Ever After (The Christmas Cottage - Book 2)

by Samantha Chase

  “Oh, my poor princess,” Ava said and then laughed at Ean’s angry expression. “Not you, you idiot, I’m talking about Olivia! Geez, get a grip. I’m worried about her. Anything I’ll need to know for today?”

  “Lacey’s got the list,” he said as he led Ava into the kitchen where coffee was waiting for them.

  Sure enough, there on the table was a four-page long list. There was everything from the pediatrician’s phone number to a diagram of the house with everything Olivia could need listed and marked along with the best fire escapes. Ava rolled her eyes but held her tongue; no need to poke the bear this morning.

  Within minutes, Ean was heading up to the master suite to take a shower and get ready while Lacey headed down to the kitchen with a very content looking Olivia in her arms. At the puzzled look on Ava’s face, Lacey spoke. “She really was miserable all night but she’s been nothing but smiles all morning. Hopefully that will be the case all day.” And then she launched into her whole presentation on how to care for Olivia.

  Ava listened to every word – with one ear – because at the same time she was smiling and making goofy faces that were making Olivia giggle. When she noticed that Lacey had stopped speaking, she looked up to see her staring at Ava, looking very annoyed.

  “I got it, every word, I swear. You’ve got everything written down here and I have your numbers. I’m not an idiot, Lace; I can handle babysitting for the day. Don’t worry.” With that, she pushed Lacey toward the stairs and ordered her to go and get ready as well. Once she was out of earshot she turned Olivia in her arms and smiled. “You must be exhausted from dealing with your mommy and daddy all day long!”

  Olivia cooed in response. And so their day together began.

  ****

  By two o’clock, Ava was slightly exhausted. Who knew that caring for one tiny baby could be so much work? While Olivia hadn’t been overly fussy, it was the keeping her entertained, cleaned and fed that had Ava feeling more than a little worn out. Lacey and Ean’s home was spacious and while the bedrooms were all on the second level, they kept a lot of Olivia’s supplies on the main level to keep from having to run up and down the stairs.

  Having finally put Olivia down for a nap, she decided to call Brian and see how his day was going.

  “It’s all business as usual here,” he said. “But you sound a little tired. How’s it going over there?”

  Ava told him about her morning and how comical it had been to get the nervous parents out the door and how they checked in with her hourly and they both laughed. “I always knew that my brother was going to be like this but I expected a little more from Lacey.”

  “I’m sure all new parents act like that. What time did they say they’d be home?”

  “Around dinner time. Why?”

  “Well, Ean texted me that he left some papers there in his home office for me to look at. I guess he figured I’d be stopping by to see you.”

  “That would be great! What time will you be done for the day?”

  “I’m hoping to be done by four. Are you sure you won’t mind having me stop by? I know we had plans for later and that we’re leaving tomorrow for the mountains but I don’t want to intrude on your girl time with Olivia.” His tone was light and playful and it just made Ava love him even more.

  “Aren’t you sweet,” she gushed. “But really, I would love for you to come by and hang out with us. She’s really a sweet baby and as much as it’s been a bit tiring trying to keep to Lacey’s schedule, it’s been a really great day.”

  “Well then I’ll plan on seeing you sometime around four-thirty, okay?”

  They had no sooner hung up than the home phone rang. Ava didn’t need to look at the caller ID to see who was calling. “For crying out loud, she’s sleeping! She’s fine! I haven’t burned the house down! Stop calling!” she said in place of a greeting.

  Ean chuckled in response. “Well, I’m glad she’s been okay for you. After last night we weren’t so sure it was a good idea to leave her but the doctor told us that this was all normal. Has she slept for you a whole lot?”

  “Actually, she just went down a little while ago so I’m thinking that I’ll have an hour or two to regroup.”

  “Exhausting little thing, isn’t she?”

  “Who knew, right?”

  Again he laughed. “Listen, we really appreciate all that you’re doing and how you came over to help us out today. It’s been great to just get out of the house together, even if it was work related.”

  “I’m sure Lacey’s gotten a little tired of sitting at home; she’s too hard of a worker to sit still for so long.”

  “That’s the truth. The thing is, we are both mentally and physically exhausted. Lacey nearly fell asleep while waiting to do her presentation and I feel a little like the walking dead myself.”

  “Wait, what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that I really don’t feel up to another three hours of driving. If you’re okay with it, we’d love to just sort of crash at a hotel here in Charlotte and head home tomorrow.”

  “Well, I did have plans with Brian for tonight…”

  “Invite him over; get some take out. That’s fine with us.”

  “And we’re planning on leaving for Asheville in the morning. I have an interview tomorrow afternoon.”

  “We’ll be home by ten, I promise.”

  Ava thought about it for a minute and was just about to answer when Ean spoke again. “If you really can’t, I can call mom and dad and have them come over. Honestly, we don’t want to inconvenience you, Ava. We’re just so darn tired.” Ava didn’t need to be convinced; she had seen him that morning and could hear it in his voice right now.

  “It’s no problem, Ean. Go and find someplace nice to stay; order room service and get some sleep. And I mean sleep, no using this as a romantic getaway. The two of you looked way too tired this morning.”

  “Believe me, romance is the last thing on our minds. The thought of a full night’s sleep is far more tempting than anything else right now.” His words were followed by Lacey yelling “Hey!” in the background and Ean’s cry of pain. “She just punched me in the arm. I can say with great certainty that nothing romantic is going to happen tonight.”

  Ava wasn’t so sure but she promised to take excellent care of their daughter and hung up after promising to call if there were any problems. It looked as if she was going to get the full babysitting experience. A whole night with an infant. That didn’t sound scary at all, did it?

  She placed the baby monitor next to her and decided to take advantage of the quiet right now and grab herself a nap. Setting the alarm on her cell phone, she settled on the sofa and dozed off quickly.

  All too soon she was awake again and hopped up and thought about what else she would need to get done before Olivia woke up. First stop was the kitchen to make sure that bottles were made. Check. Next she searched for something to make for dinner but came up with nothing. There was a folder on the kitchen counter with take-out menus so she decided that she’d follow Ean’s advice and just order in. Dinner? Check.

  Walking around the house she made sure that things were picked up and put away so that when Brian arrived she wouldn’t have much to do but spend time with him and Olivia. A glance at her clock told her he’d be there in about thirty minutes. Deciding that the only thing that really needed freshening up was herself, Ava ran up the stairs and utilized Lacey’s master bath to freshen up. Next she went to the guest room and felt giddy at the thought of her and Brian sleeping there tonight. It would be like this was their home and Olivia was their daughter.

  And she sighed.

  It was such a pleasant thought and it felt so good, so right that for a moment, she hoped that her brother and his wife would stay away longer. Then she remembered her big plans for the weekend and why they needed to get up to the mountains as soon as possible. The sooner they arrived up in Asheville, the sooner she could finally tell Brian that she loved him.

  That thoug
ht made her smile. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Brian’s face when she finally told him that she loved him too. Would he be surprised? Happy? Ready to start planning their future together?

  Her daydream was interrupted by the very loud cry from the very small person in the next room. Ava quickly fled the guest room and went to comfort her distressed niece. “Sshh…” she cooed. “It’s all okay; Aunt Ava is here for you,” she said softly as she lifted Olivia from the crib and proceeded to get her changed and took her back downstairs. She wanted her to look fresh and clean and most of all, happy when Brian arrived.

  Soon they were downstairs and settled on the sofa waiting for his arrival. She talked all kinds of gibberish and baby talk to keep Olivia entertained and seemed to be doing a good job of it. With every silly face and sound, Olivia giggled and kicked her tiny arms and legs. Soon Ava found herself singing nursery rhymes and was totally oblivious to the sound of Brian entering the house.

  Walking in and seeing Ava cradling baby Olivia stopped Brian cold. It was like hitting a brick wall; seeing her sitting there had him visualizing that he was coming home to their own place and that was their child she was holding. The realization that he wanted that reality right now hit him hard. Taking a minute to calm his pounding heart, he had to look away and not alert her to his presence just yet.

  “Brian? Is that you?” Ava called from the next room.

  Damn, he wasn’t as quiet as he’d thought. “Yeah, it’s me,” he said as he walked into the room and smiled and was rewarded with one of Ava’s that looked way more serene than he’d ever seen. “You’re looking pretty content there, Ava,” the words came out before he could even stop them.

  “I’m feeling very content,” she sighed looking down at Olivia. “Isn’t she just beautiful? I still can’t believe how in love with her I am.” She looked back up at Brian. “I just keep touching her little toes and her hands and her cheek and I’m just blown away at how overwhelmed I feel. Is that crazy?”

  The glow on her face, the sheer joy he saw there left him speechless. To cover up his own emotion Brian came and knelt beside them to seemingly get a closer view of the baby. The truth was that he just wanted to be close to Ava and needed a minute to compose himself. “I don’t think it’s crazy,” he finally said, his voice a little more gruff than he intended. “I think she’s pretty amazing, too.” They shared a long gaze before Olivia began to fuss.

  “She’s probably just hungry,” Ava said softly as she rose from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen. Brian followed.

  “I’ll let you get her settled while I look around. Ean said that he left some notes on requested materials in his office so I’ll go and take care of that.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “What time are they due back here tonight?” Brian asked.

  “Oh, actually, Ean called a little while ago with a change of plans. They’re going to take advantage of having a free babysitter and are going to spend the night in Charlotte. So I’ll be staying here tonight.” She watched the disappointment creep across Brian’s face. “You’re more than welcome to join me.” When he went to speak she interrupted, “It’s okay; Lacey and Ean are more than okay with you staying here with me.”

  His relief was obvious. Brian nodded in agreement and then headed for Ean’s home office to search for the paperwork that was there for him and to catch his breath a little. Staying here with Ava and Olivia for the night would allow him the opportunity to live the fantasy for a little while longer. He sat down at Ean’s desk and picked up the papers but really wasn’t seeing them.

  “I’m being ridiculous,” he mumbled to himself. “I should not be getting this worked up over spending the night babysitting. What am I, twelve?” He gave himself a snort of derision and tried once again to focus on the paperwork. He heard Olivia cry from the other room followed by Ava’s soothing tone; whatever it was that she said or did must have worked because the baby quieted instantly.

  In all of their time together, for all of their conversations, Brian realized that they never really touched on the subject of the future; weddings, kids, the whole shebang. Why hadn’t they? The picture of Ava sitting with Olivia in her arms popped into his head and refused to budge. “Well that’s going to change tonight,” Brian vowed. Maybe if they finally talked about it and put it out there in the open he’d be able to breathe; he’d be able to focus on his work and not spend so much time in his own head trying to figure out where his life was going.

  There was a moment of panic when he thought about it being too soon; was he rushing things too much? Would Ava feel pressured if he began talking about wanting to marry her and have babies with her? Maybe she’d just think that his beginning to think this was due to them being caretakers tonight for her niece. Maybe she’d think it was fun for them to play house for a night.

  Or maybe she’d just think that he was completely insane.

  He could live with any of those scenarios he realized. If nothing else, Brian wanted Ava to at least start thinking about a future with him. There was nothing wrong with that was there? Why shouldn’t they talk about it? He wasn’t ashamed of how he was feeling and although Ava hadn’t said that she loved him yet, he knew it was only a matter of time. It was there in her eyes, in her touch, in the way that they made love.

  Shaking his head to clear it, he felt better now that he had a plan. Finally, he was able to focus on the papers in front of him and went about the job he originally came here to do. The sooner he got that done, the sooner he could join Ava and Olivia.

  ****

  “She looks so small in this crib.”

  “And so peaceful.” They both looked down at a now-sleeping Olivia and sighed. Together they’d played with her, fed her, changed her all while Brian looked over Ean’s plans and Ava ordered them dinner. They ate while Olivia sat and watched from her infant swing. “Yeah, so peaceful,” Ava said.

  Brian waited a beat. “How can something so small be so loud?”

  “I know, right? That child has some set of lungs on her.” They started to laugh but when Olivia started to stir, Ava put her fingers to her lips to silence them. Brian wrapped her arms around her waist as he stood behind her and pulled her in close. “I think she just missed her mommy and daddy.”

  “She’s too young to miss them.”

  Ava elbowed him in the ribs. “She is not too young to miss them; her whole little life has been spent with just the two of them. They’ve been gone all day and I think she was fine until the whole bedtime ritual fell apart.”

  “Ava, I have no idea how to sing ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’. And who is she to be such a critic?”

  She chuckled in response. “All in all I think we did a good job as last minute replacements.”

  “Sure; I don’t think we scarred her for life or anything.”

  Ava stiffened in his arms. “That’s not possible, is it? Oh, God; Lacey will never let me babysit again if I traumatized Olivia to that extent.”

  Turning her in his arms Brian placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “Relax, Ava; we didn’t traumatize their daughter. She’s been fed and cleaned and changed and now she’s sleeping like a…well, like a baby. She’s fine. Stop worrying.”

  Standing on tiptoes, Ava kissed Brian on the cheek. “Thank you for helping with her tonight. I had no idea how exhausting one tiny person can be. I have a whole new respect for Lacey.”

  “I’m sure Ean does his share of the work, too, you know.”

  Ava waved him off and took him by the hand and led him out of the room. “I’m sure he does something but I’m not exactly sure what it is. All I know is that Lacey is the one at home with her every day and after the day I had, and it was only one, I know that I could sleep for a week.” They were standing at the door to the guest room.

  “So,” he began in a husky tone, “speaking of sleeping…”

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Olivia still doesn’t sleep through the night. Would you be terribly upset
if we just…slept?” Her words were said shyly and she actually felt herself blush.

  Placing a finger beneath her chin, Brian tipped her face up toward his. “Sweetheart, we don’t have to make love every night of the week. I love just sleeping with you in my arms.”

  He followed that with a kiss that was so soft, so tender that Ava felt like her bones were melting. She tried to deepen the kiss but Brian slowly pulled away and trailed a finger along her cheek to her neck and finally placed a hand on her shoulder. “Go and get ready for bed; I’m going to go downstairs and make sure that we’re all locked up and that the alarm is set and everything’s put away.”

  “You don’t have to do that; this was my responsibility today and…”

  A finger on her lips stopped her. “I know I don’t have to, Ava; I want to. Let me help you; let me take care of you. You spent the whole day caring for Olivia and you deserve some rest. Go,” he said and turned her toward the bedroom. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  “Okay,” she sighed and did as he instructed. She was in the bed in less than five minutes and by the time Brian returned, she was already half asleep. She watched as he undressed and climbed in the bed beside her and sighed with contentment as he pulled her in close. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?” he asked, settling her head on his shoulder as he gently combed his fingers through her silky blonde hair.

  “For being you,” she said and in the next instant she was asleep.

  While he would have liked to spend more time just talking with her, there was something just as wonderful in having her lying in his arms like this. The afternoon and evening had flown by and he had to admit, though it was early by his own standards, he was a bit tired himself. Who knew babies were so much work?

  Beside him, Ava sighed and snuggled closer. They did have a lot of fun trying to figure out all of the mysteries of an infant. What made her happy one minute had her crying the next. Maybe Ava was right and Olivia simply missed her parents. It seemed a bit odd for a baby to actually miss someone but if Brian had to guess he would say that the parent/child bond was just that strong.