He kissed her softly, pressing his hips in to hers. "I would never interfere with your plans. Mich.e.l.le is lucky to have you in her life, and the youths of Allure will be equally as lucky."

Blake and Danica had stayed up half of the night talking about Kaylie and what it had been like for Danica, living in her shadow. While she reminisced, she realized that she hadn't been living in Kaylie's shadow at all. She was living right beside her, but always with a watchful eye and a modic.u.m of jealousy wrapped in worry. She told Blake about Mich.e.l.le's mother and how hurt Mich.e.l.le was over the lies about the father she never knew. Blake had turned to her with an earnest look in his eyes and said, "I will never lie to you. I've seen the wake of hurt Dave left behind, and I'd rather face an argument than ever have you feel like you weren't the most important thing in my life."

I love you crossed her mind, but not her lips. Baby steps.

"So, what should I do when I need advice? Make an appointment? Leave you a note? Call you Doc?" He laughed.

"Hmm. I'll have to see if I can fit you in around the kids' schedules, I suppose." She laughed. "How about just saying, 'I need a little advice'?"

"Sounds good to me. Did I tell you that Sally called me? She said that Rusty agreed to talk to someone with her, a counselor."

"That's great news. Maybe he can even spend time at the new youth center when it's open." Danica knew the road ahead for Dave's family-families-would be a long one.

"Yeah. It's a start, anyway. Oh, and I'm taking Rusty next weekend. Maybe we can bring Mich.e.l.le and all go to a movie." He lifted his eyebrows.

"Listen to you. A matchmaker."

"No. I was selfishly thinking of necking in the back of the theater." He laughed, then looked at the clock and gulped down his last sip of coffee. "I have to get to AcroSki. I'm interviewing a part-timer today to take over a few of the administrative things Dave had been in charge of. Are we driving to the wedding together?"

They'd become so close over the last forty-eight hours that it felt to Danica as if they'd been a couple for years. She'd already a.s.sumed they would go to the wedding together. It was a little surprising to realize that there was a whole world of people who didn't know they'd found each other. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Danica drove into the Village with Mich.e.l.le, humming along to a Top 40s radio station. Mich.e.l.le wanted to go to a particular used bookstore to look at inexpensive art books, which Danica took as a good sign. Mich.e.l.le was showing interest in something other than hiding behind her imaginary wall.

"You're wearing that blue scarf again," Mich.e.l.le noticed.

Danica touched the scarf. "Yeah."

"You look really nice. Happy," Mich.e.l.le said.

"Yeah? Thank you. I am." Danica shivered, thinking of being wrapped in Blake's arms.

Danica pulled into a parking spot and they headed for the bookstore. "You like being here, don't you?"

"In the Village? Yeah, a lot. It's so different from being in town." Mich.e.l.le reached into the neckline of her shirt and withdrew her Imperfect necklace, patting it against her chest. "I've been thinking about what you said about my mom."

They walked up the steps to the bookstore and stood on the brick stoop. Mich.e.l.le brushed her hair from her eyes and looked thoughtfully at Danica. The difficulties in her life showed in the shadows within her eyes.

"Maybe if I talked to her it would, I don't know, help."

Danica wanted to jump up and down and clap her hands. Instead she spoke calmly. "I think it will. You know I'd be happy to come with you if you want me to."

Mich.e.l.le nodded and pulled open the door.

Before following her inside, Danica looked up at the sky and breathed in the cool air. Everything in her life was finally coming together. If she had her therapist hat on, she might become cynical and tell herself to be prepared for the next shoe to drop. She smiled to herself, knowing that soon the therapist side of her mind wouldn't always have to be on high alert. She refused to let her practical side overtake her happiness. She knew the risks; Blake could go back to his player ways at any moment. He might become bored. He might resent her for trying to change him-no, that last one wasn't true. Blake had come to her wanting to change. She replaced her therapist's eye view with that of her normal, womanly self, tucked the thought into her heart, and walked into the bookstore.

An hour later, they left, Mich.e.l.le armed with various art books and Danica armed with two books about pregnancy-just in case Kaylie decided to move in that direction.

She dropped Mich.e.l.le off at Nola's house. After Mich.e.l.le went inside, Danica felt a familiar constriction in her chest. Disappointment. Mich.e.l.le hadn't brought up talking to her mother again, as Danica had hoped she would. She checked her watch. She had two hours before she had to be at the church for the pre-wedding pictures. Correction: She and Blake needed to be there in two hours. Her pulse quickened as she headed home.

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

The chilly evening air blew through Blake's hair as he stood on Danica's front stoop and watched the sun disappear behind the mountain. His palms sweated, despite the thirty-degree temperature. His stomach swam in circles for the first time in years. Blake turned as Danica met him on the porch, locking the door behind her. Shades of mauve swayed in the breeze beneath the hem of her coat. Blake gasped a breath at the sight of her. How could one woman look more beautiful every time he saw her? Her natural curls blew across her face, and she laughed as she tried unsuccessfully to tame them with her hand.

"They have a mind of their own," Danica joked.

"They're gorgeous. You are gorgeous." He kissed her on the lips, once, twice. Then he couldn't help it; he pulled her to him and let his pa.s.sion lead him into another insatiable kiss.

She came away with her cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry, but..." He shrugged, hoping he could control the heat that found its way to his groin.

Hand in hand, they walked to the car, where Blake opened the door for Danica, feeling like an overeager teenager taking the hottest girl to prom. After closing her door, he stood in the cold watching her smooth her dress. He felt his heart swell in a way he had never before experienced, and thought of Dave and Sally. Their relationship might have been going through a hurricane, but somehow Blake thought that had the accident never occurred, they would have weathered the storm. Even though he and Danica were only in the early stages of their relationship, she already owned a piece of Blake's heart, and he couldn't imagine losing her.

Danica turned to pull her seat belt across her chest and caught him staring. She wrinkled her forehead in question. He hurried into the driver's seat as Danica read a text on her cell phone.

"They didn't call off the wedding, did they?"

Danica read the text from Mich.e.l.le. Will you come with me to talk to my mom tomorrow? She typed yes into the phone. "No," she answered Blake. "Everything is just perfect."

They stood across from each other during the wedding ceremony. Blake with the groomsmen, beaming in their tuxedos, and Danica alongside the bridesmaids, lined up like brightly colored flowers, beautiful and enticing. Camille looked lovely in her satin gown, but what struck Danica was the look in her eyes. She and Jeffrey had been dating for three years, and there was no way to describe how she looked at him other than dreamy. Her cheeks were soft, her eyes attentive, and her body language emitted simple and pure love. Her shoulders faced Jeffrey's, her posture straight, yet slightly leaning toward her future husband, and her lips were slightly parted, turned up at the edges in a wanting, comfortable smile. She and Jeffrey had written their own vows, and Danica listened intently to Camille's promise: ...to always consider your feelings, to give you time to nurture your friendships, and to try not to jump to unfair conclusions. She'd never heard such thoughtful vows. What would she hope for from a spouse? Danica had never given marriage much thought. She hadn't had time, and love had left almost everyone she knew in some state of mental chaos. Fate had never existed in her world-until now. Now she felt the delicate fingers of love lacing themselves around her heart, and she was helpless to ignore them. She wondered if Blake felt the same, and glanced up at him. He was looking directly at her, with that same look in his eyes as Camille had. Danica's knees weakened; her pulse sped up. Blake. She wanted love, honesty, and Blake. Camille and Jeffrey kissed and the guests applauded, breaking through her reverie.

"I made a decision," Kaylie whispered.

Danica blew Blake a kiss from across the aisle and turned toward Kaylie. Her makeup barely concealed the dark circles beneath her eyes.

"I had a long talk with Chaz last night. We were up till dawn," she said.

"And?" Danica didn't know if she should hope they were going to have the baby or not. She only wanted Kaylie to be happy, and she knew Kaylie possessed enough love to be a wonderful mother, even if she was scared s.h.i.tless. She also knew her sister well enough to know that once she made up her mind, there would be no turning back. Ever. She reached for Kaylie's hand as Camille and Jeffrey walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand, ducking under the flower petals the groomsmen threw above them.

"I love him," she whispered.

Danica leaned in closer. "You love him?"

Kaylie looked her in the eye and said, "I love him! I do! I really, truly love him!"

The church became quiet, like everyone held their breath at the same time, and all eyes turned toward Kaylie. She covered her mouth, her cheeks on fire. Kaylie turned toward the guests, looking like a kid caught with her hand in a candy jar. She mouthed, "Sorry," and wrinkled her nose.

A hearty, sisterly laugh escaped Danica's lips. She grabbed Kaylie and hugged her tight. "I'm gonna be an auntie!"

"Don't squeeze so tight. I'm feeling a little nauseous these days."

"Okay, sorry, sorry!" Danica hugged her again gently. She took Kaylie by the shoulders and looked seriously into her eyes. She searched for worry, discontent, something to indicate there might be trouble brewing, but for the first time in as long as she could remember, her sister looked content. "You're sure?" The therapist in her had to ask.

"One hundred and ten percent." Kaylie smirked. "Besides, if I flip out or something, I know this great therapist."

"No, by then that great therapist will be a youth center director, but she'll be able to refer you to a great therapist."

Blake waited for her in the aisle. Danica wrapped her hand inside Blake's arm and they fell into line behind the other bridesmaids and headed toward the reception room.

Blake leaned in close and whispered, "I never want to be away from you for that long again."

The End.

Please enjoy the first chapter of the next Snow Sisters book, Sisters in Bloom.

Snow Sisters, Book Two, Love in Bloom Series.

Chapter One.

Kaylie Snow didn't just have to tinkle. She had to pee. If she wasn't out of bed in two minutes, she'd very likely not make it to the bathroom, and then she'd have to explain to her fiance why the carpet was wet. She pulled the sheet over her naked, burgeoning belly and sat up, watching Chaz's chest rise and fall with each peaceful breath. She stifled the urge to lean over and kiss his barely parted lips. He'd been working so hard; he really did deserve to sleep in. The morning light streamed through the curtains, reminding her of the morning after they'd first met. Surely her bladder could wait one small minute while she savored those memories. She'd had far too many margaritas celebrating her best friend Camille's impending wedding, and Chaz had been only mildly tipsy when they'd left Bar None together and headed to his place. She remembered thinking that she wanted to run her hands through his wavy blond hair, which set off his ocean-blue eyes like jewels. And she'd desperately wanted to kiss him, just as she did now.

She'd waited a long time for that first kiss. They talked until five in the morning, when-tucked perfectly into the curve of his arm, her head against his muscular chest-they'd fallen asleep on the couch in his living room. When she awoke, the sun was warming the room, and his unkissed lips were slightly parted as he slept. She could feel their connection as if it were another person in the room, and she'd known in her heart that she'd found the man she'd one day marry. She reached over now and ran her finger over the p.r.i.c.kles of whiskers that lined the chiseled edge of his jaw.

He rolled onto his side, snuggling deeper into the pillow, and shifted just enough to jiggle her bladder. She winced, pressing the heel of her hand on the mattress to push herself to her feet-not an easy task at thirty-five weeks pregnant. As she raised herself off the bed, she felt Chaz's hand fold into her own.

"Come back," he whispered.

Kaylie turned, holding the sheet across her heavy b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "I have to pee," she whispered.

"Then come back." He squeezed her hand gently and then let her go.

After Kaylie went to the bathroom, she washed her hands and inspected herself in the mirror. Naked Buddha. She turned sideways. Beached whale. She turned to the rear and looked over her shoulder. Oh, G.o.d, that's even worse. What had she been thinking last night, believing each of Chaz's compliments about how gorgeous she looked? The evening before came tumbling back to her. The phone call from the Denver nightclub, the one she'd sung in for the last two years. Just another in a long line of lost singing gigs that she'd hoped to secure for after the baby was born. She was a good singer! Audiences loved her, and she'd never missed a single gig. She'd always dreamed of being offered a record deal; now it seemed as if her pregnancy changed everything, like she had a tattoo on her forehead that read, Don't hire me. I'll have a baby soon and it'll make me unreliable. She'd cried for twenty minutes, blaming herself, the baby, and even Chaz. Later she realized she hadn't really meant a word of it; she'd just been overwhelmed. Chaz had stuck right beside her, calm and empathetic, and she'd fallen for every one of his lines about how s.e.xy and beautiful she looked and how wonderful of a mother she'd be. He'd reeled her right into his loving, secure arms and whisked those worries away.

Look at me. That's it! No more sleeping naked. She ran her hands along the pockets of flesh that had somehow gathered above her waist. Jesus, I have love handles? She'd been a size five since she was a teenager. How could she have love handles? Babies grew in the uterus, not above the hip bones. What the h.e.l.l is this all about? She patted her blond hair into submission-sort of-brushed her teeth, and then grabbed one of Chaz's T-shirts from his dresser drawer before returning to bed.

Kaylie lay on her back, her legs bent at the knees. She restrained herself from feeling the love handles that now seemed to silently taunt her. Just knowing they were there was making her cranky. She felt her chest tighten, and clenched her fingers around the edges of Chaz's shirt.

Chaz curled into her, his knees tucked under hers and his arm across her narrow hips, below her enormous belly. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she listened to his breathing, each breath calming her nerves a little bit more. She felt so safe when she was with Chaz. No wonder she hadn't put on clothes last night. She believed anything that came out of his mouth.

"Wanna think about names?" he whispered.

"We agreed not to." When Kaylie first learned she was pregnant, they'd decided not to find out the gender of the baby. There were so few real surprises in life that they wanted the birth of their baby to be one of those moments that really grabbed them by their hearts in a way that nothing else ever could. For that reason, and with her doctor's permission, she'd had only one sonogram. She wasn't a high-risk pregnancy, and she was so young that her doctor saw no reason to have more; Kaylie had been relieved. The idea of lying on the table with her baby on that screen-close enough to reach out and touch-would have been too hard to turn away from.

Kaylie was also adamant about not trying out names before it was born. She'd never understood how a child could have a name before the parents had met it. What if a Charles was really a Michael? It would be hard to change the name to fit the personality or looks of a baby if they'd been calling it Charles for nine months.

She and Chaz were so much alike. They agreed on almost everything, and Kaylie had dated enough men to know just how lucky she was. She closed her eyes, thinking about the things she had to do today. She was meeting her older sister, Danica, and her mother, whom she hadn't seen in-gosh-a year? Had it really been that long? Guilt settled in around her. Her mother was once such a big part of her life, but ever since she found out that her mother had stayed with her father after learning of his affair, she no longer saw her mother in the same light. The strong woman she thought she knew seemed weak and almost pathetic. Now that Kaylie was going to be a mother, she found herself thinking of her own mother more often, but she had no idea how to handle the anger and disappointment she felt toward her. Once again, she tucked away these uncomfortable thoughts about her mother. They were too difficult to deal with right then. She had other pressing issues that she could not ignore.

Her nerves tightened against the incessant nag in the back of her mind, the one that reminded her that it had been months since her last singing gig. The one that reminded her that her sister Danica would never let her career just fade away, unless that's what she wanted. Kaylie felt powerless to change the path of her failing career, and determined, fearless Kaylie had never felt powerless in her entire life.

Chaz moved his hand slowly across her pelvis, then traced gentle circles on the underside of her belly. "Gracie?"

"We're not doing this," she said, smiling despite her desire to chew on her worry for just another minute or two. She brushed his bangs from his forehead.

"Felix?"

"Chaz."

He scooted up beside her and whispered in her ear, "Jezebel? Bambi?"

She giggled. The stress of her love handles and the nagging were fading.

He nuzzled against her neck, bringing his hand over the crest of her belly, and then dragged his index finger straight down from her collarbone, between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, to the arch where her belly joined her diaphragm. Shivers tickled her spine. She folded her legs to the side, leaning them against his.

"I'm meeting my mom and Danica for lunch."

"Mm-hmm." He kissed her shoulder, slipping his hands beneath her T-shirt.

"I haven't seen Mom in ages. I'm kinda nervous."

He slid the shirt over her head, and she arched as he pulled it off, her hair showering down around her face.

"Don't be," he said. Then he was on his knees beside her, one arm on either side of her body.

She traced a vein running over his biceps as he lowered his mouth to her breast. She gasped as he flicked her nipple with her tongue. Pregnancy had heightened her senses, and Chaz played into them with tantalizing care. She laid her head back, arching her neck, trying to hold on to her concentration, think through the impending meeting with her mother and her career troubles. But he shifted to the other breast, exposing her wet nipple to the cool air, and she grabbed the back of his head with a wanting moan.

Chaz ran his tongue along the outside of her breast. "Want me to stop?" He lifted her breast and lapped at the delicate skin beneath.

"No," she said breathlessly. Her hormones had been on overdrive since her fourth month of pregnancy.

His mouth trailed her side, her ribs, and then the area just above her hip.

She guided him back up, away from those newly formed love handles, and drew his mouth to hers, opening to him as his tongue moved slow and deep, exploring her, consuming her. She felt his hardness against her leg, and pressed into him. His hand dropped to her other hip, sinking his fingers into the flesh of her thigh. Every nerve ending flamed with heat. She arched into him, her belly an unforgiving guard between them.

She sat up, and he moved with practiced care onto his back. Tension from the lost gig eased as his hands reached for her hips and she straddled him, hovering just above the tip of his desire. He arched toward her, and a sly grin spread across her lips. This had become her favorite part of pregnant lovemaking-taking control, making him wait. She leaned forward, her hair circling their faces, and she kissed him gently on his forehead, his cheek, his chin. Chaz tried to catch her lips with his, but she was too quick. She took his hands in hers and secured them under her knees, and then she leaned into him again, gently licking the edges of his lips.

She lifted her body higher, then pressed his erection flat against his belly, lowering herself onto him, teasing him, not allowing him to enter her. She glided up and down along him until his eyes were so full of hunger that she thought he might beg her for more. She relished in controlling his release. She kissed his chin, his neck, and then sucked just below his ear, until she knew he couldn't hold out much longer. She ran her tongue down his chest, taking his nipple into her mouth and using her teeth ever so lightly while he writhed beneath her, begging for her to take him inside. Finally, breathless with her own desire, she reached between her legs and guided him into her, sucking in air with the shock of him.

He opened his eyes and pulled her into a deep kiss. Kaylie felt the worry about seeing her mother ease from her shoulders and back. His hands slid down her sides, and she flinched, searching his gaze for hints of disgust from the thickness of her expanding waistline. She watched his eyes fill with desire and then flutter closed as he melted into the feel of her. She relaxed into his touch, her worry disappearing with each sensuous movement, until her self-consciousness, and thoughts of her wavering career, were almost-almost-gone.

To continue reading, be sure to pick up the next.