One year later …
Christmas morning,Mauve woke to soft gray light filtering through their bedroom windows. She didn’t have to look to know it snowed while they were asleep. A fresh snowfall had a sound. One of silence and tranquility. Jason slept beside her, one arm flung across the pillow where her head had been, his face half-buried in the quilt. She slipped out of bed and padded to the window. The pasture was blanketed in white. A sheet of ice covered the creek. Beyond the trees, the mountains remained steady, their long blue line now covered with snow.
As long as she lived, she would never tire of the view Jason had made for her.
She heard him stir behind her.
“It snowed,” she said, turning to see him sitting up, rubbing his eyes. He’d been home for the entire month of December after weeks in L.A. working on a new movie. His series had finished in the fall and the movie offers were coming in every day. But as he’d promised, he was choosy about what he decided to work on. Especially since there was Oscar buzz for his role in the Praguemovie. For weeks now, his agent and manager had felt sure he would be nominated. He couldn’t get his head around it, but Mauve could. She’d seen the movie three times now, and each viewing evoked new respect for his craft.
“Just in time for Christmas,” Jason said.
“Are you ready for coffee?” Mauve asked. “And presents.”
The last minute gift she’d wrapped for him before bed last night called to her from under the tree. She could hardly wait for him to open it.
They put on robes over their pajamas and went downstairs together. Jason turned on the fire and the Christmas tree lights, making everything immediately festive. Their kitchen had a bank of windows facing the valley, a long row of pendants over the island and wide walnut cabinets that smelled of cedar oil even now, six months after they'd been installed.
She made them both cappuccinos from their fancy Italian machine and then brought them over to the couch. He'd settled facing their tall tree that stretched up toward the vaulted beams, lights catching in the stones of the fireplace. Gifts from under the tree were now stacked on the coffee table.
He handed her a small box. “Open this one first.”
She tore open the wrapping paper and lifted the lid. Inside, a pair of diamond earrings sparkled at her. “Oh, Jason, they’re exquisite. I’ll wear them to the Oscars.”
He laughed. “If I get nominated, that is.”
“You’re going to.” She grabbed the smallest of the packages for him. “Go ahead and open it.”
He did so, smiling as he lifted the lid of the box until he saw what was inside, resting on a bed of tissue paper. His smile vanished, replaced by something akin to shock. He grabbed the pregnancy test from the box, holding it in front of him, staring at the two pink lines as if they were a snake about to strike.
“You okay?” Mauve asked, trying not to laugh at the newly green tint of his face.
“You’re … we’re pregnant?” Jason asked.
“We are.” She smiled, taking his hand. “It’s all right. We have some time to get used to the idea before the baby comes.”
“I can’t believe it. For some reason, I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”
“I’m six weeks. Due date, according to an app I found, is August 20th.” They’d been trying to get pregnant for six months, but, with his travel schedule, she’d assumed they’d have to spend a lot of time in bed during the days leading up to Christmas. As it turned out, her last trip to L.A. had sealed the deal.
“How long have you known?” Jason asked.
“Since I took the test last night before bed. I haven’t really been paying attention, with all the Christmas gatherings and shopping, but it occurred to me last night that I was late. So I took the test. And, voila, here we are.”
He pulled her onto his lap, stroking her hair, kissing her. “Are you feeling all right?”
“So far, so good. I’ll make an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow.” She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Are you happy?”
“Mauve, I’m beyond happy. Surprised, but happy. This is what we’ve wanted since we got married.”
“I can’t wait to get started on the nursery,” Mauve said.
“Your mom’s going to be excited,” Jason said. “So is Reese.”
“We should probably wait to tell everyone until the twelfth week, though, even though I’m already bursting to tell everyone.”
“This means the baby will be almost exactly a year younger than Bree.”
“I know, isn’t it exciting?”
