Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER
As soon as I push open the door to my apartment, Winston darts down the hallway, yipping with excitement. Today, he’s sporting a blue-and-white snowflake sweater that Lila’s mom mailed last week. The fact that he no longer lives in Starlight Pines hasn’t stopped her from spoiling him one bit.
I bend to give him a good scratch behind the ear. He sniffs at me, nudging his warm nose against my coat pocket.
“Caught me red-handed, didn’t you?”
His ears perk up the second I take out the peanut butter biscuit. When I hold it out for him, his tail starts wagging furiously, and he wastes no time gobbling it up.
“Winston, what are you—” I rise to my feet as Lila rounds the corner. “Brooks, you’re home,” she exclaims, throwing her arms around me.
I lift her into my arms, and she squeals with delight, her contagious smile lighting up the room as I hold her close. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have her in my life.
When I set her down, I notice her hair is pulled into a messy bun, and she has blue and pink glitter dusting her cheeks, as if she’s stepped out of a whimsical daydream.
“Working on some kind of art project?” I tease, brushing a stray fleck of glitter from the bridge of her nose.
“The bride wants to include glitter wine glasses in her bridal shower gift boxes. I decided to make them myself, but now my office looks like a glitter factory explosion. I’d suggest steering clear unless you want to end up sparkling for the next month. Although I do think you’d wear it well,” she laughs, pretending to flick glitter onto me. “How was work today?”
“I missed you,” I say, earning a sharp bark from Winston. “Yes, I missed you too, Winn.” His tail wags triumphantly as if my response meets his approval.
“We’re glad you’re home,” Lila says, lifting up on her toes to kiss me.
I can’t help but grin every time she calls our apartment home.
We stayed in Starlight Pines until after New Year’s. She packed up the cottage, bringing most of her things to California while the rest went into her parents’ attic—for now.
We’re already been back twice since then, and we’ve got a trip planned to France with Lila’s family this summer. I’m not wasting any time giving her the chance to begin exploring the world.
Before we left Starlight Pines during the holidays, I spoke with my grandma and learned that no one had carried on my dad’s legacy of making sure every child had gifts under the tree at Christmas, and I knew it was time to bring the Holiday Claus Foundation back to life. But instead of limiting it to Starlight Pines, the goal is to grow the foundation into a nationwide effort. Lila and Jameson have offered to help, by this coming holiday season, we’ll be helping families across the country create unforgettable Christmas memories.
Soon after Lila and I arrived in California, I had to return to work. Not one to sit idle, Lila spent her first few weeks in town, helping Hannah out at her yoga studio. Winston tagged along, and they spent the afternoons exploring the city. While it kept them busy, I could tell Lila missed the energy and creativity of organizing events.
I planned on helping her set up her own agency when she was ready, but then fate intervened. She overheard a woman at the yoga studio mention that their wedding planner had quit. Lila offered her services, and fast forward six weeks, and she’s now booked solid through September. Our spare bedroom has been transformed into her workspace.
Now, instead of finding excuses to stay at the office, I’m out the door by five. We spend our nights taking Winston on walks to the nearby dog park, where he enjoys terrorizing the squirrels, chasing them up the trees while Lila and I stroll hand in hand, laughing at his antics.
My nights are spent worshiping every inch of Lila’s body and showering her with affection. I’m addicted to the way her body fits perfectly against mine, and savor every soft gasp and moan that passes her mouth.
“Lila,” I murmur.
She gazes up at me with those bright blue eyes I could get lost in for hours. “Yeah?”
“Move in with me,” I state.
She tilts her head, her brow knitting together. “We’re living together now, aren’t we?” She motions around the apartment.
She’s right. Her throw pillows are scattered across the couch, the Polaroids from the photo booth are framed on the coffee table, and her snow globes are arranged on a display shelf in the corner. I can’t wait to add to her collection, marking the places we’ll explore together. The world is hers to discover, and I’ll be right there with her for every new adventure.
“Yes, but I want to make it official. During our next visit to Starlight Pines, let’s get the rest of your things from your parents’ house and bring them here. This is your home, and it’s where I want us to build our future.”
We told her parents we were together the day after breaking the news to my grandma. Her mom wasn’t the least bit surprised, and though her dad initially had reservations, mainly because of our age difference, he’s warming up to the idea after seeing how much Lila means to me.
She’s become my everything, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I’ve held back my true feelings, worried it was too soon, yet this moment seems like the perfect one to speak my truth.
I gently lift her chin, meeting her mesmerizing blue-green gaze. “I love you, Lila Monroe. I love you so damn much.”
She places her hand over mine, her voice a whisper. “I love you too, Brooks Claus.”
Later that night, Lila and I are curled up on the couch watching The Holiday. It’s one of the few holiday movies I haven’t seen, and though it’s almost March, I don’t mind watching it, considering Lila’s in my arms, and the warmth of her presence makes it feel like Christmas never ended.
I pause the movie when Lila’s phone rings. There’s only one person who would be calling at this time, and the conversation could last for hours, depending on the latest drama Fallon has to share. I haven’t met her yet, but Lila’s planning a trip for us to visit New York next month.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned listening to their conversations it’s that Harrison Stafford is enemy number one. And he has a demon cat that takes pleasure in tormenting Fallon.
Thank God, Winston and I get along for the most part. There’s no question who Lila would put in the dog house if she had to choose between us.
“Hi, Fallon,” Lila answers. “You’re on speaker.”
“I’m so glad you picked up,” Fallon says, her voice frantic. “I may have done something really stupid, and I have no clue how to fix it.”
“Woah, slow down,” Lila says. “What happened?”
“Remember that prank I told you about last week?”
Lila’s eyes widen, and she covers her hand over her mouth. “Please tell me you didn’t actually go through with that.”
I wonder which prank she’s referring to. Since Harrison came home from visiting his family for the holidays and found his hockey stick bedazzled, it’s been one prank after another—each one more elaborate than the last.
“It was an accident… sort of,” Fallon rushes to explain. “I bought the bleach and put it in Harrison’s shampoo bottle, but after I talked with you, I decided not to go through with it. Then the timer went off for the quiche I had in the oven, and I had a client call after that, and it slipped my mind.”
“I understand, but that’s a pretty big thing to forget about, don’t you think?” Lila asks gently.
Fallon groans. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t even think about it again until I heard Harrison shouting in his bathroom. When I ran in to check on him… well, that’s not important. All that matters is that his hair is bright orange, and if I don’t fix this, he’ll probably kick me out.”
“Can you blame him?” Lila says bluntly.
“Not helpful,” Fallon mutters.
Lila blows out a breath. “You’re right. What about a color-correcting shampoo? It should help balance out the brassiness in his hair. It could take a few days though.”
“I don’t have a few days. He has an important business meeting tomorrow morning that he can’t miss, and he absolutely cannot show up with orange hair,” Fallon says, her voice tight with frustration.
Lila chews on her lower lip as she thinks. She glances over when I give her leg a light squeeze and mute the call.
“What is it?” she asks.
“He’s the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, right? Have his assistant pull some strings and get a colorist over to his apartment tonight. I bet someone will do it for the right price.”
She laughs. “Naturally, your suggestion is to throw money at the problem… although I have to admit, in this situation, it’s a genius idea.”
“I’ve been known to have those on occasion,” I say with a smirk.
I’m glad I’m not on the receiving end of one of Fallon’s pranks and that Lila isn’t interested in pulling those kinds of stunts.
“Lila, are you there?” Fallon asks, her voice panicked.
She quickly kisses me before unmuting the call. “I’m here. Have Harrison reach out to his assistant and explain the situation. They’ll be able to find someone who can come to his penthouse tonight to fix it.”
“That’s a great idea,” Fallon exclaims. “I better go. Harrison is getting more anxious by the second and won’t stop running his hands through his hair like that’ll fix it.”
“Of course, that’s what friends are for. Keep me updated,” Lila says.
“Will do. Bye,” Fallon says before ending the call.
Lila sets her phone down on the cushion and climbs into my lap, resting her head against my chest.
“Sounds like there’s trouble in paradise,” I tease.
“Fallon claims she’s only working for Harrison, but it’s obvious there’s more to it than they’re willing to admit. I only hope they figure it out before their pranks cause real trouble.”
“I’m sure they’ll manage.” I tilt her chin so her eyes meet mine. “I love you, Lila.”
Since saying those three little words out loud, I can’t help but feel an undeniable sense of relief and a desire to remind her how much she means to me as often as possible.
“I love you too, Brooks. Always.”
I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to find true happiness, but here I am, holding the woman of my dreams in my arms, proving that love is real and worth waiting for.
Thank you for taking the time to read The Holiday Claus. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on your preferred platform(s) of choice. It’s the best compliment I can receive as an author, and it makes it easier for other readers to find my books.