“I’m glad you made it,” Holly said, forcing a smile on her face as her Realtor held out a thick file.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Sabrina said, beaming.
Holly’s stomach turned. “What?”
“We have an offer! Full asking price,” Sabrina said, holding up the file like a trophy.
“Pardon?” Holly whispered.
“Well, almost full asking,” Sabrina said, with a brief frown. “Something about the purchaser wanting the seller to replace the basement windows. But those are all minor details we can discuss. I know tonight is crazy, but we’ve got twenty-four hours to respond. I’ll give you a call in the morning. I just knew you’d want this news right away!” Sabrina said, and Holly forced herself to look happy.
“Sure. Thanks. I, um, if you’ll excuse me, we’re about to cut the cake,” Holly mumbled, seeking out Ella in the crowd. It was wrong, it felt all wrong. If she were doing the right thing, she’d be ecstatic right now. It would mean she’d be able to go back to work right away. She’d be able to pick up her old life right where she’d left it. Except she wasn’t the same woman she was when she came here. Coming back to Red River had changed her. She was stronger, and she knew what she wanted. Maybe she was a little late in figuring it out, but she knew what was right.
Claire’s parents brought Ella over, and Holly looked at them, at Ella, and knew. Holly smiled and picked up Ella and held her close, breathing in her delicious scent. Her pink dress with the full skirt was already stained, and her little butterfly hair clips were dangling precariously, but she was Holly’s little princess.
The lights dimmed and guests gathered around as Natalia walked into the room with a polka-dot, three-tiered, pink and green cake. And everyone broke out into a boisterous rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
As Holly sang ��Happy Birthday” to her niece and looked around the room at the familiar faces from her childhood, emotion began seeping through her. She sought Quinn, her eyes surveying the room, but she didn’t see him. She sang the chorus along with everyone, smiling back at all the people she loved. But where was Quinn? He wouldn’t have missed this moment, she knew that. Even if he was mad at her, he wouldn’t have missed this for Ella. Ella snuggled her face deep onto Holly’s shoulder, and she knew Ella must be overwhelmed with all the noise. Holly squeezed her closer and everyone clapped, the singing over.
Ella whispered, “Mama.”
Everything inside Holly froze. She tried to breathe against the weight of the past that had been holding her prisoner for so long. As her little girl held on to her with the utmost faith, Holly finally found her faith and grasped it. This was her moment of truth, where fear had to depart or reign forever. She clutched Ella’s head, her soft hair beneath her fingers, and willingly accepted what this little girl already knew.
Her knees felt weak and her eyes scanned the room relentlessly, desperately seeking Quinn, because he was the missing link. He was family. Holly backed up a step. And there he was. Hard wall at her back, hands on her shoulders, he ducked his head close.
“Come on, sweetheart,” he whispered. Holly let Quinn lead them out of the room. As they walked up the stairs to Ella’s room, Holly held on tighter to Quinn’s strong hand, to Ella’s small body. The little pink ballerina night-light greeted the three of them as they entered the room. Ella reached out for Quinn. He looked at Holly, and she attempted a smile as she handed her over.
“Hi, birthday girl,” he whispered to Ella in a voice that was so soft and so endearing that it automatically made Holly smile. Holly stared through watery eyes at them, realizing she’d had a choice all along—she could let the memories of people from her past paralyze her, or she could embrace the people that were in her life now and make new memories. That is what Jennifer, Rick, and her grandparents would have wanted. They would have wanted Holly to have a family, and they would have wanted Ella to have a family.
She knew now that there would be no walking away from Quinn. He had her heart. And he had her daughter’s heart.
“Ella called me ‘mama,’” Holly whispered.
He smiled. “You are.”
Holly nodded solemnly. She clasped her hands in front of her. She had to do this. He’d said he’d wait. So now it was her turn. “Quinn, someone put in an offer on the house.”
Quinn’s jaw clenched, his eyes going from her lips to her eyes. “And?”
“Full asking price.”
He nodded. “They must really want it.”
Holly frowned. “I guess. They mentioned something about those basement windows,” she mumbled, quickly looking away. “But it must be some weirdo. I mean, who goes in at full asking on a house that has no competition?”
She looked up at him. Ella was snuggled in his arms, and he was just grinning at her. “It was probably a really smart person. Someone who knew the quality of the renovation, someone who understands the importance of a sound basement. So what are you going to do?”
“Rip up the offer and live here,” she said, her eyes filling with tears as Ella lifted her head and smiled alongside him.
“That’s good, because I’m the idiot who offered full asking,” he said, laughing as he bent down to kiss her mouth.
“What?”
He nodded. She was torn between laughing and yelling at him. The boyish grin, the unruly strand of dark hair on his forehead, but mostly, mostly it was the pure, unadulterated love that was shining from his dark blue eyes that made her smile. She was done with fear. She was going to let herself be loved. But first, there were a few unresolved issues she was curious about.
“I heard you had lunch with Christine,” Holly said, crossing her arms.
Quinn rolled his eyes. “Mrs. Jacobs?”
Holly nodded, smiling.
“Jealous?”
Holly shook her head, still smiling.
“I needed closure,” he said gruffly, reaching out to trace his thumb along her lower lip.
“And everything went okay?” she asked, trying to concentrate on the conversation and not the sensations his touch evoked.
“It did.”
“So, is that job offer still available?” Holly asked, stepping closer to him.
A slow, sexy smile made its way across his face. “You’re going to take the position?”
She nodded. “I feel kind of weird, considering—”
“We’re sleeping together?”
She frowned at him. “Yeah. That’s one way of putting it. I just know that everyone is going to think the only reason I got the job is because of our relationship.”
“Holly, your reputation precedes you. It’s not like you’ve never worked before and I’m just giving you this job.”
She looked away for a moment, then nodded. “There’s something else.”
“Go ahead, what?”
“I think I’m going to have a hard time taking directions from you.”
He threw his head back and laughed. And then, of course, so did Ella. “Don’t worry, someone else heads up that section of our company.”
“And I don’t want to just be the woman you’re sleeping with.”
The moment went from laughter to tense silence. “What do you want, then?”
“I want to marry you.”
Epilogue
Holly looked up from her computer screen in her newly completed, third-floor home office. It had been decorated with her favorite black and white toile wallpaper. Quinn had installed the white wainscoting and window seat. There was a play area for Ella, complete with the adorable green dollhouse Quinn had bought her. She smiled, a smile that, before Quinn and Ella came into her life, she wouldn’t have been capable of. She stared for a moment at the view of the snowy landscape surrounding the house as she heard Ella’s peel of laughter, followed by Quinn’s deep chuckle.
Her grandparents would have been proud. The sad, old house had been once again made into a joyous family home. Their great-granddaughter was alive and blossoming. Their granddau
ghter had found love, a love as powerful, strong, and complete as the one they had shared. Jennifer and Rick would have been so happy to see their daughter. And day by day, Holly was able to think of Jennifer again. She saw her sister in Ella’s laugh, in Ella’s eyes. And every night when they put Ella to bed, Holly said good night to her sister, too.
She took a deep breath, admiring the glorious, platinum, antique diamond ring Quinn had given her, and let her eyes wander over the wall filled with photographs of the people they loved. Holly had decided that since she’d be spending lots of time up here, they needed to embrace the people who were in their lives now as well as those who were no longer with them. Pictures of Jennifer and Holly as girls, pictures of Jennifer and Rick, their grandparents, and Quinn’s parents hung with pride. One day, when Ella was old enough, Holly would tell her everything about them. For now, they were a reminder to Holly, something she’d learned on her darkest days, that even though she loved people and lost them, as long as she was open to love, she would never be alone.
Quinn’s footsteps traveled up the third-floor staircase and Holly smiled, flipping the lid closed on her laptop. The antique drafting table sat by the window, her red bag with the “Holly and Quinn” embroidery sitting atop it. Her heart swelled as the sight of the two most precious people in the world to her appeared in the doorway.
Quinn was holding a babbling, pink pajama-wearing Ella in his arms. She looked warm and cozy, while he, as he usually did after bath time, looked drenched and exhausted.
“Hi there,” Quinn said, giving her a smile that still gave her goose bumps.
“Hi, you two. Ready for bed?” she asked, coming around from her desk to pick up Ella.
“You bet,” Quinn said with a mischievous grin.
Holly laughed as the three of them made their way to Ella’s bedroom. Holly and Quinn gave Ella a good-night kiss and placed their eighteen-month-old daughter in her crib. Holly wound the music box and Quinn turned off the light. Once the door was shut, Quinn tugged on Holly’s hand and pulled her into their bedroom, closing the door behind them.
“Holly?” he asked, his tone serious but his eyes sparkling, as he drew her against him.
“Yeah?” she said, looking into his eyes, her heart racing as his strong arms held her close.
“Would this be a good time for a little confession?”
Holly’s eyes narrowed, trying to decipher the expression on his handsome face. “As good as any.”
“That attic was filled with mice. Like, an entire city block worth of mice.”
Holly stared into his eyes, trying to keep a straight face. “I’m not scared of the mice anymore.”
Quinn’s eyes glittered. “You’ve made all my fantasies come true,” he said, bending down and kissing her neck.
“Fantasies?” Holly whispered as he continued his sweet torment up to her lips, his words reminding her of the first kiss that had started everything.
“Oh, yeah, real hot fantasies.” Quinn smiled as he carried her into his fantasy.
About the Author
Victoria James always knew she wanted to be a writer, and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples) and a cardboard cover, and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again. In high school she fell in love with historical romance, and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill the dream of writing romantic fiction. Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-afters for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house would be ideal, but she’s quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and a very bad cat. Victoria loves connecting with readers, and you can find her online at www.victoriajames.ca and on Twitter: @vicjames101.
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