He opened the box and was surprised to see it was from Cass and the studio.
Sean and Paisley,
You left without your swag bags and your photo. It’s such a cute one I knew you’d want it.
Happy holidays,
Cass
He set aside the swag bags, which he knew would be filled with luxury items that he probably already had or didn’t need. Then he rummaged through the box until he found the photo frame at the bottom. It was aChristmas Magic-themed one and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut as he looked down at them.
He was holding her close and they were smiling at each other. His heart started to race. That was the moment when he’d had it all. He loved her; she was looking up at him like she loved him too.
And...
What?he asked himself. He hadn’t stopped loving her because she’d withheld the truth about the baby. He still loved her, and seeing her face right now, he realized she might love him too. Had he misjudged the situation?
Could he forgive her for waiting so long to tell him she was pregnant?
When he put it like that, it felt somehow smaller than it was to him. She’d hurt him by not blindly trusting in him and in the love that he’d never spoken to her. How could he expect her to trust him when he didn’t trust himself?
Sean reached for his phone. He’d send a text and see if she responded. He had her gift from the studio so that would be his ice-breaker.
He’d play it cool. But as he glanced down at the picture, he knew he couldn’t fake being happy around her in the future if she wasn’t with him. It was going to take him a long time to get over her. And he realized he didn’t want to get over her.
He wanted to get her back.
He texted her.Hey, the studio sent some stuff for you to my place. Want to get together so I can give it to you?
Dancing dots. Then they disappeared. Crap. Then the dots were back after five minutes.
Paisley responded:Sure.
That was a long time for her to type one word.
How’s tonight?
Actually I have an event at the office at 6 tonight. Can you stop by?
An event. Maybe she didn’t want to be alone with him. Who cared? She’d said yes and he was going to make this most of this opening.
Great. See you then.
He put down his phone and went upstairs to shave, since he’d hadn’t since he’d left her place. He took his time getting ready, making sure he looked every inch the Hollywood star that he was. He knew looks weren’t going to sway her but he wanted to walk into her event as Sean O’Neill with all his confidence and swagger.
Paisley was nervous as she waited for Sean to appear. With the help of her friends she’d turned the conference room into a Christmas wonderland. A path wove under lighted arches and through Christmas trees. She’d decorated each of the trees with photos and mementos from their time together.
The first tree had a photo she’d snapped of him that first day at the coffee shop and had sent to Olive and Delaney with both the fire-and heart-eyes emojis. She had also picked up a logoed cup from the coffee shop that had his order written on it and a napkin where he’d written down his number for her because she had left her phone at the office that day.
Each tree moved further into their relationship with the snowy white one changing from the beginning of it until she’d found out that Jack was really Sean O’Neill. She hoped he’d see how deeply she’d fallen in love with him.
She got a message on her phone from the night security guard that he was here and she okayed him to come up. All of their friends including his assistant and fiancée were waiting at the end of the tree path and she sort of had a speech she wanted to say to him. But she wanted to show him everything that was in her heart while they were alone.
She heard the elevator car open and stepped out into the hallway, catching her breath when she saw him. Sean looked like he’d stepped off the cover ofGQ’s sexy man edition. He was wearing a black suit that was cut to accentuate his broad shoulders, a white shirt and a red tie. His hair had been styled and he was freshly shaven. He raised both eyebrows at her when he saw her.
She wore the dress his designer friend had made for her. The dress, formfitting and made of red satin, hugged her curves and made her skin glow. It fell to the floor in a long pool of fabric and when she wore it she felt invincible. It seemed like the right dress to wear tonight. She wanted the night to end the way it should have after his premiere. But would her dream come true tonight? Could she earn his forgiveness, and together, could they celebrate their love for each other and their baby?
“I’m so glad you could come tonight,” she said softly. “When you messaged me I was getting ready to reach out to you.”