“Ha! I was thinking a keg.” But his brother was smiling, too. “As long as Rachel loves it, that’s enough for me.”

David couldn’t agree more. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

RACHEL FELT warm and contentedly cocooned in the dreams she’d been having, but her senses were starting to provide solid motivation for waking up, too. The alluring scent of baking cinnamon rolls, for instance. And she was aware of the gentlest, coaxing pressure…She returned the light kiss as she opened her eyes, waking in David’s embrace.

He sat on the bed, smiling. “Merry Christmas.”

She sleepily returned the smile, then remembered where she was and glanced around. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Arianne’s helping Mom with breakfast, which is nearly ready, and I think Tanner dragged Lilah off in search of mistletoe. He was pitiful last night. The way he carried on, you’d think they were separated for weeks on end instead of a few hours.”

Rachel stretched, grinning nostalgically. “I remember the days before our wedding when I was sleeping under the same roof as my parents, only I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking of you.”

“Yeah?” David stroked his hand over her face. “What kind of thoughts?”

“Hey!” Arianne called from the hallway. “If all you happy couples think you’re gonna get fed, I demand help in the kitchen.”

Pulling herself into a sitting position, Rachel laughed. “Your sister is really going to have to learn to be assertive and ask for what she wants.”

“Yeah, well, it’s hard, being the baby of the family and a girl,” David deadpanned. “Tanner and I probably sheltered her too much. I blame myself for her crippling shyness.”

Rachel was still shaking her head and chuckling when she walked away to brush her teeth. She smiled at her own reflection in the mirror. Hard to believe that cheerful, beautiful woman was really her. If anyone had asked her a month ago, she would have said this was her last holiday with the Waide family, probably her last holiday as a Waide. She would have expected it to be tinged with melancholy if not outright grim. She’d never been so thrilled to be so wrong.

The biggest improvement might be her and David trying to reconnect, but it wasn’t the only improvement.

In weeks past, she’d been trying to decide if she could be truly happy here, in a slow-paced job and in a small community where people would probably always see her first and foremost as David’s wife with no real picture of who she’d been before. But after calling South Carolina last night to wish her own family happy holidays and hearing how stressed they all sounded-Kate having only returned to her job from maternity leave a few months ago and now worried about balancing her career with two small children, Rachel’s father still pushing himself as hard as ever and refusing to consider retirement, her mother still obsessing over office politics (“First it was the sexism and having to prove myself among the Boys’ Club, now it’s making sure these new young girls they hire don’t make the rest of us obsolete”)…Well, it was easy to remember why Rachel had dropped out of that particular rat race and sought the sanctuary of this sleepy town.

Folks in Mistletoe might be overly interested in her life, but it was by and large legitimate interest, not just judging her by her portfolio or whether she was on track for a promotion. Rachel had never truly disliked her job at the print shop. She’d just started overanalyzing it because she’d wanted to feel that she was in control of something, because she’d so desperately needed to be excited about something in her life. But both her parents had tried to find their satisfaction at the office for years, and neither seemed to have succeeded.

She patted her tummy, looking down. “And then there’s you.” She could not wait to see everyone’s faces when she and David made the announcement later.

When she finally joined the others in the kitchen, Tanner harassed her about women taking a long time in the bathroom, and Arianne playfully accused her of ducking breakfast chores. Only David glanced at her with worry, raising an eyebrow in silent question and miming being queasy. It took her a moment to figure out what he was doing, and she laughed at how ridiculous he looked. She’d unintentionally discovered that her competitive husband would probably be lousy at charades.

I’m fine, she mouthed.

To everyone else taking their seats around the table, she said, “Sorry I was late. I stopped and took a few minutes to…count my blessings. A list that definitely included all of you.” After a month of her emotions being so close to the surface, she shouldn’t be so caught off guard by the way her vision suddenly blurred with unshed tears.

Susan looked startled but touched by the declaration. “What an absolutely lovely thing to say, dear. You know we love you, too. I think it would be appropriate if we all said something we were grateful for this year. I’ll start. I’m the luckiest woman in Mistletoe to have all three of my grown children home and gathered around me for the holidays.”

Next to her, Zachariah nodded. “I’m grateful the store had another profitable year and grateful for the work my family put in to help make that happen. David, I haven’t once second-guessed turning the reins over to you, and I know you’ll do great things.”

Tanner kissed Lilah’s hand. “I’m thankful this one hasn’t come to her senses yet and realized she could do better than me.”

A ripple of laughter went around the table, and Lilah’s eyes twinkled when she added, “I’m grateful the wedding dress still fits-I had my doubts after some of the buffets at Christmas parties we attended. But I officially picked it up yesterday and it was just as perfect as ever. I’m incredibly grateful that, in three more days, I will become Mrs. Lilah Waide.”

“I’m grateful I got that waiter’s number at the club we took Lilah to,” Arianne said smugly. “Well, we don’t all have to go for the sap, do we? I figure everyone else has got the cheesy covered.”

David’s voice was so soft that Rachel wondered if anyone else heard him when he said, “I’m grateful for fresh starts.”

Her heart squeezed.

He cleared his throat, setting his hand atop hers on the table. “Rachel, do you want to…?”

Now? She hadn’t really thought about when they’d make their announcement, but David was smiling at her eagerly, obviously ready. Why not? Everyone was together, and it did seem like a perfect moment.

She took a deep breath, lacing her fingers with his. “Well, there is one new blessing that I-we-wanted to share with you. David and I are, um…” The tears fell then as if the happiness inside her body was too big to contain and it was seeking any physical outlet. She swiped at the dampness on her cheeks, nearly laughing aloud with sheer joy. She probably looked as if she’d come unhinged. “I’m pregnant! Dr. McDermott says everything looks good so far, and we’re expecting a baby this summer.”

Squeals and exclamations erupted around the table, and Rachel thought Arianne did a credible job of looking surprised. Chairs creaked as everyone got up to hug everyone else. Zachariah’s eyes were misty with emotion when he embraced her. Susan was sobbing hard enough to rival Rachel herself.

After getting her hug, Lilah bounced around the room declaring, “I knew it. I knew it! Oh, this is the best news ever. Just think, Ari, by the time you get married, your niece or nephew will probably be old enough to serve as an adorable ring bearer or flower girl.”

Arianne snorted. “If I get married, we’re eloping to Vegas, but thanks for thinking of me.”

RACHEL SNUGGLED against David’s side, closing her eyes and listening to the classic movie everyone else was watching. It had been such a wonderful day she didn’t want it to end, but she was bone-tired. For as delicious as Susan’s roast turkey and white cheddar mashed potatoes had been, they weren’t exactly energizing foods. If her body felt this heavy and languid now, Rachel couldn’t begin to fathom what the third trimester would be like.

“I should get you home.” David kissed the top of her head. “You look ready to drop, and I’ll bet Winnie’s animals would appreciate getting dinner.”

Rachel nodded her consent, then exchanged goodbyes with everyone. They’d all be together again the day after tomorrow for the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Tanner had two friends driving up together from Atlanta for the ceremony, but most of the bride’s and groom’s relatives were local.

Outside, Rachel paused long enough to appreciate the clear night sky and hundreds of stars winking at her as if they were all in on a private joke. “It’s beautiful.”

David smiled. “You’re just stalling because you don’t have the energy to walk the rest of the way to the car.”

“That obvious?”

He shifted the packages he carried for both of them and put his free arm around her. “Thank you for one of the best Christmases of my life.”

She laughed. “Even with the lame presents I got you?” At a desperate loss shopping this year, she’d landed on a boxed set of CDs from a band he liked and a bottle of his favorite cologne, which was practically a gift to her since she loved leaning close and inhaling the scent.

“I had everything I wanted today,” he told her as he stashed boxes and gift bags in the trunk.

“Well, thank you for my present.” She’d been delighted by the digital camera. It was a truly thoughtful gift, with a much higher megapixel count than her last one, a sophisticated zoom function and the ability to take black-and-white or sepia-toned shots. They’d taken a few test shots today, but she was looking forward to reading through the instructions when she was more alert, and really giving it a workout at the rehearsal, wedding and reception. She already had an idea for a set of nostalgic pictures she could do for the chamber of commerce using the sepia option.