Chapter 2
Karen
The tip of Dandelion Fluff’s tail quivered a second before the white cat pounced. Tyler’s shriek of laughter echoed in the living room where Finn was entertaining the little guy with help from Dandy.
Her heart pounded in her throat as Karen turned half her attention on the action in the kitchen and half on the man she loved more than anything as he picked up his nephew and flipped Tyler upside down, the two of them laughing like hyenas.
Finn always has loved kids.
“Hey, Auntie Karen, we’re ready for you.”
Karen turned to smile at her oldest niece. “You sure about that, Sasha?”
“We figured out the lighting problem. Plus, Jinx and Sasha hung a blanket so we have a plain background.” Tamara stepped away from the phone attached to the tripod, gesturing Karen into position. “If you do the honours, Caleb and I will people wrangle.”
“Excellent. I’m all wrangled out after this week,” Karen informed her sister.
“Lots of visitors?”
“For the last week of February, I expected a lull. Nope—we had seven out of eight cabins filled.”
“Nice.”
“Even nicer, they all went home this afternoon, happy and contented.” Karen gestured to the box. “Take your places.”
It was a fascinating idea. One at a time, starting with the girls, each person leaned over the table and poked their head through the box. Tamara helped adjust their hair or the props they held, while Caleb joined Karen and coordinated from there.
“Look up here,” Caleb ordered Emma, lifting his hand above his head.
Emma’s blonde curls bounced as she tilted her head and raised the wand she’d decided to hold. “Does it look as if I’m casting a spell?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Karen said. “I can picture Petra photoshopping in a spark shooting from the tip of your wand.”
“Perfect.” Emma adjusted position a few times then gave up the box.
Each person had their own twist they wanted to add to the picture. Tyler wanted to ride the hobbyhorse Finn had made for him to play with at their house.
And he wanted to wear Caleb’s cowboy hat.
“It’s too big for you,” Caleb told him gently.
“I know.” Tyler jammed it on his head anyway and crawled into the box.
Caleb exchanged a glance with Tamara, who shrugged. “It’s for fun, so why not?” she tossed back.
Karen barely kept from laughing as Tyler poked his head out, nothing but his mouth visible under his daddy’s hat.
“Hey, Ty. Got an idea. Kneel on the table.” She marched forward and rearranged the hobby horse so it looked as if it was exploding out of the box. “You might want to stay close in case things tip over,” she told Tamara.
“Can do. I see what you’re doing.” Tamara tapped her son on the nose. “Lean out of the box, and I’ll get that hat settled so we can see your smile.”
In the end, it took a piece of rope and Caleb standing on the table so he could hold his son in mid-air, but the final picture had a happy Tyler riding his hobby horse right out of the box.
Sasha was easier—she rested her chin on her left fist and hung her right hand out of the box, fingers curled into a C. Her best friend, Jinx, did the opposite, so when they lined the pictures up next to each other, their hands formed a heart.
“That’s cute,” Karen said. She eyed Jinx for a moment before leaning past her niece and whispering in her ear, “Is there something going on with you two? Because you make a cute couple.”
Sasha snorted. “Besties, that’s all. I’m definitely into guys, and Jinx is not into anyone right now.”
“Fair enough.”
By the time Caleb and Tamara were done, and Karen and Finn had their turns, Karen’s cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
“I’ll clean up the pictures then send them to you guys for final approval. I figured we could send Petra two or three and she can use what works best,” Karen offered.
“Sounds great.” Tamara hugged her tight. “See you…next week? Girl’s night out at my place. We’re making perogies for everyone who wants them. Plus, relaxing and chatting, of course.”
“I’ll be there.”
Multiple hugs and kisses followed from Sasha, Emma, and Tyler. Jinx gave a wave, then the whole group slipped out into the darkness of the March evening.
“The house is always shockingly quiet after your sisters and their entourages leave.” Finn caught Karen by the hand and guided her into the living room. Instead of the two easy chairs that they usually used, he headed to the couch, sitting in the corner and taking her down beside him.
Exactly what she needed. Karen settled in, leaning her back against his chest so she could stare out at the lights twinkling on the temporarily empty guest cabins. “I kind of like the noise.”
“We both do, but it's nice to say goodnight to them and get to have our own quiet place back.” He brushed his lips against her temple. “You’re really good at spending time with your sisters and then not spending time with them.”
Which was maybe a strange comment, but she understood. “We love each other very much, but we also want to live our own lives.”
“You manage it well,” Finn said. “It's clear that you enjoy each other’s company, but I don't see it as if it's out of control or something hanging over your head that you feel obligated to do. Like you didn’t have to have Julia and Lisa here as well as Tamara’s group.”
“Adding in Julia and Lisa and everyone they own makes it a horde gathering. We save those for special occasions.”
He laughed. “Like every other week.”
Yeah, he was kind of right. Still… “The fact that Julia lives across the yard and works with me every day—I guess it's kind of the same as when I lived at home and Lisa was there.” It really had never hit her before. “You know what? I have never really worked anywhere without having family around.”
“That's pretty neat.”
They sat quietly for a minute, but not in silence. The fire crackled, and from the spot where he’d curled up in the crook of her leg, Dandelion Fluff purred loudly enough he sounded like a miniature motor.
How exactly did she go about saying what she needed to tell him? Her news was big and important and yet so very ordinary.
Just tell him.
“Hey, Finn?”
Another soft kiss to her temple. “Yeah?”
The words slipped out. “I'm pregnant.”
Behind her, every muscle in his body turned to stone. His hands on her shoulders tightened and he twisted her to face him.
His eyes flitted over her as if he couldn't believe his ears. “What did you say?”
Maybe she’d had no words before, but all of them spilled out now like the flood gates had opened.
“I know when nothing was happening baby-wise, we did all those tests, and nothing conclusive showed up. And I know we had a conversation about how maybe it just wasn't meant to be. I mean, I’m thirty-seven—”
Finn’s mouth hung open, but there was a far too serious look in his eyes for the miracle announcement she’d just shared. “I won’t ask you if you're sure. But…”
“I’m sure. I’ve been waiting just in case, so I’m almost eight weeks along.
” She swallowed hard, brushing her fingers over the furrow that had appeared between his brows.
“I wasn't trying to keep it secret, but I just didn't dare hope at the start. Then I felt like I needed to wait a little longer, but I feel good. Different—very different—but good.”
“Oh my God.” Finn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her tight. He pressed her head to his chest, locking her in place. Under her ear, his heart was a horse galloping around the arena.
She got it. She’d had eight weeks to untangle it and still felt like it wasn’t real. He was in the first moments of dealing with the entire mental change, and if he needed to hold her for the rest of the night, she would have understood.
When he finally let her up, he shook his head slightly. “Sorry if I screw this up. I’m excited but also scared to death.”
Exactly what she was dealing with. “Trust me, I get it.”
Finn caught her hands in his, linking their fingers together. “I'm going to trust that everything goes smoothly. I'm going to trust that you stay safe. But I also know I'm going to have nightmares.”
“We can’t do anything but hope right now,” Karen pointed out.
“I’m hoping like crazy,” Finn said. “But I’m worried, too. I don’t want you to be hurt. Not physically, but not emotionally either. I know how hard it’s been. When things weren’t happening.”
Karen nodded slowly. “When we didn’t think we could have kids, we said that we’d be okay.
Sad, but okay. That you and I were enough, and that’s still true.
If everything goes well, we’ll welcome another family member into our lives and do everything we can to enjoy every minute of it.
” She took a deep breath. “And if it still ends up that it’s just you and me, we will be enough. I mean that. I love you so much.”
“So just take it one day at a time?” Finn eyed her. “And see a doctor ASAP…”
“Yes.” She nodded decisively. “We’ll make an appointment tomorrow. I know we’re still going to hold our breaths for a few weeks until we’re…sure.”
“But we’ll do it together,” Finn promised. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too.” No matter how big her happiness inside was, it still came out a whisper.
And that was okay. Sometimes hope and excitement were a quiet wind blowing on a cold, moonlit night.