The Christmas Baby Surprise by Shirley Jump

Author:Shirley Jump
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

THE FOUR OF them sat around the long dining room table, helping themselves to big slices of chicken potpie and generous bowls of tossed salad. Carol had brought home a loaf of bread from the bakery in town, which served as the perfect complement to the meal. Cole sat beside Joe, across from Emily and Carol in a warm and cozy room filled with great scents, great food and great people.

This, he thought, this is what home feels like.

Was that what he and Emily had missed? Had they been so fixated on getting from A to B that they had missed that critical step of building a home, not just a house?

Or rather, had he? Emily had asked him to be home more often, and he’d promised over and over to do that, only to spend his time at work instead. Then they’d built that house on the hill, and despite the fact that it had a table in the kitchen, a handcrafted one in the dining room and another outdoor eating space, they rarely ate together. Most nights, she had been asleep before he got home, and then he was gone again before she was awake.

“Great job, Emily.” Carol gestured toward the chicken potpie. “Maybe I should hire you on as a chef.”

Emily laughed. Cole liked it when she laughed, because her face and eyes lit up, and the whole room felt lighter. “I am far from being a chef. Cole’s the one who mastered the piecrust. I just read the directions.”

“You did more than that, Emily,” Cole said. “You taught me how to chop an onion, too.”

She dipped her head, a flush shading her cheeks. “I just told you it didn’t have to be all perfect.”

Joe looked from Cole to Emily and back again. “You got this guy to loosen the reins a little? What’d you do, drug him?”

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Cole said.

“Right. You are the only man I know who had a typewritten itinerary for your own bachelor party.” Joe chuckled.

Cole scowled. “I like to be organized. So sue me.”

Joe leaned toward Emily with a conspiratorial grin. He cupped his hand around his mouth, mocking a whisper. “If you want to drive Cole crazy, just hide his lists and his planners.”

“First I’d have to pry his smartphone out of his hands,” Emily said, laughter in her voice. “And that’s almost impossible.”

Cole unclipped the phone and slid it across the table toward Emily. “Hey, I can disconnect the umbilical.”

Joe scoffed. “That’s not a challenge. It’s already after five.”

The cell phone sat on the table, one of the things that had built his company to its current position at the top, but also one of the things that had dragged his marriage to the bottom. That was one of the hazards of always being available—it was good for business, but bad for a relationship.

Emily glanced at his phone, then slid it back. “I don’t need it. I’m just glad you’re getting some time away from the office here.

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