Page 23 of I Still Do

Cora chuckled as she lifted Emma onto her lap. The little girl leaned into her chest and popped a thumb into her mouth, effectively melting Cora’s heart.

The back door opened and banged shut. The sound of deep voices preceded the men into the living room. Between the two of them, they carried enough wood to keep the fire stoked for at least the first half of the day.

Grey took his gloves off and set them on the hearth. When he turned, he regarded Cora and Emma with a mixture of curiosity and something else Cora couldn’t quite identify. She offered him a small smile before turning her attention back to the little one on her lap.

She’d always liked children, she just hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to interact with them in the past. Helping them in the ER was rewarding, but they were often either too scared or too sick to really relax.

This was different, and it was impossible to not think about the baby she and Grey lost. She would’ve spent hours holding, feeding, and consoling their child.

She took in Emma’s pretty eyes and silky hair and wondered what their baby would’ve looked like.

Cora had to shove those thoughts away before her emotions got the best of her. The last thing she needed to do was look sad in front of everyone else and have to come up with some alternative reason for how she was reacting.

Abby’s voice brought Cora out of her own mind.

“What’s that for?”

Cora looked up to find Dare still holding onto a piece of wood he’d found outside.

“I figured I may as well take advantage of all the time we’ll have today and carve something.” Dare sat down on the hearth.

Cora forgot until then that he used to carve things all the time when she and Grey were married. He was actually quite good. The most impressive thing she could remember was when he turned a thick piece of wood into a fish. He later hung it up on the wall and joked that it was the only one he’d caught that weekend.

Grey pointed toward the kitchen. “You’d better find something to catch the shavings or Mom will not be happy.”

“You make a valid point.” Dare set the piece of wood on the ground and went in search of something he could use.

Apparently, Emma got her second wind. She climbed out of Cora’s lap and ran toward Flynn and Zac who were coming down the stairs. Flynn swung her into his arms and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Cora missed holding the little girl as soon as her arms were empty.

Grey was watching her again, and this time there was no missing the longing in his eyes. She knew, because she felt it, too. Unexpected tears clogged her throat and she stood to her feet. “I’m going to go see what I can find for breakfast. I’ll be back in a moment.”

~*~

When Grey entered the living room and found Cora holding Emma, everything about the scene had his heart twisting painfully in his chest. He’d wanted this with Cora from the very beginning: Children. A family. Watching her hold Emma was both difficult and sweet all rolled into one.

It only took a moment after she excused herself from the room for Grey to decide to follow her. The air was noticeably chillier as he walked away from the fireplace and ventured into the kitchen. She’d gotten a napkin but was just staring at the variety of pastries Mom had set out on the bar.

“It’s a hard choice, isn’t it?” Grey moved to stand beside her. “Grandpa always loved the food during these trips. He sure thought of everything when he reserved this place.”

Cora turned her head to look at him. There was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Our mess aside, your mom seems thrilled about this weekend.”

Grey nodded and lowered his voice. “It’s been hard on her and Flynn. The family business was something Grandpa had overseen, and I think there are those reminders everywhere. For better or worse, I think they both needed to get away.” He finally chose a glazed donut with what looked like cream frosting inside and took a bite. The sugary pastry nearly melted in his mouth.

She picked out a bear claw with apple cinnamon and put it on her napkin. “I wish family didn’t have to be so complicated.”

He moved to lean against one of the counters and was happy when she joined him. “I guess it’s never easy, whether you’re talking about a family of two, or the entire extended family.” They’d certainly found that out first-hand.

“Grey? Did we give up too easily?”

He was in the middle of a bite and her question had him coughing through it. He looked at her to find she was completely serious, her hazel eyes vulnerable as she watched him and waited for an answer.

Grey let her question sink in and was about to say something when Dare walked in.

“Oh, good. I’m glad there are some of the apple cinnamon ones left.” He snatched a bear claw and then gave Cora a nod of approval. “Good choice.” He took a large bite.

Cora lifted her own in agreement. “Absolutely. Maybe we should hide the rest for tomorrow morning.” She smiled at Dare and avoided looking at Grey completely.

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