If Only by Lisa M. Owens

long enough to shove his booted feet off the bed. “No shoes on the bed, buster,” she stated.
    He sighed, gazing at her, his expression wounded. “Woman, you wear me out,” he complained.
    Bree winked at him, grinning over a mouthful of food. “But you love me anyway,” she murmured. She watched her husband for a few minutes and then added as she continued eating, “Aren’t you eating anything?”
    He shook his head at her question. “No, baby, I wasn’t hungry.”
    She frowned. “Well, I feel bad now. So you went out just to let me sleep and to get me breakfast?”
    “No, baby,” he claimed. “I had a couple of things to do while I was out.”
    Bree looked at her husband, her expression curious. “Like what?”
    Scott replied, “I ran to the office for a minute to remind Monica we had today off, and then I went to the bookstore to pick up a couple of books. No big deal,” he stated.
    She stuck another forkful of food into her mouth while she watched her husband suspiciously. He wasn’t telling her everything. He was hiding something from her, and she was dying to know what. Deciding to change the subject, Bree asked, “Back to what you mentioned, what names did you have in mind for the baby?”
    He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. What name do you like for a boy?” he questioned, grabbing a handful of her copper curls and wrapping the loose tendrils around his finger.
    “We could always name him Blake after your father,” she suggested. Scott’s father had died several years before of a sudden heart attack. “And maybe Lucas, after your brother, for the middle name,” she offered.
    “That’s a good idea,” he agreed. “What about for a girl?”
    “I don’t know. What do you think about Ashleigh?” Bree questioned.
    Scott grinned as he murmured, “Why don’t you go ahead and say what you really want to name our daughter?”
    She looked at her husband innocently—a little too innocently. “Why, whatever do you mean, my darling husband?”
    “I don’t know just who you think you’re kidding,” he said. “You and I both know you’re dying to name this kid Mariah if it should turn out to be a girl.”
    She stared at her husband with mock surprise. “Why I never even thought about that!”
    Bree sighed as he glared at her, crossing his arms against his chest. She had to admit it, she was busted. She slowly lowered her gaze. Her husband knew her way too well. Looking up, she saw Scott’s self-satisfied smirk, and she wanted to reach across the bed and smack that smug expression right off his face.
    He reached over and grabbed Bree by her waist, pressing her body up against his as he nuzzled her neck. She giggled as she snuggled closer to him, her head burrowing against his chest.
    “So what are we doing today, my love?” she questioned.
    He reached over and touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”
    Bree was in the process of giving her pigheaded husband a piece of her mind when suddenly her attention was diverted by the changing weather outside. She leaped off the bed and raced to the window for a better look. “Look, Scott,” she said dreamily, “it’s snowing!”
    He watched her with a funny grin on his face as she danced around their bedroom. This morning she had changed into a long-sleeved pink nightgown that brushed against her ankles as she walked. Her bare feet were frolicking lightheartedly across the carpet, adorned with pale pink nail polish.
    She whirled around to see Scott eying her intently. She could only imagine what she must look like. Her hair was probably scattered in all directions, her face all scrunched up and red. She self-consciously tried to pat her hair down as she crossed her arms against her chest. She looked over at him and grinned. Sighing with happiness, she ran into his strong arms.
    Bree felt like she was walking on air as Scott recovered from his obvious surprise and spun