He was going to be a father.

Dane had always wanted children of his own. Always wanted the chance to try to be as good a father as his own had been. But after years of dating vapid heiresses, he had started to give up on that ever happening. Years had gone by without him ever meeting someone he wanted to have children with. And then he had met Allyson.

His eyes were locked on hers now. She was so beautiful that it was actually blinding him. Last night, under the lights, he thought she had been glowing. But it wasn’t the lights that had done it. There had been something else that had made her so iridescent. So breathtaking. They might not know for certain that she was pregnant, but he could see it just by looking at her.

“We’re having a baby,” he finally forced out. Damn it all, there was a lump in his throat. He had managed to keep from crying earlier, but now it was a monumental struggle to keep it together. “I’m scared of screwing this up, but we’re going to do this together. We have each other. Allyson, we’re going to be parents. Both of us. Neither of us is going to be doing this alone.”

There was that glow again. It was like she was lit from within. Her green eyes were shining so brightly. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. “We are. I just worry about getting our hopes up. In case things don’t turn out like we think.”

He knew it was dangerous to get his hopes up, but it was already too late. In the brief amount of time he had known his wife was pregnant, he had already fallen in love with the baby. Their baby.

Without thinking, his hands settled gently on her stomach. “I have hope,” he said. “I know you’re scared, but I have enough hope for the both of us.”

She smiled, lighting up her entire face. “I feel braver already. You always make me feel like I can do anything.”

“And you can,” he said. “You’re going to be an amazing mother. Allyson, you’re the only woman in the world I’d ever want to have children with.”

“I love you,” she said.

His hands were still on her stomach and his eyes drifted down. Their baby was growing inside her. A sense of wonder and awe settled over him. This was their first Christmas together, and all he had wanted was to spend time with his wife. Never in a million years could he have ever expected a Christmas gift like this. This was the happiest moment of his life, and he never wanted it to end.

“I love you,” he breathed. “I love you and I always will.”

Allyson leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Their lips met.

Her lips were so soft. So inviting. One taste of her was intoxicating. A muffled groan sounded in his throat.

When he felt her hands reach up to remove his tie, he broke the kiss and covered her hands with his. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean, is it safe to have sex?”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s safe in this trimester. You’re not going to hurt the baby.”

Making love to his wife with their baby growing inside her should probably have terrified him. But it didn’t. Instead, the thought of being with her now made him feel nothing but reverence for his wife. A desire to show her just how much he loved her.

Hands shaking with anticipation, he reached for her silk nightgown and helped her take it off. After he tossed the suitcase off the bed, they were completely naked in the blink of an eye. Nothing separated their bodies now. Not clothes. Not distance. Nothing.

He lay back on the bed, the sight of her full breasts making him so hard he ached to have her. “Do you want to be on top?” he asked. “That way you can be in control.” Despite her reassurances, he was still nervous about inadvertently hurting Allyson or the baby.

His wife nodded, her green eyes shining mischievously. Suddenly, she straddled him, making sure she had him between her supple thighs.

Dane stared up at her, taking in her perfect body. His eyes wandered down from her full, kissable lips to her breasts. Her pink nipples were hard, and to his mind her breasts seemed bigger. Her stomach had grown, and it looked like her waist had thickened. Allyson’s body was changing. No matter how much it changed over the next several months, she would always be the most beautiful woman in the world.

“You are perfect,” he told her. “So beautiful.” 

Her cheeks flushed. As she lowered herself onto his erection, pleasure nearly knocked the breath out of him. She propped herself up as she placed her hands on his chest and started to grind against him.

A low moan escaped her throat and she tossed her head back. She must have felt the same pleasure he did because she clenched around him. His hands lifted to grip her hips as she increased her pace and rocked faster against him.

The pleasure was almost unbearable. She was so tight and wet and warm. Never had he felt pleasure like this. A pleasure that shot through his body and gripped his heart.

~~*~~

AFTER THEIR LOVEMAKING, they collapsed onto the bed and feel asleep in each other’s arms. His ringing cell phone interrupted his sleep, and he clumsily grabbed the phone from the nightstand.

“Hello?” he answered groggily.

“Mr. Prescott.” A familiar voice. “This is Captain Stone. Flights to New York are now up and running again, so if you’d like to return to New York this afternoon we’re ready.”

Dane sat up slowly, doing his best to keep from waking his wife. “On Christmas Eve? Are you sure? I’d hate to put you out so close to Christmas.”

“It’s not a problem, sir,” Captain Stone replied. “If anything, my co-pilot and I would be happy to return home to New York City for Christmas. But it’s up to you, of course.”

“No, that’s fine,” he said. “It’s probably a real stroke of luck that we’ll be able to make it home before Christmas.”

“Or maybe it’s a Christmas miracle,” Captain Stone said with a laugh.

“How soon can we take off?” Dane asked.

“Within two hours,” Captain Stone answered.

“Sounds good. I just have to sort things out with my wife and I’ll call you back.” Dane hung up and placed a gentle hand on Allyson’s bare shoulder.

She looked so lovely. Her dark hair was disheveled, messy from sleep and early-morning sex. And those full pink lips parted slightly as she breathed.

He shook her gently and her eyes opened. A smile made her lips curve up.

“How would you like to get back to New York this evening?” he asked.

“I’d like that very much.” Her smile widened, and she sat up. The sheet fell away from her, revealing her breasts.

Stifling a groan, he said, “The pilot just called. It’s safe to fly back to New York, but I want you to promise me something before we get home.”

Allyson tilted her head. “What is it?”

“Let me and our families take care of all the preparations for Christmas,” he said.

She scoffed. “Dane, you can’t even cook. And I’m almost certain neither of your parents cook, either. If we leave the cooking up to my family, your family probably won’t like it.”

“Tough,” he said firmly. “If the worst happens, we can order Chinese food or pizza.”

“For Christmas dinner?” She sounded horrified.

“Yes. You’ve worked hard enough. It’s about time the rest of us pulled our weight,” he said. “You turned down my help before, but I’m putting my foot down now. You’ll be resting while the rest of us deal with dinner.”

“I don’t have much of a say in this, do I?” she grumbled.

He reached for his clothes and started to get dressed. “Nope. You’ll be getting something in return, though.”

“Oh? What will I be getting for letting you all meddle with my Christmas dinner?” she asked with a huff.

“We’re going to Dr. Beckford,” Dane replied. “I don’t care if the timing is wrong, or if he refuses to see us. I honestly don’t give a damn what the rules are at this point. That doctor is going to give me what I want. We’re getting the results of your blood test. Tonight.”

~~*~~

THEY PACKED SO QUICKLY Dane barely remembered it happening. Once he hauled their luggage downstairs, he left the Christmas presents Allyson had bought for the staff along with a thank-you note. Then, they took a taxi to the airport and headed back to New York.

Allyson slept for most of the flight. No wonder she had seemed extra tired. Worrying about her pregnancy must have exhausted her.

As he draped a sheet over her while she slept, he thought back to her behavior these past few weeks. His wife must have felt so alone. So anxious about the future. And she had dealt with it all by herself. That was going to end.

Now that he knew her incredible, life-changing secret, he was never going to let her go through an ordeal like this on her own again. They were a team. Even if it meant he would have to pry out every secret of hers from now on, he was going to take care of her no matter what.

It was dark by the time they landed in New York, but that didn’t stop Dane from calling Dr. Beckford and demanding an appointment. Beckford had sounded shocked, but had graciously relented to letting them come to his apartment for Allyson’s test results.

The doctor let them into his apartment, a disapproving expression on his wrinkled face. “Well, now that you’re both here I can tell you that Allyson is indeed pregnant.”

“Is she okay?” Dane asked desperately. “Is the baby okay?”

Dr. Beckford held up his hands. “Everything is fine. I’ll schedule an appointment for next week and we can discuss prenatal care then. I’ll answer any questions you might have.”

Allyson launched herself at the doctor and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you so much, Dr. Beckford! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Beckford blinked, the faintest hint of a smile on his weathered face. “Though I had nothing to do with it.”

After thanking Dr. Beckford profusely, they headed home to their new house. Everything was just as they had left it. The tree was up, decorated with red and gold ornaments. Garlands had been hung up the banister. There was a wreath on every door. While the decorations at the villa had been nice, their New York house felt like a home. Their own sanctuary.

“Did we conceive the baby in this house?” Dane asked when they turned in for the night.

His wife planted a kiss on his lips and then switched off the light. “I’m almost certain we conceived the baby in this bed.”

He whistled softly. Everything was taking on a profound meaning so quickly. Which made sense, considering that Christmas was such a special time. Now it was going to be even more special. “Do you want a boy or a girl?” He held her close, enjoying the sensation of her warm body so near his.

“That doesn’t matter,” she said. “I just want a happy baby.”

“Same here,” he said. “But you’ll be its mother, so I already know our baby will be happy.”

“I love you, Dane,” she whispered to him in the dark.

The next day he woke up bright and early. He got dressed quickly and quietly stepped out of their bedroom, leaving his wife to sleep. There wasn’t much time to get things ready, but he was determined to give Allyson the Christmas she deserved.

Soon, their parents arrived. They worked all morning, ushering the caterers in, setting up the table, directing friends and family to the house. After he helped to set the table, he headed back upstairs and found Allyson brushing her teeth.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, suddenly realizing it was the first time either of them had uttered those words as a married couple.

“Merry Christmas,” she said, but with all that toothpaste in her mouth it sounded like a garbled mess.

He laughed and kissed her cheek. “You get dressed and then come downstairs. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Leaving her upstairs, he headed back down to the living room and helped their guests get seated. He was taking a bottle of wine out of the ice bucket when she stepped into the room.

Allyson looked stunning. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a bun, and she wore a bright red dress that matched her luscious red lips. Looking at her glowing so brightly, he knew how lucky he was to have her love. Out of all the men in the world, she had chosen him. That was something he would never take for granted.

At the sight of all the guests and the well-set table, her eyes widened.

“Surprise,” Dane said.

“Oh, my goodness—you’re all here already,” Allyson said excitedly. Which was true. Even her sister, Monica, was making an appearance. Christmas was so important, it looked like her older sister was willing to set aside their differences to celebrate the holidays.

He approached her and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her to an empty seat at the table.

“Dane, don’t tell me you cooked all this food,” his wife said. “Everything on the table... it looks like something out of a magazine.”

“My son? Cook?” His father roared with laughter. “We bribed your caterers, and they made all this overnight after Dane called from the plane. We’ve got enough food to feed an army.”

The table was piled with a ton of food. There was chicken, turkey, mutton, ham, pasta, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gingerbread cookies, and pies of every kind. Hell, they’d even managed to get some caviar. And there was even more food still in the kitchen.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Allyson paused at her seat. “Merry Christmas, everyone. And thank you for setting all this up on such short notice. I’m truly touched by all this. I’ve missed you all terribly.”

There was a chorus of Christmas wishes from their guests, and Allyson took her seat between Dane and his mother.

After his father and her father each said a prayer, everyone started to talk and eat.

Allyson leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Thank you so much for doing this. You didn’t have to.”

“I did,” Dane insisted. “You wanted Christmas with your family, so that’s what you’re going to get. I don’t have control over the weather, but I can control just about everything else. What my wife wants, my wife gets. Only, you’re going to have to lay off wine for now.”

She laughed. “You are going to spoil me through this pregnancy, aren’t you?”

“Pregnancy?” His mother gasped so loudly the entire table turned to look at her. “Did you say pregnancy?”

Already his mother was flailing her arms, and her eyes were so huge they were taking up most of her face. “Allyson, are you pregnant?”

All eyes focused on Allyson. She shifted nervously in her seat.

Reaching over, Dane took his wife’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Whatever you want to say or do now,” he murmured to her, “I’ll support you.”

Allyson smiled. She glanced around the room and then nodded. “Yes, I’m pregnant. Dane and I are expecting.”

His mother promptly burst into tears, while the rest of their guests started cheering and chattering excitedly all at once.

He looked over at his mother. “Mother, are you all right?”

“Yes.” His mother reached for her napkin and dabbed her tears away. “I’m going to be a grandmother. I can’t believe it. Oh, just imagine all the things we can do together. I can teach them to horseback ride, or take them on family vacations, or just imagine their first debutante ball...” Her voice faded into the background as she continued listing all the ways she wanted to spoil her grandchild.

Dane glanced over at his father, who lifted a glass and grinned. “Congratulations, son,” his father said. “You’re going to be one hell of a father. And congratulations to you, Allyson. I know there isn’t a better woman to be the mother of my grandchild.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Dane said, lifting his glass.

Allyson’s parents got up and appeared by her side to hug and congratulate them.

“I can’t wait to meet this grandchild,” Allyson’s mother said. “Oh, your baby and baby Owen are going to be the best of friends, just like I was with my cousins.” When they finished chatting with Allyson, they resumed their seats to continue eating.

After taking a sip of wine, he stared back down at the table and realized he and Allyson were still holding hands. If he could hold her hand for eternity, he would.

“Thank you for talking me into this,” she said. “It’s nice to be taken care of.”

“I’ll never stop taking care of you,” he promised her.

Her eyes drifted to his and she gave him a dazzling smile. “Just think... this time next year, there will be a new member of our family.”

“You’re right,” he said. “The baby will be here, and next year will be their first Christmas.”

She leaned closer to kiss him briefly, the sensation of her lips feather-light on his. “So, you’ve put a lot of work into all of this. Is this the best Christmas ever?”

“You bet it is. As long as you’re here, Christmas is perfect. And next year we’ll have the best present we could ever receive.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her wrist gently. “I can’t wait to meet our baby.”

THE END

Blessed Holidays