Page 82 of Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty

What matters most to me is Emma, and James has doted on her every second. She’s taken the news well that he’s her father, but I’m braced just in case that changes. If it does, I know we will tackle it together. A few months ago, I never could have imagined such a perfect end to the year. The auction was a roaring success, the free clinic was funded, and James came back to me with a promise to stay.

A promise I believe.

My heart is full and each step is like walking on air. Nothing can take this smile from my face.

“Look, Mommy!” Emma yells excitedly as we reach the inn. She’s managed to catch a large snowflake in her hand and for a few seconds, it remains perfectly in shape. Then, the warmth from her mitten causes it to melt and it vanishes into nothing.

“Aww.” Emma pouts, dejected, then she flashes me a bright smile and goes right back to trying to catch another.

“Alright!” James puffs out his cheeks and jogs to catch up with us. When he reaches me, he slides his arm around my waist and pulls me close, planting a cold-lipped kiss on my equally cold cheek.

“All sorted?” I ask, patting his cheek with my other hand.

“Yup. I have to pay my lawyer a chunk more for making him work on New Year’s Eve, but it’s worth it. The trust fund for Emma is set up, and both your names are written into my portion of the estate.”

After returning from lunch with his mother, James had the idea. Something about their discussion had prompted him to immediately make sure that Emma and I would be taken care of in the event anything happened to him. It was an incredibly sweet gesture, and a small part of me rests easy knowing that Emma has something waiting for her.

That kind of security for my daughter is priceless.

“I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” I chuckle softly. “I’d work New Year’s Eve for half of what you pay him.”

“But then who would come with me to this super-cool party, huh?” James leans in close, and our frost-bitten noses brush against one another. He claims another kiss, and I’d linger if not for Emma slipping free of my grasp.

“Grandma!” She runs full pelt across the snow toward the inn where my mother stands, holding the door open.

“Munchkin!” Upon arrival, she scoops Emma up into her arms and they spin together as Emma immediately begins to tell her, in great detail, about every snowflake she caught on the way here.

“There’s one more thing,” James says as we wander after Emma.

“A good thing?” I ask.

“Yup. I’ve set up a fund for the clinic too.”

“What?” I stop dead in the snow. “What kind of fund?”

“A charitable one. It will be placed on donation lists for anyone eager to make themselves look good by donating to a clinic.”

“Oh, my God!” Leaping upward, I throw my arms around his shoulders and hug him close. “That’s amazing!”

“You don’t mind?” He laughs, cuddling me back.

“Hell no! If some rich tosspot wants to make themselves feel better by donating a crap-ton to our clinic, then I’ll happily accept their money. It will help people. That’s all that matters.”

“I knew you’d be happy.” James grins. He kisses me slowly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear as he does so.

“Thank you.”

With a final kiss, we head inside to the New Year’s party that’s already in full swing. Emma runs off to play with her friends, and my dad presses drinks into both of our hands, assuring us that a room has been set up for us whenever we decide to crash.

Most of the town is here, squashed into the event hall, and everyone is in good spirits. Alcohol flows, music fills the air, and we all dance while sharing stories about the year. I pass Amelia, who has her lips locked onto a handsome man whose name I will find out later. She waggles her brows at me in greeting and then resumes kissing the face off her date. Everyone else we pass talks about James’s presentation in the square, telling us that we make such a beautiful couple.

To my surprise, James’s mother is here. I hadn’t expected her to accept my invitation, but seeing her amid the townsfolk, she really does stand out. But she has a drink in her hand and a smile on her face, and while she has a lot of making up to do for both of us, James assures me that giving her a chance is the right thing to do. But she only gets one. Given what happened to his father, I support him, and we greet her warmly as we pass.

Two dances later, we run into Margret who scolds James slightly for adding years to her face when she wasn’t sure if he wouldcome back or not. James promises to make it all up to her next year.

We drink and we dance, sometimes with Emma and sometimes by ourselves. James has as much coordination on the dancefloor as he does on the ice, but his heart is in it and we laugh together all night long.

This is my happily ever after.

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