Epilogue
Christmas evening, Bishop home
It had been a day of firsts.
Holly had spent her first holiday with the Bishops. They were a big, loud, loving family. And they never let her feel like she was an outsider.
It was her first Christmas without her grandmother.
Holly liked to think her grandmother would have been happy about how it had worked out.
Gran always did have a soft spot for Colin.
She would give him the last cookie because she knew how much he enjoyed them—she would make him lunch after he mowed her yard because, as she said, “He’s a growing boy.
” A smile tugged at the corners of Holly’s lips as she thought of her grandmother.
Holly had her first Christmas photo taken with Colin.
It appeared to be one of the Bishop’s traditions.
Everyone wore a Santa hat and had their picture taken in front of the Christmas tree.
Tricia, Colin’s mother, pulled out the photo albums to show her pictures of Colin as a kid wearing a Santa hat. He was so cute, even back then.
It was also her first Christmas with Tater Tot. Colin’s parents had graciously invited him too. After such an exciting day, Tater Tot was now curled up between Michael’s puppy, Tank and Belle’s puppy, Odie. The three puppies were reunited for Christmas.
With three puppies asleep in front of the fireplace, they looked Christmas card perfect. Holly made sure to take their picture. It was worthy of being framed.
And Holly played her first game of charades that afternoon. She was teamed up with Colin, and to put it mildly, they didn’t win. But they did laugh. A lot. It felt really good. So much better than staying home and thinking of how much she missed her grandmother.
“Are you ready for dinner?” Tricia asked her.
Dinner? Hadn’t they just cleaned up after the huge lunch? Holly’s stomach was still full, but she wasn’t about to admit it.
Instead, she plastered a smile on her face. “Of course. How can I help you?”
Tricia waved off her offer. “No help is necessary. I’ll have it on the table in no time.”
“Okay. Thank you so much for everything. It was a wonderful Christmas.”
Tricia stepped up to her and hugged her. “We’re so happy you spent the day with us. I’ve never seen Colin happier.”
Holly hugged her back. “Thank you for having me.”
She loved being there. She loved Colin. And she loved his family. Even if his youngest brother had been completely distracted. Something was going on with Justin, but whatever it was, he wasn’t talking about it.
As Tricia walked away, the heat from the fireplace started to get to Holly. She quietly slipped on her coat and stepped out onto the porch.
She inhaled the cold air and immediately smelled snow. Even though there was close to a foot of snow on the ground, it smelled like there would be a fresh coating by morning.
She stood there, leaning against a post and staring out at the pristine snow. Her heart was full, and there was nothing she needed. She was grateful for this Christmas and for all the love that had filled in the cracks in her heart, making it whole once more.
“And what are you doing out here.” Colin’s voice came from behind her.
She turned to him. “I just needed a breather after that last round of charades.”
“We’re going to practice before next year.” He smiled at her. “We can do better.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if any amount of practice is going to help us.”
He sighed. “We were pretty bad, huh?”
She laughed again. “We were awful.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.” He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Do you know what I’m thinking now?”
She loved this playful side of him. After all of the stress and disappointment of dealing with her parents, it felt good to let go and enjoy the holiday.
“You’re planning to go sled riding.”
“What?” His brows rose high on his forehead. “Maybe it’s you who is bad at charades.”
“Hey.” She lightly slapped his bicep. “I am not. But charades isn’t about trying to read each other’s minds.”
“It isn’t? So, that’s why I kept getting it all wrong.”
She smiled and shook her head. “What I think you should do now is kiss me.”
“Kiss you?” His voice was soft and charming. “Well, I don’t know.”
“Colin…”
He was teasing her and enjoying every moment of it. “So, would you rather have a kiss or a present?”
Her eyes widened. “A present?”
He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. “You got me another gift? But I don’t have anything else for you.”
“Just open it.”
She felt guilty. She should have known that he’d do something like this. But at his prodding, she unwrapped the small package and found a small black velvet box.
Her stomach quivered with nerves. It was too big for a ring box. Still, he’d gotten her jewelry.
She pried the box open. And stared inside at… Wait. Is that a blue dog collar with white crystals? She picked it up, and a little silver dog bone dangled from the collar.
She sent Colin a puzzled look. “You got me a dog collar?”
He let out a laugh. “It’s for Tater Tot.”
She smiled. “That’s good because a dog collar isn’t my style.”
“You should look in the box again and see if that is your style.”
There was something else? And she had missed it? She hurried to open the box again. And that’s when she spotted a sapphire pendant on a white-gold chain. She gaped. No one had ever given her something so beautiful.
She looked at him. “Thank you. This is definitely my style.”
He smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it. Here. Let me help you put it on.”
After she fished it out of the box and unhooked it, she handed it to him. He stepped behind her and hooked the chain. Her fingers pressed against the pendant, which was resting on her chest. It fit her perfectly.
She turned to Colin and lifted on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.
At first, he didn’t move, as though she’d caught him off guard.
But as she deepened the kiss, he kissed her back.
Her heart pitter-pattered. Her arms reached up and snaked around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. She could get used to this.
The door opened, and they jumped apart. She glanced over to see Justin come rushing out. He was moving so fast she wasn’t even sure he’d seen them.
“Hey, Justin, where are you going?” Colin called out.
“I have something to do.” He moved toward his pickup.
“But it’s Christmas.”
Justin didn’t look back, nor did he slow down. He jumped into his pickup. He fired up the engine and drove away.
Holly looked at Colin. “Any idea what’s going on with him?”
“If I was a betting man, I’d wager it has something to do with Felicity.”
“Felicity?” She turned to see Justin’s pickup before it turned out of sight. “Are those two back together?”
Colin shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.”
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Then return to Kringle Falls, Vermont, for the final story in this charming holiday series…
PUPPY HUGS & MISTLETOE KISSES. Join Felicity Wright as she loses her job and returns to Kringle Falls.
While keeping her unemployment a secret, Felicity is paired with her ex-boyfriend, Justin Bishop, to work on the town’s Christmas play.
It’s going to be a bumpy journey to a New Year!