by Robyn Neeley
Pulling his shirt on, he swung the door open. “Dad?”
“Hi, son.” His father stood on the porch, rubbing his gloved hands together, with a stylishly bundled-up Vanessa by his side.
“What are you doing here? We weren’t expecting you until later this week.”
“We’ve come to help with the wedding.”
“You have?”
“Care to let us in?” His dad motioned for Vanessa to go first. “It’s a bit chilly out here.”
“Sorry. Of course. Come on in.” Drew yanked his shirt all the way down and glanced behind his father. The snow had stopped hours ago, and he and Lauren had even spent some time outside this morning shoveling the walking path and playing in it. Miles and Olivia were still at the inn so he hadn’t been expecting anyone to interrupt his continuing to show the beautiful blonde upstairs how much he loved and missed her.
They both had soothed their cabin fever in pretty much every room over the last forty-eight hours. He wasn’t ready for their time alone to end, but suspected it just had.
Drew escorted his dad and new stepmom into the house, bringing them into the living room. Just then, Lauren barreled down the stairs and joined them. She’d thrown on a sweater and black yoga pants, her hair in a messy ponytail.
“Jack.” She ran up and hugged his dad and then Vanessa. “What are you doing here?”
Drew came up beside them, offering a hand with their coats. “I’d like to know the same thing. Weren’t you coming up on Friday with the bride and groom?”
“Luke asked us to come early,” Jack said, and he and Vanessa took a seat on the couch.
“How wonderful,” Lauren said. “We don’t have much food in the house, but would you like some coffee?”
“Got anything stronger?” Jack asked, and Vanessa agreed.
“Two glasses of red wine coming up.” Lauren rubbed Drew’s shoulder and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Are my eyes playing tricks on me, son, or are you two back together?” Jack asked, obviously catching on to her little display of affection—or maybe that they were both pretty much still in their pajamas.
“Yes, we are.” Drew grinned, adding, “We’re in a really good place.”
“That’s wonderful.” He raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice. “But what happened to Olivia? Isn’t she here, too?”
“Jack, stop being so nosy.” Vanessa gave him a swat.
“It’s okay. We’re no longer together.” He waved his hand. “But it’s a good thing, and she’s fine. She’s actually staying in town at the inn with Miles.” He took a seat in the recliner across from the couch, wondering if he could suggest that his dad and Vanessa stay there, too. That would probably be rude given the number of sleeping rooms upstairs.
Lauren returned with two glasses. “Here you go. Luke arranged for the cabin to be stocked with a fabulous selection.” She handed them to Jack and Vanessa, and then ran back to the kitchen.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lauren look so happy.” Vanessa winked at Drew. “Happiness suits her.”
Drew nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Just then Lauren returned with two additional glasses, handing one to Drew.
“To true love.” Jack clinked his glass to Vanessa’s, then held it up to Lauren and Drew.
“They know.” Drew reached over and brought her down onto his lap, wrapping his free arm around her.
“And we couldn’t be happier,” Jack added.
Lauren smiled over at Jack and Vanessa before clinking her glass with Drew’s. “To true love.”
“And Happily Ever Afters.” He pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss. He’d deepen it later when they didn’t have an audience. “Not to change this wonderful celebration, but why did Luke send you up early?”
Vanessa set her wine glass down, clapping her hands. “Luke asked us to come help with the final preparations.”
“That’s great. We’ve got a few things taken care of, but there’s still much more to do.” Lauren filled Kate’s mom and Drew’s dad in on all they’d accomplished, leaving out some of the more intimate parts such as selecting the song in the hot tub or testing out the effects Lauren’s trying on sexy lingerie had on Drew.
“And we sold hundreds of Happily Ever After dolls at the annual Frost Festival.” She snuggled into his chest. “Together.”
“You sold the dolls?” Jack asked. “Even the boy ones?”
She nodded, and Drew and she slapped their palms together in victory.
“How on earth did you do that?”
“We have a few tricks up our sleeve. Olivia and Miles helped us,” Drew said. While they enjoyed the wine, he and Lauren filled his dad and Vanessa on their successful afternoon at the Snow Frost Festival and the new plan to sell the dolls.
“That’s terrific. I knew you kids would figure something out.” He settled into the sofa. “So where’s the wedding taking place?”
Lauren set her wine glass down on the end table. “Miles arranged for it to be at the church in the center of town. It’ll be in the early evening before they open their doors for Christmas Eve Mass.” She stood, tugging Drew up. “We should probably check in with him, and see if we can do a site visit first thing tomorrow.” She turned to Jack and Vanessa. “If you’ll excuse us, I seem to only get reception upstairs.”
Jack pulled out his phone, studying the screen. “Strange, mine seems to be working fine.”
“Strange indeed.” She tucked her hair strands behind her ears.
Drew chuckled at Lauren’s cute attempt to get them both back up into his bedroom. Although he wanted nothing more than to race her to the top of the stairs, pick her up, and carry her back to bed, there was something else he really wanted to do with his dad and Vanessa.
These two new visitors to Snow Frost Mountain needed to experience its magic firsthand.
“Lauren, if you wouldn’t mind checking in with Miles, I need to take my dad and Vanessa to S.W. Would that be okay?”
She nodded, and he could instantly tell she knew what he was up to. “Yes. They definitely need to experience S.W.” She turned to them. “It’s kind of mandatory for all visitors.” She grabbed the empty wine glasses. “You guys have fun. I’ll see you tonight.” Standing on her tippy toes, she kissed Drew’s cheek. “Have fun, baby.”
He beamed down at her, and snuck another kiss. “You know, I think I will this time.”
“Where are we going, son?” Jack asked.
Drew grinned and motioned for them to follow him. “To make toys.”
• • •
Lauren slid into the diner’s booth across from Miles. She couldn’t believe that, with only four days until the wedding, they hadn’t visited the church. When she talked to Miles yesterday afternoon he’d downplayed it, saying if you’d seen one you’d seen them all. Then he rushed off the phone, but not before asking her to meet him at Dasher’s Diner in the morning.
After spending a wonderful evening catching up with Drew, Jack, and Vanessa, she was ready to get back at the task at hand. She also couldn’t wait to fill Miles in on her glorious weekend snowbound with Drew. “Hey, BFF.”
“Hey, yourself. Where’s Drew?”
“You’ll never believe. He’s at the Gingerbread House playing Santa this morning, and it was his idea.”
Miles set down his menu. “Wow, he’s turning out to be a regular Kris Kringle.”
She chuckled because that was exactly what was happening, and she loved it. “Jack and Vanessa are with him.”
“They’re here?”
Frowning, she reminded him that she’d told him on the phone yesterday they’d surprised them.
“Oh, yeah, right.” He picked up his menu, and went back to studying it.
Lauren eyed her pal. Something was off. He seemed like he didn’t want to talk, and that certainly wasn’t the Miles she knew. “How did you make out in the snowstorm?”
“Charming place, the inn is.”
; “Great. Drew and I hunkered down … did a lot of talking.”
“I bet you did.”
She giggled, not wanting to reveal they’d ridden out the snowstorm in bed, but Miles was her best friend. She wanted to dish, but for some reason he didn’t. Judging by his surprisingly uninterested tone, she asked another question that had been on her mind. “How’s Olivia?”
“She’s doing fine. I’ve sent her to the florist this morning to select the flower bouquets for you and Kate. We’ll see her at some point, I suppose.” He let out a deep sigh.
Okay. Enough already. Lauren grabbed his menu and set it aside because she was going to get down to her best friend’s indifferent behavior. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Everything’s just peachy.”
“You’re lying, and I know this because you haven’t made one wisecrack about Drew and me being together.”
“So, you’re definitely back together?”
“Yes.” She paused. “What’s going on?”
He eyed her for a few seconds before finally speaking. “There’s something I need to show you.”
“What is it?”
“Promise me you’re not going to freak out.” He brought his leather briefcase onto his lap.
Lauren was growing impatient. Whatever could he have in there that would upset her? “I promise not to freak out.”
He reached in and pulled out a rectangular pink and white box, setting it on the table between them.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped, her gaze resting on the pregnancy kit. “Whose is this?” She had a sneaking suspicion she knew the answer.
“I was hanging out in Olivia’s room yesterday and used the bath—”
“Oh … God,” she interrupted, reaching for her water glass. If it weren’t nine in the morning, she might see if the waitress could bring her something stronger.
“I found it in the trash.”
She took a sip, hoping it would counteract the nausea forming in her stomach. This couldn’t be happening. Not when she and Drew were finally back together. She set her glass down and picked up the box. Moving the opening flap back, she peered in. “It’s empty. Did you see the test?”
“No.”
“How could you let this happen?”
“Um … I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me …”
She stared down at her menu. “Drew and I were so close to getting everything we wanted.”
He leaned in and lowered his voice. “We don’t know if she’s pregnant.”
“She didn’t mention it to you?”
“Not a word.”
Lauren sat for a second in silence, remembering how Olivia hadn’t felt well the morning of the Frost Festival. Had that been morning sickness? “Did she have anything to drink this weekend? Wine? Cosmo? Candy Cane Martini?” He shook his head, and Lauren had her answer. “She’s pregnant.”
“Maybe not. She said she didn’t want to do anything stupid like get drunk and sleep with the hot bartender.”
Lauren buried her head in her hands. That was probably an excuse to not tip Miles off. She sat back up and grabbed the container, shoving it into her purse.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Glancing out the window, her gaze zoomed over to the Wishing Tree across the street. Too bad it was all out of wishes because she could really use a big one right now.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lauren paced back and forth from the window to the door, waiting in Drew’s room for him to return. How could he let this happen? If only she and Drew had gotten married last year when they were supposed to. Was fate trying to tell her that there were no second chances?
She wasn’t going to kid herself that Drew and Olivia hadn’t been together. They were dating, for goodness’s sake. It was just she and Drew had been so careful this weekend; they always had. Was it wrong to assume he’d practice safe sex with any woman?
She sighed and plopped down on his bed, staring at her purse that she’d flung across the room earlier. She hadn’t a clue what to do with the empty box inside. For a split second, she’d contemplated confronting Olivia, but her rational side took over, knowing it wasn’t her place.
Positive. Negative. It was killing Lauren not to know the results. If Olivia was pregnant, how would Drew take the news? Would he go back to her? A stabbing pain shot through Lauren’s stomach at that thought. “We were so close to getting everything we ever wanted,” she whispered. Turning her head, she closed her teary eyes.
• • •
Drew smiled at the beautiful sight in front of him. Slipping off his shoes so as to not wake her just yet, he slid in next to her.
God, his life was great. After playing Santa at the Gingerbread House, he’d driven his dad and Vanessa back to Santa’s Workshop to make some more toys. They’d said that they’d had such a wonderful time yesterday that they wanted to do it again.
Drew didn’t mind. He welcomed the opportunity to spend more time with them. Besides, Lauren had texted him after her breakfast with Miles that she had a couple of errands to do.
He appreciated having this time to get to know his new stepmother. She was an absolute riot, and he could easily see why his dad had fallen for her. They’d had a wonderful day spending time with the children at the Gingerbread House, painting train sets at Santa’s Workshop, and eating way too many Christmas cookies at both places.
His dad had mentioned how wonderful it was to see Drew so happy. He wrapped his arm around his sleeping beauty. Yeah, it was freakin’ awesome.
Tonight he planned on proposing to Lauren and had no doubt that her answer would be yes. He wanted to get back to their life together as soon as possible. He didn’t have a ring, but she’d understand. The important thing was they were finally getting married, for real this time.
While James was giving his dad and Vanessa an insider’s tour of Santa’s Workshop, he’d shared his plan with Natasha, and she’d absolutely flipped. He was starting to understand why Lauren needed Miles in her life. It was nice to share how he planned to propose with a confidante. She’d gushed when he told her he was going to pop the question in front of the Wishing Tree.
He propped up on his elbow, taking in Lauren’s beautiful face. He’d done it every morning for nine years and was so glad he was getting this second chance to do it every day—God willing—for the rest of his life. It was going to be a magical night, and he needed to wake her up for it.
• • •
Lauren’s eyes flew open, as Drew’s lips caressed hers.
“Hey, baby,” he whispered, running his finger down her cheek.
“Did you have a good time this afternoon?” she asked. Turning, she noticed it was now dark outside. How long had she been asleep?
“It was awesome.” He wrapped his arms around her. “But I missed you,” he said, leaning over for another kiss. “A lot.”
Lauren’s stomach twisted as she tried to think clearly about what she should say next. Giving in to her desire and kissing him back didn’t seem appropriate anymore now that another woman could be carrying his baby. She sat up and patted his hand. “You all must be famished. Maybe we should order a pizza or something.”
“Jack and Vanessa are having dinner with Olivia and Miles tonight at some French restaurant the next town over. They’ve already left.” He chuckled. “And you’ll never guess who’s joining them.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “Santa and Mrs. Claus?”
“Close. Luke and Kate.”
“Really? They’re here?”
“Appears they flew in this afternoon.”
She shook her head. “Why is it so difficult for Miles to keep us informed when these things happen? Kate must know the wedding location has changed.”
“Probably. Although I’m surprised. My brother is usually the better one at keeping a secret.”
“I wonder how much he’s told her.”
We’ll find out tonight. I told my dad to meet us at seven at the
Wishing Tree. Apparently there’s some big caroling event so I thought that would be a fun way to welcome Kate and Luke to Snow Frost Mountain before bringing them to the cabin.” He brought her back down, sliding his arms around her. “But right now we have the whole place to ourselves.”
Lauren bit back her impulse to tell him what she’d learned earlier today. It wasn’t her place, and she knew it. She needed to get them both out of this bed and fast. “I’m really hungry,” was the only lame thing she could come up with before untangling her arms from his embrace.
“Let’s head into town then.” Drew took her cue and sat up. “We can grab something to eat and then maybe take a stroll and meet up with the others. Sound good?”
“Sure.” She nodded hesitantly, but forced a bright smile. “I think that sounds perfect.”
“Great. I’m going to jump in the shower.” His hand folded over hers. “Care to join me?”
“I think I’ll get ready in my room.” She paused, quickly adding, “It’ll be faster if we shower separately. I’m famished.”
“Okay, then.” Drew stole one last kiss before hopping off the bed.
As she watched him strip out of his sweater and shirt and head into the adjoining bathroom, her heart grew heavy. Was this man, and the love of her life, going to be a father to another woman’s baby? It killed her that the answer could be yes.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Drew threaded his gloved fingers through Lauren’s as they crossed the well-lit street. They’d just finished a nice dinner at a little Italian restaurant, the only place in town not named after an infamous reindeer.
Lauren had been noticeably quiet at dinner, preoccupied even. Most of the conversation centered around their conference call tomorrow with the JDL team to continue discussing a new marketing strategy for the dolls. In no time they’d be poised to roll out a new plan.
They strolled in silence until they finally reached the Wishing Tree. Drew’s heart pounded in anticipation of his popping the question. He wanted to do it before his dad, brother, Kate, and Vanessa joined them with all the carolers. Now was the time.
