Page 16 of Cozy After Snow

I find her curled up on the couch with a pillow behind her head and a knitted blanket tucked under her chin. Her face is obscured by her long, dark hair, and I can hear the faint snore.

She is out.

I set my bag on the kitchen island before I quietly make my way to her side.

Leaning down, I brush a lock from her face and lay a kiss on her forehead.

She smiles in her sleep, and I swear it’s the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.

I kiss her again, this time moving down to the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes blink open.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Hey.”

She smiles at me for a few more beats before her eyes widen and she sits straight up.

“You’re home. Oh my goodness, I must have fallen asleep hard. What time is it?”

“A little past nine,” I answer.

“Nine!” she shouts, jolting up to her feet.

I watch her fidget for a moment, amused.

“Corbin,” she begins, her voice trembling with nerves.

I stand and wait, her big brown eyes meeting mine, and I smile, trying to gauge what has her on edge.

Is it the fire?

“I have something to tell you,” she continues.

“Okay.”

I take a seat on the sofa as she paces in front of me.

“Baby, whatever it is, just spill it, and we’ll work through it,” I say.

She stops mid-stride and looks at me. Fear is written all over her.

What the hell is wrong?

Fighting the urge to reach out and pull her to me, I wait silently for her to start talking, and when she finally does, it knocks me for a loop.

“I … I’m pregnant.”

Her whispered words hang in the air as a range of emotions hit me all at once. Surprise, disbelief, and then an overwhelming sense of wonder and joy.

“Pregnant?” I repeat.

She nods.

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” she mutters.