Her Festive Baby Bombshell

He glanced down at Holly. A tear streamed down her cheek. His gut clenched. Was that a sign of joy or unhappiness? It was hard for him to tell. And then she turned and smiled at him. He released the pent-up breath in his lungs.

Holly squeezed his hand. “Did you see that? Those are our babies.”

“I saw.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Well, you’ll want to see your OB/GYN as soon as possible. But in the meantime, you need some rest and lots of fluids.”

“Rest?”

“Yes and fluids. You have to be careful not to become dehydrated with the morning sickness.”

“Okay. Whatever you say. I still can’t believe I missed all of the signs.”

“You aren’t the first. Some women are in labor before they realize they are pregnant. These things happen.”

Finn followed the doctor into the hallway while Holly got dressed. When they reentered the room, Holly looked different. Was it possible there was a bit of a glow about her? Or was he imagining things?

The doctor went over some suggestions on how to minimize her morning sickness and gave her a bottle of prenatal vitamins to get her started. “If you have any problems while you’re in the islands, feel free to come back. I’m always here.”

“I was planning to fly to New York today or tomorrow. Would that be all right?”

“I’d like to see you rested and hydrated before you travel. Get your morning sickness under control first.”

Finn could feel everyone’s attention turning his way, but he continued to study the random pattern of the floor tiles. He had nothing to contribute to this conversation, not at this point. This sudden turn of events was something he’d never envisioned.

The door opened and closed.

“Finn, are you okay?”

He glanced up, finding that he was alone with Holly. “Okay? No.”

Her lips formed an O. “Can I say or do anything?”

He shook his head. He should be the one reassuring her, letting her know this was all going to be all right, but he couldn’t lie to her. He had no idea how any of this was going to be all right. He was the last person in the world who should be a father. In fact, up until this point, he’d intended to leave all of his estate to designated charities.

But now, wow, everything had just changed. He raked his fingers through his hair. He had to rethink everything.

Pull it together. She’s expecting me to say something.

He lifted his head and met her worried gaze that shimmered with unshed tears. That was the last thing he’d expected. Holly was always so strong and sure of what she wanted. Her tears socked him in the gut, jarring him back to reality. She was just as scared as he was, if not more so.

Oh, boy, were his children in big trouble here. Neither Holly nor himself was prepared to be a parent. They had so much to learn and so little time.

Finn stood. “Let’s go back to the island.”

Her worried gaze met his. “But what about New York?”

“You heard the doctor. You need to rest first.” He held his hand out to her.

She hesitated but then grasped his hand.

He didn’t know what the future held, but for now they were in it together. For better. Or for worse.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHAT WERE THEY supposed to do now?

A few days after returning from their trip to the big island, Holly was starting to feel better. The suggestions the doctor had given her for morning sickness were helping. And she’d been monitoring her fluid intake.

She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant. There was no question in her mind about keeping the babies, but that was the only thing she knew for sure.

Maria and Emilio had been called away from the island. This meant Holly and Finn had the entire island to themselves. In another time, that might have been exciting, even romantic, but right now, they had serious matters on their minds.

She paced back and forth in the study. Where would she live? How would she manage a job, helping out her mother and being a mom all on her own? And where did this leave her and Finn?

The questions continued to whirl around in her mind. She would figure it out—she had to—because she wasn’t going to fall back on Finn. She’d counted on two men in her life and they’d both failed her. She knew better this time around. She could only count on herself.