“No,” she said, barely able to get the words out. “It’s a baby’s room.”
Chapter Eight
The light was coming in at a slant through the stark white, gauzy fabric of the nursery curtains that stretched from the top of the room to the bottom. They were tied back with long sashes of white satin, their tails dragging the floor. The wood floor was dark against the shaggy area rug that looked like a bright white cloud, floating in darkness. In the center of the room sat an enormous circular crib. Abbey almost didn’t notice the little green and white embroidered roses on the bedding, or the perfectly tied bows of the bumper pad because her eyes had moved to the vaulted ceiling and the glass mobile floating above the crib like stars in the night’s sky. The whole room looked like something from Heaven, all white and dreamlike. The only color was a small olive green and pearl white teddy bear that sat all alone in the center of the crib.
There was hardly a thing in the entire mansion, but this room was completely decorated, the white looking almost ghostly-stark all of a sudden as Abbey worried about the child for whom this room was meant. What was this room?
Quickly, she ushered Max out of it and shut the door. “Follow me,” she said, refocusing and making her way to the third bedroom where she had the most decorating done. She needed to stay on track if she wanted to finish.
This was her surprise bedroom for Nick, and she hoped he liked it. The groundsmen had left her a hammer and, with a few taps, she secured the picture hanger on the wall for the large waterfall photograph. She hung it between the posts of the bed, and stepped back to take a look at it. The thick, dark wood of the frame was the perfect accent to the smooth hour-glass shape of the bed posts. The posts looked as though they were reaching upward to showcase that gorgeous picture, the sheer canopy she’d pleated like curtains softening the space. She’d chosen to decorate the room in white before she’d seen the nursery, and now, looking at the room, it looked oddly similar. She hoped that wasn’t a bad thing. An antique chair sat in the corner, the green seat embroidered with flowers, the dark wood back and arms matching the bed. She fluffed a deliciously puffy throw pillow and cornered it in the bend of the chair. The colors of the chair looked so rich in the light of a floor lamp nearby. Abbey didn’t know why—maybe it was that photo that made her feel romantic, but she hung an extra sprig of mistletoe by a dark green ribbon from the canopy above the bed. For such a large room, it looked livable and warm—the kind of room she’d want to stay in. She cornered a few books on the table and took a look around.
Max played with his toys on the floor while Abbey did the final dust and room check. He’d asked several times to go down and see Nick, and she’d made him stay upstairs with her. So, when it was finally time to show Nick this room, she told Max to go find him.
“Okay, Mama!” he said, more lively than she’d seen him in a while.
Abbey hurried to put Max’s toys away as Max went to get Nick. He’d been pleased with the ballroom, but this was the first room she’d decorated that felt like it could fit who he was. It had soft lighting, billowy comforters and pillows, glass vases with sprigs of holly right now and, she imagined, daisies in the warm months. It felt like somewhere she’d want to live, and with that gorgeous photo above the bed, she was nearly sure it would be somewhere Nick would want to live as well. Could she convince him that he needed a home rather than just a house? Her confidence was soaring as she looked around.
“Keep your eyes closed,” she heard Max say, and her fingertips were tingling in anticipation. She couldn’t wait to show him.
Max led Nick into the room and Nick awkwardly bumped the doorframe. “Oh, Max,” she laughed nervously, “You didn’t have to really make Nick close his eyes.”
Nick was standing in the doorway, holding Max’s hand, his eyes closed, and his face set in that cautious expression. He looked vulnerable right then, which was such a contrast to his usual commanding presence. There was a softness to his face, a gentle look about him, and she imagined what it would be like to see him sleep. How peaceful he must look.
“Ready?” Max said. “Open your eyes!”
Abbey waited for his reaction; at the very least, she thought she’d get the look of polite approval that he’d shown in the ballroom downstairs, but she was hoping for a bigger response. In her mind, she’d nailed this room. Would he think so? She waited for him to say something about this gorgeous surprise she’d found in the closet. What did he think of her interpretation of its mood? The greens and whites of the photo were like a blast of color, and she knew it had to evoke something in him.