My alarm beeped, and I reached to shut it off before it woke Nicholas up. His arm tightened around me when I tried to get up, but I eventually managed to get out of his grasp.I took a quick shower and headed downstairs to help Laura with the cooking, not surprised to find her already in the kitchen. The countertop was full of pans and bowls."Wow, you've been at it for a while." She looked up and smiled. "I love Thanksgiving. This will be the first one in a long time that we've had so many people around." I put some water in the kettle for tea and set it on the stove to heat. "So Nicholas usually spent his holidays alone?" "Either that or he would take a business trip this time of year." She gave me a sad smile. My heart ached and my gut twisted thinking about him being so lonely. Maybe he'd been even lonelier than me during the holidays. At least I'd had Lory. Laura and I worked together, dressing the turkey, making side dishes and desserts, and chattering away as the morning fl

Nicholas wasn't around a lot, spending extra time at the office. He'd already discussed stepping back from his involvement in the company, and they were all putting in a lot of work to make the transition smoother.Aside from all that, I spent any extra time I had with Courtney and Lory, shopping for Christmas presents and maternity clothes. I was in search of one item in particular. "This one is gorgeous," Lory said, holding a white floor-length gown in her hand. Nicholas and I were expected to attend a Christmas ball with his parents, and I needed to find a dress that didn't make me look like a pumpkin. I shook my head at her selection. "It looks more like a wedding dress. Plus, white will only make me look bigger than I already do."Both of them rolled their eyes. "You aren't fat, you're pregnant," Courtney sniped. "You're still skinny everywhere but your stomach."Courtney turned to me. "Are you still planning to take next semester off?"I nodded. "Yeah." I rubbed my belly. "He

The problem with determining my baby's injuries was that I couldn't quite get the right words to come out. I tried to communicate but wasn't doing a very good job. The doctors and Nicholas kept telling me it would take a little more time and to not get discouraged, but to me, it was another form of being trapped. When talking didn't work, I tried writing down my questions, but I couldn't even draw a straight line, let alone form words on the paper.It was more frustrating than anything I'd ever experienced.Aside from all the regular doctors and nurses, it seemed like I had different therapists coming in at all hours, working with me on my movement and speech recovery. It was like I had to learn how to do the most basic things all over again.I was told the fact my memory seemed mostly intact was a great sign, but it didn't help me in figuring out how to express my need to know about our child. After a few minutes of one of the therapists coercing me through a puzzle, I pushed it away

Willow POV:He looked like he would explode if he didn’t get time to relax. Finally, his shoulders fell and his lips curved slightly into a smile of resignation. This was a sign that he was giving in.He stood up and hovered over me for a moment, surprising me when he buried his head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling and kissing. It bit back a gasp.Nicholas was far from shy when it came to public display of affection, but it was awkward for him to be so forward, even if it was only in front of Virgil."Maybe I should leave..." Virgil said slowly.Nicholas mumbled 'yes' as I said 'no' at the same time. I laughed and put my hands on his cheeks, to push his face away, taking pleasure in the sight of his small smile."I'll be right back," he said. "Please take a shower." I ran my fingers through his much longer-than-normal hair. "And maybe sneak in a trim."He laughed, and it was the first time I'd heard that sound since my fall. I liked his laugh. It was infectious. It made everything

His lips were back at my ear again. "Relax, Willow. Here..." he broke off, massaging my thigh a little before lifting my leg and nudging his knee between mine. "Open up for me." It had been so long, and I was too tensed with excitement that I was inadvertently making it difficult for him to get it in. I focused on his chest rising and falling against my back, calming with each breath I took in time with his. With his caution and trying to be tender, it took longer than normal. But finally, he filled me, and I bit my lip, moaning from the feeling. One of his arms was nestled under my neck, his hand on my breast, while the other gripped my hip as he pumped slowly in and out of me. "Is this okay?" he asked. "Does your head hurt? Anything?" "No. It’s fine. This feels good." And it did. It felt great. Yet... something was off.I tried to twist around enough to kiss him, but it wasn't the easiest task. Twisting my body was the one thing that still hurt my ribs. His lips met mine briefl