A Corisi Christmas (Legacy Collection #7) Read Free Page A

through your issues with your brother before you bring your child into the world. I’d say that’s not only natural, but it’s a sign that you’ll make an amazing mother.”
    Nicole’s sight blurred with tears. “You really think so?”
    “I really do.”
    “I always feel better when I talk to you.”
    Abby cleared her throat. “After years of hearing the opposite from my sister while I was raising her, those are welcome words. Now, let’s see if we can unravel this mess you think you’re in. First, congratulations, Nicole, you’re going to have a baby.”
    Nicole hugged Abby, who warmly hugged her back. “I’m going to have a baby.”
    “Second, come to dinner tomorrow night, and we’ll see if we can’t get you the Christmas you’re yearning for.” Abby straightened and met Nicole’s eyes. “And third, holy shit, Nicole, you need to tell Stephan you’re pregnant.”
    Stephan Andrade pushed back from his office desk and took out his cell phone. He was late to what would be a packed afternoon of meetings. There was a time when they would have been his first priority, but he was a different man, and until just recently, he would have said a happier one.
    He thought back to the day his wife had walked into this very office and asked him to help her block her brother from taking over her family’s company. His heart had been dark back then, and all he had seen was the opportunity to take down a man he’d thought had once hurt his family.
    How times had changed. He wouldn’t say that he and Dominic were the best of friends, but they were on the same team now. Their love of Nicole was a bond that made all else irrelevant.
    Nicole was, and would always be, the best thing that ever happened to him. She’d brought joy back into his life and smoothed over the rift between him and his family. She was his lover, his best friend, and one day the mother of his children. He’d thought her beautiful the day she’d walked back into his life, but years together and his love for her had deepened his attraction to her.
    In his family, she was a swan in a gaggle of wild geese. Standing out was something he knew she worried about, but he loved her more for that. Her beauty, inside and out, was a delicate one. No matter how many times he woke up beside her, or came home to her, the wonder that she was his didn’t lessen.
    Although he considered himself lucky to be part of a large extended family, raised by parents who loved him, being an Andrade was a blessing and a curse at times. He didn’t say it, but there were times he yearned for the peace he’d found when he’d lived in California.
    Family, even one as wonderful as his, could be draining in large doses. He wondered if that was why Nicole seemed withdrawn. Normally she said she loved to be with his family, but he’d noticed at Thanksgiving she hadn’t been happy. The signs were subtle and no one had mentioned it, but he was certain something was bothering her.
    She’d denied she was upset when he’d asked her. Still, a husband knows his wife. He knows when she’s not happy, when she’s pretending to sleep instead of welcoming him into her arms at night, and when she’s lying.
    What he didn’t know was why.
    Stephan looked out the window at the New York skyline. Nicole’s childhood hadn’t been an easy one. He knew she struggled with anxiety at times, especially around the holidays. It wasn’t something she was comfortable discussing with him and that was the only area of his marriage that concerned him. He had hoped time would prove to her that his love was unwavering.
    Instead, she kept her fears to herself and lied. They were small lies. She’d told him she was going shopping, but he’d found out she’d visited the doctor. She said she was visiting a friend, but she’d gone to her father’s grave. Ever since their family had been threatened by the man who had almost taken Stephan’s life, he’d paid a security team to watch over Nicole.