Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
It saddened her to think that many people, Cole and Mike included, probably wouldn’t give Victoria a second chance, despite how far she’d come. But those thoughts drifted away as she was included in the family conversation and joking.
She turned to Erin. “Can I hold that adorable baby of yours?”
Erin handed over the little girl dressed in a pink onesie and swaddled in a white blanket with pink satin trim. The pink brought out the coloring in her skin, making the baby seem even more girly. She smelled like the most delicious baby shampoo and quietly lay in Nicole’s arms, making smacking noises with her little lips.
Nicole hadn’t thought about having kids, but as she held Angel in her arms, a strange feeling of intense longing welled up inside her, catching her off guard. “She’s so sweet.”
“You should hear her when she’s hungry at night. Or wet. Or cranky after six o’clock—but of course only in our house; in her grandparents’ house, she’s the Angel we call her,” Erin said, laughing. The love in her voice and her expression were obvious.
Cole slid closer on the couch, wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Says the woman who sleeps while I get up and take care of her midnight feedings?” His deep chuckle also belied his words.
These two were clearly in love, and another, distinctly different wave of need swept through Nicole. She swallowed hard and refocused on the less painful feelings.
“Hey, little girl,” Nicole said softly, stroking a hand down the baby’s chubby cheek.
Without warning, the front door opened. “We made it,” Sam said, stepping into the house with Cara behind him.
Nicole’s stomach tightened at the sight of the man she couldn’t get out of her head, looking handsome in a sport jacket—obviously he’d been at work—and his gaze took in the room, settling on her, his surprise evident.
She swallowed hard.
“Sam! I didn’t expect you tonight,” Erin said.
He shot her a strange look. “I told you I’d get things wrapped up early today.”
Mike rose to greet his wife.
Ella clapped her hands, obviously thrilled to have her whole family together.
“Come pour yourself a drink,” Simon said to his son.
And Erin busied herself with a nonexistent thread on her shirt, refusing to meet Nicole’s gaze. Erin had obviously lied to get Nicole to come, knowing her brother would show up.
Though she wanted to be mad at Erin, she couldn’t be. Erin obviously had her brother’s best interest at heart.
Sam said hello to his parents and siblings, kissed his mom and sister, and slapped Mike and Cole on the back, and Nicole couldn’t help comparing her own family’s stilted dinner parties with this one. No jokes or kidding with the others, no hugs or kisses, no genuine concern over how each person’s day had gone.
Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Sam approach, but she smelled his cologne and her skin tingled as he kissed her cheek, his lips lingering a hint longer than they had with his relatives.
She trembled at the light touch, acknowledging her body’s immediate recognition and desire for a more thorough, more tactile hello.
“This is a surprise,” he said to her.
“Same for me.” She didn’t want him thinking she’d come here expecting to see him. “Erin said you’d be working.”
“Now that she’s happily married, my sister’s a busy little matchmaker,” Sam muttered and she couldn’t read into his tone. Was he pleased she was here or was her presence at a family gathering too close for comfort?
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, answering that question with a reply that should have given her relief but he’d been wishy-washy about his feelings before.
She tipped her head to one side. “Are you? I don’t want to invade your home territory. I know we agreed—”
He reached for her hand. “I said I’m glad, and I meant it. As for the rest . . .”
And she took the ball and ran with it. “I want to talk about it. About us. Maybe not here and now, but later. I need to clarify a few things between us.”
“Dinner,” his mother said, interrupting them.
Nicole didn’t mind but she raised her chin and glanced at Sam, letting him know without words that she wanted to change the rules. And she refused to compromise on what she needed.
* * *
Nicole discovered Ella Marsden was a fantastic cook. Her daughter, she learned, could barely crack an egg. Cole did most of the cooking in their house, a fact Nicole could barely reconcile, but she found it endearing that the gruff man clearly doted on his wife and child. Sam too knew how to fend for himself in the kitchen, and so could Mike. Since Nicole had a slew of recipes of her own, she and Ella hit it off well and discussed everything from basic cooking to Nicole’s favorite subject, desserts.