A Baby for the Snow Beast

Chapter 1: Something Borrowed

SHANA

The snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains loom outside the window, an awe-inspiring testament to nature's will to persist. I soak in the view, marveling at the sight, pushing away all my swirling thoughts to just exist for a moment. Stars twinkle in the sky, the cloudless, clear night a disguise for the bitter cold outside.

I pull down the sleeves of my Angora sweater, the thought of the temperature sending a shiver down my spine even though I'm warm and safe inside the château's restaurant. My stomach hasn't stopped churning for days now, but it's especially bad tonight.

Tomorrow, I'll be a married woman—specifically Vinnie's wife. The thought of it hovers over me like a spotlight, as if everyone who sees me knows that tomorrow, I'll be a completely different person.

On paper, that is.

A thought flits across my mind, filling me with sadness even on the night before what's supposed to be the happiest day of my life.

I wish my mother were here with me. There are still so many questions I want to ask her. I know she'd see my doubt and take my hand, her calloused thumb rubbing my wrist, and tell me, "Shana, honey, life is what you make it. You can have gruel, or you can have caviar. It's always going to be your choice."

With effort, I shove the thought away and focus my attention on the man sitting in front of me. He's handsome. He's familiar. And tomorrow, he'll be legally mine.

The thought makes me catch my breath.

I watch as he smiles and gestures for the waitress, ignoring the flash of annoyance in the woman's eyes as she heads back over to our table. He orders another glass of wine—expensive wine—and has her laughing at a joke before she walks away. Just like that, her annoyance is gone.

Not for the first time, I marvel at his charisma, and wonder again why, of all women, he has chosen me.

A memory intrudes of Vinnie, looking every bit the Greek god in his toga at his frat's "Animal House" themed party, making his way across the room. I was only there because my friend Monica had insisted on bringing me, and I was sure he was coming over to us to ask her to dance. Instead, he handed me a red solo cup of the worst beer I'd ever had, and before the night was over, we were a couple.

And look at us now. Sitting here in a fancy restaurant with a stunning view, the night before our freaking wedding, drinking a bottle of wine that probably cost more than all the beer at that long-ago frat party.

Wow. We'd grown up.

Vinnie's nose is a little red, a testament to how much wine he's gone through tonight. I think about telling him to slow down on the Pinot Noir, but I can hear his reply before it even happens. "It's fine, Shana. Just let's enjoy ourselves!"

I'd met Vinnie shortly before my parents died, and I'm not sure I would have made it the dark weeks and months after their accident if not for Vinnie's insistence that I keep moving forward, keep finding joy in the world.

He leans forward, his dark eyes sparkling in the candlelight. I can hear the wine on his lips.

"Look, I know the last time we talked about this we argued. But I really think we should clear the air before the wedding. It just makes sense Shana; with your investment in my business, you won't have to work anymore. Once you sell your parent's house, that's even more money we can put into it." Vinnie caresses my hand tenderly. "With that money, things will really get rolling. In six months, we'll be living the good life in Ibiza. Telecommuting. Seeing the world."

I have no desire to go to Ibiza, but if I said that, Vinnie would click his tongue and say, "Anywhere, babe. We can go anywhere." Then he'd smile that megawatt smile, and all my doubt would fade away...