Page 43 of Christmas in His Arms

Oh, my God, did my dad think the baby was Ryan’s?

"Walt, you know all I want is the best for anyone, for everyone. Especially for Carrie." Ryan's buttery baritone rode over my anxieties and soothed them, calming me. I turned my hand over and clasped his in mine and waited for Dad to respond, but Ryan kept talking. "I'm in love with her, and there isn't anything I won't do." Ryan looked to me, and I blinked out more tears.

"And the baby?" Dad asked. His eyes shifted from my face to Ryan's and back.

"Mine, and I'm proud to have a child, Walt." My heart squeezed. Ryan was doing what he said he'd do. "And if Carrie doesn't want to live here, I'll move to Chicago. I'll hand the dealership over to Sam and start a new one there."

Dad grunted and shoved a bite of eggs into his mouth. Mom was strangely quiet, but I got the sense she was worried more than anything. But she knew Ryan and she knew how he cared about this family. We'd both watched him go overboard helping us out when Dad was his sickest.

"That won't be necessary," I said, and I looked away from Mom's worried face.

Ryan was right. Mom had been begging me to move back to Evergreen Falls for years. She hated being so far away from me, and if I looked past the fact that she was really badgering me to come home, I missed her too. Being so far away sucked. Sometimes, I just needed my mom around me, and especially now that I was going to be a mom myself, I wanted her around.

I looked into Ryan's eyes and smiled. "I'm going to stay. I'm staying here." The words marched off my tongue and made Ryan's lips quirk upward into a smile. I watched his eyes glisten with emotion and felt satisfied. I didn't want to run my dad's stores, but I could do marketing for him, maybe Ryan too, and I'd be doing what I loved around the people I loved most.

"Oh!" Mom gasped, and she stood up immediately. When her arms came around me, I cried and let her hug me and sway. Ryan joined us, hugging both of us, while Dad could only watch.

"Oh, Carrie, I'm so happy. This is the best Christmas present ever." Mom was crying. Dad was smiling. I was sobbing, and Ryan had to swipe some moisture from his eyes too. My heart was full. Never in a million years did I think this would be a thing, but here I was, ready to move back to my dinky little hometown that had caused me so many problems.

I was finally home.

32

EPILOGUE: RYAN

Christmas Eve, one year later…

Carrie sat on the sofa with Magnolia to her breast. At five months old, she was already cooing, smiling, sitting up on her own, rolling over, and otherwise being a complete bundle of joy. At times, my heart felt sad that I’d missed out on this for so long because I was stubborn and selfish. Other times, I had such gratitude well up in my chest that I thought it would burst open in a kaleidoscope of colors and emotions.

"Look, here's Daddy," Carrie whispered as I sat down beside them. We'd just finished dinner. Walt was carrying gifts in from the garage and Helen was putting dinner away. Carrie's friend Ethan and his fiancé, Jake, had just left to catch their redeye to O'Hare for Jake's family's Christmas. And I couldn't be happier. My beautiful girlfriend and baby girl were in my arms for Christmas, and we'd had such a good year.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Helen purred as she walked in and sat down. They were eating up every bit of being grandparents, and the irony didn't escape me that had I just loosened up a bit in myyounger years, I would be a grandparent by now too instead of an older first-time father. It was exhausting but so very worth it.

Walter placed the last of the gifts and sat in his recliner. He'd been back on his feet again solidly for the past six months. When he walked into the hospital to visit Carrie and Magnolia at her birth, he used a cane, but that was ditched a few months ago. It was so good to see him back to normal, and over the past six months, Carrie's work as a marketing agent here in Evergreen Falls had proven very successful.

"So we're all together again," Helen cooed.

"And we've got great news," Carrie said, smiling at me. "The dealership doubled their profits from last year. That's a one hundred and forty-percent increase over two years." She beamed with pride, and I knew Sam and I could never have done it without her.

"That's so amazing," Helen said, clapping.

"And the hardware store has seen a seventy-five-percent increase too. We're thinking of opening a store in Jennings now." Walter slapped the tops of his thighs and grinned. There was no greater feeling than the warmth of success built on good relationships and hard work. Except perhaps the close intimacy of knowing the woman I loved also loved me in return.

"My marketing firm is really taking off. I have several new clients and I can't wait to expand." Carrie had never been happier, and I knew it was because she was home around the people she loved. There were some tough days we had to endure. When people realized we were an item, the haters really started in. But surprisingly enough, it was Marge Evans who started telling them off. She took my lecture to heart and started reshapingthe gossip groups in town. Soon, people were standing up for themselves, and people like Judy Baker were reduced to hermits who had no place in town. The entire city was transforming because of Carrie's love for me and mine for her.

"Well, how about we do presents?" Helen asked, but I had something else in mind first.

"Can I go first?" I asked her, and she looked confused but nodded.

Carrie was fixing her shirt, tucking the nursing bra away and settling Magnolia on her lap. She smiled at me while I waited patiently, then handed Magnolia—whom we'd been calling Maggie—to "Grams" for a cuddle.

I slid onto the floor on one knee and reached into my pocket. This was no surprise to Walt. I asked him in October if he would give me his blessing, and he approved. Helen was shocked, though, so she gasped and whimpered. And Carrie might have suspected because she didn’t look too shocked, but she did tear up a little.

"Carrie," I said, holding out the ring I bought for her. "We've had a bit of a bumpy start. This year wasn't the best for a while, but when Magnolia got here, I knew there was only one thing I wanted for Christmas, and that was this.

"I have loved you since the moment we first kissed. I never thought someone could take my heart by surprise the way you did. I thought I'd die a miserly man, alone and grumpy. But you came along and changed everything. I didn’t want kids. You made me the happiest man alive by giving me our sweet baby. I thought I'd die alone, and you've given me a legacy. Now I want you to give me one more thing. Marry me."

Carrie's eyes were freely shedding tears as she nodded and said, "Yes, I will." She held out a trembling hand, and I pulled the small one-carat ring from the velvet box and slid it on her finger. It was a perfect match. Walter had managed to get the size for me somehow, but I didn't ask what magic he'd used to get it.

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