24. Epilogue
June, Kringle Falls
It was her birthday.
Belle didn’t want to make a big deal of it, even if it was a milestone birthday. She was turning thirty.
When they’d talked briefly that morning, Parker hadn’t mentioned it. She didn’t even think he remembered. He had to work the evening patrol that day. Because of conflicting schedules, they probably wouldn’t even see each other. And that was okay. She didn’t normally make a big deal of her birthday.
Instead, it was going to be an ordinary Friday night.
She’d just closed up the boutique and was headed home.
Mavis was in Florida visiting her sister for the summer.
She’d already called to wish Belle a happy birthday.
And she’d told her where to find her birthday gift.
It was in the office in the filing cabinet.
Belle hadn’t opened it yet. She was taking it home and opening it with Odie.
Belle was going to be in charge of the boutique for the next three months.
She was to do the employee scheduling, and once she got Mavis’s approval, she was to order the winter collection.
It felt like Mavis was trying out this arrangement to see if Belle could handle the responsibility. Belle wouldn’t let her down.
Perhaps Mavis would retire and let her buy the boutique. Of course, it could also be a bit of wishful thinking on Belle’s part. Mavis loved the boutique, and Belle wasn’t sure she would ever walk away from it.
Belle had been working at the boutique since she was sixteen.
She’d been saving up her money for college.
And then one tragic day, she’d gone from planning for college to figuring out how to survive on her own—how to keep the only home she’d ever known—how to feed herself.
As soon as she graduated from high school, her part-time job changed to a fulltime position at Frills & Heels.
Her dreams stretched further than taking over the boutique. She had plans to modernize the boutique with younger fashions, and she wanted to expand the selection of accessories. In fact, when she wasn’t working and she wasn’t with Parker, she was creating a business plan.
But she wasn’t working on it tonight. She was going to order pizza and watch a romcom with Odie by her side.
Parker didn’t normally work Friday nights.
He’d volunteered to cover for someone. He’d apologized profusely, and she’d told him it was fine.
But in all honesty, she was going to miss him.
But she had Odie. He would snuggle with her and try to steal her pizza when she wasn’t looking.
When she arrived home, Odie greeted her at the door. When she picked him up, he lathered her with kisses. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as her heart swelled with love. Who knew a little fuzzball could bring her such happiness?
Buzz.
She put Odie down and fished her phone out of her purse. When she checked the caller ID, she found it was Candi. She pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Candi.”
“Hi. I was wondering if you could meet me at the Kringle Cup Café.”
Belle was confused. And then she wondered if Candi knew it was her birthday. “What’s up?”
“I need some help. Merry Kringle has put me in charge of a fundraiser for a new animal shelter here in Kringle Falls. I need someone to bounce some ideas off of, and Michael isn’t much help.
Even though I’m at the beginning stages, I want to have some ideas planned out to present to her on Monday. So, can you meet me there at six?”
It wasn’t like she had anything else to do. “Sure. Do I need to bring anything?”
“Nope. I just need you.”
“Then I will see you there.”
Belle walked over and settled on the couch. Odie jumped up and climbed onto her lap. As she petted him, she said, “Sorry, little guy. It looks like our movie is going to have to wait until later.”
After touching up her makeup and her hair, she drove back into town.
Parking was hard to come by. As she passed in front of the café, she was surprised to find a line of people waiting to get in the door.
It looked like there were a lot of tourists visiting their small town on this beautiful summer evening.
She hoped Candi had arrived early, or they might have to go some other place.
And she would be bummed because they served her favorite latte.
As she slowly continued down the road, she saw a young couple walking down the sidewalk hand in hand. It made her think of Parker. She missed him. Even though she saw him the prior evening, it seemed like a long time ago.
She got out and moved to the sidewalk. She started in the direction of the Kringle Cup Café. When she reached it, she took a spot at the back of the line. A minute later, she heard someone call out her name.
She looked toward the entrance and saw Candi waving at her to skip the line. She must have gotten them a table. Belle could already taste the latte.
Still, walking past the line of people she knew felt awkward. She greeted everyone and apologized as she passed each of them.
When she stepped inside the café everyone yelled, “Surprise.”
Belle gasped. What in the world? She looked around, seeing all of the colorful balloons and a banner hung behind the counter that read: Happy 30th, Belle .
Her friends, Candi, Holly, and Felicity, were grinning at her. Something told her that her friends had helped with this.
The next thing she knew, Parker was standing in front of her. With a big smile on his face, he said, “Happy birthday.”
“But I thought you had to work.”
“I might have told a little white lie so you wouldn’t figure out that I was helping to plan this party for you.” And then he kissed her.
It wasn’t a long kiss. And it wasn’t a peck either. It was something in between that let her know he loved her, and she loved him.
When she pulled back, she looked up at him with a smile. “Thank you for this. I can’t believe you did all of this.” She looked around at the colorful balloons and streamers. “How did I not know you were up to this?”
He grinned at her. “I can be stealthy when I want to be. So, you like it?”
“I love it.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed his freshly shaven cheek. “And I love you.”
“That’s good because this isn’t exactly a birthday party.”
She arched a brow. “What are you talking about?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little blue velvet box. Before it computed what was going on, Parker dropped to one knee.
Belle gasped as she pressed a hand to her chest. Sure, they had talked about a future together, but she hadn’t expected it to happen today.
Now, the man of her dreams was down on bended knee in front of her.
His brown eyes were filled with love for her.
Her heart pitter-pattered. She honestly never thought this would ever happen for her—she didn’t think she’d let it.
Then, along came Parker, and he had her taking chances with her heart. And she had never been happier.
Parker held out the ring. It was a three-diamond ring in a princess cut and set in what looked to be a white gold band. The light caught the diamonds, and made them sparkle. But it was the man who was holding the ring that held her attention.
Parker was her best friend. He was her confidante. He was her safe spot. And she loved him with her entire heart.
He cleared his throat. “Belle, I’m so sorry Odie was taken, but if ever there was a case of something good coming from something bad, this is it.
Although to be totally honest, I started falling for you when I changed your tail light.
And now I can’t imagine my life without you in it because I love you with all of my heart.
I want to share my life with you.” He looked her directly in the eyes. “Will you marry me?”
She nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will. I love you too.”
With cheers and whistles in the background, he slipped the ring onto her finger. When he straightened, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
He pulled back. “By the way, happy birthday.”
“And here I was thinking that I’d be having a quiet birthday. You certainly proved me wrong.”
“Are you happy?”
“Very.”
“Good.” He kissed her again.
Keep reading Belle and Parker’s story!
Next up, another Bishop brother finds his happily ever after.
Veterinarian Colin Bishop has dedicated his life to helping animals.
He’s had a crush on Holly Berry since they were kids.
She was the adorable girl next door. The time was never right for them to date, so they’d remained friends all of these years.
Holly runs the Kringle Soap Co, and she has given up on men.
However, this Christmas one special puppy will help two lifelong friends take a chance on love in PUPPY SMOOCHES & PEPPERMINT KISSES.