Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Nora dusted her hands off on her jeans as she pulled a baking sheet of molasses cookies out of the oven, breathing in the fragrant, Christmassy scent as she carefully listened for sounds of either Madison or Chessie.

Madison was down for the night, and Aiden had just gotten home from work—-she could hear the sound of the shower running upstairs as he got cleaned up. He’d eaten takeout from Rockridge Grill on the worksite, working late on some repairs with Blake for a neighbor’s house, and she’d had dinner by herself that evening, eating lasagna while Madison happily painted the tray of her high chair with peas.

Now that dinner was over and Madison was sleeping, she was eager to get some alone time with Aiden, just the two of them.

She’d gotten Chessie situated in the living room, in her own little corner with the dog bed and her toys, and a small playpen fence around it to keep her from having unfettered access to all parts of the house when Nora couldn’t watch her. She’d had to pick up several of the decorations in order to make it completely safe for the puppy, but she hadn’t minded a bit. Watching Madison scoot over the floor after Chessie earlier that afternoon, as the puppy had run in circles around her, had been adorably entertaining. And Madison was so happy that Nora couldn’t regret the choice for a second.

Now Chessie was sleeping too, completely worn out and curled up in her dog bed. Which left Nora to put some of the freshly baked cookies on a small Christmas China plate, and set it on a tray with two cups of decaf pumpkin chai for herself and Aiden, ready to go out onto the porch and enjoy them.

It was the perfect winter night to do exactly that. Aiden came downstairs in sweats and a zip-up hoodie, and he carried the tray out as Nora gathered up blankets for them to curl up together out on the porch swing. It was cold, but wrapped up in the blankets as Aiden set the tray down on the small table that he’d made for them last year, Nora hardly felt the cold at all.

The sky was clear of clouds, bright and sparkling with stars, the snowy front yard lit up with the lights strung across the front of their old Victorian and wrapped around the porch. She could see the lights from other houses as well, spilling out over the snow, and she let out a happy sigh as she reached for her cup of chai and one of the cookies.

“Is this your mom’s recipe?” Aiden asked as he took a bite. “I feel like I’ve had these before.”

“Yes.” Nora nodded, laughing as she took a bite out of her cookie as well. “I think I’ve finally perfected it.”

“I would agree.” He sipped on his chai, letting out a relaxed sigh. “What a perfect night. This kind of evening is exactly why I love living here. It’s so peaceful.”

“It is.” Nora tucked her feet up under her, leaning against him as she sipped her drink. “I thought the quiet would drive me crazy after living in Boston for so long, when I first moved back. But I love it. It makes me feel like I can slow down and think. And they’re all good thoughts. Our life here is so good.”

“And just getting better. Everything seems to be going well with managing both Madison and Chessie too.” Aiden smirked at her. “You’re juggling it all remarkably well. Not a peep from either of them tonight. You’ve become an expert at wearing out babies and puppies.”

“It’s a breeze,” Nora said smugly, a teasing look on her face as she brushed her hair back playfully. “You just have to be organized, that’s all.”

“Oh, is that it?” Aiden grinned. “Perfect for you, then. You’re the most organized person I’ve ever met. Even when you were running on almost no sleep with Madison, I still don’t think I ever met anyone who could keep things in order as well as you?—”

He broke off, as they both heard a whine from inside the house, long and high-pitched, followed by a flurry of frenzied barking.

“Oh, no.” Nora set her mug down. “What’s going on with her? She’s slept great ever since we brought her home. I don’t know what’s got her all upset now.”

Aiden shrugged, as the barking went on, growing more and more frantic by the second. “She was probably exhausted when you first brought her back here,” he reasoned. “And now she’s gotten used to her surroundings, so she wants to play. She’ll settle down in a minute.”

Nora bit her lip, giving it another second or two, but as the frenzied barking continued, she pushed off the blankets and got up. “I’ve got to go quiet her down before she wakes Madison up,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

“I can do it,” Aiden offered, but Nora shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve spent more time with her, so she might calm down better for me. The two of you still need to get acquainted, really. And I don’t want to end our romantic evening just yet. I’ll be right back, promise.”

She hurried into the house, where the barking was even more high-pitched. She went straight to the small enclosure, scooping Chessie up and grabbing her harness and leash. “Do you just need to go out?” she asked, nuzzling the top of the puppy’s head as she took her to the back door. “Maybe that’s it.”

As soon as she was holding the puppy, she noticed, Chessie stopped barking. Hopefully, she wasn’t going to start again as soon as Nora set her down.

She put the harness on, walked out into the backyard, and let Chessie run around in a few circles before she finally did her business next to a snowdrift. Nora scooped her back up, not wanting her paws to get too cold, and carried her back into the house and to her dog bed.

“There,” she said, setting her down and unclipping the harness. “You’re all good now, okay? Let’s go back to sleep. I want some time to wind down before I have to go to sleep too.”

She petted Chessie’s head as she spoke soothingly, and the puppy laid down, rolling onto her side as Nora scratched her chest and behind her leg. When she could see the puppy’s eyes drooping, she set the harness aside and softly walked back out to the porch, where Aiden was taking a bite out of another cookie.

“All good?” he asked, and Nora nodded.

“She just needed to go out. I’m pretty sure that’s all it was,” she said confidently. “And that’s good, right? She told me, instead of having an accident. That’s what we want her to do.”

“Although maybe not so loudly,” Aiden said with a good-natured chuckle. “But you’re right. That’s definitely what we want.”

Nora settled back into the cocoon of blankets, picking up a second cookie for herself and taking another sip of her now-cooled chai tea. She was just starting to relax again when she heard the telltale whine of Chessie warming up, and then the sudden flurry of barking that immediately followed.

“Is this reminding you of anything?” Aiden asked dryly, as Nora sighed and pushed back the blankets again.

“You’re the one who said you wanted another baby already,” she teased him. “This is just a trial run, to make sure we remember, and can handle it.”

“I think the barking is worse,” Aiden said, but Nora could tell he wasn’t overly annoyed by it. “I guess we should go ahead and turn in. Until you figure out what she wants, it’s not going to stop.”

“No, wait,” Nora insisted. “I’ll go check on her, and come back.”

She could tell that Aiden didn’t think the puppy would settle, but he indulged her. He curled back up in the blankets, tucking them around him and nestling Nora’s section of blankets close to keep them warm as she went back into the house.

“Okay, you,” she said to Chessie, walking back over to where the puppy was pressed up against the edge of the playpen, barking wildly. “It’s bedtime, little girl. And you can’t just have the run of the house. I’ll find accidents and chewed furniture in the morning, I know I will. You can run around with Madison tomorrow.”

Chessie started barking again, and Nora sighed, scooping the puppy up. The second she was in Nora’s arms, she quieted down, and Nora winced.

There definitely was some separation anxiety going on, she thought. But she couldn’t constantly hold Chessie. For one thing, she needed to hold Madison sometimes. For another, she had chores to do. For a third, as happy as she was to have the puppy, she couldn’t have Chessie constantly glued to her.

“Let’s try this.” She scooped up the little lamb, remembering that she’d read on the tag that it could be tossed in a microwave for a few seconds to heat up the stuffed animal, making it warm and soothing. “Maybe you just need a cuddle buddy.”

She held Chessie while the stuffed animal warmed up, letting the puppy lick the edges of her chin as she squirmed happily in Nora’s arms. When the microwave beeped, Nora took the lamb out, taking both it and Chessie back to the small bed next to the fireplace and getting them situated again.

After a few minutes of petting, Chessie seemed content to curl up with the warmed-up stuffed lamb, and Nora let out a sigh. Carefully, she went back out to the porch, where she found Aiden reading as he waited for her.

“Not too chilly are you?” she asked as she nestled back into her blankets.

“Now that you’re back, I’m great.” He leaned over to give her a soft kiss. “How’s the baby?”

Nora rolled her eyes playfully. “I warmed up her stuffed animal. I think maybe she’s just got some attachment issues. That should help.”

The night was back to being quiet as she curled up with Aiden on the swing, nibbling at her cookie and enjoying the crisp, cold scent of the winter air and the scenery all around them. She could smell the far-off scent of someone’s bonfire, the spiciness of the chai still in her cup, and the warmth of the molasses cookies. She closed her eyes without meaning to, feeling herself drift off a little as the swing rocked back and forth.

She came awake with a start as Aiden rubbed her back gently. “You fell asleep,” he said with a chuckle. “We should probably be getting to bed.”

“Alright,” Nora agreed, yawning. “You’re probably right.”

As quietly as they could, they both gathered up the dishes and blankets, and carried them to the linen closet and kitchen. Nora waited the whole time for Chessie to wake up and start barking again, but to her relief, the puppy stayed asleep. It seemed that the heated stuffed animal might have done the trick.

Until, a few hours later, Nora was awoken from a deep sleep by the insistent sound of Chessie barking downstairs. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her face as Aiden groaned, and threw the blankets back. Quickly, she shoved her feet into her slippers and started to pad downstairs to get the puppy to calm down, but before she could get more than a few steps past the landing, Madison started to wail from the nursery as well.

Nora wrinkled her nose, her shoulders sinking. Behind her, she could hear Aiden getting out of bed, undoubtedly going to get the baby while she went to calm down Chessie.

The barking turned frantic, and Nora quickened her pace, Madison’s cries echoing behind her as she hurried into the living room.

It was going to be a long night.