Her smile faltered at the reminder of how far away he was from her. In geographical terms, five hundred miles wasn’t that much. It was drivable in a day, after all. Flight times were less than two hours.
But it wasn’t just the distance. It was the difference in their lifestyles. She was up early, tending to the livestock and working on the farm. He worked late – long after midnight. Some days he was climbing into bed around the time that she was taking her morning shower.
And she couldn’t see how to bridge the gap between them.
Yeah, the sex was hot. And they were both determined to make things easy between them so the baby could see both of its parents. But it wasn’t going to be a breeze. Not by a long shot.
Giving birth sounded simple compared to the aftermath.
“So, I called to ask you a question,” he said, his deep voice cutting through her thoughts.
She let out a lungful of air and let the smile return to her lips. “Okay. Shoot.”
“What are you doing on Christmas Eve?”
“Um, nothing really. I go to church on Christmas Day so I’m usually in bed by ten the night before. Why do you ask?”
“My family are all getting together at my brother’s place. Everybody will be there. I thought it might be a good time for you to meet them all. Only if you want to, of course. No pressure.”
“Are you sure they want me there? I’m not really family.”
“Of course you are.” His voice was firm. “You’re having my baby. That makes us family. And I want you there.”
The familiar warmth washed over her. “Then I’d like to come. Which brother’s house?”
“Gray. He has the biggest house, though Tanner’s is pretty huge, too.”
“And will Cam be there?” She felt strange at the thought of meeting him. From the photographs Logan had shown her, the two of them were virtually doubles, though you could tell them apart from their hairstyles and the clothes they wore. Logan was always slick and sophisticated, where Cam was casual.
But it wasn’t the similarity that made her hesitate. It was the fact they were so close. For a while, they’d both had the same dream of playing in the NFL. And even now they lived in the same city.
Cam was important to Logan. All his family were. And that made their opinions matter. Would they think less of her for getting pregnant?
“Maddie specifically asked me to invite you,” Logan said, as though he could read her thoughts. “She’s looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Did she tell you we bumped into each other? She’s so sweet. She messaged me to suggest we go shopping after Christmas and start up a registry for the baby.” She smiled at the thought. “I guess we’ll need to get two of everything, since you’ll have him or her some nights.”
“Yeah, I guess.” His voice sounded a little strange. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“We have plenty of time.” Was it weird she wanted to reassure him. He was so naturally confident and calm that she didn’t like hearing the hesitation in his voice.
“We do. And I’ll be able to concentrate on things more once the new restaurant opens.”
“When are you planning on opening it?” she asked him.
“It’s due to be ready late January, if all goes to plan.”
“Not long then.” No wonder he sounded so harassed. “How many restaurants will you have?”
“This is our fourth. The plan was always to have five in the city and surrounding areas, then look at expanding in the east. New York, Washington D.C., possibly further south.”
She tried to imagine him running this empire he was creating with a baby in his arms, but it was impossible. She’d already begun to think about how she would juggle working on the farm and taking care of their child. It wouldn’t be easy, but compared to his life it was a piece of cake.
“Sounds demanding.”
He chuckled. “You could say that.” She could hear the murmur of another voice. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll pick you up at seven on Christmas Eve if that works?”
“Sounds perfect, thank you.”
“Everything else okay?” he asked, as though he wasn’t quite ready to hang up.
“Everything’s fine,” she said, her voice teasing. “Now go and sort out your restaurants.”
“I’ll talk to you soon. Take care.”
He ended the call and she put the phone back on the counter, running her finger along her bottom lip. Why was it that everything seemed so easy when it was just the two of them?
And why was it that everything else – his work, her in-laws, the distance between them – seemed so damn complicated?
Add in a baby, and they were asking for trouble.
“He wants you to meet his family on Christmas Eve? That’s intense. Are you ready for it?” Lifting a handful of Courtney’s curls, she inspected them closely. “You need to condition these before you go.” She sighed. “Dammit, if you would’ve told me I could have booked you in for a blow out, but we’re completely full. Maybe I can arrange for somebody to lock Mrs. Fairfax in her house…”
“Stop it.” Courtney laughed. “I don’t need another blow out. You made me come in last week, remember? And it’s just a casual thing. That’s what Logan says. Jeans and sweaters and old Christmas movies.”
Lainey pressed her lips together, her eyes scanning Courtney’s face.
“What?” Courtney asked, wrinkling her nose at the scrutiny. Lainey had stopped in on her way home from the salon, after another late night teasing and primping the good folk of Hartson’s Creek. When Courtney had opened the front door to her, a single snowflake had fallen to her feet, its journey so gentle that at first she’d thought it was a feather.
She and Ellis had spent the day changing the animals’ beds in the barns and coops, making sure they were warm enough for the forecasted snow storm. It was only supposed to last for one day, according to the
