Page 26 of Surprised By Love

“Do you always make it from scratch?” I ask, watching as she measures the chocolate chips and pours them into the pot.

She glances up at me as she continues to whisk the ingredients. “Most of the time. It’s the best way to have it.”

I smile. “I have to agree. My mom always makes hers from scratch, but I always use the packets. It’s difficult sometimes with the kids running around.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Some days, Amelia is a handful on her own.”

She looks back at the pot and adds the vanilla extract, whisking it some more.

“Is whipped cream and marshmallows okay? I can add some chocolate shavings to it if you like?”

“Don’t go to any extra trouble. Whipped cream and marshmallows are fine.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. I love a little chocolate shavings on mine. Sometimes I crush up some Candy Canes to add to it, but we don’t have any yet.” She turns and grabs three small mugs and two oversized mugs from the cupboard behind her.

“Sounds perfect,” I say as I stand, walking over to her. I help her pour the hot chocolate into the mugs.

“If you want to call the kids, I can add the chocolate shavings,” she says, grabbing a bar of chocolate from the pantry.

I head to the stairs at the front of the house. “Hot chocolate’s ready.” I holler up at the kids. I look up, hearing little feet run across the floor above me. “Don’t run down the stairs. You’re going to hurt yourselves.”

“We won’t, daddy,” Emily shouts.

“My mom makes the best hot chocolate ever,” Amelia states, as I see the three of them turning the corner and descending the stairs.

Amelia and Emily run past me and I grab Jake as he tries to pass, swinging him up into my arms. “Are you having fun with the girls?”

He nods. “Melia is funny.”

It is so cute how he tries to say her name. I smile as I carry my little man into the kitchen, where I see Emily and Amelia sitting at the dinette table with their drinks. I sit Jake down and pass his mug to him. “Be careful, it might still be hot.”

“It shouldn’t be too bad,” Sam says. “I added a little extra cold milk at the end to cool it down a bit for them.”

I grin. “Good Idea.” Sam’s a great mom. Not that I know much about her parenting skills, but from what brief interactions I’ve had with her and Amelia, I can just tell.

The kids drink their hot chocolate in record time, rushing back upstairs to play.

“Would you like to go sit in the living room? It’s way more comfy than these chairs,” Sam suggests.

“Sure.” I grab both of our mugs and follow her into the living room.

She takes a seat at the end of the couch and I place her mug in front of her on the coffee table and take the seat on the other end of the couch.

“Thank you. I figured we’d be more comfortable here, plus we can hear the kids better from here than in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good,” I say and take a sip of my drink. I rest my left arm on the back of the couch. “So, how are you enjoying being back in Sunset Creek?” I ask, trying to avoid an awkward silence.

She grabs her mug and adjusts herself so she is sitting facing me with her legs curled under her. “I’m so happy to be back. I’ve always wanted to raise a family here. I was never a big city girl.

“Can I ask why, if you wanted to raise a family here, you didn’t come back sooner?” I ask, and hope she doesn’t think I’m prying or getting too personal.

She sips her drink and tucks a stray hair behind her ear. “It’s fine. I’m sure the rumour mill is buzzing with gossip. I’m just lucky enough not to have heard any of it yet.” She laughs.

“My ex was from Pineridge Falls. We met in high school and I went away with him when he was going off to medical school. I always thought we were going to come back here and he would take over the clinic, but once he got a taste of big city doctoring, he changed his plans.”

“Did you tell him you wanted to come back here?” I ask, trying not to overstep.

She laughs. “Oh, of course I did. Many times. But he was the one with the big career. I was the stay at home mom and wife. It didn’t matter what I thought. Before we could discuss things further, he had bought a floor in an office building and began planning his practice.”

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