Emma had told him things she’d never told another living soul, even Lucy, her sister and closest confidant. Waiting for the clock to move forward today, Emma had expected to feel regrets, recriminations or something negative for spilling the biggest secret of her life, a nearly ten-year-old secret that involved the most precious person in the world—her daughter, Simone.

Something about the way Grayson had paid such close attention to her, listening to every word she said as if they were the most important words he’d ever heard, had her telling him things she never talked about—and rarely thought about anymore. It had been such a long time ago, and Emma was a big believer in looking ahead rather than back. Nothing good ever came from looking back.

The Abbotts had graciously invited her and Simone to spend the week with them so they could attend Hunter and Megan’s wedding and then have Christmas with Lucy and her fiancé, Colton, in Vermont. And what an incredible visit it had been so far, complete with sledding and snowman building and even a ride for Simone on the back of Lucas Abbott’s snowmobile.

Her daughter would talk about this week for months.

Simone was spending today and tonight with Colton and Lucy at their home on the mountain. She was so excited to have alone time with Auntie Lu and Uncle Colton and their dogs, Sarah and Elmer. When she left with Lucy earlier, Emma heard her asking if they might see Fred the moose, and Lucy said you never knew when he might come by for a visit.

Emma had felt sort of aimless as she whiled away an unusually quiet afternoon at the Abbotts’ lovely restored barn. Her dad had driven home to New York that morning, Lincoln Abbott was in town at a lunch meeting, and his wife, Molly, was at their daughter Hannah’s.

Emma finally settled on the same sofa where she’d sat with Grayson last night and tried to lose herself in a book she’d been enjoying. But her mind kept wandering to silly things—like the way the fire had turned his dark blond hair to a burnished gold, the twinkle in his eyes when he was amused, the furrow of his brow when he was concentrating or listening to her, and how he’d shown just the right amount of empathy and outrage when she told him about how Simone’s father had attacked her at the end of their relationship.

Grayson was now the only other person on earth who knew Simone had come from a violent attack. She hadn’t even told the therapist who’d counseled her afterward about the baby. Perhaps she should regret having shared something so deeply personal with someone she’d only just met, but they’d been wrapped up in a bubble all their own, sharing confidences, and she didn’t regret telling him.