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A Mommy for Christmas

Page 18

by Cathy Gillen Thacker


  She answered the door on the first ring. He held up a silencing palm. “I don’t know what was going on just now, but I didn’t send them over here.”

  Holly smiled, looking more peaceful than he had seen her in days. “I know. I didn’t imagine you asked Alexis to come by this morning, either.”

  Travis thought about the heart-to-heart conversation that had set him straight. “You saw her?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Holly’s soft lips twisted into a rueful grin. “It’s kind of hard to miss when Foreverlove.com’s premiere matchmaker shows up at your love’s door.”

  Travis paused, sure he couldn’t have heard right. “You want to back up here a moment and explain?”

  The aura of serenity around Holly increased. “Yes. But first I need to make two calls.” Graceful and feminine as ever, she ushered him inside. “Can you wait?”

  Travis nodded and Holly disappeared into her home office. When she came out, she looked very much at peace…and very besotted with him. As if she wanted them to pick up where they’d left off before the breakup.

  Wordlessly, she took him by the hand. When they were settled comfortably on the sofa, she tightened her grasp. “We need to talk…and I want to go first,” she insisted, a telltale sheen in her eyes.

  Travis inhaled deeply and looked down at their entwined fingers. He let his breath out slowly as the first glimmer of hope rose inside his chest. “Okay.”

  Holly smiled at him with all the joy he had ever wanted to see on her beautiful face, and gazed deep into his eyes. “I’m taking you up on the offer to adopt the kids. I want to help Cliff terminate his parental rights.”

  Travis savored the warmth of her slender frame, snuggled next to his. “You were pretty opposed to this the other day,” he reminded her in a rusty-sounding voice.

  “Only because I was looking at it as a negative instead of a positive,” Holly said, holding on to him as if she never wanted to let him go. “The truth is, Cliff hasn’t been there for them, not ever. And he doesn’t plan to be in the future. Initially, I saw his admission as a blow to the heart. Now I realize that Cliff’s brutal honesty and his efforts to help them move on are actually a tremendous sacrifice,” she continued in a low, tremulous voice. “And that’s how I will explain it to the kids—that some men are not cut out to be daddies. And other men—like you—are, because they have a boundless capacity to love and nurture.”

  She had taken a situation that could have left her and her sons bitterly disappointed for the rest of their lives, and instead chosen to view it as a rare and special gift of selfless love. Travis’s admiration for Holly grew. “You have the same deeply parental traits,” he told her solemnly, admiring her innate ability to comfort, appreciate and bring out the best in those around her.

  “Which is why I would like to adopt your little girls, too. I know we didn’t get that far in the discussion the other day, but it only seems fair. And, most importantly, it’s what I want because I love them, too, Travis, so very much, and I do consider them my own.”

  With the family he had wanted now becoming a reality, Travis’s heart swelled with the happiness she clearly shared. Pulse pounding, he shifted her onto his lap. “What about us?” he asked her huskily.

  The hesitation he expected to see was gone. “I’d still like us to spend Christmas together, as a family.” She paused. “As for the two of us—”

  “We still have a lot to work out,” Travis agreed, “starting with my apology. Because you were right. Cliff’s reappearance in your life sent the competitive part of me into overdrive, primarily because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.” Travis’s voice caught. It was a moment before he could go on with anything akin to cool. “I realize that I moved too fast to make you mine, that I said and did things that were unwarranted in my efforts to protect you and the kids.”

  “I made mistakes, too,” Holly admitted sincerely. “I let my fear of getting hurt again hinder our relationship.”

  “But in the end it didn’t matter,” Travis said.

  “Because we came together anyway,” Holly agreed with a sigh of contentment.

  Only part of the way, Travis thought, aware he still wanted and needed more out of their relationship, and he thought she did, too. He paused and looked deep into her eyes, determined to do whatever it took to finally make this right. “But worst of all, I waited to tell you how I really felt because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean I haven’t felt it. I love you, Holly,” Travis told her hoarsely, “as a friend and a lover, but most essentially, as the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  Holly blinked. Her eyes were full of tears. “Oh, Travis, I love you, too!”

  Their lips met in a sweet and tender kiss that spoke more about their feelings than words ever could. Contentment filled Travis’s heart. This was turning into one incredible Christmas. Or at least it would be if…

  He kissed her again, then drew back and asked, “Enough to marry me?” Loving the way she felt in his arms, he held her closer still. “Not as an act of convenience, but for real?”

  “Most definitely, for real,” Holly cried, clinging to him as if she never wanted to let him go. “And as soon as possible.”

  Wondering how he had ever managed without her, glad he never would have to again, he withdrew the velvet box in his pocket, extracted the diamond engagement ring and slid it onto her left hand. The tears she’d been holding back spilled down her cheeks as she looked at the sparkling ring.

  “How about New Year’s Eve?” Travis asked.

  Holly started to answer, then paused, clearly confused. “Don’t you have a date?”

  Travis reached into his pocket and pulled out his second gift for her, the silent auction envelope with the winning number. “I wasn’t allowed to place bids,” he said. “But my friends had no such restriction. So they worked very hard that evening to make sure I spent New Year’s Eve with you.”

  Only now, a stunned and elated Holly realized, instead of a dream date, they’d have a dream wedding.

  Epilogue

  Seven days later…

  Travis and Holly were stealing a preceremony moment alone when they heard Sophie explain, “So since Santa couldn’t bring a mommy this year, he brought us a wedding instead!”

  Travis chuckled and pressed a palm to his forehead. Holly laughed, too, as from the other side of the wall, they heard the convoluted explanation continue to an even more outlandish ending. Finally, Travis said, “Do you think she’ll ever understand?”

  Holly smiled and straightened his tie. “Eventually, all of them will, but for now it’s kind of cute.”

  “Almost as cute as you,” Travis murmured, taking in her appearance with another sweeping glance.

  They had elected to get married in her home and have the reception in his. All of their loved ones were in attendance, including Travis’s buddies as well as a few of Holly’s close friends and their families.

  Travis was wearing a charcoal-gray suit. Holly had on a fitted white satin suit. In keeping with the holiday, they had left their Christmas trees and all the decorations up, and as a special treat for the kids, had even decorated their playhouse and spaceship with outdoor lights.

  But most importantly, at the kids’ insistence, there were sprigs of mistletoe everywhere—in every corner of both homes, in Holly’s hair, on Travis’s lapel and even in the flower baskets the girls were carrying.

  Mistletoe, the kids had declared, was responsible for all the love in the air.

  For once, Holly couldn’t disagree.

  She did love Travis. And he loved her. And now that she had finally admitted it, life was looking up indeed.

  “Mommy…Daddy—it’s time!” Sophie declared, jumping up and down with excitement.

  Tucker rushed in, carrying one velvet pillow bearing rings. “Grady says you better get a move on!”

  “Nate says it’s time to get the party started!” his twin declared.

  Al
exis swept in, looking radiant. She bent to help the girls straighten the flower baskets looped over their arms. “The minister is waiting.”

  Travis offered his elbow and Holly took it.

  Just off the foyer, the music started.

  Everyone rushed to be seated.

  The children led the way, sweetly earnest as they fulfilled their duties. Then finally it was Travis and Holly standing next to the glittering Christmas tree, celebrating the holiday, the New Year and their life together.

  “We are gathered here together,” the minister began.

  “…to love and to cherish…from this day forward…”

  “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder,” he concluded. “Travis, you may kiss your bride.”

  Travis took Holly in his arms. Tears of happiness streamed down her face, to mingle with his. A resounding cheer went up when their lips met.

  And then their new life began.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4500-0

  A MOMMY FOR CHRISTMAS

  Copyright © 2009 by Cathy Gillen Thacker.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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