Read Online Unexpected Gifts: (The Steamy Version) (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance Series Book 1) by Elena Aitken - Free Book Online

Andi.”
    “It’s nice to meet you. Come meet my wife,” Kirk said, as he shook her hand. “There’s tons of room at the fire.”
    Andi glanced over at Colin, who shrugged. She didn’t want to spend time with strangers, especially if they included a baby, but she didn’t want to be rude either, so she followed Colin’s lead and went with him to the fire.
    “Sarah, this is Colin and his wife, Andi.”
    Wife? Andi looked up at Colin, who had the decency to blush and offer a sheepish smile. When he didn’t correct the man, Andi turned to the woman who’d just stood from the bench.
    “Hi,” she said.
    “It’s you,” Sarah said. “What a nice surprise. Kirk told me about meeting your husband, but I had no idea it was you.”
    Again, Andi shot Colin a look before turning and smiling warmly at Sarah.
    “You’ve met?” Kirk asked.
    “We met last night,” Andi said.
    “She was the woman who helped Noah when he got lost.”
    “I thought you looked familiar,” Kirk said. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you. It was pretty dark. Thank you for helping our son.”
    Andi nodded. She remembered the happy family scene vividly. Sarah seemed like a nice woman, but the proximity of the baby was unsettling and she kept her body turned slightly away.
    “Where is Noah?” Colin asked. “I’d like to congratulate him on his first time skating.”
    He liked kids? Andi felt something inside her stir. She couldn’t remember Blaine ever asking about a child before. Sure, he’d been excited about their pregnancy, but he’d never gone out of his way to befriend anyone else’s child. Not that it mattered, she told herself. She wasn’t in a relationship with Colin. And she didn’t have children. It didn’t matter.
    “That’s so sweet,” Sarah said. “He’s playing reindeer games in the field with some of the other kids.”
    “Reindeer games?” Andi asked. Things were looking more Christmasy by the second.
    Sarah nodded. “Isn’t it great? They’ve thought of everything up here. It’s the perfect place for families.”
    Andi tried to smile. She hadn’t considered that fact when she’d fled to the mountains.
    “Why don’t you two sit?” Kirk said. “Colin and I can grab some drinks.”
    “Hot chocolate okay?” Colin asked.
    Andi nodded numbly and squeezed onto the bench where Sarah pointed.
    The fire was hot even from her position a few feet away and it only took a few seconds before she was warmed through and had to take her gloves and hat off.
    “Isn’t it funny that our husbands found each other?” Sarah asked. She was excited, and from only the few minutes Andi had chatted with her, she could tell that Sarah was one of those people who was genuinely happy and sweet. Andi wouldn’t be responsible for ruining her mood.
    “I think it’s great,” Andi said, with as much sincerity as she could muster.
    “Almost like we were meant to be friends,” Sarah said. “You know, I just love coming up here for the holidays, but it’s always nice to meet new people.”
    Andi stared into the flames. “How long have you been here?”
    “Oh, only a few days. We’re leaving on Boxing Day to spend some time with Kirk’s family. All of mine are out East. We could fly out to see them, but it’s become a bit of a tradition for us to come here. And I think traditions are so important for young families, don’t you?”
    “We don’t have children.” Andi swallowed hard.
    “Well, there’s plenty of time for that yet,” Sarah said. “The two of you look so in love and cute together. I understand wanting to wait. You can never get those years back. Not that I’d trade it now, of course.”
    “Of course,” Andi agreed. Sarah continued to talk about her kids and how wonderful they were, but Andi only half listened. Her mind was still on the comment Sarah had made about how she and Colin looked to be so in love. What would she think if she knew that they barely knew each other?
    Before Andi could dwell on it any