Her Festive Baby Bombshell

“We turned the wrong way. This is the opposite direction of my apartment.” Obvious concern laced Holly’s words. “Hey!” She waved, trying to gain the driver’s attention. “We need to turn around.”

“No, we don’t,” Finn said calmly. “It’s okay, Ron. I’ve got this.”

“You’ve got what?” She frowned at him.

“I’ve instructed Ron to drive us back to my penthouse—”

“What? No. I need to go home.”

“Not yet. You heard the doctor. You have a high-risk pregnancy and your blood pressure is elevated—”

“Only slightly.”

“She said not to overdo it. And from what you’ve told me, your apartment is a fifth-floor walk-up with no elevator.”

“It... It’s not that much. I’m used to it.”

He wasn’t going to change his mind about this arrangement. It was what was best for her and the babies. “And then there’s the fact that your mother is out of town. There’s no one around if you have any complications.”

“I won’t have any.” Her hand moved to rest protectively over her slightly rounded midsection. “Nothing is going to happen.”

“I sincerely hope you’re right, but is it worth the risk? If you’re wrong—”

“I won’t be. But...your idea might not be so bad. As long as you understand that it’s only temporary. Until my next appointment.”

Which was at the beginning of the new year—not far off. “We’ll see what the doctor says then. Now will you relax?”

“As long as you understand that this arrangement doesn’t change anything between us—I’m still not accepting your proposal.”

He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but he couldn’t. Maybe he was asking too much of her—of himself. He couldn’t promise her forever.

An ache started deep in his chest.

What if he made her unhappy?

Maybe he was being selfish instead of doing what was best for Holly.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

IT DIDN’T FEEL like Christmas.

Holly strolled into the living room of Finn’s penthouse. There was absolutely nothing that resembled Christmas anywhere. She knew he avoided the holiday because of the bad memories it held for him, but she wondered if it would be possible to create some new holiday memories.

She’d been here for two days and, so far, Finn had bent over backward to make her at home. He’d set her up in his study to monitor the final stages of Project Santa. And so far they’d only encountered minor glitches. It was nothing that couldn’t be overcome with a bit of ingenuity.

That morning when she’d offered to go into the office, Finn had waved her off, telling her to stay here. Meanwhile, he’d gone to the office to pick up some papers. He’d said he’d be back in a couple of hours, but that was before lunch. And now it was after quitting time and he still wasn’t back.

Perhaps this was the best opportunity for her to take care of something that had been weighing on her mind. She retraced her steps to the study where she’d left her phone. She had Finn’s number on it because he refused to leave until he had entered it in her phone with orders for her to call if she needed anything at all.

Certain in her plan, she selected his number and listened to the phone ring. Once. That’s all it rang before Finn answered. “Holly, what’s the matter?”

“Does something have to be the matter?”

“No. I just... Oh, never mind, what did you need?”

“I wanted you to know that I’m going out. There’s something I need to take care of.”

“I’m almost home. Can I pick something up for you?”

“It’s more like I have to drop off something.”

“Tonight?” His voice sounded off.

“Yes, tonight.”

“I just heard the weather report and they’re calling for snow. A lot of it.”

Holly glanced toward the window. “It’s not snowing yet. I won’t be gone long. I’ll most likely be home before it starts.”

“Holly, put it off—”

“No. I need to do this.” She’d been thinking about it all day. Once the visit with her family was over, she could relax. It’d definitely help lower her blood pressure.