“So you love her, right?”

He paused. “Yes, I love your mother. I wasn’t joking when we talked about living closer or with each other.”

Todd looked him over. “Good. You two are good. You three are meant to be a family.”

Adrian sighed. “I think so too. But Miles and his mom have a life on Bainbridge and it’s not as easy as consolidating our households. We’ll take it up again after the holidays. If I know Gillian, she’s thinking on it now too.”

“She’s not much for making snap decisions. That’s what they did. She doesn’t want to be like them.”

Adrian didn’t have to ask who “they” were. He knew Miles meant Tina and his grandmother. Since Adrian knew Gillian never would have spoken ill of either of them in Miles’s presence, he had to have picked it up on his own. Which made Adrian proud and a little sad.

“Making sound decisions is a good quality, kid. It’s her job, you know, to make well-thought-out choices that are best for you.” Todd said this idly, but Adrian knew it had come from his heart and he knew Todd’s words would help Miles too.

“I know.”

The gondola doors opened and they shuffled back out into the cold to grab that one last run before they went back to the house.

When she walked into the living room where Erin lay on the floor, Marti sitting at her left and Alexander on her right, building a block tower, Gillian found herself filled with love for Adrian and his family.

“Joo!”

Which is what Alexander called her.

“Hello there, little man.” She walked in and moved to sit with them. “They went on one last run and they’ll be back,” Gillian told Erin as Alexander patted her knee with his pudgy little fist.

“Yo, Joo.”

“Yo, Alexander. And how has your morning been?”

He pointed to the blocks.

“What a fine builder you are. Show me more?”

He nodded enthusiastically and moved back to the blocks.

Ella walked in with Cope. “Hey, Gillian. I just made some hot chocolate, would you like some?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

Gillian picked up Martine and situated her in her lap. She’d put her down when it came time to drink the cocoa, but for the moment, she sucked up all the baby goodness.

“And what are you up to today? Still working on the crawling thing? It’s important to keep up with Alexander, I know.”

Martine clapped hands and bounced a bit, swinging out her chubby little sock-covered feet.

Ben came in and Alexander hooted to get his attention, as if it was ever very far from the baby. From everything Gillian had witnessed, Ben and Todd doted on their son as much as Erin did.

“Hey, Gillian.”

Ben Copeland was unbelievably handsome. And utterly in love with Erin and their son. They made the kind of family few others could manage, and yet they made it look easy, which Gillian knew it couldn’t be.

“Ben, I’m supposed to tell you that Todd beat your time record and you are expected to bow down and give your obeisance.”

Ben snorted. “Yeah right. When we get our turn this afternoon we’ll see who will be bowing down.”

She hadn’t breathed a word to anyone, but she’d seen Ben and Todd making out just the day before. Outside, both men in big coats as they moved wood for the fireplaces. She’d been in the bedroom and heard the sound, moving to the windows to see what was out there and she’d seen them.

And she’d never forget it.

Hot. Hot. Hot. Mouth to mouth. She’d stood there, stunned and breathless, as Todd had grabbed Ben by the hair and shoved him back against a tree, never breaking the kiss once.

Erin was a fortunate woman to be able to see that every day. Of that Gillian was sure.

“Did you hear that? Daddy and Pop are going to have a contest of manliness. Aren’t they silly?” Erin got nose to nose with Alexander, who laughed.

“Pop? Pop?” He looked around, looking for Todd.

“He’s snowboarding, monkey. He’ll be back in a bit with Uncle Brody and Uncle Adrian too.”

“Boo?”

Gillian laughed. “Yes, Miles too.”

“Nee?”

“Yes, baby. Rennie, her mommy and daddy. Adrian and Miles and Pop too.”

He looked at Erin, wearing a serious face she’d seen on Brody a few dozen times.

“Okay.”

Shortly after that, the rest of them came through the door, laughing and bustling with all that Brown energy. Miles’s cheeks were rosy with cold and excitement and Gillian shooed him off to go change out of his wet clothes. Rennie was full of news of the new run she’d conquered as Brody filled in the story with details of his own.

As Gillian stood there with Adrian, his arm around her waist as everyone chattered around them, she took refuge in his body. Snuggling into him.

He hummed, pulling her even closer. “Hey. You all right?”

“Mmm, yes, I am. You smell like winter.” He just made her feel better. Made her feel at home. She should be ashamed of how much she needed him, but she couldn’t be.

Once Erin, Ben, Ella and Cope had gone to the slopes, taking Miles with them and leaving her a little nervous, Adrian drew her upstairs to his bedroom.

“She’s a mother too. She’s going to be sure he’s safe. Ben promised to be with him the whole time and he’s a good teacher. Miles will have a great time.”

Of course Gillian knew this in her head, but her heart was another thing entirely.