Epilogue
Finley
One Week Later
When I walk into Beans to Go on January second, I’m prepared for an inquisition. Maggie and Bethany texted me all week, demanding updates. But I kept things vague—just the holiday activities, nothing personal.
To be honest, I’m exhausted, but in the best possible way.
Alex kept me busy every day, especially after Mirna and Barb went home a few days before New Year’s Eve.
Things were going well between us, and since he’d given Grant the bed in their room and moved to the sofa bed, he started staying in the cottage with me.
Not that I’m complaining.
Still, I’m nervous about being home. Hollybrook was like a fantasy—snow, sleigh rides, and Christmas village magic. But today’s our first day in the real world, and I’m not sure how this version of us will hold up.
I unlock the door to the shop and walk inside. Maggie and Bethany are already behind the counter, prepping to open the shop. Maggie looks up, and her face lights up.
“Finley! Tell us everything!”
Bethany rushes over to join her. “Was it everything you hoped it would be?”
My face flushes. “That and more.”
Maggie lets out an ear-piercing squeal. “Oh, my God, girl! You slept with him!”
My eyes fly wide. “Maggie! Shh! The whole office building’s going to hear you!”
“Tell us everything!” Maggie insists.
“Everything!” Bethany echoes, grinning like a kid on Christmas.
“I don’t think there’s enough time before we open to tell you everything,” I say, laughing. “But let’s just condense it: the first two days were magical, Christmas Eve night and Day were awful, and everything after that was a dream.”
Maggie narrows her eyes. “You never said a word about your Christmas being awful.”
“I didn’t want to worry you, but it all worked out in the end.” I glance around the shop. “How were things here?”
“As I predicted,” Maggie says in a smug tone, “We were slow. Everyone here takes off between Christmas and New Year’s and we handled everything just fine.”
“It’s true,” Bethany says. “So back to you and Alex—was this a holiday fling or an actual relationship?”
Heat creeps up my neck. “We’re definitely going to try to make it work.”
They both squeal and I cringe, laughing. “Why are you both so invested in my love life?”
“Because you deserve good things, girl,” Maggie says. “And if that man has a lick of sense in his head, he’ll make sure this works.”
“Now give us more details!” Bethany demands. “We’ve about fifteen minutes until we open. You can talk while we work.”
So while I set up the espresso machine, I give them the highlights—Christmas caroling, the Christmas market, and how Alex surprised me and took me to a Christmas tree farm to cut down a tree for our room.
“And then Grant showed up, and it all went to hell,” I say, wincing.
I tell them how furious he was, how he blamed me for his girlfriend breaking up with him.
Then I tell them about Mirna and Barb swooping in to rescue me—renting a cottage across from the square and insisting I stay with them so I can still have my white Christmas.
Until Alex showed up in a sleigh like something out of a Hallmark movie.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Maggie demands. “An honest-to-God sleigh?”
“With a horse and everything.” My cheeks heat again. “He asked me to go back to his parents’ house, but I told him I couldn’t—and asked if we could date instead.”
“You went on dates with the man who hired you to pretend to be his girlfriend?” Bethany asks in disbelief. “And he was okay with that?”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “He was.”
The truth is that week was magical. We did go on dates, sometimes all-day long dates that left me so exhausted I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow.
He taught me how to ice skate. We made snowmen, went sledding, and even had a snowball fight with his entire family—where I got sweet revenge by accidentally plastering Grant right in the face.
We made a gingerbread house that collapsed five minutes after we finished and laughed until we cried.
Things went so well that on December twenty-eighth, Mirna and Barn announced they had to get back to Atlanta.
The next morning, I stood on the front porch, waving goodbye as they drove away.
I thought I’d feel sad, finding myself alone again, but I wasn’t.
I knew they’d come back in a heartbeat if I needed them. Besides, I had Alex. And his family.
After another fun-filled day—complete with visiting Santa and his reindeer—Alex took me to a festival in the square.
A live band was playing, and when the music swelled, he held out his hand.
He didn’t say a word, just gave me a look I’d become addicted to over the past few days—a slow, mischievous grin.
I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. We danced under the twinkling lights while snowflakes drifted down around us. There were people everywhere, but it felt like we were the only two people in the world.
And when Alex took me home that night, I asked him to stay.
And he did.
Last night was the first night I’d been alone since leaving for Hollybrook, and now, back in reality, I’m terrified Alex will change his mind. That he’ll wake up in his real life and realize this was all a mistake.
But minutes before we’re set to open, a knock sounds on the glass door.
“Someone’s eager to get their caffeine fix,” Maggie mutters, but then she looks up and grins.
I turn, and my breath catches. Alex is standing outside the door.
After seeing him in jeans and sweatpants all week, it’s a shock to see him in a suit again—proof that we’re back in the real world.
Maggie hurries over to the door and unlocks it. “Come in,” she says, opening it wide. “But don’t start thinking you can take advantage of dating one of the baristas.”
He grins. “I can’t make any promises, Maggie.”
She laughs. “Well in that case, I suspect I’m not the one you’re here to see.”
“While I love seeing you, no.” His gaze is locked on me.
I step around the counter as he walks toward me, a grin spreading across his face.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my cheeks warming.
“I know you’re not open yet, but I couldn’t wait to see you.” He pulls me in his arms and lowers his head, brushing his lips over mine in a tender kiss. “And I figured I wouldn’t be able to do that once you opened.”
I laugh, the last of my fear melting away. “Good thinking.”
He leans close, his breath warm against my ear. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you too.”
He glances over at Maggie and Bethany. “I take it you two knew our fake-dating situation turned into the real thing?”
“We did,” Maggie says, beaming. “And for the record, I knew you two would be perfect together.”
“You’re a wise woman, Maggie,” he says.
“It’s about time someone figured that out,” she grumbles.
We both laugh.
I grab the lapels of his suit jacket and tug him closer. “Go conquer the world today.”
He smiles down at me. “And you keep them caffeinated.”
Funny how less than two weeks ago, he would’ve been embarrassed by my job.
Now he accepts it’s part of who I am—at least until next August when I start nursing school.
I found out I got the scholarship on New Year’s Eve.
I’ll probably keep my phlebotomy job to help cover rent, but my classes will be during the day, which means my Beans to Go days are numbered.
I look up into his eyes, surprised how familiar they already feel. How right this feels. With our crazy schedules, it won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way.
I rise up on my toes and kiss him, still clutching his jacket. When I pull back, he stares down at me, beaming.
“You’re sexy as hell when you do that,” he says in a low rumble I feel down to my toes.
I kiss him again, wishing we both had the day off, but we don’t so I sink back down. “I’m gonna miss you today.”
He cups my cheek. “I’ll miss you too. But I’ll see you tonight when you get off work.”
“Tonight,” I echo.
He nods, smiling. “Tonight.”
I release his lapels then smooth them down. “Okay, you better go now before we give our customers a show they weren’t expecting.”
“We’re not complaining!” Bethany calls out.
Alex laughs, leans in for one last kiss, then he turns and heads for the door. He unlocks it and glances back at me, a smile lighting up his whole face.
The next two years might be tough, but I believe we’ll make it.
Read a bonus chapter of Finley and Alex’s day in Hollybrook the day of the festival.
Read Tyler’s story, Snow Hard Feelings, the second book of the We Three Kings series, releasing October 2026.