She turned to come face-to-face with her father. He was the very last person she wanted to speak to that evening. “Excuse me.”
Her father stepped in front of her. “Not so fast. I did a little research into that boyfriend of yours. And I think I should get to know him better.”
Not a chance. Her father caused enough destruction wherever he went. She wasn’t going to give him a chance to hurt Finn.
Holly pointed a finger at her father. “You stay away from him.”
Her father’s eyes widened with surprise. “But it’s a father’s place to make sure the guy is worthy of his daughter.”
She clenched her hands. “And you would be an expert on character and integrity?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I saw you—everybody saw you flirting with that young woman who’s what? My age? How could you?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“You never do.”
Her father at least had the decency to grow red-faced. “You don’t understand—”
“You’re right. I don’t. I have to go.”
She rushed past her father. Suddenly the walls felt as though they were closing in on her and it was hard to breathe. She knew not to trust men. Her father had taught her that at an early age. And he’d reinforced that lesson tonight.
What made her think that Finn would be different? No, he wasn’t a womanizer, but he was a man. And he only trusted her so far. Without complete trust, they had nothing.
Except the babies, which she’d never keep from him. But they didn’t have to be together to coparent. Because she refused to end up like her mother and blindsided by a man.
The fairy tale was over.
It was time she got on with her life—without Finn.
She headed for the door, needing fresh air.
* * *
What in the world?
Finn had caught glimpses of Holly and Meryl with their heads together. His gut had churned. Nothing good will come of that.
He tried to get away from a couple of gentlemen, but they were his partners in an upcoming deal and he didn’t want to offend them. But for every excuse he came up with to make his exit, they came up with a new aspect of their pending deal that needed further attention.
He should have forewarned Holly that Meryl would be here. But honestly, it slipped his mind. Between the news of the babies and then Holly’s surprise holiday gathering at the penthouse, his thoughts were not his own these days.
He breathed easier when the women parted. But the next time he spotted Holly, she was having a conversation with her father and if the hand gestures and the distinct frown were anything to go by, it wasn’t going well.
“Gentlemen, these are all great points. And I look forward to discussing them in great detail, but I promised my date I wouldn’t work tonight.”
The men admitted that they’d made similar promises to their wives. They agreed to meet again after the first of the year. With a shake of hands, they parted.
Finn turned around in time to witness Holly heading for the door. He took off after her, brushing off people with a smile and promising to catch up with them soon. It wasn’t in him to be outright rude, but his sixth sense was telling him Holly’s fast exit was not good—not good at all.
He rushed past the security guards posted at the entrance of the museum, past the impressive columns, and started down the flight of steps. Snow was starting to fall and Holly didn’t have a coat. What was she thinking?
When he stepped on the sidewalk, his foot slipped on a patch of ice. He quickly caught his balance. He glanced to the left and then right. Which way had she gone?
And then he saw the shadow of a person. Was that her? He drew closer and realized the person was sitting on the sidewalk. His heart clenched. He took off at a sprint.
When he reached Holly’s side, he knelt down. “Holly, are you all right?”
She looked up at him with a tear trailing down her cheek. “No. I’m not.”
“Should I call an ambulance?”
“No.” She sniffled. “I just need a hand up. I... I slipped on some ice.”
“Are you sure it’s okay if you stand? I mean, what about the babies?”
“Just give me your hand.” He did as she asked.
Once she was on her feet, she ran her hands over her bare arms. He noticed the goose bumps, which prompted him to slip off his jacket and place it over her shoulders. “Thank you. But you need it.”
“Keep it. I’m fine.” He had so much adrenaline flooding through his system at that particular moment that he really didn’t notice the cold.
“Do you want to go back inside?”
She lifted the skirt of her gown. “I don’t think so. My heel broke.”
He glanced down, finding her standing on one foot as the other heel had broken and slipped off her foot. Without a word, he retrieved the heel and handed to her. Then he scooped her up in his arms.
“Put me down! What are you doing?”
“Taking you home.”
“Finn, stop. We need to talk.”
“You’re right. We do. But not out here in the cold.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SO MUCH FOR making a seamless exit.
Holly sat on the couch in Finn’s penthouse feeling ridiculous for falling on the ice and breaking her shoe. The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled as though mocking her with their festiveness. She glanced away.
She’d trusted Finn and yet things about him and his past kept blindsiding her. How was she ever supposed to trust him? How was she supposed to believe he’d never hurt her?
Falling in love and trusting another human was like a free fall and trusting that your parachute would open. Holly wasn’t sure she had the guts to free-fall. Her thoughts strayed back to her father. She inwardly shuddered, remembering him flirting with that young woman, and then he didn’t even deny he was having an affair with her. Her mother had trusted him and then her stepmother. It was to their utter detriment.
Finn rushed back in the room with a damp cloth. “Here. Let me have your hand.”
She held her injured hand out to him. He didn’t say anything as he gently cleaned her scrapes and then applied some medicated cream before wrapping a bit of gauze around it.
“Did you hurt anything else?”
“Besides my pride? No.”
“I wish you’d have talked to me before you took off. Anything could have happened to you—”
“If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”
He arched a brow at her outburst.
“Hey, anyone can slip on ice,” he said calmly. “I just wish you’d have talked to me. Why did you leave? Was it Meryl? Did she say something to upset you?”
“No. Actually she didn’t. Not directly.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell me she would be there? That you still interact with her?”
He shrugged and glanced away. “I don’t know. I didn’t think of it.”
“Really? Is that the same reason you didn’t tell me you’re the mastermind behind the Mistletoe Ball? That without you, there wouldn’t be a ball?”
“I guess I should have said something. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I wasn’t keeping it a secret from you, but I’ve been distracted. If you haven’t noticed, we’re having twins.”
“What else haven’t you told me?” Her fears and insecurities came rushing to the surface. “What else don’t I know about you that’s going to blindside me?”
His facial features hardened. “I’m sure there’s lots you don’t know about me, just like there’s a lot I don’t know about you.” When she refused to back down,
he added, “Do you want me to start with kindergarten or will a detailed report about my last five years do?”
She glared at him for being sarcastic. Then she realized she deserved it. She was overreacting. She’d let her family dig into her insecurities and her imagination had done the rest.
“You know what? Never mind.” Finn got up from the couch. “If you don’t trust me, this is never going to work. Just forget this—forget us. I was wrong to think it could work.”
Her heart ached as she watched him walk out of the room. She didn’t even know the person she’d become. It was like she was once again that insecure little girl who realized her father had lied to her—learning that her father had secretly exchanged his current family for a new one. And now her father was about to do it again.
But Finn hadn’t done that. He hadn’t done anything but be sweet and kind. Granted, he might not be totally forthcoming at times, but it wasn’t because he was out to deceive her or hurt her. She couldn’t punish him for the wrongs her father had done to her over the years.
If she was ever going to trust a man with her heart—it would be Finn. Because in truth she did love him. She’d fallen for him that first night when he’d invited her here to his penthouse. He’d been charming and entertaining.
Now, when it looked like she was going to have it all—the perfect guy, the amazing babies and a happily-ever-after—she was pulling away. In the light of day, the depth of her love for Finn scared her silly. Her instinct was to back away fast—just like she was doing now. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d lose it all. If she hadn’t already.
Still wearing Finn’s jacket, she wrapped her arms around herself. She inhaled the lingering scent of his spicy cologne mingled with his unique male scent. Her eyes drifted closed.
There had to be a way to salvage things. Maybe she could plead a case of pregnancy hormones. Nah. She had to be honest with him about her fears and hope he’d be willing to work through them with her.
It was then she noticed something poking her. There was something in his inner jacket pocket. She reached inside and pulled out not one but two packages of pacifiers. One was pink and one was blue. Happy tears blurred her eyes as she realized just how invested Finn was in their expanding family. She had to talk to him—to apologize.
She swiped at her eyes and got to her feet, heading for the kitchen.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
WHAT WAS HE DOING?
Finn chastised himself for losing his cool with Holly. Every time she questioned him, she poked at his insecurities about being a proper husband and father. He had so many doubts about doing a good job. He didn’t even know what being a husband and father entailed. All he knew was that he wanted to do his best by his family.
And he wasn’t a quitter. He fought for the things he believed in. Sometimes he fought too long for his own good. But this was his family—there was no retreating. He would somehow prove to Holly—and most of all to himself—that he could be there for her and the babies through the good and the bad.
Certain in what he needed to do, he turned on his heels and headed back to the living room, hoping Holly hadn’t made a quick exit. If she had, it wouldn’t deter him. He would find her. He would tell her that he loved her. Because that was what it all boiled down to. He was a man who was head over heels in love with the mother of his children.
When he entered the living room, he nearly collided with Holly. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Where are you going in such a rush?”
“To find you. There’s something I need to say.”
“There’s something I need to say to you, too.”
At the same time, they said, “I’m sorry.”
Finn had to be sure he heard her correctly. “Really?”
She nodded before she lifted up on her tiptoes and with her hands on either side of his face, she pulled him down to her. The kiss wasn’t light or hesitant. Instead her kiss was heated and demanding. Need thrummed in his veins. He never wanted to let her go.
It’d be oh, so easy to dispense with words. His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her soft curves to his hard planes. A moan grew in the back of his throat and he didn’t fight it. Holly had to know all of the crazy things she did to his body, to his mind, to his heart.
But he wanted—no, he needed to clear the air between them. Christmas was in the air and it was the time for setting aside the past and making a new start. That was exactly what he wanted to do with Holly.
It took every fiber of his being to pull away from her embrace. Her beautiful eyes blinked and stared at him in confusion. It’d be so easy to pull her close again and pick up where they’d left off.
No, Finn. Do the responsible thing. Make this right for both of you.
“Come sit down so we can talk.” He led her to the couch.
“Talk? Now?”
“Trust me. It’s important.”
“As long as I go first,” she said. “After all, I started this whole thing.”
“Deal.”
She inhaled a deep breath and then blew it out. She told him about running into her family and how her father’s actions and her stepsisters’ words had ripped the scabs off her insecurities. “I know that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the truth. I’ve spent most of my life swearing that I would never end up like my mother—that I’d never blindly trust a man.”
“And then you ran into my ex and found out I’d left out some important details about my life.”
Holly shrugged and glanced away. “I just let it all get to me.” She lifted her chin until her gaze met his. “I know you’re not my father. You are absolutely nothing like him. I trust you.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I can’t promise that every once in a while my insecurities won’t get the best of me, but I promise to work on them.”
“I love you, Holly.”
Her eyes grew shiny with unshed tears. “I love you, too.”
He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t fail him before he got it all out. “I would never intentionally hurt you or our children. You and those babies mean everything to me. I’m really excited to be a father.”
“I noticed.” She reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out the pacifiers. “I found these. And they’re so sweet. Our babies’ first gifts.”
“You like them?”
She nodded. “How could I have ever doubted you?”
“I promise you here and now that I’ll work on being more forthcoming. I’ve spent so many years keeping things bottled up inside me that I might slip up now and then. Will you stick by me while I work on this partnership thing?”
She nodded. “As long as you’ll stick by me while I learn to let go of the past.”
“It’s a deal.” Then recalling the flowers, he jumped to his feet. “I have something for you.” He moved to the bookcase and retrieved the flowers. “I got these for you when I went to the pharmacy earlier.” He held them out to her.
She accepted the bouquet and sniffed them. “They’re beautiful.”
This was his chance to make this Christmas unforgettable. He took her hand in his and gazed up into her wide-open eyes. “Holly, the most important thing you need to know about me is that I love you. And I love those babies you’re carrying. I want to be the best husband and father, if you’ll let me. Will you marry me?”
A tear splashed onto her cheek. She moved his hand to her slightly rounded abdomen. “We love you, too. And yes. Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you.”
His heart filled with love—the likes he’d never known. And it was all Holly’s doing. She’d opened his eyes and his heart not only to the spirit of the season, but also to the possibilities of the future.
He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers.
This was the best C
hristmas ever.
EPILOGUE
THERE—THAT SHOULD do it.
Finn stepped back from the twelve-foot Christmas tree that stood prominently in front of the bay windows of his new house—correction, their house...as in his and Holly’s home. This was the very first Christmas tree that he’d decorated since he was a child. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he’d thought. The memories of his brother and parents were always there, lingering around the edges, but now he was busy making new memories with Holly and their twins, Derek, in honor of his brother, and Maggie, in honor of his mother.
“How’s it going?” Holly ventured into the room carrying a twin in each arm.
“I just finished putting on the lights. And how about you? Is Project Santa a go?”
Holly’s face lit up. “Yes. And this year will be even bigger than last year, which means we’re able to help even more children.”
“I knew you were the right person to put in charge.”
Maggie let out a cry. Holly bounced her on her hip. “Sounds like someone is hungry.”
“Did I hear someone cry out for food?” Holly’s mother strolled into the room, making a beeline for Maggie.
Finn glanced over at his mother-in-law, Sandy, who now lived in a mother-in-law apartment on the other side of their pool. When Holly had suggested her mother move in, he had to admit that he’d been quite resistant to the idea. But when Holly really wanted something, he found himself unable to say no.
In the end, he and Sandy hit it off. The woman was a lot more laid-back than he’d ever imagined. And she doted over her grandchildren, which won her a gold star. And with the help of a nanny and a housekeeper, they were one big, happy family—unless of course the twins were hungry or teething.
“I can do it, Mom,” Holly insisted, hanging on to the baby.
“Nonsense. I wasn’t doing anything important.” Sandy glanced over at the tree. “And from the looks of things in here, your husband could use some help.”
Holly smiled. “I think you’re right.” She handed over the fussing baby. “Thanks. I’ll be in shortly.”
Her Festive Baby Bombshell Page 17