Page 59 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

As the men moved into the family room, he thought about his ex-wife’s reaction to the unexpected pregnancy. The first few days, perpetual panic had seized her. Only as he reassured her over and over had she settled. It’d been a beautiful thing—her pregnancy.

He hadn’t thought he could love any more than he already had, but seeing her belly grow with his child allowed him to express the love in his heart even more.

Pulling himself from his ruminations of the past, he turned to Jake. “Ready to play horsey?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.” He smiled crookedly. “But I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Chapter twenty-five

Laughterfilteredfromtheliving room into the kitchen, and it tugged at Remy’s heart. Squeals of delight mixed with deep rumbles.

Marnie’s eyes shimmered.

Damn.“What’s wrong?”

“Pregnancy hormones, I think. I’m happy, you know? Jake is amazing with the girls. Infinitely patient, he lets them pull him into their world. He sat and played tea party with them this morning while Olivia and I got things organized.”

“They’re used to men taking part in more-traditional feminine activities. Rusty is so involved…”

“You’re lucky.” Olivia sat at the kitchen table. “Not all dads are engaged with their daughters.”

Marnie, having recovered from her almost-tears, opened the fridge. “Olivia and I went a little crazy with the baking this morning, but the girls loved helping. We made bread, cookies, and a wedding cake—since we didn’t have one last night.” She closed the fridge door. “I hope you don’t mind, but we dug out some of the Christmas decorations. We debated putting them up but figured you might want to make that a family event.”

“Christmas?”Holy crap.She swallowed. She hadn’t given it any thought. Yes, her wedding day was December first, but the rest’d passed her by. She usually bought presents a few days before Christmas and showed up at her parents’. She never bothered to decorate her own condo because she was hardly there. Now, with breathtaking speed, she was responsible for Christmas for her whole family.

Her family.

“No, I’m glad you reminded me. I’ve been so absorbed with other things, I completely forgot. You’re right, we’ll decorate with the girls. Start our own tradition. Truth be told, I don’t know what my mother did last year. Would Calleigh even remember?”

“Kids are malleable. If you show her love, she’ll take it and run with it. She seems better.” Marnie leaned her hip against the counter, belly bump obvious. “She was more involved last night, although still not as exuberant as Mira. But then I see few kids as high-spirited as that child. She’s a firecracker.”

“Will she always overshadow Calleigh?”

Marnie inclined her head, contemplating the question. “Mira’s also very sensitive. She pulls Calleigh away from introspection and into the fray. They complement each other, because when Calleigh wants to do quieter activities like puzzles and reading, she drags Mira into placid moments.”

“They both love their books, and for that I’m grateful. They love you, Marnie.” For which she’d always be appreciative

“And they give me hope I’ll be a good mother.”

Remy hesitated. She wanted to reassure, but she didn’t know how, because she couldn’t promise Marnie that she’d make a good mother. Each woman handled the challenge in her unique way. Her own mother’d been amazing—as if it’d been her calling in life. She’d felt cherished and loved. Why would Marnie even question her own parenting ability?

“You’ll figure it out.”Lame. Really lame.“You’ve got Jake and Olivia to help you out.”

Olivia grinned. She rose and looped an arm around Marnie. “I am psyched to be an aunt. This little guy will be inundated with love.”

“Little guy?” Remy glanced at Marnie. “You already know?”

Marnie nodded. “Jake and I are polar opposites. I like to sit and plan things out while he’s more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy. On this, however, we were agreed. We both wanted to know.” She offered a beautiful smile. “The baby room is already a sunshine yellow—which helps because neither of us is into that traditional blue/pink stuff.”

“Blue/pink stuff?” Remy grinned. “Good luck with that. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but both Mira and Calleigh are obsessed with pink. Did you see their room?”

The women exchanged a look.Interesting.Olivia turned to her. “We definitely saw the pink.”

A burst of laughter from the other room caught Remy’s attention. “Dare I ask?”

Marnie snagged her hand. “Let’s go see.”

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