Epilogue
EPILOGUE
IVY
Jill rushes over to my makeshift booth with a gift-wrapped box in her arms and a giant smile on her face. Her lipstick is a bright Christmas red and is slightly smeared at the corner in an I’ve just been kissed kind of way. With all the mistletoe I hung in the bar, I wouldn’t be surprised if she found herself smacking on someone.
“Look at all of this!” she cries, pointing the box at my little table in the corner of the Frosty Mug.
It was Niko’s idea. Since the snowfall had kept most Snowbell Ridge residents locked inside their homes last night, the Christmas Market was moved to today. Now, on this blue-skyed Christmas Eve, a few small booths have been set up in the bar for those who still wanted to have a chance to sell some goodies.
The decorations we set up during the power outage cast a cozy, multicoloured hue in the bar, making it feel homey and warm. I’ve nearly sold out of my slippers and only have a handful of sweaters left.
“Merry Christmas, Jill,” I say, opening my arms for a hug when she reaches me. “You look beautiful.”
“So do you! I love this dress. You look like a Christmas elf.”
I glance down at myself and the green-and-red dress I’m wearing. It reaches my knees and has a full skirt that poofs out when I spin. Niko’s already had his head up it and his mouth all over me . . . my panties never getting returned afterward. I’m pretty sure they’re in the pocket of his pants.
“Thank you.” My cheeks warm as I smooth down the skirt. “I wasn’t expecting such a turnout today. It’s been crazy.”
“Have you been outside lately? It’s even wilder out there. The line for the sleigh rides was over an hour long!”
I blink in surprise. “That’s incredible.”
“You’ve totally killed it, Ivy. Grayson was asking me earlier if you were planning on sticking around for next year.”
“Really? I mean, yes, I am. But wow. I’m flattered.”
Suddenly, she’s shoving the wrapped box into my arms. “Open it! It’s from the office.”
Laughing, I tug at the bow of ribbon at the top. The paper is metallic red with Santa hats on it, and I almost feel bad when I rip it open.
“You could have been a gift wrapper in another life, Jill,” I tease.
She eagerly takes the paper from me. “Maybe I’ll get a booth next year and earn some extra money.”
“I support it.”
The box is plain and doesn’t hint as to what’s inside. I pull at the top and peel the tape away before opening the flaps. The tree ornament inside steals my breath.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” I whisper, lifting it out of the box.
In the light, all of the small details are visible. From the elegant lace handle meant for hanging on a branch, the way the ornament has been shaped into a chunky ball of yarn, and the sparkles giving it a shine in the low lights, it’s stunning.
“I was shopping a few days ago and found it in the cutest little shop. Usually, we do a Secret Santa in the office, but with how busy this year has been, there just wasn’t the time to organize anything, so I grabbed it, and everyone chipped in,” she explains.
“But I didn’t get you anything. This is too much, honestly. It’s gorgeous,” I gush, shaking my head.
She closes her hand around mine, keeping the ornament tucked against my palm. “It’s not too much. Your first year at the office should be remembered, especially with how hard you’ve worked to make this event a success. It makes all of us look good.”
“It wasn’t much of a burden,” I admit, already searching for Niko in the crowded bar.
He’s been busy all morning working behind the bar, and I’m already expecting to hear about how he never wants to make another drink again. Poor guy.
And poor me , honestly. Considering my love for peppermint daiquiris, I really hope he’ll make an exception where I’m concerned.
“I thought I noticed something earlier! You’ve been holding out on me!” Jill scolds.
“What?”
“Don’t play coy. You’re totally boinking Scrooge.”
My laugh is so loud and weird, more a snort than anything else. “Boinking?”
“Yes, boinking. Or should I say, you’ve found someone to shovel your sidewalks!”
“Okay, yes. But it’s kind of complicated?—”
“What’s complicated?” Niko’s gruff voice has fireworks exploding in my belly.
Jill’s brows dance as she releases my hands and cocks a hip. “You’ve been shovelling my friend’s sidewalks, Niko.”
“Is that a sexual innuendo?”
I step beneath Niko’s lifted arm and let him pull me close. His warmth and the scent of his cologne provide a sense of comfort that I hope I never go a day without.
It’s only been a day since we found ourselves snowed in, but it feels like it’s been months. Years, even. I’ve always believed that the honeymoon phase can last forever if you put the effort in, and that’s what I plan to do.
“I think you were a bit too obvious earlier when you were trying to make my clothes burst into flame from behind the bar,” I tell him.
He brushes a kiss over my temple. “Not obvious enough, considerin’ you’re still dressed.”
I roll my lips, an eyebrow lifting. “You’d prefer me be walking around here naked?”
“No.” His scowl is evident enough in his voice, but seeing it makes me giggle.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Maybe I should go give this to someone else if you’re goin’ to keep teasin’ me,” he threatens and lifts the cup in his hand toward me.
The scent of peppermint hits when he brings it up to my nose. I snatch the cup like a raccoon taking scraps and gulp it back.
“I’ll have whatever the hell she is,” Jill says.
“Ivy’s Winter Kiss.”
Goosebumps pebble across my arms, a warm smile forming around my swirly straw.
Jill sighs heavily and pats my arm. “Well, I’m incredibly single. Merry Ho-Ho-Ho it is. I’ll see you in the office soon, yeah?”
I nod, unable to stop drinking.
Niko and I both discussed keeping my pregnancy to ourselves for a couple more weeks, considering how early it still is. But I can’t wait to announce it to everyone as soon as we can.
“Don’t forget to climb Scrooge’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas,” Jill whispers while passing by me, a coy smirk on her face.
I giggle into my drink and let her leave.
“The drink good, angel? I tried to bring one around earlier, but it was so fuckin’ busy,” Niko grunts.
Easing away from the straw, I pat my mouth dry and find his waiting eyes. “I think I could survive on only these for the rest of my life.”
“Not happenin’, but I’m glad you like it.”
“What a buzzkill,” I tease.
His chest rumbles when he hums, taking my hand to guide us from my table and through the crowded bar. I don’t question where we’re going, already knowing. There’s only one place we’ll have any semblance of privacy.
A couple of minutes later, he’s opening the door to his office for me and ushering me inside. He closes us in and lingers by the door, fidgeting with his belt buckle.
“I’m good to have an office quickie, but with how fast I drank that daiquiri, I might have to go to the washroom first,” I warn lightly.
“As much as I’d like to take you right now, I don’t want anyone here to hear you. Just missed you, baby girl. Wanted a minute with just us.”
My heart attempts to fly straight out of my chest. Suddenly, he’s too far away, and he must share that feeling because he comes right to me. I’m scooped into his arms before I can blink and carried to the bed.
A sense of déjà vu hits when he sits us on the edge and steadies me on his lap.
I drag my nails over the clean edge of his beard and kiss the tip of his nose. “I missed you, too.”
“You’ve sold almost all of your slippers.”
“Don’t worry, I saved you a pair.”
Genuine interest flares in his eyes. “Yeah?”
“The biggest pair I had. I hope they fit.”
“I’d squish.”
“I don’t know how anyone could ever consider you a grump. You’re such a teddy bear.”
“Only to you, Ivy,” he declares, as if I don’t already know that.
“Mmhmm, I’m so lucky.”
His expression grows serious, and I move my hands to the back of his neck, toying with the hair there.
“When I was growin’ up, my mother used to try and get me to write a wish and stick it on the Christmas tree. I always thought it was a crock of shit. She told me that I could wish for anythin’ in the entire world, and it might come true one day. A million dollars or a signed jersey from my favourite football player. If I could go back and choose to write somethin’ on a slip of paper, there’s only one thing I’d wish for,” he says, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.
“What?”
“This. All of this. You.” He pauses, moving a hand between us to rub my belly. “The baby we’re goin’ to have.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I sniff while blinking them away. His beard scrapes against my palms when I take his face into my hands and bring us nose to nose.
“I’d wish for this, too.”
Every single time.