Читать книгу Reunited At Christmas - Belle Calhoune - Страница 14

Chapter Four

Ruby woke the next morning with the smell of bacon wafting under her nose. She sat up in bed and cast a quick glance around her. She had been so exhausted last night after all the Prescotts had left the house that she’d barely had time to take in her surroundings.

The guest bedroom had a quaint, cozy vibe. An oil painting of the Alaskan tundra hung from the wall. A big, fluffy, eiderdown comforter had kept her warm and cozy all night. The bed frame was made of cedar wood. She had no idea how she recognized the wood, but she did. She reached out and touched its smooth surface as a feeling of familiarity ran through her. Someone had made this for them! A man. One she dearly loved. A face flashed before her eyes—warm brown eyes and a cocoa complexion. An endearing smile and a hearty laugh. Her brother?

Before she had turned in, Aidan had peeked into her room and wished her good-night. He had been a little shy but filled with curiosity about her. She was so worried about disappointing him. Ruby fretted that in his mind she was a super hero. That would be a tough act to follow.

She quickly got dressed and checked her appearance in the mirror above the dresser. In her baby blue sweater and jeans, she appeared casual and not half as serious as she felt. A slight case of nerves overtook her. For all intents and purposes, she was a stranger in her own home. Aidan and Liam were blank slates for her. Yet every time she looked at her son she felt a tugging sensation in the region of her heart. Try as she might to convince herself that he was a stranger to her, he made her feel things she hadn’t ever felt before. Or at least not since she’d woken up as an amnesiac.

Once she left the bedroom, the delectable aromas of breakfast food emanating from the kitchen were even more enticing. Before she had even managed to take a step, Aidan stood from his spot on the floor outside her door. Right next to him was a fire engine set he’d been playing with as he’d waited. He sent her a smile that made her heart do flip-flops.

“Daddy said I should let you sleep.”

“That was mighty nice of him,” Ruby said, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

Big brown eyes that looked a lot like her own gazed up at her. “Are you hungry? We’re having bacon and flapjacks.”

She rubbed her tummy and let out a contented sigh. “Bacon. I love bacon.”

“Me, too,” he said, his voice ripe with enthusiasm.

She winked at her son. “And flapjacks ain’t so bad, either.”

“Daddy made them specially for you. And I helped stir the batter.”

“That’s wonderful. I always say it’s all in the stirring.” She smiled at him, noticing the way he was staring at her with a hopeful expression on his face. She felt a burst of sympathy for him. He was so little. Way too young to wrap his head around his mother unceremoniously showing up in his life after having been presumed dead for two years. She wished there was a manual for how to deal with this situation with grace and wisdom. As it was, she felt scared to death about saying or doing the wrong thing.

She bent at the waist and peered into his perfect little face. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”