Page 1 of Connected By Christmas
Chapter One
Noah and Emma
NOAH
“I still can’t believeyou talked me into this.” I look over at my very pregnant wife and hand her a pillow so she can get comfortable—or as comfortable as you can get in an airplane seat, even if they are first class.
“I wasn’t about to miss this. We’ve been planning this trip for over a year. My doctor said I’m as healthy as can be, and I’m not due for another five weeks. Even if I do go early, the doctor you lined up in Tennessee is on standby.”
She smiles up at me with those beautiful green eyes…eyes that I have a very hard time saying no to, which is exactly why we are on a flight headed to Tennessee three days before Christmas.
When Emma’s parents died three years ago, they left her their home in the mountains. She didn’t have the heart to sell it, so we’ve been renting it out as an Airbnb. Since we’ve been married, I’ve been up a few times with her, helping with repairs and giving it a facelift. It’s a beautiful area, and she’sbeen wanting to show everyone now that it’s ready. We’ve been planning this Christmas vacation together for a while, and my sister and our friends arrive the day after Christmas to join us for the week.
“What if we get snowed in, and you go into labor?” I’ve gone through every scenario in my head, and this one scares me the most.
“We are not going to get snowed in,” she laughs. “It’s Tennessee, not Vermont. We’ll be lucky if we get more than six inches while we are here. Besides, Cole is a firefighter and has been trained to deliver babies.”
I raise my eyebrow at her. “Has he ever actually delivered one?”
“Well, no, but how hard can it be? I push, he catches.” She shrugs her shoulders like it’s no big deal.
“I think there is a lot more to it than that,” I mutter. It does make me more comfortable, though, to have someone who has at least been trained. Cole is engaged to Emma’s childhood friend, Skye. They started dating in high school, and the three of them have been best friends ever since. They still live in Tennessee but are planning to move closer to us in Florida this summer.
A friend of mine from high school is a firefighter in our small town, Crystal Isle. I reached out and asked him to keep an eye out for any job openings for Cole. He got ahold of him last month and let him know one of their guys is retiring in the spring. Cole immediately set up a call with the fire chief and won him over on the spot. He secured the position, and he and Skye plan to surprise Emma with the news this week.
I knew it was only a matter of time before they moved. They’ve visited a few times and have fallen in love with our area. I know the girls miss each other and want to be closer. I think our baby coming sealed the deal for Skye. She wants to beinvolved in our daughter’s life, and I know Emma really wants that, too.
“Everything is going to be fine. I promise.” She leans over, and the second her lips meet mine, I want more. I always do when it comes to her. Weaving my hand into her long brunette hair, I grip the back of her head tightly while my tongue dives in for her sweet taste. She tangles with mine as her hand fists my shirt. A small moan escapes her lips, and that sound alone can bring me to my knees. We both are panting when we finally break away.
“If you weren’t eight months pregnant right now, I would be thinking of a way to get another mile-high moment with you,” I murmur in her ear.
“This plane is a lot smaller than the one to the Maldives for our honeymoon. I would probably get stuck in this one and be unable to free myself,” she giggles against my neck. “I feel like a whale most days.”
“Whales happen to be one of my favorite mammals in the ocean. It’s right up there with dolphins and sea turtles.” Her laugh goes straight to my heart, causing me to grin. The day I found her again and saw her sadness, I vowed to make her laugh any chance I could get. It’s not every day you get to keep your past life memories and be able to find your twin flame over and over again. I won’t waste a second of this gift that we share, and I’ll make damn sure each lifetime we have together will be better than the last.
I place a hand over her round belly and feel hers lay on top of mine. She leans into me, and I breathe her in as our emotions swirl around us. “This belly is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Don’t ever doubt that for a second,” I whisper against her.
“I don’t,” she says softly. “There’s a piece of me and you in there. How can I feel anything else but beautiful?”
“I can’t wait to meet our baby. I hope she has your green eyes.” Ever since we found out we were having a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with visions of what she might look like. I get glimpses of our children from our past lives and wonder if she will look similar.
“I’m kind of hoping for your ocean blues. I picture curly dark hair and blue eyes.”
“Care to make a bet?”
She lifts her head with questions in her eyes. “What’s the bet?”
I grin, knowing she can’t resist the temptation to beat me at something. “Whoever loses is on dirty diaper duty for the first month.”
Laughing, she shakes her head. “You better get those nose plugs ready because you are so going to lose this one.”
Chuckling, I meet the excitement in her eyes. “Deal then?” I hold out my hand.
“Deal,” she grins, putting her hand in mine.
“Why don’t you try and get some rest? I’ll wake you when we land.” I kiss the top of her head when she snuggles back into me.
“I might have to,” she yawns. “She kept me up most of the night doing acrobatics in there.” Running my hand through her hair, I enjoy the feel of the silky strands as it slides through my fingers. “I’m so happy to be spending Christmas in my parents’ cabin,” she says sleepily. “They would love that we will be there for the holidays and can make more memories in their home.”
