Epilogue Merry
One Christmas Later
I truly couldn’t believe I was standing in the back of this beautiful chapel, getting ready to walk down the aisle in front of most of the town of Cricket, where I’d truly made a home. Noelle and I had opened a toy shop that carried mostly handmade dolls and toys from around the world. I knew that some of them were shipped in directly from Santa’s toy shop, made by Santa’s elves, which Noelle had an inside connection, but she would never admit it. Probably protecting me from some agreement she’d made with Santa. The craftsmanship was simply too good to be from anyplace other than the North Pole.
Our shop was called The North Pole Connection, which said it all. Noelle’s suggested name, not mine.
“Are you ready?” I asked as she came up behind me, looking positively breathtaking in a cherry-red velvet gown, with lacy sleeves, and a wide scoop neck. She wore matching red velvet shoes, and three red roses adorned her hair. Her veil, which fell from the back of her head, was the same color red. Her bouquet—white and pink roses.
She looked stunning.
I also wore a red gown, not as grand as the bride, but still lovely. I also wore the elf pendant my grandmother had given me. It had turned out to be my lucky charm in all of this.
“Yes,” she said, as an older man, dressed in a bright green suit, half her size, took her arm. He’d been introduced as Sam, but she gave no other information.
Billy Ray stood at the front of the chapel, along with Connor, Ethan, and Lucas. They all looked so amazingly handsome, I wanted to cry.
Billy Ray hadn’t only thrived in Cricket, but he was also now one of the councilors helping veterans with horse therapy. He’d done a complete one eighty, even saving enough money to put a down payment on a small horse ranch of his own… or rather a horse ranch for himself, his kids, who seemed to take to it like Santa to his reindeer, and Noelle, his feisty but always charming, beautiful bride.
“Let’s do this,” she said, as the first few bars of All I Want For Christmas Is You echoed through the chapel, and everyone stood to watch us float down the aisle.
Oh, and did I happen to mention that there were a lot of mischievous elves sitting on her side of the chapel who already had to be reined in once today. They loved getting into snowball fights with each other and the kids in town. Then there was all that singing… like they were doing now. They simply loved to sing Christmas songs and if they heard one, they would join in no matter where they were, they’d sing along like that was their job.
And talk about adorable… they had the cutest faces, and personalities that defied kindness and generosity. Whenever they saw something that needed fixing, they would fix it. Or if someone needed a helping hand, they would gladly lend it. Plus, they had that high-pitched laugh that Noelle still had whenever she found something truly funny. That quality never left her.
As for me… this last year had been the best year of my entire life, and to make it even better, we were getting ready to move into our very own house, with a studio on the third floor for Ethan, and a full-on gym for Lucas in the back of the house.
Connor and I, well, all we wanted was a comfortable house, with a gourmet kitchen so he and I could cook… who knew… while he experimented with coffee beans from all over the world to bring out the very best flavors.
“We are gathered together to join this man and this woman,” Billy Ray’s father began.
Oh yeah, his dad also moved to Cricket and was once again preaching in this very chapel.
As I watched Billy Ray and Noelle, my very best friend in the whole world, exchange marriage vows, I mentally thanked my sweet grandmother for instructions on how to make a proper Christmas wish. Without those instructions, none of this would have happened.
“I just… like to see you happy,” Connor whispered as I took my place next to him, but I knew he’d just quoted Luke Danes… Gilmore Girls , final episode.
My heart swelled.
Nothing more needed to be said as I locked my hand in his… forever.