"Good day," Brian said, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Great day."
"You barely touched your champagne."
She turned in his arms to face him. "I noticed you noticing."
"I notice everything about you." His eyes searched her face. "You going to tell me what's going on, or do I have to guess?"
"Depends. How good are you at guessing?"
He was quiet for a moment. She watched the pieces click into place. The untouched champagne. The fatigue. The way she'd been pressing her hand to her stomach all day without realizing it.
"Tessa." His voice was barely a whisper. "Are you pregnant?"
She nodded, tears spilling over before she could stop them. "Eight weeks. I wanted to wait until today to tell you. I wanted it to be special."
He didn't say anything. Just stared at her, his face cycling through emotions too fast to track. Shock. Disbelief. Joy. Terror. More joy.
"We're having a baby," he said.
"We're having a baby."
He kissed her. Deep and fierce and full of everything he couldn't put into words. When he pulled back, his eyes were wet.
"I don't know how to be a father," he said. "I don't know if I'll be any good at it."
"You'll be amazing." She touched his face. "You're already the best man I know. This is just one more thing you'll figure out."
"Together?"
"Together. Always."
They stood in the kitchen, holding each other, the last light of sunset streaming through the windows. Outside, the bay stretched toward the horizon, calm and endless. The copper moon was rising, painting the water in shades of amber and gold.
A year ago, Tessa had arrived in Copper Moon broken and afraid, running from a life that had nearly destroyed her. She'd found a grumpy stranger in a double-booked cottage, a community that refused to let her be alone, and a love she hadn't known she was looking for.
Now she had a home. A husband. A family growing inside her.
And a future bright enough to outshine any darkness in her past.
"I love you," Brian said against her hair.
"I love you too."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For showing up. For staying. For giving me a reason to stop running."
She smiled, thinking of that first night, the irritation on his face as she stood in his entry way, him in a towel, the coffee she’d moved which irritated him. How far they'd come from those two stubborn strangers who couldn't stand to be in the same room.
"You stopped running on your own," she said. "I just refused to let you run alone."
He laughed, low and warm. "Same thing."
"Not even close."
