Page 25 of A Bright Winter Season

“Sounds great.” She smiled as she continued to open the box, but internally her stomach flopped with uncertainty. If Grayson was tired and he’d had a long day, maybe she shouldn’t tellhim about their baby that night. He was already overwhelmed. Shouldn’t she tell him some other time when he would be better able to process the news?

“What’s in the box?” he asked, smiling at her as he massaged his temples.

“Mostly frames, for all of the pictures and newspaper articles that Mom picked out to hang on the walls. But there’s also some knickknacks in here, and some whimsical pots for the plants I want to place around the pub. Like this guy. Look!” Grinning, she pulled a pot from the box that had a little gnome leaning against the side of it. “Isn’t it cute?”

“Very. You want to bring all this over to the pub later tonight?”

“Could we? Are you too tired?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s mostly just my brain that’s tired.” He laughed. “Which is good, because I have a few things I need to do tonight. Once I’ve helped you sort all this stuff and we load it into the car, I have something to show you.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

He grinned. “It involves your online storefront.”

She smiled back at him, always grateful for the way he supported her jewelry business. “Then what do you need to do?”

“I’ve got to pack for that camping trip with the guys. They gave me a list of all the stuff I’m going to need.”

Alexis shook her head, laughing. “Is it really camping if you’re staying in a cabin the whole time?”

“Not the whole time.” He chuckled. “David wants us to sleep in that cave on his property at least one of the nights. We’re going to have to sleep in sub-zero sleeping bags and try to keep the fire going all night.”

“Sounds like quite the adventure. I love how you’re really starting to embrace a more rural lifestyle now that we’re out herein Rosewood Beach. You never would have done something like this when we were living in L.A.”

He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. “That’s because I was too busy and living much too boring of a life in L.A. And also, there’s no need for subzero sleeping bags out there.”

She laughed. “That’s the real appeal, huh?”

“Oh yeah. It’s the challenge of the thing.”

“Well, make sure you don’t get so manly in challenging yourself that you actually get frostbite. Be careful.”

“Oh, I will. Besides, we won’t be far from the cabin when we do go camping. There’s no real danger. But there’s definitely a lot to think about and make sure I’m prepared for, so I want to get a head start on packing.”

“Sure.” She smiled at him, not wanting him to be able to read the way her stomach was flopping with disappointment. She’d wanted to tell him about their baby, and she knew that she needed to do it soon, but she couldn’t help feeling that it wasn’t the right night for it. He was clearly overwhelmed with his to-do list, and she had plenty of things she needed to get done as well. She knew that when she told him, they would inevitably spend a lot of time talking and thinking about their future, and she didn’t think he had the mental energy for all that at the moment.

He’s had a long day and he’s overwhelmed,she thought.I need to wait until it’s a better time.

She bit her lip, worrying that it would never be a better time. They were both so busy, almost constantly bustling from one task to the next. Maybe she would just have to tell him sometime whether he was feeling overwhelmed or not.

She glanced at her husband, wondering how he was going to feel about their big news. Whatever happened, she needed to tell him soon, and she hoped that he felt as excited about it as she was starting to be.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Vivian smoothed back a few loose wisps of hair. Her kitchen smelled incredible, and she smiled as she took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma. It was Sunday morning, and she was just finishing cooking another large breakfast for her family. She always cooked a big Sunday morning breakfast, and her children and their partners came over for it whenever they could, which was most of the time.

“Good morning!” Hazel pushed open the back door, holding a basket under her arm. “I baked some mini blueberry muffins to go along with the meal.”

“They’re really good.” Samantha appeared behind her mother, grinning. “I ate one.”

“Sounds fantastic.” Vivian hugged Hazel and Samantha. “I’m so glad you’re both here. Why don’t you put that basket of muffins on the dining room table and then hang up your coats in the closet?”

“We’re lucky they’re not soggy!” Samantha called as she disappeared down the hallway. “It looks like it’s going to snow soon!”

Hazel chuckled. “I think she means the coats, not the muffins.” She looked around her mother’s kitchen with a smile.“You’ve really outdone yourself this week, Mom. Yogurt parfaits and ham and cheese skillets? It all smells incredible.”

“And I’ve got some cinnamon rolls just finishing baking in the oven.” Vivian’s eyes sparkled. “With your muffins, we’ll have plenty of food to go around.”

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