Page 7 of Finding Happily Ever After

“I won’t start any treatments until Cole is home and out of the woods.”

Hope’s vehement response took Steph off guard. That hadn’t been the plan. Hope was diagnosed with uterine cancer prior to getting pregnant with Cole. The pregnancy had been a decision Hope and her husband Levi had made along with the blessing of Hope’s doctor as long as the cancer stayed undercontrol.Which it had, with the help of some low-dose hormones and then the pregnancy itself. But the plan had always been for Hope to start treatment immediately upon the birth of the baby. She would have surgery, followed by some drug treatment just to be sure the cancer was gone. She had a very good prognosis for a long and healthy life.Ifshe went ahead with the treatment as soon as possible.

“But you need to—”

“Make sure my baby is okay.” Hope pressed her lips together in a hard line. “That is my only job right now. End of story.”

It wasn’t hard to see that Hope wasn’t leaving much room for discussion or debate on the issue, but still, Steph couldn’t help herself. “But, Hope, if you aren’t—”

A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Steph turned to see Levi, the proud new father. The look in his eyes told Steph all she needed to know about pushing the issue. She closed her mouth. For now.

“How are you doing today, Daddy?” Steph threw her arms around him and squeezed. “Things have been pretty crazy. Have you gotten any sleep since I last saw you?”

The night the baby had been born, Stephanie was in the city with her friend Bella Burton, who also happened to be her co-star in the upcoming filmBombshellthat was set to be a mega hit. They’d been performing in a showcase of songs for the new movie as a publicity event. Steph had used her helicopter to fly out Bella’s now-fiancée Jeremy, who’d been injured in an accident earlier in the day at a fire he was fighting. So when the news came in about the baby, Steph hadn’t hesitated to jump on the helicopter and fly back to Glacier Falls to be with her family.

There were some definite perks to being insanely wealthy.

But all the money in the world couldn’t have made Cole breathe on his own, and when the baby had been moved to the hospital, Steph, along with everyone, hadn’t been able to visit right away. She’d stayed for a day and then had to head back to the city to take care of some business. But now, she was back and ready to shower her new nephew with all the love and gifts she could before once more returning to work.

“I’ve definitely got a few more hours than Mama.” Levi kissed his wife on the cheek lovingly and smoothed back her hair. He looked at Hope with love and worry. Definitely there was concern in his face as he watched her. “Did you get a nap in, Hope?”

She shook her head and kept her gaze focused on the baby. “Can you just move me a bit…”

Automatically, Levi moved the wheelchair closer to the bassinet, and Hope reached inside. She stroked the tiny hand with one finger and shifted so baby Cole had his tiny fingers wrapped around hers.

Something in Steph’s chest clenched at the picture in front of her. When she looked to Hope, she saw one single tear slip down her cheek, but her face was set in a mask of resolution. Steph had no doubt that her sister wouldwillthe baby healthy, if that’s what it took.

“How long are you here for, Steph?” Levi asked. “And where are you staying?” he added as an afterthought. Steph had been staying at the Ever After Ranch with all of them, but with the new baby now, things were about to get crowded and a lot more hectic.

“I’m staying at ElkView Ridge,” she said. “In Damon and Katie’s guest house.”

“That sounds like a great solution. I heard they moved into the main house when Damon’s dad moved into the nursing home, which means …”

“The guest house is empty,” Steph finished. “I would have grabbed a room at the Big Rock Inn. But the fire kind of took care of that plan.”

“Wow.” Levi shook his head. “Did it ever. Does anyone know what caused the fire yet?”

Steph shook her head. “Jeremy said the inspector is thinking it was old wiring, but there’s nothing official yet.”

“Well, we’re just all glad everyone was okay. Especially Jeremy. What a hero he was.”

Steph nodded. “And Natalie. And then…”

“I owe her everything.” Hope’s voice was low, and she never looked away from Cole. “If she hadn’t…”

“It’s okay, babe.” Levi put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “But she was there, and Cole is going to be fine. We’reallgoing to be just fine.”

Steph’s heart squeezed for the new family. They had so much to go through in such a short time—with Hope’s illness and Cole’s rocky start in the world. It wasn’t what either of them had imagined when they’d fallen in love as teenagers. But they were strong. They’d be okay. And Steph would do absolutely everything in her power to make sure of it.

Steph only had a few more days before she’d have to head back to the city and prepare to go to Los Angeles to start shootingBombshell. As excited as she was to get back to filming, which was something she absolutely loved, she was also sad to leave Glacier Falls, the town she’d learned to call home in the last few months since stumbling upon it when she was planning her own wedding. The fact that she’d never actually married Dax Combs was only a minor detail that she hardly even thought about anymore, especially because although she’d lost that relationship, she’d gained the relationship of the half-sisters she didn’t even know she had, and the massive extended family that she’d inherited along with Hope and Faith.

But Steph still had a few days before she had to get back to work, which was perfect because as well as her movie projects, she’d also recently branched out into a brand-new venture.

Carefully, on the snow-packed roads, Steph navigated her four-wheel drive SUV down the windy road off the highway and pulled up to her latest project and the one that, even though she’d barely started on it, filled her heart with happiness.

Lynx Creek.

The collection of cabins nestled into the trees in the bend of the river, just outside of town limits, used to be an old fishing camp. All but one of the cabins, and the main lodge itself, were in desperate need of repair. She’d hoped that she’d be able to live out at Lynx Creek while the renovations were underway, but that plan, ambitious on its own, was thrown for loop when baby Cole came early. The cabins were far from ready. And with the snow expected to stay at least a few more weeks, she was better off staying with Damon and Katie Banks whenever she was in town for the next few months. And depending on her shooting schedule and how smoothly it all went, she couldn’t be sure how much that would be.

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