Epilogue
HOLLY
One Year Later
“A re you sure you have everything?” Cassie asks as she glances over the table in front of her.
“Yup.” I can’t look away from the standing full-length mirror, the ornate gold finishing showing off the engraved roses and vines that adorn the frame. Twinkling fairy lights finish the look, making me smile at how magical it all looks.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cassie asks, placing a hand on my arm.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah,” I say with a smile, drawing my gaze from the mirror. I look at her, dressed in her burgundy sleeveless dress. The rounded neckline and sequinned top give it the fancy feel while the flowing skirt lets it be comfortable. Or so she’s told me.
Her blonde hair is up in a simple sweeping bun with a lock of her hair falling over her face, similar to the style my own hair is currently in.
“You seem distracted; are you sure?”
“Cassie, I’ve never been happier.” I say, hoping that I sound convincing.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
I blow out a breath, looking back at the mirror. “It was about this time last time my mom came in and told me Josh wasn’t coming.”
“Rex isn’t Josh,” Cassie says, placing her hand on my arm. “And I promise he’s here. Jacob has been texting me updates non-stop. They were here before we were.”
“I know,” I say with a smile—a genuine one—as I catch her gaze in the mirror.
Her eyes open wide in shock. “You haven’t been talking to him, have you? That’s against the rules!”
“No, I haven’t been talking to him. But Jacob has been texting me, too. Rex was worried that I would be concerned and wanted to ease my fears. So no, we didn’t break any rules.”
Cassie lets out a sigh. “Thank goodness.”
I run my hands along my white dress, letting the folds of the silk slip through my fingers. I opted for long sleeves, the billowing sleeves tapering at my wrists. The tight-fitting bodice gives way to an A-line, floor-length skirt with a train. It’s simple and perfect.
I feel like a Christmas princess.
“You look beautiful,” she says, looking at my reflection over my shoulder.
The soft smile on her face melts my heart. “Thank you.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s just been a year since I first came to Candy Cane Creek. All of our situations were so different. And now, everything is just as it should be.
A knock at the door draws my attention away.
“Are you ready?” My dad says as he peeks his head in. His smiling eyes reach mine as I take him in. His hair is more salt than pepper now, and he has more lines around his eyes, but he’s still the same man I grew up with. While we might not have been close since they moved away, he’s still the same kind-hearted man I remember.
“Yes,” I say confidently, turning to him.
He closes the door behind him and turns, tears springing to his eyes. “Holly, you…” he sniffs, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief from his pocket. “You’re beautiful.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, trying to hold back my own tears.
“Mr. Day, don’t make her cry. She just got her makeup all perfect,” Cassie jokes, wiping at her own eyes.
“Jacob is waiting for you at the main doors when you’re ready,” Dad says to Cassie.
She suppresses a smile with a bite at her bottom lip. “I’ll…uh…meet you out there.”
She slips out of the room, rushing to Jacob.
“What’s going on with those two?” Dad asks. “Jacob had the same smile on his face.”
“It’s complicated,” I say with a shake of my head.
Reaching over, I grab my bouquet from the table beside me. Lifting it to my face, I inhale and take in the calming scents of the red and white roses and pine that make up the arrangement. I asked the florist to add a few Holly berries for fun, and have the ribbon wound around the stems match the deep red of the berry.
I try to focus on the scents, letting it ground me as my heart rate ticks up. Even knowing that Rex is in the church, and most likely standing at the altar, I still can’t help but think what if.
What if he gets cold feet?
What if he calls it off once I’m walking down the aisle?
What if it happens again?
“I know that face,” Dad says, reaching into his jacket pocket. “Rex thought you might start panicking about now, so he asked me to give you this.”
He hands me a note, taking my bouquet from me as I quickly open it.
Dearest Holly,
I know what you’re thinking and don’t. There’s nothing that could keep me from marrying you today.
Not even with the promise of the biggest stack of gingerbread pancakes I’ve ever seen.
I love you, and this is going to be the happiest day for us. It’s the start of our lives together, and it’s something I’ve been waiting a year for. I would have married you that Christmas Day in the barn if you’d let me, but you deserve better than that. You deserve today. Having all of our family and friends here. Having a wedding that’s just perfectly us.
Plus, Tag wouldn’t have allowed anything but the opportunity to be the best ring bearer there ever was.
So, please, stop worrying and come meet me at the altar. I can’t wait to be your husband.
Love,
Rex
“You picked a good one,” Dad says, wiping a tear from my eye.
“I did…this time,” I joke.
He gives me a smile before exchanging the note with my bouquet and placing it back in his jacket pocket. “I’ll keep this for now. What do you say we go and get you married?”
“Let’s go and get me married.”
* * *
REX
“Nervous, son?” Pastor Rick asks, breaking me from my intense stare at the church doors.
I become aware I’m rocking from my heels to the balls of my feet, hands clenching at my sides.
“No, not nervous. Anxious? Concerned? I don’t know.” I close my eyes and shake my head. “I just really want to see her.”
“She’ll be coming out soon,” he says, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
I smile at the people in the pews as I wait, hating the attention on me.
The knot in my stomach lessens and I blow out a breath as the music starts and the church doors at the end of the aisle open.
Tag sits at the door, Santa hat affixed to his head and a large red bow that I know contains our wedding rings tied in place around his collar. As if given a silent command, he stands and starts trotting down the aisle, putting on a show for everyone in the room. His tan and black fur is fleshly washed and brushed, fanning out around his neck like a lion as he makes his way toward me.
“Show off,” I jokingly scoff as he sits at my feet, looking up at me.
He huffs, looking out at the church before him as if sitting on a throne.
Ginger, Fluffy, and Lucy yip from their corner, the smiling faces of their new families beaming back at me as they sit next to their new furry pets.
Next, Josh and Cassie appear at the top of the aisle. Cassie looks pretty in her deep red dress, complimenting Josh in his black suit with the same colour pocket square sticking out of his jacket pocket. She’s holding onto his arm, bouquet in hand as they walk toward me.
They look happy, and in a way I don’t think is meant for just Holly and me.
He gives her a wink as they reach the altar before helping her up the stairs to stand opposite me. She gives me a smile before her gaze shifts to Jacob, her cheeks turning red.
“What just happened there?” I whisper to Jacob, only to find him looking at her with the same gleam in his eyes.
“Nothing for you to worry about today, my man.”
The music shifts to the wedding march, and I no longer find myself distracted by what’s going on with our bridal party. I suck in a breath as the doors open and I see Holly and her dad. She’s a Christmas dream in a long, white dress. I can’t take my eyes off her as they take slow, agonizing steps toward me, my eyes never leaving hers.
“Be patient,” Jacob whispers, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I notice I tried to take a step forward, as if subconsciously I needed to run down the aisle and meet her there.
The weight of his hand keeps me in place until they are standing in front of me. Jack gives her a kiss on her cheek before turning to me, his hand outstretched.
“Congratulations, son. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.
We both nod before his hand is replaced with Holly’s.
“Hi,” I whisper to her.
“Hi, yourself,” she whispers back.
I take a moment to take her in. Her long veil is off her face, covering her hair and trailing down her back. “You are…astonishingly beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Her cheeks turn a gorgeous pink colour as I lead her to the altar.
Pastor Rick starts the ceremony, leading us through what we’re to say. When it comes to the vows, I take a steadying breath, hoping I can be strong for this portion of the ceremony.
“Holly, I never thought I would get a second chance at happiness. I certainly didn’t think I would get it as a result of spilling my Holly Jolly Latte all over your Maximus Dante jacket.”
“Massimo Dutti,” she corrects, earning us a chuckle from everyone in the room.
“Still, the only thing that could have brought us together was Christmas magic. Two people who were so hurt, and so alone, finding their happily ever after in a town called Candy Cane Creek.
I promise to love you, cherish you, and live as if we have Christmas magic all year round.”
I wipe a tear from Holly’s eye before she takes a piece of paper from Cassie.
“Rex. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I came to this town. I certainly didn’t think I would fall in love with a Christmas-obsessed man and his quirky dog.”
“Not obsessed,” I correct, earning us more chuckles.
“Nevertheless,” she continues with a cheeky smile on her face. “I did, and I’m so grateful for it. I promise to love you, always bring you coffee with candy canes, and indulge you when you need your fix of gingerbread pancakes.”
Next we exchange rings, all while Tag makes sure to include himself by giving each ring a good lick before they are taken from his collar.
With an exchange of ‘I Do’s’ and the proclamation of our marriage, I lean in, capturing her lips with mine as the crowd cheers. My hand finds its way to her waist, holding the silky fabric in my hand as I hold her close.
“Hi, Mrs. Wellington,” I say, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Hi, Mr. Wellington,” she whispers.
Tag yips at our feet, pulling our attention to him.
“Yes, you’re included in this family, too,” Holly jokes, giving him a good scratch on the head.
I turn to the crowd, seeing them standing and clapping. It’s not just our family and friends that are here, but the whole town. They’ve taken time from their Christmas Day to celebrate our wedding with us, and now we will celebrate the holiday as one big family.
I take Holly’s hand and lead her out of the church to a small room at the side for a moment of privacy while everyone makes their way to the barn for the traditional Candy Cane Christmas dinner—and our reception—I can’t help but think how lucky I am to not only be given a second chance at love, but a second chance at family.
For that, I’m eternally grateful.