Page 13 of Santa Baby

“She is?”

He nods before continuing, “I’m going to work for a couple of hours to handle some things, so I can take a little time off.”

“Oh…but we’ll be alright. You don’t have to take time away from your work for us.”

“Won’t people think it’s weird if I don’t take time for my honeymoon?”

“Oh. Um…honeymoon?” He continually throws me off balance.

“We’ll have to take a honeymoon after our wedding. Otherwise, it just won’t look right.”

“But…um, can’t we just…get married and…I don’t know…wait for the court date? I don’t feel right about leaving Noelle while all of this is so…”

“We’ll take her with us.”

“Oh…um, okay. I guess if people expect it.” It would seem Nic has all of this already figured out and I’m just going along with it all. He lets me know breakfast is in the microwave before dropping a kiss on Noelle’s head and tipping my head back so he can drop a kiss on my upturned mouth.

And then he’s gone, leaving me and Noelle in his big penthouse. Alone. It really is a lovely apartment…er, penthouse, whatever it’s called it’s pretty. The couch is huge and stretches all the way across the room. It’s a soft dove gray that begs me to curl up on it and take naps. Today the built-in blinds are down to keep the morning sun from being too intense in the room and making it too hot.

I step into the kitchen and start to put Noelle in her little highchair when a knock has me turning to the door and wondering if maybe Nic forgot something or maybe it's the movers with our stuff. I bring Noelle with me as I pull the door open…and come face to face with the one person I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with right now.

Nic’s mom.

Chapter Eleven

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Nic

I let myself in the door and immediately hear voices coming from my living room. I step around the corner and am greeted with an image that has my heart doing double time. Talia is standing in the kitchen with my mom who is holding baby Noelle in one arm and prepping food with the other.

I didn’t think I could want Talia more but seeing her laugh and interact with my mom has the feeling I have when I think about her, growing and getting even bigger. Today has already been a little odd since all I could think about was Talia and Noelle. I have never been at work and wanted to go home so badly as I did today. It was a new feeling and one I finally had to give in to and make my way home.

“Let’s do it right at Christmas. It will be so magical with all the lights and Christmas atmosphere. Oh, but let’s do it on the twenty-fourth so you can wake up Christmas morning a brand-new woman with a new name and a new hubby.”

“That…can we be ready that quickly?” I hold my breath and wait for Talia to say more. “I do think a Christmas Eve wedding would be…romantic.”

“Oh, we’ll make it work, have no worries about that. It will be good too because Chris will be back then, so he won’t miss his brother’s wedding.” I slide my foot, so it makes a sound causing both Talia and my mom to look up. My mom’s face breaks into a big happy grin, “Son, we didn’t expect you back for at least another forty-five minutes or more.”

She comes around the island and gives me a big hug. She leans in and kisses me on the cheek while at the same time whispering to me, “I love her.”

I take Noelle out of her arms and drop a kiss on her cheek too. I know she’s not talking about Noelle. Not that my mom doesn’t love the baby. I can tell that easily since she takes her back away from me. I walk around the island and wrap my arms around Talia from behind causing her to jump and turn bright red.

“So, you want a Christmas Eve wedding, little angel?” The blush turns brighter, and her eyes slide over to my mom.

“Um…if you want a Christmas Eve wedding…”

“What do you want, angel? I want this to be everything you could ever ask for.”

She frowns at me, her little eyebrows drawing together. I know what she’s thinking, what has that look on her face. She understands my mom knows about our little charade and she’s wondering why I would say the things I just did if I wasn’t putting on an act for someone.

“We need to make it seem natural, angel. And I really do want you to have what you want. If you want to wait for New Year’s we will, but I think the quicker the better. Don’t you, sweetheart?” I whisper in her ear. “And you seemed excited about the Christmas Eve idea mom suggested.”

“You…heard us?”

I nod and drop another kiss on her upturned face. “So that settles it, we’ll marry on Christmas Eve and start Christmas morning as a married couple…a family of three.” I look over at Mom who is smiling her ass off and little Noelle who is exploring more of her world by putting it in her mouth.

All during dinner Mom and Talia talk about the wedding, asking me off and on what I think about something or what I want to happen. And then Mom leaves for the penthouse below mine since it’s too late for her to go back to the Big House and she plans to be here tomorrow again anyway. She wants to play with Noelle again and plan more things about the wedding. I have no doubt that with Mom’s help, Talia will have the wedding of her dreams, and everything will be ready to go way before Christmas Eve.

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