"And here I thought you cooked breakfast."
"You sound disappointed," he said teasingly.
"I am, a little." Snagging his cup, she took a sip of coffee before handing it back.
"You're forgetting that I don't usually eat breakfast, and my culinary skills are limited."
She glanced out at the snow heaped up on the ground. "I can't believe you went out in that."
"I wanted to get you something to eat. And get some fresh air. They are busy clearing the streets. I have a company that comes out to deal with the grounds." He kissed her again before putting her aside.
"Sit. Let me pour you some coffee. The croissants are the best I ever tasted outside of Europe." He guided her over to the counter and went to refresh his coffee and pour some for her.
"I don't think we will be able to make dinner at my mother's. I called her." He handed her the cup and nudged the pastry box over to her. "I also told her about the wedding."
Reaching for the milk, she poured a generous amount in her coffee and caused him to wince.
"My heart hurts when you do that. Desecrate a perfectly good cup of Joe."
She merely grinned, her dimples peeking. "What did your mother say?"
"Huh?" He shook his head, amazed that she could so dazzle him.
"Your mother." She selected a croissant and bit into the flaky pastry, her eyes widening.
"I told you." He came and sat next to her. "My mother sounded very excited and would like you to call her as soon as possible. I told her that would be a little later on today." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, using his thumb to wipe at a crumb on the side of her lip.
"I'll call." She leaned against him. "I was thinking we could build a snowman."
His chuckle warmed her clear to her bones. "It's freezing cold."
"That's okay. That's what jackets are for."
"A snowman, huh?"
"Yep. My dad and I used to build them. We would make a big deal out of it."
"And your brother?"
Her smile faded a little. Moving a few inches from him, she reached for another croissant. "He was always sickly. I think Mama made a big deal out of a little head cold or a fever so that she could lavish him with attention. My dad would try to convince her to let him come out, but she wouldn't budge. She coddled him."
Hearing the pain in her voice, he turned her to face him.
"You resented her for loving him more than she loved you." His quiet tone had her insides trembling. She had never been able to talk about it with anyone, not even her dad and certainly not her best friend.
"I shouldn't have. Dad favored me, and Caleb didn't mind in the least."
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a soothing gesture.
"You wanted her affection. She was your mother, and girls usually have that yearning to belong." He cupped her cheek. "It didn't matter how much your father favored you. It wasn't enough."
"No." She shook her head, amazed at how much he understood. It made her love him even more, if that was at all possible.
"I spent some of last night wondering about this, about us. Several members of my club have fallen in love with women outside our circle, and I used to be amused at how besotted they were." A derisive smile touched his sensuous lips. "And now it's happened to me." Bending his head, he brushed his lips on hers. "Finish your breakfast, darling, and let's go make a snowman."
*****
Her laughter pealed out in the mid-morning air, sounding like bells to his enchanted ears. It had stopped snowing, and after meticulously gathering the necessary things to decorate the snowman, she had turned it into an adventure. He had to admit that he had never had so much fun being out in the snow. And he discovered to his amazement that his wife was very competitive. She insisted on rolling the biggest pile of snow to make the torso. When they were finished, it was more like a snow giant. After that was done, he was standing admiring their work when she sneaked in a wallop to his head with a snowball she had rolled up to clobber him.