Page 19 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

Nick shook off his jacket. “I didn’t know I was reporting her milestones to you now.”

Steph jerked her head up and stared open-mouthed, but her friend laughed.

“Kidding,” Nick said. “It just kind of happened in the last few days. She was so fussy and then, boom. New tooth.”

“No way,” Steph said in a sweet voice as she focused on the baby. “You would never be fussy. You’re way too sweet for that.”

“Ha.” Nick opened the cabin door and held it for Steph and the baby. “Tell that to her mother, who was up all night with her while I was in the city. I thought maybe Char would be too tired to want to come up here today after such a late night, but if there’s one thing that woman loves more than us, it’s design.”

“And she’s damn good at it. Design, I mean.” Steph laughed and added, “I mean, she’s pretty good at loving you guys, too.”

But Charlottewasgood at design.Reallygood. She’d designed all of the cabins at Lynx Creek. Each one was different from the other, but all equally beautiful, cozy and inviting.

“She’s dedicated, too,” Nick said. “It’s practically a monsoon out there, but she insisted on coming up to put the finishing touches on that fishing cabin she’s been working on.”

The fishing cabin was the last one to be completed. Steph wasn’t sure how she’d like it, but Char had managed to merge some antique fishing rods and baskets with modern touches, and to her surprise, Stephanie really liked it. She also secretly hoped Travis would like it, too. He had memories of fishing at Lynx Creek with his grandfather when he was younger. “She really is,” Stephanie agreed. “And honestly, I’m kind of surprised that she’s not more bothered by being up here after what happened.”

What she didn’t add was that she herself was bothered by being there, and it was Charlotte who’d been through hell, not her.

Nick grinned, clearly proud of his wife. “She’s pretty amazing,” he said. “And honestly, we had some big conversations about it. That woman really surprises me.”

Stephanie could see the love her friend had for his wife and it made her both happy and, surprisingly, a little jealous.

“Well, I know I’m impressed.” Stephanie shed Amelia of her coat and set her on the floor with a toy, but the little girl was far more interested in Tink, who wasn’t quite sure what to make of the baby. Steph settled onto the floor between the puppy and the baby to facilitate an introduction while Nick flopped onto the couch. “Travis, huh?”

She looked up at her friend. “As in, Travis’s dog? Yes.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Steph tilted her head and raised a brow before turning back to Amelia, who squealed in delight with Tink’s fluffy fur in her fist. The puppy had decided that the baby wasn’t so bad, and had flopped to her back, seemingly enjoying the attention.

“Come on, Steph. You know I just want you to be happy.”

She did know that. She and Nick had formed a fast friendship the first time he’d arrived in town for his buddy Damon’s wedding. For a brief moment in time, Steph had thought the two of them might become more than friends, but it wasn’t meant to be. When Nick became a single father very unexpectedly and suddenly, their friendship had only grown stronger. It made her heart swell to see her friend so happily in love with Charlotte and their growing family, but if she was being perfectly honest, it stung a little, too. He was just one more of her friends who reminded her of what she wanted, and didn’t have.

“I’m not going to be happy with Travis,” she told him. “So don’t bother going there.”

“Why not?” Nick crossed his leg over his knee. “From what I see, he’s pretty into you.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “And what exactly have you seen? Because it’s not what I see.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

Her face reddened and she looked down, busying herself with the baby. After a moment, she looked up at Nick, who was patiently watching her. “He’s not into me like that.” The fight was gone from her voice, leaving only resignation. “So it doesn’t really matter what I think.”

Nick slipped off the couch and onto the floor across from her, using the couch as a back rest. “And how is he into you?”

It would feel good to confide in Nick. To tell him how drawn to Travis she was despite the fact that she knew he wasn’t good for her, or couldn’t possibly give her what she so badly craved. Arealrelationship. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked at her friend. “Do you think if it wasn’t for Amelia coming into your life, that you might not have ever settled down?”

After designing and selling some sort of microchip with Damon Banks and becoming a billionaire, Nick had turned into a party boy. The idea of him ever having a wife and child, with another on the way, was the furthest thing from his mind less than a year ago.

Nick took a moment to consider the question and after a while, he rolled his neck and sighed. “Truth?”

She nodded.

“I’d like to say yes.” He spoke slowly. “But I don’t know if that’s the truth.”

Steph bit her bottom lip and stroked Amelia’s hair.

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