here and back again

The snow was coming down. Heavy.

Kyle supposed it was good thing he and Rosie were home. He suddenly felt let down now, about everything. It had really been fun out on Amber's farm. Rosie had seen the chickens and a baby calf too. She was full a laughter all bundled up, and she'd somehow survived midnight mass without being a little drama queen. Of course, it had helped that she'd slept on the trip down, and she stood there on the pew stomping and trying to sing with the choir. No one had hushed her, either. Instead, she'd found a new audience to perform too. She was so much like Amanda, already.

And now it was like Christmas all over again. Ellie and Lon dropped in and it was Christmas. The whole ordeal.

"At this rate, Rosie is going to think we open presents every night." Kyle smiled.

Naturally, she put on quite a show for them.

"So I guess-" Ellie looked at him a bit perturbed as if she was expecting him to tell her something.

"Amanda? I guess she and Elliot were at his family's big tradition. I think." He wasn't too worried. After all, she was going through, what sounded like, lengthy questions from his relatives.

"No, Kelsey, has she talked to you?" Ellie looked at him as if he needed to explain what happened.

"I guess we had a fight. I mean, she's the one who hit me. I didn't touch her. I thought we were over, you know, and well, we are. What did she tell you?" He wondered as she tried to stuff wrapping paper in the trash before Rosie got Charlie to do something silly, like eat it.

"She says you were mean to her." Ellie told him.

"Me?" Kyle winced. "No, it wasn't like that at all. She comes over to give me a Christmas present, and I told her I didn't want it. She didn't even get Rosie anything. I'm tired of being the bad guy in all this, Ellie, she's just making drama out of nothing."

"I see your point. She called me on Christmas. She was so upset. I'm not even sure if it was even about you. I hope she's OK." Ellie hugged herself, and he saw the official engagement ring then.

Kyle had to get a good look at it.

Really, it was a happy time. There was no need to even talk about Kelsey. He wished Ellie hadn't brought her up.