by Cindy Kirk
It would be the same, she knew, for Beck and Ami.
And one day for Marigold and Cade.
Fin dropped a hand to her flat belly. One day she’d take the plunge, but she was finding it increasingly difficult to imagine a child, her child, with Xander’s dark hair and eyes.
The only baby she could envision had blonde curls and vivid blue eyes.
Pain scraped across her heart, until she realized it was Hadley pushing back her chair. “I need to stop by the bakery and make sure I have everything ready for tomorrow.”
“I’ll come with—”
“No. You won’t.” Hadley motioned Ami back down with a stern expression that would do a drill sergeant proud. “I’ve got this. Your job is to rest.”
“She’s got too many curbs to walk,” Marigold quipped.
When Hadley looked puzzled, Marigold just laughed. “We’ll make sure she chills.”
“Thank you.” Hadley shifted her gaze to Fin and rose. “I appreciate the hospitality.”
“I’m glad you stopped by.” Fin stood. There had been too much talk of love and babies. There had also been a near slip when she’d mentioned returning to LA.
Hadley might have her secrets, but then so did she.
Fin glanced around the table. The men were busy pitching horseshoes. The twins were occupied hitting the ball—rather than each other—with colorful croquet mallets.
With Lynn gone and Hadley almost to the back gate, it was just her and her sisters. Could she find the courage to share what had happened in that hotel room in Milwaukee?
Ami winced and straightened. “This chair is murder on my back.”
Prim sprang up. “I’ll get you a kitchen chair.”
Ami shifted again in her seat.
“Are you okay?” Fin reached over and touched her sister’s hand.
“Just some back pain.” Ami patted her stomach. “From carrying so much weight in front.”
Prim returned with the chair.
“Thank you.” Ami smiled and moved to the chair. “Much better.”
Now, Fin told herself, tell them now. Her heart raced as she pushed the words she’d held so close to the tip of her tongue. “I—”
At the same time, Prim spoke. “I, well actually we—Max and I—have an announcement.”
Fin shifted her gaze to her sister and saw the ivory skin spotted with freckles was paler than usual.
“I’m pregnant.” Prim threw out her hands. “Nearly three months. The baby is due right around Fin’s fake wedding date.”
“Ohmigod.” Ami squealed and jumped to her feet, crossing the distance to her sister. “I’m so happy for you and Max.”
Marigold lifted her cup in a toast. “Big congrats.”
“Our babies will be close.” Prim hugged Ami, then turned to Marigold. “You and Cade better get busy so you can join the party.”
“We’re working on it,” Marigold surprised everyone by saying.
“You are?” Ami’s voice reflected her shock. “You never told me.”
“You never asked.” Marigold turned to Fin. “Are you and Xander going to try for a baby right away? I mean, you’re not old, but you’re not getting any younger, either.”
“We haven’t really talked about kids.” Fin kept her voice casual, then leaned over and squeezed Prim’s arm, meeting her gaze. “I’m so happy for you. Max must be over the moon.”
“You should have seen his face when I told him.” Prim’s eyes turned misty. “We both teared up.”
“Tell us all about it,” Ami urged. “I want all the deets.”
“I think I interrupted Fin.” Prim cast an apologetic look in her direction.
Fin thought of the news she’d been about to share about what had happened during that long-ago weekend in Milwaukee, news that would likely bring everyone down rather than lift them up as Prim’s news had done.
Even if she’d been desperate to share, there was no way she would say anything now. After all she’d endured, Prim deserved this time to celebrate with her sisters. And really, shouldn’t she tell Jeremy before her sisters?
Not the time, Fin thought. Perhaps best never voiced. It was something to think about.
But not now.
“It wasn’t important. I’d like to propose a toast to Prim, Max, and Baby Brody.” Fin lifted her cider cup. “I’m beginning to realize the most important things in life are often the simplest. Here’s to an easy pregnancy and many wonderful memories.”
Chapter Eighteen
“I have to admit, when I returned to Good Hope, I never saw myself strolling through a corn maze with a reindeer dressed like a ballet dancer guarding the entrance.” Fin fingered the animal’s tulle skirt. “I’m betting Mindy is going to love her. I know I would have at that age.”
“I hope so. In the past I haven’t had the maze cut until the week before Halloween.” Jeremy slanted her a sideways glance and smiled. It felt good to be with her. “A lot of the merchants wanted it ready in time for Septemberfest. Now, it can do double duty for the Wish Fulfilled party.”
“This maze seems pretty big.” Fin gestured wide. “How many acres?”
“Ten.”
“A person could get lost in here.” Fin touched one of the tall stalks on her right, her gaze focused down one of the endless rows of corn.
Intending to work from home, Jeremy had left the office early. When he’d discovered Fin sitting on the porch reading a book and his grandmother at her cardiac rehab session, he’d decided to play hooky. The promise of a walk through the corn maze had tempted Fin to play with him.
“Any progress with Lynn?” Dried stalks crackled under his feet, while overhead the sky was a brilliant blue.
“She says she’s carefully considering the points I raised. She may change her position. She may not.” Fin heaved a sigh. “I think I’ve pushed her as much as I can without becoming annoying.”
“You’ve done your best. That’s all anyone can ask.” Jeremy paused at a crossroads and gestured. “Shall we go right? Or left?”
Fin started left, then changed course. Her lips lifted in a rueful smile. “Picking the right way is always difficult. Especially when both have merit.”
“It’s not always easy to know which way is best.” Jeremy kept his tone conversational. “I know when the town board dropped the filming decision in my lap, I struggled.”
“You did?” Fin’s voice registered surprise. “I thought you were opposed from the beginning.”
“Not entirely.” When they reached yet another crossroads, he lifted a brow.
This time Fin turned left. As Jeremy wasn’t in any hurry to end this outing, her choosing the long way suited him just fine.
“Like you said, there are good arguments both for and against.” This was how it should be, he thought. How it had never been with anyone else. The ease of conversation. The give-and-take of opinions. The sexual pull.
Breathtakingly beautiful in simple shorts and top with her hair hanging loose around her face. Her red lips reminded him of ripe strawberries. Jeremy longed to kiss her, right here, right now, in the afternoon sun. He wanted to feel her lips soften under his mouth. To see her eyes close as she surrendered to sensation. To feel her soft curves mold against him.
But he held back, knowing the connection they were forging was important, too.
“In the end, it was the knowledge of all the locals and tourists who planned to celebrate Christmas in Good Hope that swayed my opinion.” Their eyes met. “But I can tell you, the money Xander offered was tempting.”
“My dad says you can never go wrong doing the right thing.”
Jeremy kept his expression neutral. “Were you and Steve discussing something specific when that came up?”
Fin hesitated as they reached another decision point in the maze. When she once again turned to her left, Jeremy wondered if she was turned around or if she was deliberately choosing the longer path.
He caught up to her and took her hand.
Though she didn’t pull away, she glanced down and then back up at him. “Is this a good idea?”
“It’s a safety thing.” Jeremy kept his expression solemn. “We remain together if we lose our way.”
“It’s easy to lose your way.” Fin’s murmur was so low he almost missed it.
Jeremy wondered if something had occurred during her dad’s barbecue. She’d been unusually quiet ever since. “You and your sisters seemed to have a good time together on Monday.”
“We always do.” Instead of tensing, her lips curved, and the tiny pucker between her brows disappeared.
“If you ever want to have them over to Casa Rakes.” Jeremy waved a hand. “Just remember, mi casa es su casa.”
“Prim is pregnant.” The words that burst from her lips appeared to startle her as much as they did him.
Jeremy stopped walking. “That’s wonderful.”
“It’s very good news.” Fin’s eyes turned misty. “Max and Prim are thrilled. The baby is due sometime in March.”
Jeremy fought a pang of envy. Would he ever know what it was like to be a father?
“Marigold let it slip that she and Cade are trying.”
“They just got married.”
“Apparently they don’t want to wait.” Fin lifted a hand, let it fall. “Ami is excited her child will have cousins around the same age.”
The next logical question would be to ask when she and Xander planned to start a family.
Jeremy said nothing. Just the thought of any man putting hands on Fin set his blood to boiling.
“Look.” Fin pointed.
A bird with a sharp beak and speckled wings sat atop one of the stalks, beady eyes fixed on them. Jeremy made a shooing motion with his hand. The starling, a bird with a penchant for attacking ripening fruit, merely cawed.
He noticed Fin hiding a smile as they resumed their stroll. What had they been talking about? Ah, yes. Babies.
“It must be hard.” His cryptic comment left the words open to interpretation.
“You mean living so far away?” Fin continued without waiting for confirmation. “Now that both Prim and Marigold are back in Good Hope, I admit I do sometimes feel like I’m on the outside looking in.”
“I was actually talking about them having babies.”
“Yes, well.” She glanced over at him, her expression giving nothing away. “Not every woman—or man—wants children.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Fin cocked her head. “Do you?”
“I always assumed I’d get married and have a family.” Jeremy kept his voice as casual and offhand as hers. “What about you?”
She lifted a hand, waving away the question. “There’s something I want to discuss with you. Something I need to tell you.”
His heart stuttered at the raw emotion he saw in her eyes. Wanting to comfort, to soothe, Jeremy cupped her face in his hands and brushed a kiss across her warm, sweet mouth.
When she sighed, he folded her into his arms. They fit together perfectly.
“I’ve wanted to tell you this for the longest time.”
The words, muffled against his shirtfront, had hope surging. Perhaps she wasn’t leaving. Would she confess she’d never stopped loving him? Tell him being back in Good Hope had helped her see those old feelings had never died?
Jeremy rested his cheek against the top of Fin’s sun-warmed hair. Despite time and distance, his love for her had never died.
“Take your time.” Emotion made his voice husky. “You can tell me anything.”
Fin tilted her head back, and Jeremy saw the question in her eyes.
In answer, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his gaze unwavering. “Anything.”
Their eye contact turned into a tangible connection between the two of them. But before she could speak, the moment was broken by a jarring ring.
“Ignore it.”
Fin shook her head and reached into her pocket for her cell phone, her gaze never leaving his. “Ami has been having pains off and on. She could be having the baby.”
Without glancing down, Fin hit “Accept.”
“Gladys. Hello.” Fin gave a little laugh, then stepped out of Jeremy’s arms. “You think I sound odd? No, I’m fine. I thought you might be Ami.”
Jeremy fought the urge to curse.
Fin bit her lip, glanced at him. “Yes. I have a moment.”
Jeremy guided them out of the maze while Fin continued to listen to Gladys.
From the few remarks Fin got in, it appeared Gladys was attempting to nail down a “White Christmas” practice time. It was obvious—at least to him—Fin was doing her best to evade.
Though Fin might protest, Jeremy knew who’d win this round.
When the phone found its way back into Fin’s pocket, he raised a brow. “When is the practice scheduled?”
Other than her twin nephews, Fin hadn’t spent much time around children. She wasn’t sure how to feel when Eliza announced that, because the Wish Fulfilled event was being held at Rakes Farm, Fin was to be the designated hostess for the event. Though there would be plenty of volunteers on hand, making sure Mindy had a magical time was Fin’s responsibility.
Which was why, instead of dressing in red or green, Fin chose a fit-and-flare dress with a hot pink grid pattern. Everyone said pink was Mindy’s favorite color. Fin jazzed up her simple dress by twisting a rectangular glittery scarf of the same color into a long, loose knot. A pair of sparkly, heeled sandals completed the outfit.
“You look as fresh and pretty as a strawberry parfait. Good enough to eat,” Jeremy whispered in her ear as the truck carrying Mindy and her father pulled up.
Fin elbowed him. “You behave.”
She focused on the Silverado. Katie Ruth had mentioned Owen preferred a low-key welcome to the event at the farm, so the guests waited in the barn for the guest of honor.
“Owen.” Jeremy moved forward when the man stepped from the truck. “Good to see you.”
After shaking hands, Jeremy angled his head toward her. “You remember Fin Bloom.”
Fin would have recognized Owen anywhere. Same mop of sandy-brown hair and a face scattered with freckles. But the devilish twinkle in his hazel eyes was missing, and there were lines on his face that hadn’t been there ten years ago.
“Hello, Delphinium.” Owen smiled at Fin. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you.” Fin followed him as he rounded the truck to open the door for Mindy.
His daughter was a slender child, about the same size as the twins. Maybe a bit smaller. Like Fin, she was dressed all in pink: a pretty tulle skirt with a clingy shirt and glittery cowboy boots. She could have been any bright-eyed little girl, except for the plain pink scarf covering a nearly bald head.
The child’s eyes widened at the sight of Fin. She turned to her father. “She looks like a princess.”
Owen smiled.
“I’m Fin Bloom, and I’m going to make sure you have a fabulous early Christmas.” Fin stepped closer. “I love the way the boots flash when you walk.”
Mindy grinned, showing a gap-toothed smile. She reached out and reverently touched Fin’s scarf. “This is pretty.”
Fin glanced again at the one covering the girl’s head. Definitely nothing special. Not worthy of a little fashionista on her big day. “I know you’re probably eager to explore the Christmas wonderland we have inside the barn, but I’d like you to come up to the house with me for a second.”
Mindy blinked those big blue eyes. “Why?”
Leaning over, Fin whispered what she was planning in the child’s ear. “Interested?”
Mindy eagerly nodded and started toward the house, cowboy boots flashing with each step.
Fin glanced at Owen’s startled expression, then called out, “Ask your daddy if it’s okay.”
The child whirled. “Daddy, can I go with Fin to the house? Just for a few minutes. Please. It’s super-duper important.”
Any hesita
tion her father may have had melted at the pleading look in his daughter’s eyes.
Fin patted Owen’s arm and offered a reassuring smile. “Just give us five minutes.”
When they returned, Mindy’s scarf had been replaced by the glittery one that had hung around Fin’s neck.
“This is a Heidi braid.” Mindy touched the intricate coil that topped the scarf. “Fin has a friend who wears scarves all the time. And do you know what, Daddy?”
“What?”
“Her friend doesn’t even have cancer.”
Moisture filled Owen’s eyes.
Once again Mindy lifted a hand to her scarf. “I can’t wait to show this to Lia and Hannah and Brynn. They’re my bestest friends.”
“Well, they’re waiting in the barn. So I think it’s time we get this party started.” Fin smiled at Mindy. “What do you think?”
That amazing gap-toothed smile flashed again. “Yes, please.”
Fin gestured to Jeremy. Seconds later, as if by magic, the lights on the barn flashed on.
Mindy’s eyes gleamed and she slipped her hand in Fin’s. “Oooh. It’s so beautiful.”
An hour later the party was going strong. Mindy’s friends had squealed when they’d seen her and, as predicted, pronounced her scarf “super cool.”
Lindsay and Hadley manned the photo booth, which was currently doing a booming business, with kids going in as quickly as others went out. Not only would there be pictures taken inside the booth, but Izzie Deshler roamed the inside of the barn with her camera, taking candid shots.
In a distant corner, a temporary stage had been erected. The Triple Trio from the high school added to the festive atmosphere with a variety of Christmas carols.
Mindy and a couple of friends tumbled out of the photo booth, fake Santa beards askew, laughing. One of the girls must have said something about the pink tulle and fairy lights overhead, because all three looked up and beamed.
Fin’s heart became a heavy, sweet mass in her chest. Mindy reminded her so much of herself at that age. A fashionista with a zest for life.
The child hadn’t wanted to go to the Dells or even Disneyland. All she’d wished for was Christmas.
