From This Moment by Alison Chaffin Higson Read Free Book Online Page B

there’s anything sexier than seeing the guy you’re in love with holding a baby.
     
    Conscious that Jake is watching, I sit down next to Cade on Beth’s urging.   Cade passes Edith to me.
     
    “She’s a gorgeous little thing.”   I tell Beth, while I make silly cooing noises to Edith.
     
    “She is that.   You stay put and relax while I go and help Anna with the food.”
     
    Edith is wide awake in my arms and making small gurgling noises while holding my little finger.   All the time I’m conscious of Cade sitting so close.  We are touching thigh to thigh; Cade’s arm is resting along the back of the chair behind me.  I’m so tempted to snuggle more into his arms.
     
    Jake across the room keeps glancing at us while having the fight of his life with his nephews Gabe and Nathan.   I think he’s supposed to be Darth Vader while Gabe and Nathan are Luke Skywalker and Han Solo!
     
    “Dinner’s ready folks.”   After Anna’s announcement, Beth comes over to take Edith from me.  My arms feel empty.
     
    Cade offers me a hand to help me up from the sofa.   Seemingly reluctant to let me go, he strokes my hand as we part.
     
    At the table, Cade is on my right with Gabby on my left.
     
    “Did Uncle Jake take you riding on Honey Bee?”  Gabby asks me with a mouth full of food.
     
    Holding back a laugh, “No your grandpa did.   It was my first time on a horse and Honey Bee was amazing, she made me feel like her friend.”  After a minute, “It was okay for me to ride her wasn’t it?”
     
    “Yes, she needs lots of exercise.   Where did grandpa take you?”
     
    “We went to a river and saw some deer.   This was totally cool; I’ve never seen deer out in the open before.”
     
    Looking up I notice everyone has gone quiet and I’m not sure why.    Meeting Jake’s eyes across the table, he starts telling everyone about our trip on ‘Big Red’, which seems to break the silence.  I’m still unsure why everyone had gone quiet though.
     
    After the conversation with Gabby, I feel like Anna and Beth are looking at me differently.   They didn’t treat me differently, just kept glancing at me in an odd sort of way.
     
    ~~ Cade ~~
     
    When we arrive back home Jake excuses himself and disappears to his room.
     
    “Would you like a hot chocolate?”   I ask.
     
    “That would be great, do you mind if I go and get changed first?”
     
    size="+0">“No that’s fine.  I think I’ll do the same and meet you back here.”
     
    Changing into sweats and a t-shirt, I go downstairs to make some hot chocolate.   Rona appears not long after.
     
    Settling down in the lounge with our drinks, I start to wonder whether Rona will ask me about the silence at the meal.
     
    “Why did everyone go quiet when I was talking to Gabby?  I had the feeling it was something I said, but I’m not sure what.”
     
    Guess I didn’t have long to wait!
     
    “It was the fact that I took you to the river.  They all know that it’s the one place that’s sacred to me.  In all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve only ever allowed them to accompany me there once.  That was to point out to them, that it was the one place in the world which was mine and mine alone.  So it was pretty significant to them that I took you there.”
     
    “I don’t know what to say to that.   I didn’t know, I never would have said something in front of your family if I’d known.”
     
    “Don’t worry.”
     
    Lifting her eyes to look at me, she looks haunted.
     
    Yawning, “I think I need to go to bed.”   Standing, Rona starts to walk to the stairs, she turns back towards me, “Cade, I want you to know that in the short time I’ve known you, you’vecome to mean more to me than Nick ever did.”
     
    Turning back she carries on up the stairs.
     

Chapter 5
     
    ~~ Rona ~~
     
    Its morning and being in the kitchen with Cade is wonderful.  He’s making breakfast while I get the coffee started.  Eggs, pancakes and