Epilogue
TWO YEARS LATER
STELLA
The alarm goes off at five on the day after Thanksgiving. I burrow into my husband's warm side.
“It’s too early,” I mumble.
“You’re the one who decided to open the store early for a special event on Black Friday,” Drew mumbles back.
“It sounded like a good idea in July,” I say into his neck. “I should not have to keep promises in the winter that I made during the summer.”
He shifts and gives me a lingering kiss.
“Mmmm,” I hum. “That just makes me want to stay in bed longer.”
“You won’t get another one until we’re at the store.”
He pulls back the covers and heads to the bathroom, exposing the left side of my body to the cold.
“Meany,” I mutter into my pillow, but his threat is motivating. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for one of his bone melting kisses.
I climb out of bed and walk to the kitchen to turn on the kettle.
As I wait for the water to heat, I look around at our home.
Renovating the house with Drew was even better than renovating the store.
We touched every inch of this place, truly making it ours.
It’s the house of my dreams, but mostly because I get to share it with Drew.
Like the thoughtful man he is, he built bookshelves along two walls of the living room. I’m already running out of space.
At six o’clock, we walk in the hushed dark the few blocks to the bookstore. Once inside, Drew gives me the promised kiss. Then another one. Thankfully, Julia opens the door of the loft, making us break apart, or we might stand at the backdoor forever.
She yawns as she comes down the stairs.
“Good morning,” I say.
“Is it good?” she asks. “It’s too early to know. It doesn’t help that I ate too much yesterday.”
“Same here,” I commiserate. “Though I blame you. Those pies you made were too delicious to stop at only two pieces.”
She beams.
My other three booksellers arrive within the next half hour, and we work to finish getting ready for our eight o’clock private event. Lana and Lauren bring us multiple boxes of breakfast pastries and set them up on the table next to the juices and coffee/cocoa bar.
I’m just about to leave to pick up the guest of honor from Triple B when a knock comes at the door. There she is: Marcie Hawkes, the author of Hockey My Heart and Cross-Checking My Ex, her newest release.
She waves at me through the glass as I walk to unlock the door. A few ticket holders for the event are already lined up outside and speak with her for a minute before she slips inside.
“I was coming to get you,” I say. “You didn’t have to walk.”
After a hug, she say, “It’s only a few blocks and I needed the fresh air.” She looks around the store. “This place is even better in person.”
I blush at the compliment. “Thank you.”
I introduce her to my staff and Drew. It’s surreal to have her here.
We met online because of this bookstore.
I posted on social media pictures of my very first book club where we read Hockey My Heart.
I had themed food, costumes, a playlist, discussion questions, and decorations.
It was an event. Marcie liked my post, then reached out asking if she could share my party ideas in the back of the paperback.
It started a conversation that led to a friendship.
This is the first time we’re meeting in person, but we’ve talked so often it doesn’t feel like it.
“What can I do to help?” she asks.
“We need to finish putting up chairs. Besides that, we’re all ready.”
Voices from the gathering crowd outside push us to finish set-up quickly. We open the door and our guests stream in. Their enthusiasm to be in my bookstore, especially so early in the morning, thrills me like little else does.
I wasn’t sure anyone would want to drive out to Blissful the day after Thanksgiving, but between Marcie’s scheduled tour to kick off her newest book and family obligations, this was when she was available.
She drove in late last night after spending the day with family who live three hours away in New Mexico.
She’s doing me a huge favor for being here at all.
There was no reason for me to worry about no one showing up. All one hundred tickets sold within three hours.
We have breakfast, a thirty-minute presentation by Marcie, and then a question and answer period before the book signing. She’s staying until one, and I predict there will be a line of people who didn’t make it to the private event showing up at ten when we open the store officially.
The morning is quite literally a dream come true.
The store is packed with happy customers fan girling just as hard as I am.
We sell out of all Marcie Hawkes books, which is the only disappointing part of the whole five hours she’s in my store.
I hoped to have some signed stock for future customers. Nothing to do about that now.
We sneak Marcie out the back while I make one of my booksellers handle disappointed customers who didn’t make it in time to catch her.
When I drop her off at the Triple B, she promises to come back again. “Maybe next Thanksgiving. We can make it a tradition.”
It’s early afternoon when Naomi and Conrad arrive with their children. Oliver races after Penelope, but gets stuck at the bottom of the stairs to the children’s book nook. He has to use both of his hands to go up.
Naomi hands me a wrapped gift the size of a children’s shoe box, then leans in close to whisper, “Are you sure?” She is the epitome of discreet.
“Not until I take the test. But I think so.” My grin is huge.
“When I told Conrad I needed to pick up a—” she doesn’t say the word because this town has big ears. “He almost passed out.”
He snorts next to us. “Hardly.”
“Can you imagine if I’d bought one in Blissful?” I ask. “Everyone would know within five minutes. Drew would be the last to find out.”
“Go take it now,” she prods, poking me in the side.
“Nope. Not until later. If I take it too soon, I won’t be able to keep it a secret. I have to tell Drew first.”
He’s spent all day at the hardware store and won’t swing by to get me until after closing.
I tuck the gift behind the desk in one of the drawers and try to forget about it for the rest of the day.
It isn’t until my employees leave for the night and Julia goes out with friends that I grab the wrapped pregnancy test and head to the staff bathroom.
Once done peeing, I pace for a few minutes before allowing myself to look. Two lines. It’s a positive.
“Stella?” Drew calls.
I’d planned to make a big production of giving him the news, but I’m too excited. I open the door, walk over, and hold it out an inch from his eyes.
He gives me a questioning look. “What am I looking at?”
“It’s a positive pregnancy test!”
His jaw drops and his eyes widen. "We're having a baby?”
I nod, my laughter turning into tears. We’re having a baby. I’m going to be a mom.
He lifts me up and twirls me in the air. When my feet are back on the ground, he kisses me silly.
Two years ago, there was no way I could have imagined how Mallory and Caleb’s engagement would spur me to face fears and become the heroine of my own story. In doing so, I’ve found love, purpose, family, and fulfillment in Blissful, Arizona.
This may be the end of Stella’s story, but it’s just the beginning of Julia’s!
You can now read a FREE sweet short story about Julia and Anthony. Lucky you!
This is the last book of the It Must Be Love series. It’s hard to say goodbye, but I hope you loved the journey with the Jacobson family as much as I have. Thank you for reading!