An Unexpected Baby For Christmas by Holly Rayner

Author:Holly Rayner [Rayner, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Sofia

Chloe had been surprised to hear that Sofia wanted to invite Blake to join them for the Christmas evening walk. But she relented when Sofia explained her mom’s advice and her cautious desire to let Blake be involved in Noelle’s life.

Sofia was nervous, though, as she got ready for the event. She still found Blake incredibly attractive, and she did enjoy his attention, but she wasn’t yet able to forgive and forget the stunt he had pulled with the Pekan Lodge acquisition.

Knowing that they would be outside for most of the evening, Sofia bundled up in fleece leggings with a blue-and-white knit sweater and a white coat with gold buttons. She wrapped a blue scarf around her neck and pulled on a pair of white leather boots, then started getting Noelle ready.

After making sure that Noelle would be cozy and warm enough in her stroller, Sofia headed out to meet Chloe and her kids at Boston Common. When she got there, Chloe and her four kiddos were already in the park. Brody was filling out a scavenger hunt sheet created by the historical association while Jeslyn and Toby threw lumpy snowballs at each other.

“Hey, Chloe!” Sofia greeted her friend with a tight hug, then bent down to greet Maela in her stroller.

“Is Blake still joining us?”

“Yes, he’s going to meet us right here at the bandstand.”

“He’s late.”

Sofia checked her watch. It was only a few minutes after the time that they’d all agreed to meet, but she felt her chest tighten. The last thing she needed was for Blake to get on Chloe’s bad side by being flaky or unreliable.

“He’ll be here,” Sofia said, assuring herself as much as Chloe.

“I don’t know about this, Sofi,” Chloe said, crossing her arms. “All we know about this guy is that he’s some rich business dude who didn’t hesitate to tank your project when it suited him.”

Sofia had confided in Chloe about Blake’s betrayal back when it happened, needing her friend’s support, but now she wondered whether that had been wise. “Maybe tonight is a good time to learn more about him, then.”

“If he even shows.”

“He will.”

As if conjured by Sofia’s confidence, Blake came running up to them, slightly out of breath. “Sorry, I’m so sorry I’m late. There was awful traffic on the way here.”

“Hi, Blake!” Sofia greeted him with a light hug. Chloe extended her hand for a shake.

“Shall we get going, then?” Blake gave Chloe a wide smile. “I bet the kiddos are wanting to see everything.”

Together, the group began their walk through the park. The historical association had various booths set up, serving food and drink that would have been eaten by the Boston settlers back in the seventeenth century.

All three adults took a mug of hot apple cider while Chloe’s three oldest children helped themselves to cups of hot chocolate.

“Hey, Jeslyn has more marshmallows than me,” Toby complained, standing on tiptoes to peer into his sister’s cup.

“That’s just because I’m older,” Jeslyn said.

“It’s not fair!”

“I don’t think the colonists even had mini marshmallows,” Brody said, sipping his own drink.

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