The door opened behind her as Delaney finished her sentence.
“No, I didn’t. I’m assuming you meant me.”
“I did, indeed,” Delaney said. “But it was sort of tongue-in-cheek. I’m nervous tonight. I sent my dad an invitation sort of as a joke and he RSVP’d.”
Paisley started laughing at her friend. Delaney’s father was a very buttoned-down aristocratic sort of man who had never really approved of Delaney and her wild ways, but since she’d settled down with Nolan the two had gotten closer.
“It’ll be funny to see him in an ugly Christmas sweater,” Sean said.
“Yeah, about that. Why are you two wearing matchingChristmas Magicmovie sweaters?” Delaney asked.
“They are a bit over-the-top. I mean, who wears a sweater promoting themselves?” Sean asked with a smile.
The door opened and Dante and Olive walked in, both wearing matching Inferno Brewing sweaters, which made Delaney howl with laughter. “All of my friends apparently. Come in and let’s get this party started with some cocktails—”
“Hey, I sent cases of Inferno over,” Dante said.
“And beer. Sheesh.” She led them into the living room, which was party-ready with a huge, beautifully decorated tree in one corner with presents underneath it. There was a bar set up in the opposite corner and a deejay just to the left. The furniture had been rearranged and small conversation areas had been assembled.
Delaney waved them off as the caterer came to ask her a question. Sean slipped his hand into Paisley’s as Dante and Olive offered to get them drinks and headed off to the bar. “I didn’t realize this was going to be a big party.”
“Would you have ditched me if you had?” she asked.
“No, but I might have dyed my hair and come as Jack,” he quipped.
“Jack’s been banished to the past,” she said tartly.
“Don’t worry—he’s not coming back,” Sean assured her. “Do you know how many people will be here?”
“If it’s anything like her last party, not too many, and she usually just invites good friends and some of her relatives. Some of them are more famous than you,” Paisley said.
“Great. I don’t care about that. I just wanted to have some fun with my girl.”
“Your girl?”
“Aren’t you?” he murmured.
She turned to face him, leaning up on her tiptoes. “I thought I’d proven I’m a woman.”
“Touché. But you know what I meant. Are you mine?” he asked.
His.Was she? She wanted to be. But she knew as long as her secret was between them, she couldn’t. Not really. “I’d like to be.”
“Good. That’s all I needed to know,” he said, kissing her.
His tongue tangled with hers and she wished they were alone in her bedroom. Maybe then she’d find the courage that being in his arms always gave her to finally tell him about the baby.
“Enough of that. Take these drinks before Delaney tries to rope us into greeting guests,” Olive said as they returned.
They took their drinks and toasted each other. “To the cutest twinning couples in the room.”
“Hear! Hear!”
Sean and Dante kept the conversation going and Paisley couldn’t help but notice how well he fit in with her friends. Any fears she had of him being too cool for her inner circle were gone. She was running out of reasons not to tell him he was going to be a daddy. Her last hang-up—that he was still not being real with her—was just not justified and she knew it.
The hang-up was really her own fear. She hated that she’d trusted him when he was Jack. Hated that her own father had made promises each time he’d been busted to come clean and then started grifting again as soon as they got to a new town. She had a history of forgiving too many times and she knew the situation with Sean was different. Well, in her head she might now that, but her heart wasn’t so sure.
“Karaoke?” Dante asked.