Chapter 29
Chapter 29
R achel slept through most of the flight home, and when they landed at JFK, Scott quickly collected their luggage and hailed a cab, settling her in the backseat where she dozed off again.
When they got home he made sure she was settled on the couch with a hot cup of cider and dumped the suitcases in a corner. They could unpack tomorrow or the next day. He didn’t see any reason to rush.
Their Christmas tree was all set up in the corner of the living room, and he plugged in the lights, bathing the living room in a soft glow. Scott sat down next to Rachel, and she snuggled into him. She was still admiring the way the stones in her ring sparkled, and he laced his fingers through hers, admiring the stones too. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect,” she whispered, leaning back into him. They sat still for a moment, admiring the tree.
Finally, Rachel broke the silence. “Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?”
“I don’t care,” Scott said after a moment’s thought. “You?”
She shook her head. “I’m happy with either one,” she said. Then after another moment, she said, “Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“When we’re getting ready for the baby—fixing the nursery, whatever…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t try to make it perfect, okay?” She rubbed her stomach, smiling a little. “Let’s just enjoy these moments together and not worry about how they happen.”
“You got it.” Scott kissed her. “Merry Christmas, my amazing wife-to-be, who wishes for imperfect but totally real and romantic moments.”
Rachel smiled. “Merry Christmas, my amazing husband-to-be who will never stop trying.”
After a few moments, Scott could tell by her breathing that she’d fallen asleep. Gently he pried the cider mug out of her hands and placed it on the coffee table, then picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, tucking her gently under the blankets. She twitched and sighed in her sleep, smiling a little to herself.
“Merry Christmas,” he said softly, pulling the blankets up over her shoulders. “Here’s to years of imperfectly wonderful Christmases ahead.”
And here’s to the romance of Venice, he thought as he went back to the living room to unplug the tree lights. He smiled a little to himself as he tiptoed back into the bedroom. I guess the best romantic moments happen when you stop looking for them.
With Christmas hymns sung in Italian still echoing in his head, Scott snuggled up to his fiancée and drifted off to sleep.