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Oliver slipped his arm around her shoulders "I told you they’d be happy," he randchild," Emma said, overwhelmed by the family’s reaction to their news She’d never known families could be like this

By the end of a o hoain soon, Oliver steered her to the car parked out front, his ars followed obediently in their wake

"It’s a bit overpowering, isn’t it?" he said

"What?" she asked

"My faether"

"They’re wonderful, each and every one" Oliver’s sisters were a her closest friends Her circle of family, friends and acquaintances had increased from the day she’d met him

"They love you, too" He opened the car door for her and helped her inside Oscar and Boots piled into the back

As they neared their newly constructed holanced at her Eainst the leather seat "You’ve really taken to Christo you didn’t want anything to do with it Now look at you"

Emma opened her eyes and smiled Their home was decorated with not one, but two, Christs She’d written a series of articles about Christht after Thanksgiving As Oliver had said last year, the transformation had been complete

"I don’t knohat to tell you," she said with a laugh, "except to repeat what my mother told me"

"And ould that be?" he asked, a s special about Christue

"Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, Mom!" nine-year-old Courtney Adams said

"Mom, you have my list for Santa, don’t you?" seven-year-old Bailey asked anxiously She knelt on her bed, her large brown eyes beseeching

This, Maryanne Adanized, was a blatant atteirls were supposed to turn out their lights tenfor any excuse to delay the inevitable The one thing Maryanne hoped to avoid was yet another discussion about the top item on both their Christmas lists--a puppy

"What about my list?" Courtney asked from her bed She, at least, had crawled between the covers, but re position

"Don’t worry, I’m sure Santa has both your lists by now," Maryanne reassured her daughters She stood in the doorway, her hand poised over the light switch Both her daughters slept in canopy beds their Si for therandkids, her father had told her so she didn’t argue too randparents’ lives and could do no wrong

"Did you read the list before you gave it to Santa?" Courtney asked

At nine, Courtney ell aware that Santa was actually her h not to spoil the fantasy for her younger sister

"You said your prayers?" Maryanne asked, wanting to turn the subject away fro

Bailey nodded "I prayed for a puppy"

"I did, too" Courtney echoed

They were certainly persistent "We’ll see what happens," Maryanne said

Bailey glanced at her older sister "Is ‘we’ll see’ good news?"

Courtney looked uncertain "I don’t know" She turned pleading eyes to herof you," Bailey cried draot to"

Maryanne sighed "I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for our faet a puppy now"

"Why not?" Courtney de with disappointment

Instinctively, Maryanne pressed her hand to her stoirls that there’d be a new family member in six months--past time, really, for them to know She’d wanted to share the news earlier, but this baby was a complete surprise; she and Nolan had needed ti all the way into the rooe of Courtney’s bed She’d prefer to tell the girls with Nolan at her side, but her husband was on deadline and had barricaded hi out once or twice a day The last fifty pages of a book were always thedown the plot and tying up all the loose ends It was never easy, according to Nolan, to part with the characters he’d lived with for the past number of months They were as real to him as his own flesh and blood, and because she was a writer, too, she understood that

"We’ll discuss this later" Checking her watch, she frowned "It’s past your bedtime as it is"

"Aw, Mom," Bailey moaned

"Mom, please," Courtney chimed in "I won’t be able to sleep if you don’t tell me now"

"Tell theht of their father both girls squealed with delight Bailey was out of bed first, flying across the room at breakneck speed Anyone would think it’d been weeks since she’d last seen their father, when in fact he’d had breakfast with the girls that

"Daddy!" Courtney leaped off the bed, as well

Bailey was in Nolan’s ar his neck, and Courtney clasped her skinny arms around his waist

"Are you finished the book?" Maryanne asked, her gaze connecting with his She re day of Christo," her husband said, s down at her

"What do you think?" she asked As a wildly popular suspense author, Nolan generally had an excellent feel for his oork