Chapter 31 #2
Suddenly, I’m in a sex forest at dawn, and I’m here for wood. My lips meet Brody’s, and my body lights up. Desire scorches through me like wildfire. I can’t get enough. I need—
“Is your perfume called ‘Snuggle Time,’ Aunt Piper?” Martha asks loudly.
Brody and I break apart as everyone laughs.
I glance at Harper. She’s got the smuggest expression on her face. She’s a genius and she knows it.
Fanning my face, I take a bag from beside my feet. “Okay, I’m going next, but first I’ve also got an announcement.”
“Oh my Lord, you’re pregnant!” Mom shrieks.
I blink at her.
“Erica …” Dad says.
Mom’s cheeks turn bright red. “I mean … er …”
“I’m not pregnant,” I say. “That’s not … we haven’t …” I glance at Brody.
“It’s not something we’ve discussed yet,” he says smoothly.
“Oh,” Mom continues. “But you will discuss it—”
“Erica …” Dad says, more firmly this time.
“Yes, yes. Sorry,” she mumbles, then folds wrapping paper in her lap as if nothing just happened.
“Grandma wants more grandkids,” Martha says to Marv. “And Aunt Piper and Uncle Brody are her best bet.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. But next year, when my new mommy arrives, she’ll have a baby with Daddy, and I’ll get a little sister.”
“What?” Dad stops in his tracks, and I remember he was out of the room when Martha told us about her wish at the Hideaway Spring.
“I’m quitting my job and my apartment in Brooklyn to move to New Zealand with Brody,” I say loudly. “The showrunners offered me a job as a concept artist on the production, and I’ve accepted.”
The room erupts—Mom crying, Mia whooping, and most others clapping or cheering. Martha scans the room, trying to decide how to react, while Brody gazes at me like I’m his entire universe.
“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you!” Mom cries, rushing over to envelop me in a tight hug. “You have to tell us everything!”
Excitement bubbles out of me like champagne from a shaken bottle as I recount how the showrunners reached out after fans went wild for my drawings.
“And so they should,” Harper says with a proud smile. “You’re truly gifted.”
Everyone is thrilled, and their love and support make me even more excited about the future.
Presents are forgotten as I’m bombarded with questions. I thought Mom would be upset about me being away from Hideaway so long, but she seems to think this means I’ll be home more than when I was working in Brooklyn.
“Your mom’s right,” Mia says. “You’ll have more time off, so we’ll see more of you, not less.”
“Yay! And you’ll be right next door to us!” Martha says, clearly picturing New Zealand as just another neighboring state, like New Hampshire.
“We can chat more at dinner,” I say. “We’re forgetting the presents.”
“Yes,” Martha agrees, grabbing Dad’s hand. “Come along, Santa.”
I sit back down, and Brody puts his arm around me, pulling me close. Contentment runs through my veins like warm molasses. I’ve got the best family and friends, and now, the best boyfriend, too.
He unwraps the Christmas tree ornament I bought him at the market like it’s the most precious gift he’s ever received, his face lighting up with a smile.
“Thank you. I love it.” Then he pulls a flat package from behind the couch and hands it to me.
“What’s this? You’ve already given me all my presents.”
“This is an extra surprise my elf friend and I have been working on.”
“Your elf friend?” I glance around the room. Marv looks innocent enough, but Mia wears a knowing grin. “What did you do?” I ask.
She shrugs. “The usual—was awesome and made people’s dreams come true. Same old, same old.”
It feels like a hardback book, but when I tear off the paper, I gasp, then burst out laughing.
It’s a photo book, and the cover is the picture Mia took of Brody and me at the town dance, right after I told him about the New Zealand job. We’re grinning at the camera like we might burst with happiness, our hair tousled and lipstick smudged around our mouths.
“Oh, Aunt Piper …” Martha says, wrinkling her nose. “You look like clowns.”
“Very happy clowns,” I reply, smiling, before opening the book.
It’s a collection of every photo taken of us since we arrived in Hideaway Harbor as fake boyfriend and girlfriend: the first-night family photo, the calendar reveal at The Perfect Package, us hugging at Love at First Sip, our first kiss in the town square during the carols.
I leaf through the pages, my heart overflowing. Our relationship may have started as fake, but anyone looking at these photos would see two people deeply in love.
The last pages hold pictures from today’s elf treasure hunt. I wipe my eyes as I take them in.
“Thank you,” I say softly to Brody. “And thank you, Mia. This is incredible.”
“There’s one more picture,” Mia says.
I turn the final page to find a copy of the photo taken at Ethan, Olivia, and Brody’s graduation party. The one where I’m standing next to Brody, the backs of our hands touching.
But this copy isn’t scanned from the photo hanging in the dining room. Its edges are worn, and the colors are faded.
I glance at Mia, then Brody, my brows drawing together. “Why does it look like this?”
Brody shifts, pulling his wallet from his back pocket and opening it carefully to show me what’s inside.
My hand flies to my heart and my breath catches. “Have you …?” I look up at him. “How long have you had this?”
“Mia gave it to me the day before I left Hideaway,” he says quietly. “It’s been in my wallet ever since.”
My throat is too tight to speak, and my eyes flood with emotion.
Brody wipes my tears away with the pads of his thumbs, then gathers me into his arms. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “We’re together now.”
But everything is spilling out at once, and I can’t stop.
“Come on,” he says, helping me to my feet. “Let’s get some air.”
We leave the family room, and Brody helps me into my boots and coat, then leads me out onto the porch. It’s cold and still out here, snow falling gently and muffling every sound.
The peace and quiet settles over me, and I start to calm. I blow my nose, then snuggle into Brody’s side.
“I remember standing here when you left Hideaway,” I say softly. “The moment we almost kissed. And not knowing if I’d ever see you again.”
Brody lets out a sigh. “I thought I’d come back once I’d made it, but ‘making it’ kept turning into just one more job. And then I figured it was too late.”
He gently lifts my chin, and I lose myself in the liquid warmth of his eyes.
“I’ll never be able to thank Marv enough for his meddling,” he says, “because it brought me back to you. And now that I’ve got you, I’m never going to let you go.”
His lips find mine, and I kiss him with all of my heart. I kiss him for the woman I am now, and for the sixteen-year-old girl who loved him just as much then as I do today.
Breathless, I break the kiss just to gaze at him again, to remind myself this is real, and the start of the rest of our lives together.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He touches his forehead to mine. “I love you, too.”
In the distance, sleigh bells ring softly, reminding me that no matter the season, Hideaway Harbor is a magical place.
I smile. “Merry Christmas, Brody King.”
“Merry Christmas, Piper Locke,” he replies, love shining in his eyes. “And here’s to the happiest New Year ever.”
Then he kisses me again, and I melt in his arms, knowing our stars have finally aligned and will shine together on the same path forever.