Chapter 35
LUCAS
The caravan to Mawmaw’s house is ten vehicles long. Cars are honking, people are hanging out of windows, shouting congratulations, and someone—probably Jake—is blasting Christmas music so loud, I can hear it from three cars back. We won. Today should feel perfect.
But something’s off.
Holiday sits in my passenger seat, staring out the window. The trophy is in her lap, the oversized check folded carefully beside it. She hasn’t said much since we left the venue. Just quiet responses.
“You sure you’re alright?” I ask, glancing over at her.
“Yeah.” She looks at me and smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just processing everything. It’s been a lot.”
“That’s an understatement.” I reach over and take her hand. “Dominic showed his ass, your brother punched him and got arrested, Mary Carter destroyed Dominic’s reputation on live stream, and we won five grand and a trophy. That’s a hell of a day.”
“One for the scrapbook,” she says with a small laugh. “Very eventful.”
I squeeze her hand and she squeezes back. Maybe she’s just exhausted. Maybe the adrenaline is wearing off. Maybe standing up to Dominic in front of hundreds of people took more out of her than she’s letting on.
By the time we pull up to Mawmaw’s house, there are already a dozen cars in the driveway and lining the street. Lights are on in every window. I can already smell food cooking. The truth is, Mawmaw’s been preparing for this celebration all week. She knew we’d win.
Holiday and I walk in together, and the house erupts in cheers.
Everyone’s already here. My parents, Hudson and Emma, Jake and Claire, and Colby’s bouncing around like he’s had too much sugar.
The twins are with Emma’s dad at their house.
Holiday’s family is here, too—her parents, Tricia, and Bethany.
And apparently, Sammy just got bailed out because he’s sitting at the kitchen table with an ice pack on his hand, grinning like he won the baking contest.
“The champions!” Mawmaw announces, pulling Holiday and me into a double hug. “I’m so proud of you both!”
“Thanks, Mawmaw,” I say, kissing her cheek.
“Come on, come on. I made all your favorites. We’re celebrating properly tonight.”
The next hour consists of us sitting around the table eating Mawmaw’s famous fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, mac and cheese, and three different pies.
Our family is eating and laughing and retelling stories from the past. Sammy is showing off his bruised knuckles like they’re battle scars.
“Worth it,” he keeps saying. “Totally worth it.”
Holiday’s dad claps him on the shoulder. “You did good, son. That bastard had it coming.”
I watch Holiday from across the room as she chats with Emma, who’s recovering from giving birth two weeks ago.
Holiday is smiling, hugging people, and accepting congratulations, but I notice the way she’s being a little too careful. Her smile is just a fraction too forced.
After about an hour, she catches my eye and mouths Can we talk?
I nod, and she gestures toward the back door. We slip out while everyone’s distracted by Colby trying to steal a third piece of pie.
The back porch is exactly how I remember it. String lights hanging from the eaves, the old porch swing Mawmaw refuses to replace, and hanging right above the steps—mistletoe. My grandma has hung that mistletoe there every Christmas for as long as I can remember.
It’s where Holiday and I first kissed when we were sixteen. I used the mistletoe as an excuse. She did, too. I kissed her before I could overthink it. That was the moment everything changed between us.
Now, we’re standing in the exact same spot, fifteen years later, and everything’s about to change again. I can feel it in my bones.
“Hey,” I say softly, pulling her close. “Talk to me.”
She looks up at me and I can see tears threatening. “I needed a minute with just you.”
“You’ve got me.” I cup her face in my hands. “Always.”
Then I kiss her. Right there under the mistletoe, where it all started. She kisses me back, and it’s sweet and desperate and feels like something I can’t quite name.
When we pull apart, she’s crying.
“What’s wrong?”
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper that’s been folded. Her hands are shaking as she hands it to me.
“Please read it before you say anything.”
My heart is pounding as I unfold it. I read the heading.
Partnership Proposal
Adorable Bakery
Nashville, Tennessee
I keep reading. Holiday is being offered an equal partnership and creative control with a substantial salary, working alongside Mary Carter. Everything is detailed with timelines, ownership percentages, and profit sharing.
“This is everything you’ve ever wanted,” I whisper.
But it’s Nashville. That’s hours away from here. From me.
When I finally look up, Holiday is watching me with tears streaming down her face.
“Are you considering it?” My voice comes out broken.
“I don’t know.” She wipes her eyes. “I honestly don’t know. She offered it to me today, right after everything happened with Dominic. I haven’t had time to think. I haven’t processed any of it.”
“This is huge, Holiday.” I hand the paper back to her. “This is everything you’ve worked so damn hard for.”
“I know.”
“Mary Carter is—she’s a baking legend. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” I say, knowing Holiday has baked her way through Mary’s cookbooks several times. “When does she need an answer?”
“Christmas Eve.”
That’s in ten days.
“You need to think this over,” I tell her, even though every cell in my body is screaming at me to beg her to stay. “Really think about it. This could change your entire career.”
“Lucas—”
“I’m serious.” I take her hands. “Don’t make this decision based on me. Or us. This is about your future. Your dream.”
“You’re my future, too,” she whispers.
“Then we’ll figure it out.” I pull her against my chest even though I don’t know how the hell we’re going to figure this out. “Whatever you decide, I fully support you.”
She cries into my shirt, and I hold her, staring at that mistletoe hanging above us. This is the same spot where everything began. And maybe it’s where everything ends, too.
We stand there, holding one another for a long time.
Inside, I can hear my family laughing and celebrating. Out here, it strangely feels like the world is ending.
“We should get back inside,” Holiday finally says, pulling away and wiping her eyes. “Before someone notices we’re gone.”
“Yeah,” I tell her.
We go back in, and I watch her plaster on that fake smile again. She hugs Mawmaw and laughs at Sammy and pretends everything’s great. But I know the truth. She’s not fine. Neither am I.
The party goes on until dark. My family starts filtering out, exhausted from the day. Holiday’s family left not too long ago. Hudson and Emma went home after lunch. Jake and Claire have Colby with them.
“You coming?” Jake asks me.
“In a bit. Gonna help Mawmaw clean up.”
He looks between me and Holiday, sees something in my face, but doesn’t push. “All right. See you tomorrow at the farm.”
“See you,” I say.
After everyone’s gone, it’s just me, Holiday, and Mawmaw in the kitchen washing dishes.
“You two are quiet,” Mawmaw observes.
“Just tired,” Holiday says quickly. “Long day.”
Mawmaw looks at me, and I can see her putting pieces together, but she just nods. “Well, you both did amazing today. I’m so proud.”
“Thanks, Mawmaw,” I say, kissing her cheek. “We’re gonna head out.”
“Drive safe. And Lucas?” She catches my arm and pulls me back into a hug. “Whatever it is, you’ll figure it out.”
How does she always know?
“I know,” I whisper, hugging her tight.
Holiday and I walk to the truck in silence.
“You want to come over?” I ask, even though I’m terrified of her answer.
She looks at me for a long moment. “Yes. I do.”
We drive to my house. The whole way, my mind is racing. Nashville. Eighteen hours away. Ten days to decide. How do I compete with her dream? How do I ask her to choose me over everything she’s worked for?
I can’t. I won’t. But gosh, I should.
When we get to my house, Holiday follows me inside. I turn on the lights, start a fire, do all the normal things. But nothing feels normal.
“Lucas,” she says, and her voice breaks on my name.
I turn around, and she’s standing in the middle of my living room, crying again.
“Come here,” I say, and she does.
I pull her close and just hold her. We stand there for a long time, not talking, just breathing together.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she finally whispers. “Not again.”
“You won’t.” I tilt her chin up to look at me. “No matter what happens, you won’t lose me.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She kisses me then, and it’s different from every other time. It’s more urgent and desperate, like she’s trying to memorize the taste of me and how we fit together.
I kiss her back with so much fervor, I steal her breath away. My hands slide into her hair, down her back, pulling her closer. She tugs at my shirt, and I help her pull it off. Her sweater follows. Then we’re stumbling toward my bedroom, shedding clothes as we go.
When we fall into bed, everything slows down. I take my time touching her and kissing every inch of skin I can reach. She does the same, her hands trembling as they map my body.
“I love you,” she whispers against my chest.
“I love you, too.” I roll her beneath me and look into her eyes. “So much.”
When I slide inside her, she gasps, and her eyes fill with tears. We move together, holding each other tight. It’s not frantic or rushed. It’s tender and heartbreaking and feels like we’re trying to hold on to something that’s slipping through our fingers.
It feels like goodbye, even though neither of us says it.
Afterward, we lie tangled together in my sheets. She’s tracing the tattoos on my chest with her fingertip, and her breathing evens out as she drifts toward sleep.
I hold her and stare at the ceiling.
She has to decide again if it will be her dream or me. Nashville or Merryville. And just like before, I have no idea what she’ll choose.
I think about asking her to stay without begging. I want to tell her I can’t lose her again, that I need her here, that Merryville is her home. But that would be selfish, and she’s already sacrificed so much. She’s already given up years of her life and career to Dominic.
I won’t be another person who asks her to give up her dreams, even if it destroys me.
Holiday’s breathing deepens, and she’s asleep in my arms.
I press a kiss to her hair and close my eyes as I inhale her scent.
Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.
We have to.