Epilogue Noelle
One Year Later
‘But it’s Christmas!’ Eve whines.
‘It’s Alex’s birthday,’ I remind her.
I get an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as I watch my twin sister pout at me through the screen. ‘Can’t you do both?’ she asks.
‘Not this year,’ I say. ‘Maybe next year, we’ll see.’
Eve’s pout intensifies, not that it does any good. ‘But Gran is asking—’
‘Gran already knows I’m not coming,’ I cut Eve off halfway through her ridiculous attempt at guilt-tripping me. ‘She’s fine with it.’
‘Urgh.’ Eve scoffs and rolls her eyes. ‘It’s like I’m the only person who cares about tradition these days.’
‘You just don’t want to deal with Mum and Aunt Valerie alone for the second year in a row.’ Though, technically, she only had to deal with them for a few days last year.
‘That too.’
I laugh and toss my phone onto my bed so my hands are free to finish rifling through my suitcase.
I’ve packed and unpacked at least ten times over the last few days, and I think I’ve got everything I need.
‘Red set or black set?’ I ask, holding up the two lacy pieces of lingerie sets for Eve to see.
She wiggles her brows. ‘How long are you guys going for?’
‘Five days.’
‘Another wiggle of the brows. ‘Both, then. You’ll need them.’
I roll my eyes, but can’t help but agree.
I restuff both sets into my suitcase. I’m heading off to a secluded, luxury cabin in the Scottish Highlands with Alex for the next five days.
I had a whole year to plan the perfect birthday getaway for a man who hates Christmas, and I think I’ve done pretty well.
No carollers. No decorations. No Christmas songs. No Christmas anything. Just us, nature, copious amounts of mulled wine, and the chance to really relax and enjoy each other’s company. If we’re lucky, we won’t see a single person for the entire five days we’re there.
I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but this may just be the best birthday Alex has ever had. Not that there’s a lot of competition in that regard, but still.
‘And you’re not going to miss us at all?’ Eve’s voice sounds slightly distant from my bed, but I hear the slight pang of pain it in either way.
‘Of course I am,’ I call, as I double-check I’ve safely packed away another gift for Alex – a basket of luxury bath bombs I’m determined to make good use of on this trip. ‘But it’s just one Christmas. I’ll survive and so will you.’
Eve makes a displeased sounding noise. ‘And he’s worth it, is he?’
I roll my eyes even though she can’t see the gesture. ‘You adore Alex.’
‘Not when he’s stealing you away at Christmas I don’t,’ she says, but there’s no bite in her voice. In fact, I’m pretty sure I can hear her smile. ‘He really makes you happy, doesn’t he?’
‘We make each other happy,’ I say, and it’s the truth.
After our snowy adventure last year, I wasn’t entirely sure what a future with Alexander Hoxton might look like.
We both agreed that there was something there, something worth exploring, but I had no idea what that would look like in practice.
A small part of me wondered if it wouldn’t take long for me to be relegated to the very end of Alex’s priorities list, especially knowing just how busy he is running his company, and whether the something we’d sparked while snowed-in together would ultimately fizzle out into nothing.
I’ve never been so happy in my life to be proven wrong.
I jolt backwards suddenly as the doorbell rings. ‘Shit. I’m running late.’
‘Tell Loverboy I said hi,’ Eve says as I fumble for my phone. ‘And if you can spare a moment in between bouts of intense alone time over the next few days to check in on us at Gran’s, that would be nice.’
‘We’re not—’ I stop myself. What’s the point in lying to my twin? ‘I’ll do my best,’ I say with a wide, Cheshire cat-type grin. ‘But no promises.’ With one last wink at the camera, I cut the call and then hurry down the hall to buzz Alex up.
It takes him a minute or two to navigate the labyrinth that is my particular apartment block, and then he’s knocking at my door and I’m throwing it open and jumping into his arms.
He catches me with well-practised ease and walks us both back into my flat, kicking the door shut behind him as he goes.
I barely have the chance to let out a breathy ‘hi’ before he’s got me propped up against my shoe cabinet, and my legs are instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist to pull him in deeper.
He murmurs something that sounds vaguely like a gruff ‘missed you’ before his lips are on mine and I’m losing myself in him again.
Every kiss is like this.
Every kiss feels like the first time.
I keep waiting for things to dull a little, for it to start feeling mundane, but it never does. I feel my toes start to curl as one of Alex’s hands wanders down my back and dips under the hem of my T-shirt.
‘We don’t have time for this,’ I mutter against his lips.
‘We have all the time in the world.’
Technically, true. But…
‘I wanted to be on the road by now,’ I say, and reluctantly pull away.
Alex full-on pouts at me. Eve would be proud.
‘Come on,’ I say. ‘Help me bring my suitcase down and then we can hit the road.’
Alex mutters something vaguely mutinous-sounding under his breath, but otherwise follows me into my bedroom.
‘And you’re sure this is okay?’ he asks as I zip my suitcase shut and heft it upright. ‘Missing Christmas and your family?’
‘If one more person asks me that, I’m going to have an aneurysm.’
Alex laughs. ‘I’m just making sure. I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret.’
I stand up straight and prod him sharply in the chest. ‘Let me make something very clear, Hoxton.’
He quirks a brow. ‘Hoxton?’
I can’t help but smirk. ‘Mhm. I’m perfectly capable of making my own choices and right now, I’m choosing you. I want to celebrate you. What’s so hard to understand about that?’
‘Celebrating me doesn’t mean we have to pretend like Christmas doesn’t exist,’ he points out.
‘Oh, how the tables have turned,’ I laugh. ‘A year ago, that sentence never would’ve come out of your mouth.’
Alex gives me a wry grin and shrugs. ‘Am I wrong, though?’
No, I think.
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘Just this once, you’re wrong. We’ll figure out Christmas and your birthday next year. But this year? This year it’s all about you.’
I expect him to argue with me a little more, just like he’s been doing ever since I told him what my plans for his birthday were this year, but he just gives me a resigned little shrug.
‘Fine.’
‘Fine?’ I echo, eyeing him suspiciously. That was easy. Too easy.
‘Fine,’ he says again. ‘This year it’s all about me. And next year it’s all about you. We’ll trade off. That’ll be our Christmas tradition.’
Something warm settles inside me when he says the word ‘our’. It sounds so permanent. I’d very much like it to be.
‘Christmas slash birthday tradition,’ I correct him.
‘That works too,’ he says. ‘But before we get to the next five days being all about me, can I give you something?’
I glare at him. ‘Giving me a Christmas present kind of defeats the whole all about you thing, doesn’t it?’
‘Then it’s not a Christmas present,’ he says. ‘It’s an I love you present. Can I give you one of those?’
A warmth spreads through my body and I feel like I could melt on the spot. It’s not the first time he’s said those three little words – and I’ve said them back to him as well – but it gets the same reaction out of me every time.
I swallow and force myself to nod. ‘I guess that would be fine.’
‘Excellent.’ His grin widens as he pulls out his phone, taps something into it, and then turns the screen to face me. ‘This is the one you were looking at, right? Your top choice?’
Pretty sure my heart stops for a second.
Up on Alex’s screen is the listing for the commercial property I’ve had my eye on recently. I’ve finally saved enough that it’s looking like Heart could become a reality in the next year or so, and I’ve been indulging myself in a few late night Rightmove searches.
This one in particular is perfect. The location is wonderful. It’s not too expensive. And, best of all, I can see myself inside it.
Alex must have noticed me pulling up the listing over and over again, and staring at it with wistful, longing eyes.
‘Er, yes?’ I say. ‘I was just looking. I’m not ready to buy just yet and—’
‘Great,’ Alex says. He turns his phone back to him and quickly taps something in.
‘What’re you doing?’ I ask, suddenly frantic.
‘Having Roland book in a viewing for the new year,’ he says, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. ‘And when you step through those doors, and you know officially that it’s The One, I’m also buying it for you as well.’
If I wasn’t sure before, I am this time. My heart does stop.
‘Alex…’ I croak out. ‘You don’t have to… I mean, this is too much for a Christmas present. You can’t—’
‘It’s not a Christmas present,’ he says, looking ridiculously smug. ‘It’s an I love you present and I believe in you and want to help you chase your dreams present.’
‘You just made that up.’
‘Maybe. It’s still true, though.’ He reaches forward and swipes his thumb against my cheek. ‘Don’t cry, Noelle.’
I blink. I’m crying? Shit, I am crying.
‘I promise, these are happy tears,’ I sniffle. ‘I just…’ I feel like there’s so much more I need to say, but I don’t even know where to begin. I settle for leaning into his touch, wrapping my arms around his neck, and pulling him in close. ‘Thank you.’
His arms settle on my waist as he pulls me flush against him. ‘Thank you, Noelle.’
We stand there holding each other for a little longer before I pull away. I’m sure my eyes are bloodshot and my cheeks are tear-stained, but Alex looks at me like I’ve just hung the moon.
‘I love you,’ I say.
His smile stretches from cheek to cheek. Just for me. Only ever for me. ‘I love you too.’