Page 55 of Our Now and Forever

Marrying him so quickly had been the problem.

And, as her mother had pointed out on the phone earlier in the day, Snow and Caleb were rectifying that particular issue by returning to the dating stage. Not that she’d planned to tell her mother about the bizarre state of her life, but as soon as Snow had heard Mama’s voice on the other end, she’d spilled it all.

By the time they ended the call, Roberta Cameron was throwing around “I told you sos” and planning a big Christmas dinner to welcome home her prodigal daughter and unwavering son-in-law. Too bad Snow didn’t harbor the same happy ending certainty her mother did.

“If that isn’t the face of a woman satisfied with life, I don’t know what is,” Lorelei said, dropping into the booth across from Snow. They’d agreed to meet for dinner at the new Mexican restaurant two blocks down from Snow’s store.

Mamacita’s added a dose of sorely needed variety to their little metropolis—an alternative to greasy diner food, and deep-fried and gravy-covered options. Based on the tantalizing smells alone, Snow would give the place five stars. Her mouth was watering by the time her friends arrived.

Ignoring Lorelei’s comment, Snow said, “Where have you two been? I’ve been sitting here drooling over this menu for nearly ten minutes.”

Carrie sat down at the edge of the seat Lorelei had scooted across, and then she turned to face the table. Only her stomach didn’t fit.

“I’m sorry,” Snow said, pulling the table her way.

Carrie slid in with a grateful sigh. “Oh, man.”

“What?” Lorelei said, suddenly on high alert. “Is she coming? Do we need to call an ambulance?”

The expectant mother turned to scoot back out of the booth. “Get a grip, Lorelei. She isn’t due for another month. I have to pee.”

Snow camouflaged her laughter by taking a sip of her water. “If you keep this up, Carrie’s going to snap and sit on you,” she said. “And I hope I’m around to see it.”

“I can’t help it,” Lorelei said, sticking her nose in her menu. “Having a baby is dangerous. Anything could happen.”

“Right. Because women haven’t been spitting out babies since the dawn of time.”

Slapping the menu shut, Lorelei said, “This is different.” Glancing in the direction Carrie had disappeared, she added, “Carrie lost a baby before.”

This was news to Snow. “What? When? Did Patch—”

“Not Patch,” Lorelei said. “The baby was Spencer’s. He was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and the doctors couldn’t save him.”

Snow’s heart dropped. “Oh, honey, that’s horrible. I had no idea.”

“Spencer doesn’t talk about it much, but I know he still thinks about the baby. They named him Jeremy.” Lorelei leaned forward. “I know this is a weird situation, but Spencer still cares a lot about Carrie, and I’ve come to like her, too. She’s like the little sister I never had.”

“Who married your husband while you were away being an actress.”

“Technically, I was being a waitress. And like I said—weird. But based on what I know of that woman’s life, this baby has the potential to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Carrie deserves some happiness.”

Warmth filled Snow’s chest at the knowledge that Lorelei was so determined to protect a woman she could have easily deemed an enemy. Whatever had brought Snow to this little corner of the world, she was grateful for the gift. Ardent Springs had good people.

“Carrie got lucky when her path crossed with yours,” Snow said, remembering how Lorelei had witnessed Carrie’s former husband smacking her around during the summer and charged to her rescue. The fact that Carrie was Spencer’s ex-wife hadn’t seemed to matter. Within days of that rescue, Patch Farmer had gotten himself killed in a bar fight, leaving Carrie with a baby on the way and nothing else. “Sometimes things happen for a reason.”

“You mean like when two people fly off to Vegas and find themselves unexpectedly hitched?” Lorelei asked, turning the conversation away from herself.

Snow huffed and went back to studying her menu, even though she knew what she planned to order. “You’re like a dog with a bone, woman.” To appease her friend, and hoping to kill the topic completely, she added, “Yes, we are having sex. Yes, the sex is incredible. And yes, I am disgustingly happy right now.”

With one manicured finger, Lorelei lowered Snow’s menu and caught her eye. “Just right now?”

“Yes,” Snow answered, her voice firm. “We’ve decided to focus on the present and not think about anything beyond that.” Which was a lie, since all Snow could think about was everything beyond that. She’d even had a dream the night before in which a little boy with dark curls and startling blue eyes raced up to her, Caleb close on his heels. Their smiles were so alike, Snow had jolted awake with a suffocating yearning in her chest.

Releasing the menu, her friend said, “You’re not fooling anyone. You’ve got ’til death do us part written all over you.”

“We’ve been together less than two weeks.”

“You married the man nearly two years ago,” Lorelei argued.

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