Chapter 20
Emily stood in the nursery doorway, her hand pressed against the cool white trim as she admired the space that would soon hold their daughter.
The late January afternoon light filtered through sheer curtains, casting pale golden rectangles across the hardwood floors of the lake house.
The scent of fresh paint still lingered, mixed with the lemony fragrance of wood polish from the furniture Will had crafted.
Their new home on Cedar Lane was across the lake from her mother-in-law, with a path that made it easy for them to visit each other.
This house felt like stepping into a different life entirely.
Gone were the sleek, impersonal surfaces of their Seattle home, replaced by wide-plank floors, exposed beams, and windows that framed the icy lake like living paintings.
The house wrapped around her like a favorite sweater, all warm wood and welcoming spaces that seemed designed for a family.
Emily nodded, running her palm over her stomach where their daughter rolled and stretched like she was testing her boundaries.
Over eight months pregnant now, and some days Emily felt like she was carrying a tiny gymnast who practiced her routines exclusively during important meetings or when Emily was trying to sleep.
“I still can’t believe we’re here,” Emily admitted, stepping into the room that smelled of new beginnings and possibility. “Six months ago, I wasn’t sure Evan and I would make it through the year.”
Tara opened the box and began hanging tiny onesies in the white armoire Will had crafted specifically for his future granddaughter. Each piece was impossibly small, with snaps and bows that made Emily’s throat tighten with a mixture of anticipation and terror.
“Marriage is hard work,” Tara said, shaking out a pale yellow sleeper covered in tiny ducks. “Especially when you’re both changing and growing. But the two of you found your way back to each other.”
Through the nursery window, Emily watched Evan on the back deck, his breath creating small clouds in the cold air as he and Will assembled the porch swing.
Will had built it, graciously allowing Evan to help.
His new job at the hospital had totally changed him.
Gone was the constantly stressed man who lived on his phone, replaced by someone who came home at six each evening with stories about his day and energy left over for weekend projects.
“He’s happy,” Emily said, more to herself than to Tara. “I wasn’t sure he ever would be here.”
“Sometimes we have to lose everything to appreciate what we have,” Tara replied, hanging a knitted pink sweater that Christina had found in a little boutique over in Highlands. “Evan needed to find his own path to this place.”
The phone buzzed in her pocket, and she glanced at the screen before declining the call.
Her mother had been texting and calling more frequently as the due date approached, full of advice she didn’t need and offers to visit that Emily knew would never materialize.
Every time she’d asked her to visit, her mom was either off on another trip or canceled at the last minute.
“Mom again?” Tara asked, noticing Emily’s expression.
“She says she wants to fly over from Spain for the birth, but she’s already cancelled twice when I invited her to see the house. Some gallery opening, then a wine festival.” Emily set the phone on the changing table Will had also built, complete with hidden storage and safety rails.
“It used to upset me, but the sad thing is... I’m getting used to it.” She turned to Tara. “I am so thankful to have such a wonderful woman as my mother-in-law. So incredibly grateful to have you involved and close.”
“Oh, honey.” Tara pulled her close, her eyes brightening with tears. “Now you’ve made me cry.”
The sound of hammering drifted through the window, followed by Evan’s laughter as the porch swing apparently fought back. Tara smiled and shook her head.
“He’s determined to have it finished this weekend,” Emily said, lowering herself carefully into the rocking chair that had been Tara’s suggestion, the maternity pants tight against her stomach.
The smooth motion soothed both her aching back and her restless daughter, who settled into a gentle rhythm of movement rather than her usual acrobatics.
“Christina popped downstairs this morning between calls,” Tara said, folding receiving blankets into neat stacks.
“She’s getting so excited about both babies.
Though she admitted she’s nervous about everything.
Becoming an aunt and becoming a mom herself all in the same year.
” Her mother-in-law frowned for a moment.
“She’s taken on several more projects to make more money before the baby comes.
” Tara shook her head. “I just worry she’s doing too much. ”
“She has a ton of energy.” Emily’s relationship with her sister-in-law had deepened since Christina’s shock pregnancy announcement.
They’d spent hours talking about fears and expectations, sharing anxieties about motherhood and comparing symptoms. There was something comforting about going through this journey alongside someone else who was just as terrified and excited.
“She really got hit with morning sickness, much worse than I did.” Emily was so glad that was over with as she remembered her own brutal first trimester.
“She’s almost twelve weeks now, so hopefully the worst is behind her.” Tara’s voice carried the warm pride of a mother watching her child grow. “She showed me a picture from her first ultrasound yesterday. The baby looks perfect. Another girl.”
“She texted me. Our daughters are going to grow up like sisters,” Emily said, the thought filling her with warmth. “Five months apart, they’ll probably be inseparable.”
“I keep thinking about that,” Tara admitted, settling into the chair beside the crib.
“Two babies in the family born so close together. Christina’s due in July, so by the time her little one arrives, yours will be five months old.
You’ll be able to help each other so much.
” She laughed. “Ally and Christina are already talking about getting an embroidery machine so they can embroider those adorable bloomers and dresses.”
“I want in on that,” she laughed. The mention of Christina’s July due date brought a smile to her face.
When Christina first announced her pregnancy, Emily had felt a surge of joy that surprised her with its intensity.
Growing up as an only child with distant parents, she’d always dreamed of the kind of close family where children grew up together, where cousins felt more like siblings.
“Speaking of family,” Tara said, her voice taking on the mischievous tone Emily had learned to associate with her best ideas, “Will mentioned something interesting at dinner last night.”
Emily looked up from the baby name book she’d been absently flipping through, intrigued.
“The house down a ways from yours, the blue one with the wraparound porch? The owners are moving to Arizona, and Will thinks it would be perfect for a bed-and-breakfast.” Tara’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “He’s already gotten an offer on his place, so it’s perfect timing.”
“A bed-and-breakfast?” Emily shifted in the chair, immediately captivated by the idea. “That sounds wonderful and a lot of work.”
“The good kind of work, though. Cooking, hosting, showing off this beautiful area to people who need a retreat from the busy world.” Tara gestured toward the window, where the lake stretched like a mirror between snow-covered hills.
“Will has the construction skills, I love to entertain, not to mention all those corporate events I used to plan for Harry. We could make something really special.”
The idea sent a flutter of excitement through Emily’s chest that had nothing to do with the baby’s movements.
A bed-and-breakfast would mean constant activity, a stream of visitors to cook for and care for.
It would mean Tara and Will staying were always close, creating the kind of extended family network Emily had always dreamed of for her children.
“What about Christina and Ryan? Where would they live?” she asked.
“That’s the beautiful part of the timing,” Tara said.
“Will and I plan to move into the house and update it while we’re living in it.
It mostly needs cosmetic work. Christina could move into the cottage.
She’ll need more space once she becomes a mom, and it would give her privacy while keeping her close to family.
Ryan could keep the apartment above the garage, at least until he graduates or since he and Christina are so close, he could move in the cottage with her and we’d have the apartment above the garage empty for whenever we need it for guests. ”
“The cottage would be perfect for Christina and the baby,” Emily agreed, picturing her sister-in-law rocking her newborn in the living room, making tea in the kitchen. “It’s so nice that we’re all close enough that we could help each other with night feedings and everything else.”
“Exactly. And Ally has her little house, so she’s close as well. The new greenhouse is even prettier than the old one the storm took out.”
Through the window, Emily watched as Evan and Will stood back, admiring the porch swing. Tara had made the cushion, a green toile that looked perfect. Evan looked up at the nursery window and waved, his face bright.
“It sounds perfect,” she said, meaning it completely. The idea of raising her daughter surrounded by this warm, chaotic, loving family felt like the missing piece she’d always been looking for. “When would you plan to open?”
“This fall, if everything works out.” Tara stood and moved to the window, looking out at the lake. “But first, we have your baby to welcome, then a wedding to plan, and then Christina’s baby. It’s going to be a busy year.”