31
EMBER
My hand found only empty sheets when I woke and stretched, still warm from where Nate had been lying beside me.
I rolled onto my side, my hand settling on the swell of my stomach where our baby was making its presence known this morning by kicking my ribs.
It made me smile to think of one day very soon waking to soft cries instead of having my insides being turned to burger.
The bedroom had changed over the past month.
My clothes now hung in the closet beside Nate's suits while my books crowded the nightstand.
And the dresser held framed photos of us together at the tree lighting ceremony, both of us smiling despite everything we had endured to get there.
I had officially moved in, though my belongings had been gradually migrating here since Thanksgiving.
I stretched carefully, my back aching from the weight I now carried, though I was glad to be past the worst of the morning sickness.
Life felt good, finally, after months of stress and worry over things that never should've happened, and I found myself content.
Though today promised to be a little nerve-racking with Nate's parents coming for lunch. I still hadn't managed to fully win his father over.
But the Hearthkeeper duties had ended and my temporary leave from work would end on January second.
But I'd decided I wanted to finish my degree in human resources.
I wanted to build a career that was mine, and Nate had already filled out the referral for me to the medical system's tuition reimbursement program.
Things were clicking into place so easily now, it made the past few months feel like a nightmare.
The bedroom door opened, and Nate entered carrying a tray, wearing pajama pants and a white T-shirt, his silver hair still mussed from sleep.
Steam rose from two mugs on the tray, and I caught the scent of hot chocolate and groaned as my belly growled.
"Good morning," he said, setting the tray on the dresser.
He leaned down to kiss my forehead, and I got a whiff of his cologne from last night and remembered how incredible hemade me feel. "I thought you might want to sleep in, but then I couldn’t wait to wake you."
"I am not very good at sleeping late anymore, anyway." I sat up against the headboard, accepting the mug he handed me. "The baby's decided that six in the morning is the perfect time to practice gymnastics."
He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on my stomach. "Can you feel him moving right now?"
"Wait a moment." I held still, and then came the familiar flutter. "There."
His face lit up with wonder. "I felt it that time."
His hand stayed pressed against my bump as Baby Bradley rolled around and kicked, and I took the moment to sip the cocoa Nate had filled with almost too many marshmallows.
The moment felt suspended in time, perfect and peaceful in a way I hadn't thought possible months ago.
Nate stared at me for a long moment with a dumb smile on his face, sort of crooked but also misty-eyed.
"What?" I said, chuckling. He looked star-struck.
"I've been waiting for the right moment to do this, and I thought about this evening. But I realized there will never be a more perfect time than right now."
He pulled small velvet box out of the nightstand drawer and opened it.
