Christmas in the Alps

Prologue

Amelie stepped out onto the stone patio of the Napa Valley vineyard. The weight of the positive pregnancy test sat heavily at the bottom of her purse.

She had checked the plastic stick three times before leaving her apartment that afternoon.

The answer hadn’t changed any of those times. She was pregnant.

She was twenty-two years old and carrying Grant Carter’s baby. A baby he didn’t even know existed.

The irony was that Grant had never been some random fling or brief mistake. He had been her first love, her best friend, and the boy who had owned her heart since high school.

Two years older than her, Grant had enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduation and eventually earned a spot in BUD/S training on his way to becoming a Navy SEAL.

When Amelie graduated from high school and turned eighteen, Grant had already been assigned to an East Coast SEAL team. He had flown home for her graduation, and later that night, they had sat together beneath the stars talking about their future.

With Grant just beginning his career and Amelie preparing to go to design school, they had reluctantly agreed that the timing wasn’t right.

Neither of them wanted to hold the other back from chasing their dreams, so they had decided to cool their relationship and focus on building the futures they had both worked so hard for.

It had been the hardest decision Amelie had ever made because, despite everything, she had never stopped loving him.

She hadn’t seen Grant in person in nearly three years, mainly due to deployments and the grueling training schedules SEALs had. However, when schedules permitted, they managed to stay in touch by phone and text.

Then, two months ago, Grant had gotten leave and had come home for Christmas. And despite years of distance, they had fallen right back into each other as though no time had passed at all.

One stolen kiss beneath the mistletoe had shattered years of carefully maintained distance. It had led to an amazing night neither of them had planned—one filled with laughter, passion, and the rekindling of something they had both thought was lost.

Unfortunately, they never got the chance to talk about what that night might mean for their future.

Before the sun had fully risen the next morning, Grant had received an urgent call from his command.

Whatever had happened, it was serious enough that his leave was immediately cut short.

And Amelie had watched him board a plane to head back to the East Coast, wondering how long it would be before she saw him again.

Over the last two months, he had been radio silent, and she had debated sending him a message to ask what Christmas had meant to him.

But each time, she convinced herself not to.

If Grant hadn’t reached out, she had to believe there was a good reason, and the last thing she wanted was to distract him if he was somewhere dangerous.

But then, a few days ago, everything had changed when a missed period had led to the positive pregnancy test.

The moment those two pink lines appeared, every reason she’d had for staying silent disappeared, because Grant deserved to know.

Which was why she found herself standing at his brother’s wedding rehearsal, searching the crowd for the man who had no idea he was about to become a father.

The rehearsal had ended nearly fifteen minutes ago, and most of the guests had already drifted toward the small celebration being held for close friends and family.

Somewhere among them was Grant. She knew he was here because he had texted her the night before, saying he would be there and wanted to see her and talk.

It didn’t take her long to spot him near the ceremony arch, talking to his older brother, the groom. He looked so handsome dressed in khaki pants and a light blue button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone.

Grant had always been attractive, but becoming a Navy SEAL had somehow amplified everything.

The years in the military had changed him, sharpening the soft edges of the boy she had grown up with.

He was broader now, carrying himself with a quiet, steady authority that made the other men in the room seem small by comparison.

And yet, whenever she looked at him, she still saw the sixteen-year-old boy who had kissed her beneath the football stadium bleachers after homecoming. The boy had been her first love, and still her only one.

A small smile touched her lips as she watched him laugh at something his brother said.

Her hand drifted unconsciously to her stomach. Suddenly, the nerves she had managed to keep at bay the last few days came rushing back. She had no idea how Grant would react to the news that he was about to become a father, only that there was no backing out now.

She had rehearsed what she wanted to say.

The problem was that she had no idea how Grant would react. They weren’t even technically together. One amazing night didn’t erase years of distance, nor did it guarantee that he wanted the same future she secretly found herself wishing for.

More than once, she had imagined him breaking into a huge smile and spinning her around in his arms. Other times, he stared at her in stunned silence before dropping to his knees and pressing a kiss to her stomach.

Every version played out differently, but they all ended the same way, with him being happy.

God, she hoped he would be happy.

“Amelie?”

Startled, she looked up to find Grant’s mother smiling warmly at her.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Amelie forced a smile. “Sorry. I just needed some air.”

His mother stepped closer and squeezed her arm affectionately.

“Is everything okay, sweetie? You do look a little pale.”

No. I’m definitely not okay. I’m pregnant with your son’s baby.

“I’m good, Mrs. Carter. This last year of design school has been kicking my butt.”

The older woman smiled as if understanding.

“I remember those days. Well, don’t stay out here too long. The temperature is dropping, and I don’t want you to catch a cold. Besides, there are some people inside I want you to meet.”

Amelie smiled. She adored Grant’s parents. When she and Grant were dating, they treated her as part of their family. Even now, they still keep in touch.

“I’ll be in shortly,” Amelie told her.

They spoke for another minute until Mr. Carter came outside and pulled Mrs. Carter back to the party.

Once they disappeared through the doors, Amelie turned toward the ceremony arch, ready to talk to Grant. But when her gaze landed on the spot where he had been standing moments ago, it was empty. Both Grant and his brother were gone.

A small sigh escaped her. Knowing Grant would eventually make his way to the party, she decided to head inside and find him later when he wasn’t busy.

She opened her purse, intending to send him a quick text, but her phone wasn’t in the pocket she normally kept it in.

Frowning, she stopped and rummaged through her bag, but she couldn’t find it.

“Where the heck did I put it?” she muttered.

She mentally retraced her steps until the memory clicked into place. During the rehearsal, she had set her phone down on the bench when someone asked her to take a picture. Between the rehearsal ending and everyone moving toward the party, she had completely forgotten about it.

Feeling relieved, she turned and headed back toward the ceremony site.

Sure enough, her phone was sitting exactly where she had left it on the bench. She picked it up only to groan when the screen remained black. The battery had died.

She sighed and slipped the phone back into her purse. It wasn’t the end of the world. She knew Grant was somewhere inside. So, she would just find him at the party.

She turned and headed back toward the main building.

The vineyard had grown quieter now that most of the guests had moved indoors. The only sounds came from distant laughter and the soft rustling of leaves.

As she rounded the corner of the building, the sound of male voices drifted toward her, causing her to slow her steps.

As she got closer, she realized it was Grant and his brother. They were standing near the back entrance, partially hidden by a stone wall.

Neither of them had noticed her. She didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, so she hesitated and lingered where she was, intending to continue once there was a natural pause in the discussion.

Then Grant’s brother laughed, drawing her attention fully to what they were saying.

“I’m serious. Mom’s already placing bets on which son is next to get married. You or Pete.”

Grant snorted.

“I hope she didn’t put money on me because she would lose. Pete is definitely the safer pick.”

His brother laughed harder.

“Come on, man. Are you saying that you don’t want to get married?”

Grant let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his hand down his face. He leaned back against the stone wall.

“It’s not that,” Grant said.

“Then what is it?” his brother pressed.

There was a brief pause, making Amelie glance around the corner. She watched as Grant reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. It was something he did when he was frustrated.

“You know what my life looks like. I’m gone all the time. So, I just don’t exactly see how a wife and kids fit into any of that right now.”

Amelie’s breath caught as her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse.

“What if some girl showed up tomorrow and told you she was pregnant?”

Grant barked out a laugh.

“I’d lose my damn mind.”

The world seemed to grind to a sudden halt, freezing Amelie in place.

His brother chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m serious, Grant.”

“So, am I,” Grant replied. “Having a kid right now would be a disaster.”

The words knocked the wind right out of her, leaving a cold, hollow ache in her chest.

Having a kid right now would be a disaster.

She pressed her hand against her stomach, which was hiding the tiny secret growing inside her. The child they had made together, which he had just called a disaster.

A painful ache spread through her chest as the reality of what she had heard settled over her.

Of course, he didn’t want this. Why would he?

He was a Navy SEAL with his entire future ahead of him.

His career was taking off. His life was moving forward exactly as he’d always dreamed.

And now she was standing here carrying a child that would change everything, realizing she may have been the only one who had started imagining a future for the three of them.

She blinked rapidly against the tears threatening to fall. She couldn’t stand there another second.

Before either man noticed her, Amelie quietly stepped away from the corner and began walking in the opposite direction.

By the time she reached the parking lot, tears had blurred her vision so badly that she could barely see. Her hands shook as she dug through her purse for her keys. Finally, she found them and unlocked the car.

The moment she got in and closed the door, the first tear slipped down her cheek. She sat there gripping the steering while Grant’s words played on a relentless loop inside her head.

Wiping her eyes, Amelie started the car and drove away.

Her heart may have been breaking, but one thing remained certain.

No matter what happened next, she would love this baby.

No matter how difficult the road ahead became, she would choose this child every single time, even if she had to do it alone.

◆◆◆

If Amelie had lingered for even thirty more seconds, everything might have been different.

She never heard the rest of the conversation.

She never heard Grant admit that the only woman he had ever wanted a future with was her.

She didn’t hear him laugh softly and tell his brother that if that hypothetical woman happened to be Amelie, he would marry her before the week was over.

And she never heard the words that would have changed everything—she was still the only woman he had ever truly loved.