Epilogue
Over a Year Later: End of November
Isabelle
“Come on, Marcus. We’re going to be late.” Isabelle tapped her foot as she stood by the front door. “The lighting ceremony is—”
“Isn’t going to start until it’s dark. We’ve got a good hour before that happens.”
“Half-hour,” she corrected her brother. “And you know as well as I do, parking is going to be awful. If we don’t leave in the next couple of minutes, you’re going to have to park all the way in the boondocks.”
Marcus rolled his eyes. “Remind me why I have to take you? What about your boyfriend?”
“Jason had to work late. He said he wouldn’t have time to come out this way to get me. Besides, the lighting ceremony is a tradition.”
Her brother rolled his eyes. “This is the second year in a row that you’re making us go. I hardly call that a tradition.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “I’m pretty sure that you used to go every year up until Wynter left town for college.
” Isabelle knew she was goading him, but she didn’t care.
Her brother was dragging his feet. Christmas wasn’t exactly Marcus’s favorite holiday.
And maybe that had more to do with the girl who’d been his best friend than anything else.
Isabelle watched him pull his coat on, itching to cross the room to hustle him along. She hated being late, especially when it came to spending time with Jason.
It had been a year and a couple of months since they’d started on their own healing journeys, and they were doing great.
Better than great. Her nightmares had almost become nonexistent.
Every so often, the insomnia came back, but she dealt with it better.
She’d even started playing the piano again.
Those nights were Jason’s favorites, and they were quickly becoming her own.
She reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open.
Without waiting for her brother, she hurried down the frozen steps toward his truck.
Her breaths came out in white puffs, and she was positive he took his sweet time unlocking the door.
Isabelle gave him a disgruntled look, and all he did was grin.
They made it to town just in time, and while he went off in search of a parking spot, she hurried down the sidewalk toward the café. Her steps slowed when she reached the building to find the windows darkened.
As she drew nearer, she realized that the interior of the café wasn’t completely dark. There were glowing candles inside, and one of the tables had been moved to the center of the room. The floor was littered with what could only be rose petals, but she had to open the door to be sure.
One step inside confirmed her suspicions.
“Jason?” she called out, her voice cracking.
There on the table was a silver tray with a ceramic cloche on top, possibly hiding one of Jason’s dessert creations or a warm bread. Soft piano music floated through the room, and she barely registered that it was one of her favorites. “Meine Freuden” by Chopin filled the quiet space.
Her heart lurched in her chest, and her legs went weak. There was no rationalizing that this was anything but what she assumed. She’d been dating Jason for over a year, and they’d taken everything nice and slow. Apparently, Jason had decided he was ready to take this relationship to the next level.
She couldn’t find it in her heart to argue.
A sound at the entrance to the kitchen caught her attention, and she gasped.
Jason looked amazing in a suit. It fit him like a glove, and boy, he made her heart melt. Neither one of them could find the strength to move from their place. She got the distinct feeling that if she tried to move, she’d crumble to the floor.
“What’s this?” she whispered.
He took a step forward, then another and another until he reached her. His fingers slipped between her own, and he guided her toward the table. “You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do this.”
“Jason…” she rasped.
“I could have done this last month. Last year, even. I could have set this up that day you showed up at the café to talk.”
She released a nervous laugh as he helped her into her seat.
Her eyes never left his face as he walked to the other chair and lowered himself into it.
The lighting was too dim to see if he was as nervous as she felt, but something told her that was the case.
They’d been through a lot together, and yet there was no one else she would rather spend the rest of her life with than him.
Isabelle reached past the cloche for his hand and held onto it tight. “I love you so much.” Why was her voice so shaky?
“I love you, too,” Jason said. “More than you will ever know.”
“I think I have a good idea,” she whispered, and they exchanged knowing smiles.
“I’m pretty sure you know what I have planned for tonight.”
She glanced around the room at the candles and the rose petals. When Jason wanted to go all out, he did. But he could have dropped to one knee at Sal’s in the middle of the dinner rush and she’d be just as thrilled with the prospect of accepting his offer of forever.
Her eyes found his again. “It’s a little hard to miss.”
Jason grinned. “Then there’s no reason to drag this out.
” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.
There was no box, no need to hide his intentions.
With grace that surprised even Isabelle, Jason dropped to one knee.
He held up the ring, a stunning and yet simple gold band with a teardrop diamond surrounded by swirls of metal on either side.
“Isabelle, you are the love of my life, and I can’t think of another person I would rather spend the rest of my days with. I want you at my side.”
Happy tears burned behind her eyes.
He continued. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
She covered her mouth with a trembling hand and nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered. “There’s nothing I want more than you.”
Grinning, he grasped her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then he kissed her knuckles and got to his feet. He barely steadied himself before she flung herself into his arms and kissed him like her life depended on it.
Perhaps it did.
He kissed her back with abandon. No one fit her better than this man. No one knew her inside and out better than Jason. They were meant to be together, and fate had proven it time and time again.
When he finally pulled away, he chuckled. “Careful, Izzie. You keep doing that and your dessert is going to get cold.”
Her eyes drifted to the cloche. “My dessert? I thought we were going to see the lights.”
“There’s plenty of time for that,” Jason assured her. Then he pulled the cloche away with a flourish, revealing a chocolate soufflé.
Isabelle threw back her head and laughed. “How did you know?”
“It’s my job to know everything about you,” Jason said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Everything and anything you have to offer.”
He handed her a fork. “Enjoy. We have about fifteen minutes before they turn on the lights. Even if we don’t make it for the lighting, they’ll keep the lights on for the night. There’s no rush. In fact, I’d happily spend the rest of the evening just spending time with you here.”
She popped the first bite into her mouth and groaned with appreciation. “I’m sorry, honey, but based on how good that bite tasted, I might inhale this dessert. Then we’ll have plenty of time to get to the official lighting of the tree.”
Jason chuckled, reaching for his own fork.
Isabelle was right. They made it to the town square just as the mayor got his hands on a microphone.
She leaned into Jason, not caring about the cold as she admired the ring on her finger.
His arms wrapped around her, and she leaned against him.
The warmth of his body sent pleasant shivers through her.
This time last year, she was still on her healing journey, but she’d been able to step back to see how her behaviors had only hurt her progress. Now she had Jason back in her life.
She’d learned so much over the last year, and she would be forever grateful for the man who had saved her life not once but twice.
“I love you so much,” Jason murmured in her ear.
“I love you, too.”
The mayor ended his speech, and the lights on the tree burst to life. Gasps of surprise and awe rippled around them. Isabelle focused on the people rather than the tree. Their reactions, their joy, reminded her how important it was to appreciate the little things.
Then her attention landed on a familiar individual.
Marcus.
And a woman.
Isabelle squinted then whispered, “No way.”
Jason stiffened. “What?”
Isabelle startled and glanced up at her fiancé. When she returned her attention to her brother, he was gone.
“Izzie?”
A smile tugged at her lips. “I thought I saw someone my brother used to know.”
He turned to where she’d been looking, but of course he wouldn’t see them.
Wynter Delaney was back in town.
Hello Reader! I hope you enjoyed Isabelle & Jason’s love story. Up next is… you guessed it, Marcus & Wynter.
He’s the steady, marriage-minded cowboy who’s been in love for years.
She’s the brilliant, root-shy drifter who once kissed him under the mistletoe and ran.
When Wynter returns to Copper Creek to “help” her meddling grandma, Marcus steps in with handyman help, twinkle-light nights, and slow-burn second chances—until fear of forever collides with the Christmas magic neither of them can ignore.