The Best Laid Plans (23 page)
Read The Best Laid Plans Online
Authors: Amy Vastine
Life began in July. That was the way Charlie saw it.
“You know what I mean. I was worried they had heard some bad things about me. But of course, you protected my honor like the amazing boyfriend you are.”
“I can’t chase a moose away, but I can keep secrets from my sisters. You can definitely count on me for that.”
They sat quietly for a bit. Charlie almost dozed off.
“Do you think the moose is gone yet?” Emma whispered.
“Let’s go check.”
They crept back to the bedroom. It was so dark and the curtains were drawn. “Which window?” he whispered.
Emma pointed to the one closest to the bed. Emma held his hand as he pulled back the curtain for a peek. He thought maybe he’d see a moose standing in the snow. What he wasn’t expecting was a giant moose snout pressed up against the glass.
He did what any guy would do in that situation. He jumped back and screamed like a little girl. Emma screamed because he screamed. They scrambled to get as far from the window as possible. Charlie headed for the door but was suddenly blinded as the bedroom light was switched on.
Becca screamed when she saw Charlie and Emma running at her. That brought John running down the hall.
“What’s going on in there?”
Charlie and Emma both held a hand to their chests. Two scares in a matter of seconds was enough to give a person a heart attack.
“What are you doing in Emma’s room?” Becca asked, eyebrow arched.
“There’s a moose outside and it woke her up. We waited until we thought it was gone, only to find it practically smashed up against the window,” Charlie explained.
John came in the room and checked the windows. “Nothing. If there was a moose out there, you scared it off.”
Emma and Charlie gave each other a high five. “Who says you can’t scare a moose?” Charlie said, feeling pretty proud of himself.
“Can we all go to bed now? Logan will be waking me up in about an hour. Thanks a lot.”
Emma cringed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake everybody up.”
“Oh, I blame Charlie and his total girlie scream. You heard that, didn’t you, John?”
John nodded. “Oh, I heard it. I thought Kristin was here.”
They thought they were real funny. “Good night. I’m going to tuck my girlfriend in and then I’m going back to the couch.”
“Good. I don’t want to get in trouble with Mom and Dad for letting there be any premarital bed sharing!” Becca shouted from the hall.
Charlie helped Emma back into bed and made sure she was snug as a bug. “We are so awesome at this mountain-living stuff.”
“Promise me you will never make me live in the wilderness. I need my Starbucks and cold hard concrete. I won’t be able to handle you changing my plans to raise a family in the city.”
“You think you want to raise a family with me?” This was the first time she’d mentioned wanting a family.
“You’ll do, I suppose. I mean, who else would save me from a rabid moose with his supergirlie scream?”
“I need to get you away from my sister as soon as possible. She’s a terrible influence.”
“So, it’s a plan? We’ll raise our family in the city. You have to say it because you have this way of getting me to change all my plans. I’m defenseless against your charm and good looks.”
He loved hearing her talk about long-term plans that included him. “City it is. Your plan is my plan.”
“It’s
our
plan.”
There was no better plan than that. He kissed her forehead. “Good night, Nightingale.”
“Good night, Charlie.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460379004
The Best Laid Plans
Copyright © 2015 by Amy Vastine
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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