Series: Fortunes of Texas
His holiday surprise…
Is a bundle of joy!
When Nolan Forte returns to Austin a year after a yuletide romance, he is shocked to learn he is a father. He wants to do right by his beautiful baby girl -- and her sweet mama, Lizzie Sullivan. But when he reveals his real name is Nolan Fortune, all bets are off. Lizzie doesn’t trust men with money. Maybe some Christmas magic can convince her that she, Nolan and Stella are already rich in what matters!
Sweet, emotional holiday romance. Musician Nolan Forte had a secret that was about to create a huge complication in his life. For a few weekends during the year, plus two weeks over Christmas, Nolan was a member of a jazz band, hiding behind a stage name. The rest of the year he was Nolan Fortune, a member of the millionaire banking family in New Orleans. He cherished his time away and the chance to be a normal man. During the previous Christmas's Austin gig, Nolan met Lizzie, and they had a magical time together. When their time was over, he vanished from her life completely, knowing that their lives were too different. He never forgot her but doesn't plan to see her again.
Lizzie is a music teacher in Austin. Her romance with Nolan the year before had been one of the best things that ever happened to her. But when she discovered she was pregnant, all of her attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. The cell phone number he gave her was disconnected, and the emails she sent to the band website were never answered. Dismayed and hurt that someone she had cared for hadn't felt the same way, she was determined to give little Stella the best possible life she could.
Lizzie received quite a shock when her roommate told her that Nolan's band was back in town. She knew she should tell him about the baby, but he obviously hadn't ever wanted to see her again. Nolan was intrigued when Lizzie's roommate tracked him down and insisted he had to see Lizzie. He was stunned to discover that he was a father. I loved the fact that he immediately accepted the truth and was determined to be a part of the baby's life.
I loved the development of the relationship between Nolan and Lizzie. Though I was disappointed in his initial decision not to get in contact with a woman he obviously had feelings for, I could somewhat understand his reasons. His time as Nolan Forte was kept separate from his life as a Fortune. He'd been burned by a woman more interested in his money than in him, as had his brother Austin. He also knew how Lizzie felt about people with money. Her middle-class parents had gotten involved with a wealthy couple, to the point of ignoring Lizzie and her needs. When her parents were killed on a trip with that couple, all Lizzie could think of was how that influence had destroyed her family. As soon as Nolan confessed the truth, all of Lizzie's fears rushed to the surface. She was terrified that Nolan and/or his family would take Stella away from her. I loved Nolan's efforts to allay her fears. Meanwhile, Nolan had to fight some fears of his own. He had his life as a Fortune and his life as Nolan Forte, and they had always been separate. Now those two worlds had collided and he didn't know how to deal with it.
I loved seeing Nolan and Lizzie spend time together as they tried to work out their new dynamic. Both of them wanted what was best for Stella. I loved seeing Nolan fall deeper in love with baby Stella. There were some awesome scenes of him as he learned to be a daddy. Nolan wanted to do anything he could to make Lizzie's life easier, which for him was spending money to do so. Lizzie struggled with accepting his help, her fear of his wealth getting in the way. I thought that they did a fantastic job of listening to each other and finding acceptable compromises. All the while, Nolan and Lizzie's feelings for each other continued to grow until both had to face the truth of what they wanted. I ached for them because neither could figure out how to make it happen. I loved Christmas Eve with Nolan and his family. It was an emotional scene with some unexpected twists on top of Nolan's revelations. I loved their support of him. Nolan's big moment at the end had me in tears as he showed Lizzie the depth of his feelings, including his last ditch effort to get past her fears.
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