Page 73 of A Billionaire Dom

Jude

Time was a weird thing.When I was a kid, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas had felt like a year. Thinking of myself at almost eighty would’ve been impossible back then. Forty had seemed ancient, and I’d lived nearly twice that now.

Perspective changed with age as well. Things that had appeared vast and impossible to get through sometimes looked small. Events that had seemed insignificant had really been huge catalysts for major life events. Helping a person in need led to a family’s reconciliation.

Some things, however, would always be big and important. Meeting each of my wives. Losing the first two in different ways. The birth of my son and my grandsons.

Looking back on this year, I knew everyone here would forever remember it as the year the Holden family changed forever. All three of my grandsons had fallen in love with strong, amazing women who loved them back.

Deklin had found out a secret that could have destroyed him but instead refused to let it change who he was. My son had learned the truth about his late wife’s infidelity and the biological parentage of his youngest son…and had handled both with a grace that I never would have predicted. And the son of a woman I’d helped more than twenty-five years ago had given me the closure I hadn’t realized I needed.

All in all, it had been a remarkable year.

“You look like you’re thinking hard about something.” Cynthia sat down next to me. I put my arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into me. “Good or bad?”

“Good.” I pressed my lips to her temple. “Just thinking about how different this Christmas Eve is compared to last year.”

She nodded in agreement, and the two of us settled into comfortable silence to take in the relative chaos around us.

Deklin’s adoption of Dallas Stafford had been finalized yesterday, and the charming child was now Dallas Holden, a fact that he was telling everyone he met. Deklin had confided in me a few days ago that Sofi hadn’t realized how much being around his biological father had terrified Dallas until she’d told him that Mead wouldn’t be around anymore and Deklin wanted to be his dad.

Dallas had taken to the new family dynamic with all the enthusiasm that a four-year-old could muster. Which meant that, at the moment, he was trying to convince his “Gampa Wally” to let him “open just one present please.”

Joining Dallas in the plea was Jae’s nephew, Kevin, who had decided that Dallas was his new favorite person. From the moment the two boys met, they’d bonded. Kevin hero-worshipped Dallas, and Dallas, in turn, was more overly protective of Kevin than anyone else. The boys were going to be a world of trouble as they grew up, and I intended to enjoy every minute of it.

When Damon had suggested inviting Jae’s entire family over for our usual Christmas Eve gathering, Cynthia and I had been glad to do it. It’d taken them a while to look at ease, but right now, they were talking with Walter and appeared to be enjoying whatever the conversation was about.

Jae’s grandmother had gotten ahold of JP, and if the young man’s red cheeks were any indication, she was hitting on him. Jae’s youngest sister, Jetta, had been mesmerized by the tree and was still sitting in front of it, watching the lights alternate colors. The other sister, Jamie, was with Linsey’s friend Kasey and Kasey’s date, Ilysa Mitchells, who Davin had confided was a detective.

This house hadn’t ever been this busy, and I hadn’t realized what had been missing until now.

“So, have you two picked a date yet?” Damon’s voice carried from where he sat next to Deklin.

“Once Sofi gets her spring semester scheduled, we should have a better idea of when we can plan the wedding,” Deklin answered.

“I told him we could just go to the courthouse,” Sofi said, “but he’s insisting on a church wedding.”

“I promised we’d keep it small,” Deklin said, reaching for her hand. “It shouldn’t be too far in the future, though. We want everything settled by the time Kevin starts kindergarten in the fall. We just need to work around Sofi’s spring semester schedule.”

I was glad to hear that she was still planning on completing her landscape architecture degree. She had a passion for it and would make a great addition to Holden Enterprises when she was ready. And if she decided she wanted to apply it elsewhere, we’d support that too.

“That’s good.” Damon looked at Jae, and she nodded. “Can we have everyone’s attention, please?”

The kids kept playing, but the rest of the conversation ceased as everyone turned to look at Damon and Jae. He put his arm around her shoulder, and a current of anticipation went through everyone.

“This morning, I asked Jae to marry me, and she accepted.”

Cynthia was the first out of her seat, and I smiled as I stood. All of us crowded around the couple, offering our congratulations. When the discussion turned to the ring, Jae took it out of her pocket and slipped it on. I took that as my cue to get something from my office. Cynthia and I had our own announcement to make.

By the time I got back, the excitement had mellowed enough that I didn’t feel as if I was interrupting when I called for everyone’s attention. Seeing the envelope in my hand, Cynthia came to my side.

“As we head into the new year, Cynthia and I have decided that one of the things we need to do is downsize. We love having everyone here for the holidays, but it doesn’t make sense for us to have this huge house with only the two of us. This place needs a family. A growing one.” I held up the envelope. “But because we don’t choose favorites, you boys are going to make the decision for us. We want the three of you – and your better halves, of course – to talk it over. We’ve had the house appraised so that the two of you who won’t be living here will receive a check equal to the amount.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Davin said, looking as stunned as the rest them also appeared. “We’re all doing well financially.”

“We know we don’t need to do it,” I said, “but we want to. We want this house to stay in the family, and we want to be fair to you boys. I trust that you’ll do what’s best for all three of you.”

As my grandsons came up to thank us, I glanced at Walter, wondering if he’d be upset that I’d skipped over him to give the house to one of the kids, but he was smiling. He’d been doing a lot of that lately, and I liked it. We still butted heads, but since things had come out in the open, the relationship between him and me had improved.

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