Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
HOLLIS
It's hard to get a read on Candy. I think she might be in shock, but I can also tell she wants to tell me something. I could see that when she was on the exam table. I have been trying to show her that it doesn’t matter what it is.
I’ll handle it. That there’s nothing she could say that would deter me from loving her, wanting her, and making her mine forever.
I watch as she talks to Rosemary, the owner of Snowflake Sweetery. It was the last stop before we headed back to the house. My phone has gone off a few times, but I’m ignoring it for now. I’ll handle whatever it is later. If it was big, then Kindred would have popped up.
“Now try this one.” Rosemary gives her a small spoonful of icing covered in green and red sprinkles. Rosemary is known for her frosting. People travel here for it alone.
I take a sip of my coffee and wink at Candy when she glances my way. I’ve sat down at one of the little tables that makes me feel like more of a giant than I already do.
A small moan leaves her, and I grit the back of my teeth. I swear I can still taste her sugary sweetness on my tongue. Rosemary says something to her that has Candy throwing back her head and laughing. It makes me smile in return.
When I moved to New Hope, there were whispers about love and romance being different here. I hadn’t given it much thought. I was sure it was a small-town tale, but that said, it’s a fact that there has never been a divorce in this town. Hell, there aren’t any scandals either around relationships.
They say when you find the one in New Hope, you’ll be bound together forever. Now, I’m starting to think maybe I shouldn’t have ignored those tales or rolled my eyes when I heard them. That to me went way beyond Christmas magic, but I was wrong, and I’ll happily eat my words.
I quickly stand when I see the pile of boxes that Rosemary has put together.
"Oh my gosh, this is far too much."
"You have to do a taste test, and then you pick which are your favorites, and I'll make sure the Christmas party has them," Rosemary tells her. Candy flicks a glance toward me.
"We'd appreciate that."
I make a mental note to get Candy not only a credit card but also a bank account solely in her name. She doesn't need to be looking to me if she wants to spend money. I want her to do whatever makes her happy. Giving her a sense of security and stability is what does that for me.
It's not as though I don't have the money to spend. I have done well in my life, and I'm pretty modest. There isn't much for me to splurge on. I think I would bring me great pleasure watching Candy enjoy it.
She could do whatever her little heart desires with it. Whether it be for items for the house, herself, or the babies.
Babies.
That thought should freak me out, and it does, around Candy and her health. Giving birth to twins will be harder on her body, but the idea of having two little ones isn't a hardship for me.
It's interesting how you don't know how much you long for something until it's there and a possibility.
I'm starting to wonder if I was trying to convince myself I hadn't wanted those things because I didn't think it was possible. Candy changed all that the moment she walked into my life. She ignited a piece of me that I didn’t know existed. The possibilities seem endless now.
“Is there anything else you need?” I ask Candy, coming up behind her and wrapping her in my arms. She leans back into me, and it settles something deep inside my chest. She was made for me and vice versa.
“I think I got more than enough.” She turns her head up toward me. I can’t stop myself from leaning down to kiss her. I easily engulf her small frame with mine. If anyone were to walk into the bakery, they wouldn’t even be able to see her.
"I don't want to interrupt," Rosemary says with a pleased smirk. "But I'm closing up. You two should get home for the night. A snowstorm is coming in."
A snowstorm is always coming in, but it's endearing how the town is fully in support of Candy and me.
"It was really nice seeing you," Candy tells her. "Thanks for everything."
"Thank you for letting me make the wedding cake. It will be my gift."
"Oh, ah—" Candy stumbles over her words. She may have thought she was only doing the tasting for the party, but I have other plans as well.
"We'll do that, Rosemary." I turn Candy toward the door. "Let's get home." I drop a kiss on top of her head before grabbing the boxes off the counter.
Candy doesn't say anything until we're back inside the gator heading up toward the house.
"I think today has been one of the best days of my life." I glance over at her. I can see unshed tears in her eyes. "This place is really special." Her pink tongue comes out, swiping across her bottom lip. "You're really special."
"I told you I was going to raise that bar."
A full smile takes over her face. "You'd be a great girl dad."
My chest tightens. "I'd try my hardest."
"I know you will," Candy says. "Would," she quickly corrects.
I've made some headway, maybe not enough, but I'll keep giving it time.
That's all I can do. "We should, ah, talk about things when we get back home.
I mean back to your place." She grows quiet again on me.
I let it go until I'm pulling up right out front of the main door.
"I'm going to be straight with you, Candy," I tell her when I park. She sucks in a breath. All she's used to is bad news, and I fucking hate that, but again, with time, I can work on that. Show her how different her life will be with me. "I didn't care for any of those corrections you made.”
"Really?" She tilts her head toward me.
"Really." I stare straight in her eyes, wanting her to know how serious I am.
"Mmkay." She gives me a shy nod paired with a docile smile. It makes me want to wrap her up in my arms and take care of her. Shield her from the rest of the world.
"Come on. I want to get you inside, and I'll bring this stuff in."
"I can help."
"You can help by getting your cute ass in the house. Why don't you go up and change for the night? We'll start our Christmas plans unless you want to lie down."
"My feet are a little sore, but I could lie on the sofa," she suggests. "I don't want this day to be over, and I want to have this talk." Her face takes on that serious expression again. The one that tells me she’s worried.
"Then that's what we'll do," I tell her. “Stay put; I’m coming around.” I hop out of the gator and go around to her side. The snow is melting as it hits the drive, letting me know it’s been fixed.
I walk Candy into the house, and she bursts into laughter when she sees all the shit we got today. Thankfully I had them go ahead and set up the trees into their stands and place them where she had suggested.
“It’s going to take forever to put up all of this,” Candy says through giggles.
“I’m good with that.” The happiness I see in her eyes at my words makes me want to go back to town and buy more Christmas decorations, but this will do for today. I watch her head up the stairs before I go back out and grab the rest of the items, bringing them in.
I head toward the kitchen and send Kindred a thank you text for the groceries she dropped off. She’s going to get one hell of a Christmas bonus this year. I wanted as many healthy foods as I could get to cook with.
I check the time before heading into my office to see who all has been trying to reach me.
I see a few messages from my mom, but one stands out.
It's from Nick, who I use to run background checks and other security issues.
He'll do deep dives on people I might invest with and so on.
He's quick and thorough. The subject line is a name I haven't seen in a while.
Maxwell Holmberg
The Max stands out loudly.
The Holmberg name is well-known. They have oldish money and run a very tight ship. They have one black sheep in the family, and it is Maxwell. He makes one bad deal after another. I don’t understand why they didn’t just trust fund him and be done. That would be a hell of a lot cheaper.
Maxwell also dabbles in insider trading. I’d been the one to learn that when he was trying to impress me at an event years ago. I don’t know if he thought we were in some boys’ club. I’m not a boy.
I hadn’t turned him into the feds. No, I let his father know what his son was up to and a handful of others that I have worked with through the years out of respect. You don’t want to do business with Maxwell because one day when he gets busted, you wouldn’t want your name anywhere near his.
I click the email and see what I already know: the Max Candy has spoken of is in fact him.
I’m not surprised in the least that he tried to pull some shady shit with Candy.
Nick also implies carefully that Candy could be under Max’s hold, and he’s not sure what the man is up to, but this isn’t a coincidence.
My connection to Candy is Maxwell. At least the dumb fuck is good for something.
I wouldn't give a shit if she had been under Max’s control and she's here doing his bidding. I’d find a way to pull her out, but I don’t believe that. Oh, I believe he’s got a plan against me, but if Candy was really his, he never would have let her slip away.
I would never use my woman in a plan to take another person down, especially a pregnant one. But either way, I know she isn’t in on anything. Her reactions are too real. She is running scared.
“Fucking Maxwell Holmberg.” A small gasp has my head snapping up. Candy is standing there in white pajamas that have tiny candy canes on them.
“You know.” She wrings her hands together in front of her.
“Come here.” I motion with my finger, and she comes right to me.
No fucking way she belongs to Maxwell in any capacity. The man is part con, and I don’t care if Candy is having his children; I’ll do whatever I have to to protect her and the babies. Even if that means getting my hands dirty, or better yet, bloody.