys are really okay that we're dating?"

Tiffany smiled widely once more, nodding "We're more than happy, heck, we're ecstatic!"

Not being able to suppress the visible relief coursing through me, I slumped in my seat and let out a quick "Thank God," which both of them picked up on and laughed off.

But the momentary relief was soon diminished when Evan nudged my shoulder "Maggie, we got another parent in the room if you hadn't already forgotten you had a mother."

My eyes widened, all the while as I snapped my head up to look at my mother who just sat there, silent amidst Tiffany and Mason cheering beside her. You dumb, fucking idiot. How can you forget your own damn mother-

"Veronica?" Evan called out to her, taking one for the team as he seemed to notice my moment's worth of bewilderment "Do you wanna say anything as well? Wanna add anything at all?"

Feeling my breath get caught in my throat, I stared at her to gauge a reaction, any kind of reaction really, and to see past beyond her exterior knowing this could go in two ways.

It's either she approves of our relationship for the sake of my happiness despite her underlying hesitance or she single-handedly ruins the holidays and tells us no, she does not approve of us being together. And I'll be honest, I don't know which one is worse.

But instead, I just wait, and when she eventually decides to speak I feel myself completely freeze altogether "I know you're worried about what my response will be to the two of you dating, I can see it on your face Maggie that you're most concerned about what I have to say but the truth is... much like Tiffany and Mason, I'm happy for the two of you."

Biting my lower lip, I try to see if her words were sincere and not just something she's saying to save face, trying to analyze more than what's beyond the surface but her stance and overall demeanor seem to not give anything away that would indicate that she's lying.

"Are you sure?" I asked faintly, almost pleading to know the real truth.

Because again, what she has to say matters more to me than anything.

She just matters to me more than anything.

However, she just smiles, the kind that doesn't necessarily reach her eyes the same way Tiffany and Mason's did, but it wasn't sad nor completely enthusiastic either. It was just one of those typical smiles she always gave me.

The smile of a mother who just wanted what's best for her daughter.

"Yes I am, I just... I just want you to be happy, Maggie. And if this relationship you have with Evan gives you just that, who am I to say no?" She said "After all, your happiness is my happiness."

My eyes softened at her words, standing up as I made my way towards her and kneeled so we were face to face "Really? Do you really approve?" I asked one last time.

She chuckled at how dumbfounded I sounded, reaching out to stroke my cheek as her usual look of affection was visible in her eyes as she stared back at me.

"I do, I know how you must feel knowing I was there to witness all of the hurdles you and Evan went through but I trust your judgment knowing you wouldn't have gone this far if you didn't love him," she reassured.

Sighing, I pulled my mother into a hug as I rested my chin on top of her shoulder, all the while as I caught a glimpse of Tiffany and Mason watching us with adoring eyes.

As I moved my eyes to stare at Evan only to be met with an expression not much different from his parents, considering it was filled with much adoration and satisfaction as well, seeing that the risk we took was worth it,

For we have finally gotten this far, this far all because we had each other. 

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