Page 47 of Once Upon a Holidate
“I will,” she murmured, carrying the plant into the kitchen.
Renee trailed after her, then put the sweet potato casserole on the counter. “He does know this isn’t your first Thanksgiving, right? That you managed to wash, season and stuff the turkey, not to mention get it in the oven, all by yourself.”
“He’s trying to be helpful.”
“I know, but they’re so unaware of what we do in a day.”
Wynn pulled a pitcher of orange juice and a bottle of champagne out of the refrigerator. While the guys had a few beersas they watched the game, she and her girlfriends would sip on mimosas. Hunter had the thrill of soda popin the house. It was a holiday tradition that he looked forward to.
Wynn had just opened the champagne when the doorbell rang again. She and Renee greeted Silver, Drew and Autumn. Drew made his way to the family room while Silver and Autumn walked into the kitchen.
“There’s soda,” Wynn told Autumn.
Autumn laughed. “Hunter must be excited.”
“He is,” Wynn said with a smile. “How’s school?”
“Good. I’m doing really well in my math and science classes.”
Silver put her arm around her daughter. “She got into a STEM school. They have a fairly rigorous application process, so we’ve all been crossing our fingers.”
Renee sat on one of the stools by the island. “What’s a STEM school?”
“The academic focus is science, technology, engineering and math,” Autumn said. “I want to be a chemical engineer.”
Silver grinned proudly. “I know. Where did she get that?” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh, Silver. You’re smart, too. And Drew. I get it from you guys.”
With that, she left to go hang out with Hunter. Silver watched her go.
“She’s amazing.”
“You and Drew should have more kids,” Renee offered.
Silver sighed. “Maybe. We’re talking about it. At first he just wanted to focus on getting to know Autumn, but now he’s mentioned having more kids.” She looked at Wynn. “What do you think?”
Wynn handed her a mimosa. “Why are you asking me?”
“You have a child almost the same age. Would you start over again? Have more kids?”
“I don’t know. It’s never come up.” Wynn passed a drink to Renee. “When I moved here, I was terrified of failing so all I thought about was raising Hunter and making my business successful. I didn’t date for years or think about having more kids.”
“But that’s all different now,” Renee said. “You’re successful, you have a network of friends. Were you waiting to fall in love? Did you want a partner this time? Because while you make being a single mom look easy, I doubt that it was.”
Wynn sipped her own drink. “Having a partner would make a difference.” But she’d never let herself go there. She hadn’t dated—not in the conventional sense of the word. She’d had relationships that were kept separate from her life with Hunter. The guys never met him and weren’t to let him know they even knew his mom. Jasper had violated those rules when they’d been together, and she’d ended things without a backward glance.
It was the guilt, she told herself. Because of her past and what she’d done. After all these years, she was finally ready to let it go, but did that mean she was open to having more children?
“I want to say I’m too old,” she said slowly. “But I’m not.”
“You’re what? Thirty-four?” Renee waved her glass. “Lots of women have kids in their thirties. Some don’t even start until their forties. You two should both have more kids.”
“You’re very free with the advice,” Silver teased.
“I know. My turn is coming. I just want a little more time with Jasper.”
Hunter walked into the kitchen, Koda at his heels. “Mom, where’s Joylyn? I thought she was going to be here.”
