Page 40 of A Holly Jilly Christmas

“Is someone anxious to see his girl?”

He points a finger at me. “You promised.”

“I promised not to make fun of you too much. That seems like just enough.”

CHAPTER 13

“So, Jilly.” Marcy, Case’s oldest sister, leans across the kitchen island, smirking. “Do you want to have a big family?”

I glance around, making sure we’re alone. Case is helping Karen and her husband load their three kids and all the presents into the car. “After that, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for kids.”

Marcy laughs, then clinks her mug of eggnog against mine. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“I don’t know. The scar on my shin will be a good reminder.”

Case wasn’t kidding about getting hit with a hockey stick. Or an ice cube—which really hurts when a five-year-old hurls it at your face. The cut on my shin, though, wasn’t from either of those things, but more of an incidental child-related accident. I stepped on a Lego dinosaur, then fell into the fireplace. Thankfully, it was not lit. One fire-related accident in a matter of days is enough, I think. Case still needs a new coat.

Despite being tiny terrors, Case’s niece and nephews are adorable. Exhausting, but adorable. Avery, the three-year-old, fell asleep on my lap until Case carried her out to the car. I almost fell asleep right along with her.

“I never thought I’d be ready either.” Marcy gives me a sly look and rubs a hand over her stomach, which looks totally normal-sized to me, but the mischief in her eyes says otherwise. “But then again …”

“You’re pregnant?” I whisper.

“Yes!” she whispers back. “But no one knows except Greg.”

“But why are you telling me? I mean, you just met me yesterday.”

After we picked up Tina, whose bill had mysteriously been paid—based on Case’s inability to fake shock, by him—and drove straight to Marcy’s house. She did not seem surprised to see me, and I swear I saw her exchange money with Greg when we came inside the house. A bet of some kind? I meant to ask Case and forgot.

After dinner, Case and I hit up Target, where we had to fight the last-minute shoppers so I could get gifts for his family. I also managed to pick up something for him while he was arguing with a guy who ran his cart into ours. I’ve been saving the gift for tonight.

Overall, Case’s family has been so welcoming, it’s like I’ve known them all forever. My parents were thrilled I didn’t have to spend the holiday alone, but they threatened to disown me if I don’t bring Case home the second they’re better. Marcy and Karen tease Case just as much as he told me they do, which gave me endless amusement. Before our trip, I never could have pictured it. But then, I wouldn’t have pictured any of this. Definitely not me practically sitting in Case’s lap after spending Christmas with his family.

Is this all moving really fast? Yes. Does it feel strangely like the perfect speed? A little slow, if you ask me.

“I’ve got a feeling about you,” Marcy says, which makes me feel all warm inside. “Plus, isn’t it fun keeping a secret?”

Um. Actually, NO, because I am terrible at keeping this kind of secret. The absolute worst.

“Who’s keeping a secret?” Case asks, walking into the room and dropping his coat and scarf on the stool next to mine. Then he scoots the stool closer so we’re practically fused together, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. I shoot his sister a panicked look that has her chuckling.

“Isn’t everyone?” Marcy asks lightly, winking at me as she slides Case a mug of eggnog.

He takes a sip, then makes a face. “No bourbon? Since when do we drink virgin eggnog?”

Marcy locates a bottle of bourbon, then hands it to Case. “You go ahead,” she says.

“Thank you,” he says, pouring a bit into his mug. He gestures it toward me, and I hold my thumb and finger close together. He adds a little to my eggnog. “Now that the little people are gone, I think we all need a little bourbon.”

He passes it back to Marcy, who shakes her head and puts the cap on. “It’s not good for the baby,” she says, just as Greg walks in, sliding his hands around her waist so they rest on her belly.

They both grin at Case, who’s taking a sip of his eggnog. He nods absentmindedly, then pauses and quickly sets down his mug. “Wait—what?”

Greg kisses his wife’s cheek. “Turns out, Karen’s kids did not scare us off from the idea of starting a family.”

“Somehow,” Marcy laughs.

“You’re pregnant?” Case asks, his voice sounding all high-pitched and his smile huge. He looks almost as excited as the kids did opening their gifts. “Seriously?”

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