Jewel-bright leaves covered the lawn and made a lovely crunch under Aisha and Jase’s feet—something they could hear now that Mo and the dogs were “having a race” and had sprinted off. The sun, ripe and round, was slung low in the sky, and the soft clouds ringing the mountains were deep rosy pink, orange-gold, and purple against the twilight. Each cabin they passed as they walked hand-in-hand shone a warm, cozy welcome—and the huge half barrels of yellow and red nasturtiums they’d planted by every porch this year were still thriving, their brilliant green leaves the size of Aisha’s palms. River’s Sigh B & B, such a restorative, healing, joy-giving place to stay—or so she was often told—was exactly so as a place to live. It was all so beautiful that it took Aisha’s breath away—similar to how she felt whenever her thoughts rested on the tiny secret she carried.
She pressed her free hand against her still-flat tummy and smiled. It was her favorite time of the day in her favorite time of the year, and she was filled with nostalgia and anticipation. It would be Thanksgiving soon and her heart brimmed with warm, mushy feelings of gratitude.
“Smell that,” she whispered, filling her chest to bursting with the delicious crisp air, heady with notes of wood smoke, fish and river, rich earth and ancient forest.
Jase’s fingers, laced through hers, squeezed lightly. “I know. It’s like the smell of pure home, hey?”
Her eyes teared—nothing new there. She cried at everything these days, which was awesome. Not. But at least she couldn’t blame PMS anymore.
And he was so right. And so . . . in tune with her. As always. Like they were two sides of the same coin. She hoped she never got used to it or stopped appreciating him.
It was impossible to believe that just over a year and a half ago, she’d considered leaving River’s Sigh B & B—and now here she was, a part owner. A small part, admittedly, but hey . . . it was still amazing. Whenever she thought of the freshly signed papers, crisp and secure in a safety deposit box at her bank, she wanted to pinch herself.
Even harder to believe, and to accept the wonder of, were all the changes in her since then. As a place, River’s Sigh was still her treasured refuge and hopefully always would be, but at the same time, she’d finally found—recognized, reclaimed—her true home, which wasn’t a place at all. It was people. The people she loved who loved her, some blood, some not. And of those, especially, of course: Mo, as it had been all along, and Jase. And little Emily—who was every bit as sweet, kind, and reserved as her gentle dad.
Fresh thankfulness filled Aisha. She’d worried that Bonnie would be spiteful toward Jase, but instead she’d been genuinely happy that Jase wanted to build a relationship with his daughter, not just send money. She wanted Emily to know her biological father, to be connected to him. She even apologized for the way she had hurt him all those years ago.
“So when are you going to tell me what the surprise is?” Jase asked.
Aisha was ready to burst with it, but she had a special night in the works, so with great effort, restrained herself. “Soon,” she said mysteriously. “Very soon.”
Jase shook his head, grinning. “You’re driving me crazy!”
“Excellent! All part of my devious plan, sir.”
Jase shook his head again, still smiling, then, a moment later, asked softly, “What are you thinking about? It’s like you’re . . . shining.”
What could Aisha say? That she’d found her forever home? Him, the rock that she’d always be able to rest on, regardless of whatever storm she found herself in? Yes, all that and more, but she settled for, “I’m just happy. Unbelievably, totally, completely happy.”
Jase stopped walking. “Me too,” he said softly. He pressed his mouth against hers in one of his trademark long sweet kisses that made every part of her body hum with love and desire. Tingling, dizzying joy and sureness welled up in her. River’s Sigh B & B would witness countless stories and adventures as the future unfolded, but whatever those stories ended up being, or how much or little a part she played in them, she knew she was in exactly the place she—and her growing family—was supposed to be. It wasn’t that she no longer had fears about the future or about potential loss, but rather that she realized there was no catch, no dark side, to loving or letting yourself be loved. Love was The Catch, the thing to seek. Loss and change were unavoidable parts of life, and it was only love, the memories of its old incarnations and the promise of new, that helped you survive. That gave you comfort. That made you strong. That filled you with crazy, unexplainable joy and optimism. And she was so unbelievably fortunate. Her whole life had been fuelled and shaped by love, even when she’d been unaware of it.
“We’re having a baby,” she blurted, unable to keep it to herself one second longer. The special night would still be special. Beyond special.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Jase stared, as if waiting for a punchline. When one didn’t come, he whooped, scooped her up, and swung her around in huge circles of wordless excitement. And even when Aisha’s feet rested on the leaf-jewelled ground again, her love for him twirled on and on and on.
They walked past Jase’s old cabin, now aptly named The Catch—Gee, how had she ever come up with that?—and then they were in front of their new place, hand-built by Jase and Colton. Its wraparound verandah had a bench swing piled high with blankets and four rocking chairs sat in a half circle near a big stone fireplace, so they could enjoy porch life all year round. Grapevines strung with tiny twinkling lights climbed the railings and beckoned them up the stairs and in for the night. Before they rounded up Mo and the dogs, however, they stopped and shared another kiss—this time in front of the cheery hand-carved cedar sign that set their cozy abode apart from the rest of the cabins at River’s Sigh. “Home” was all it said.