Her Festive Baby Bombshell

Holly couldn’t help but wonder what Finn would make of this impromptu Christmas party.

As though Clara could read her mind, she leaned in close. “Don’t worry. He’ll like this. Thanks to you, he’s a changed man.”

Holly wasn’t so sure, but she hoped Clara was right. Instead of worrying, she joined the others as they trimmed the tree.

* * *

How long does it take to fill a prescription?

Finn rocked back on his heels, tired of standing in one spot. He checked his watch for the tenth time in ten minutes. There was plenty of time before they had to leave for the ball. Not that he wanted to go, but once he’d invited Holly’s family there was no backing out.

He made a point of never going to the ball. Publicly, he distanced himself as much as he could from the event. He liked to think of himself as the man behind the magic curtain. He never felt worthy to take any of the credit for the prestigious event. He carried so much guilt around with him—always feeling like a poor replacement for his family. But Holly was changing his outlook on life. Maybe she had a point—maybe punishing himself wasn’t helping anyone.

He strolled through the aisles of the pharmacy. When he got to the baby aisle, he stopped. He gazed at the shelves crowded with formula, toys and diapers. All of this was needed for a baby? Oh, boy! He had no idea what most of the gizmos even did.

Then the image of the twins filled his mind. His fingers traced over a pacifier. He finally acknowledged to himself that he had to let go of the ghosts that haunted him if he had any hopes of embracing the future. Because deep down he wanted Holly and those babies more than anything in the world.

In no time, he was headed back to the penthouse with two pacifiers tucked in his inner jacket pocket and roses in his hand. He knew what he needed to do now. He needed to tell Holly how much he loved her and their babies—how he couldn’t live without them.

But when he swung open the penthouse door, he came to a complete standstill. There were people everywhere. In front of the window now stood a Christmas tree. It was like he’d stepped into Santa’s hideaway at the North Pole.

Where had all of these people come from? He studied their faces. Most were his coworkers. The unfamiliar faces he assumed were significant others. But where was Holly?

He closed the door and stepped farther into the room. People turned and smiled. Men shook his hand and women told him what a lovely home he had. He welcomed them and gave the appropriate responses all the while wondering what in the world they were doing there.

And then a hand touched his shoulder. He turned, finding Clara standing there, smiling at him. If this was her idea, they were going to have a long talk—a very long talk.

“Oh, I know who those are for. Nice touch.” Clara sent him a smile of approval.

“What?”

She pointed to his hand.

Glancing down at the bouquet of red roses he’d picked up on his way home, he decided to give them to Holly later—when it was just the two of them. He moved off to the side and laid them on a shelf.

Finding Clara still close at hand, he turned back to her. “Looks like I arrived in time for the party.”

“What do you think? Holly went all out planning this get-together.”

Holly? She did this? “But why? I don’t understand.”

Clara shrugged. “Holly didn’t tell me what prompted this little party. Maybe she just thought it would be a nice gesture before the ball. All I know is that she asked me to pull together all of your close friends.”

Close friends? He turned to his PA and arched a brow. “And now you take directions from Holly?”

“Seemed like the right thing to do. After all, I’m all for helping the course of true love.”

He turned away, afraid Clara would read too much in his eyes. True love? Were his feelings that obvious?

“Just be good to her. She’s a special person.” And with that, Clara went to mingle with the others.

His close friends? He glanced around the room. Yes, he knew many of these people. They’d been the ones to help him when he’d been old enough to step into his father’s role as CEO. He’d had lunch or dinner with all of them at one point or another. He’d even discussed sports and family with them. He’d never thought it was any more than them being polite and doing what was expected, but maybe he hadn’t been willing to admit that those connections had meant so much more.