Epilogue
Reina
A large crowd came out for the first town event to kick off the winter holiday season. The town was always decorated for Christmas, but tonight, Eve had gone all out with Aspen's help. Aspen had recently started working as Eve's assistant.
Christmas trees lined the street, and lights were strung between buildings so that when you walked down the sidewalk, the lights hung overhead, creating a magical feel.
Holiday music played on the town's speakers, horse drawn carriages offered rides down the street, and there were wreathes and garland on every shop window and door.
Beyond town square, the holiday light trail was open, and there was an ice rink.
A blow-up winter snow globe swayed in the wind next to the trail and ice rink for visitors to take pictures inside. And Santa was sitting sentry in his red velvet chair at the square in front of the largest tree, inviting children to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.
Visitors could get some early holiday shopping done in the stores with a town-wide sale, eat at the restaurants, or even grab a snack at the various food trucks.
The best part was that the bakery was open and accepting customers.
There was a brand-new store that sold trains with a track on the wall and trains running around the room that drew in children.
"I can't believe this came together," I said to Morgan, who assisted on busy nights like tonight. He worked alongside me to ring up customers, and box orders.
"We've got this for now. Why don't you take a walk and enjoy the festival?" Jill asked.
"I wasn't planning on leaving the shop tonight. It's so busy."
Jill exchanged a look with Morgan. "You promised that you were going to work less and rely on your employees more."
"Yeah, but not tonight—"
Morgan put an arm around my shoulders and steered me away from the front counter.
"Jill's right. You hired more employees for nights like this.
Not only does it allow us to enjoy the festivities, but you gave a few college students a much-needed job.
You don't want to make them feel like they have nothing to do, do you? "
My shoulders lowered. "Of course not."
"Then let's go for a walk and see how the festival looks from a visitor's perspective. You can get a feel for what the visitors would want on a night like this."
"That is a good idea." I was constantly thinking of ways to improve the shop. And research had become one of my favorite things to do. We'd visited other bakeries in neighboring towns to see if they offered something I wasn't. Anything could spark an idea that would add value to my store.
Morgan pushed open the door, and we joined the crowd walking down the sidewalk, window shopping.
"The window displays have gotten so good this year," someone in front of us said.
"Aspen is hosting a contest for the best window display. Can you believe that she's so good at organizing events? I thought Eve was talented, but Aspen has taken events and contests to the next level."
"I was surprised too. I didn't think she could handle one more job."
I frowned. "Is she still working at her other jobs?”
"She only does a few hours at each. I think this one is more of a full-time position."
"I'm happy for her. She seems to enjoy planning things for the town."
"I have no idea what my parents will think about it."
"Speaking of parents, mine are visiting next week."
"Are you nervous about it?"
I smiled. "Not really. I'm excited to show them the changes to the bakery. If they don't approve, then that's their problem."
He squeezed me tightly to him. "I'm so proud of you."
Creating boundaries with Tom and my parents was new for me, but it felt good. I gave myself permission not to care what they thought of my choices. This was my life.
Morgan paused at a horse-drawn carriage that was waiting by the curb. "Do you want to go for a ride?"
"Now?" I asked, a little surprised by his request.
He shrugged. "It's not every day that you can take a carriage ride through town."
It was only a few minutes' ride down Candy Cane Lane. We'd be back in no time. "Why not?"
Morgan helped me into the carriage, and I arranged a throw over our laps.
The driver turned around. "There's hot chocolate in the thermos and cups there. There's even a few sweets from the best baker in town. Help yourself."
"Thanks, Ed," Morgan said.
"When I agreed to provide the treats for the carriage rides, I didn't think I'd be the one who'd get to eat them."
"Why not? You should get to take a break every now and then and enjoy the town you helped create." He handed me a to-go cup of hot chocolate, and I sipped it.
"This is delicious."
He gave me a conspiratorial look. "Don't tell Meg, but I think this is from the new food truck by the square."
"It's the best I've ever tried."
He dug into the cookie tin and handed me a snowman sugar cookie.
I took a bite, enjoying the sweetness of the drink and the cookies.
The horses clip-clopped down the cobblestoned streets toward town square.
Morgan settled back in the seat, putting his arm over the back of it. I snuggled against his side, resting my head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for the perfect night."
He winked at me. "It's not over yet."
"Oh, really? What else could you possibly have planned?" I loved running the bakery, but it was nice to be able to enjoy the town in the way visitors did. It gave me a unique perspective on what they experienced and what they might want in the future.
"You'll see."
Instead of going around the square, the driver led the horses toward the light trail and the ice rink on a nature trail that led through the park. "I didn't know the carriages' route went this way."
He grinned. "They don't. This is just for us."
The paved trail was lined with lampposts for those who went for walks in the evening, but the driver took the horse trail.
There weren't any lights on this one, since horseback riding was only permitted during daylight hours.
But as we entered the woods, twinkling lights hung from the trees. "Who did all of this?"
"I might have had some help."
I didn't even have to ask. He'd enlisted his family to hang lights for us to enjoy this carriage ride. "I can't believe you did all of this."
"I wanted to create a special evening."
"You definitely did." I was a little in awe of the effort he'd made. It was so romantic. The driver continued for a while before he came to a stop.
"I want to show you something." Morgan helped me step down from the buggy and led me on a trail through the woods. There were pillows on the ground, and lights hanging from the trees, and champagne in flutes. It was far enough from the trail that we couldn't see the carriage anymore.
I walked in a circle around the space. It was like we were in our own little world. The town seemed so far away. "What's this?"
"I wanted to do something special for you. You work so hard and do so much for everyone. And I wanted tonight to be about you."
"I love it." I wished I could bottle this scene up, and revisit it again another night.
He snagged my hand and pulled me over to the pillows. He paused for a second. Then he dropped down to one knee. "From the moment that I heard there was a fire and you were sleeping, I knew you were mine. Nothing could have stopped me from getting to you."
I blinked away the tears.
"I fell in love with you a little more each day.
The way you picked yourself up and tried again.
The way you believed in yourself and your ability to create something beautiful.
You inspire me to be the best version of myself.
" He paused to take a breath, and my hand trembled in his.
Then he pulled a ring out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?"
I let out a breath slowly, my heart racing. "Yes."
He slid the ring on my finger, and then stood, cupping my face with his hands. "I never planned on you."
A tear spilled down my cheek, and he brushed it away. "I didn't either."
"Everything in my life has led me to this moment."
I couldn't believe what he was saying. Every word was so beautiful. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
At some point, we ended up on the pillows, and I eased back to ask, "What about the carriage driver?"
He held me tighter. "He's supposed to come back in forty-five minutes."
I smiled. "So we have time."
"I wanted to be alone with you."
"I love the sound of that." Here there weren't any customers or pressures. It was just us and the most magical night of my life.
We kissed, slowly removing each other's clothes until we were naked under a blanket. He slid inside me, but it felt different than any other time.
He was my fiancé. The man I was going to marry. This moment felt like the solidifying of our relationship, a promise that we'd be together forever. That we'd work on any issues that came up and treasure each other in the process.
When we crested together, I cried out his name. He held me tight, our breaths ragged.
He rolled us so that we were facing each other. "I can't believe so much has changed in such a short time."
"I was worried that the fire would change everything, and I was right. But I didn't anticipate that our relationship would have the biggest transformation."
He smiled softly. "The fire brought us together."
I huffed out a breath. "And that stupid vow to my brother."
He tapped my nose. "I thought we weren't talking about that anymore?"
"Your only vow is to me now."
He smiled softly. "I vow to be by your side for the rest of our lives, loving and supporting you. Not because I have to, but because I want to."
"I love you." Then we kissed again.
Eventually, Morgan said, "We should get ready to leave. Our driver will be back soon."
"Back to reality." I wasn't ready to leave this place.
"I don't think our lives could ever be anything other than magical. We spend most of our time in a town that pretends it's Christmas year-round."
"But we have to keep bringing the magic."
"More carriage rides through the woods and twinkling lights?"
"Yes, please. More of this." So much had changed in a short amount of time. My bakery was new, and I was in love with Morgan.
"No more single Sterling brothers," Morgan said as if he'd just realized this for himself.
I tucked my hands under my cheek. "Will Aspen be next?"
He chuckled. "She resists anything that could make her seem mainstream, which means no full-time jobs or even the hint of a career. Even if she finds someone she likes, I bet she fights him every step of the way."
"That would be fun to watch."
He sobered. "But right now, I'm only interested in our future. The one we create together."
"I couldn't have said it better myself."
Then he kissed me, pulling me close. We had a few more minutes to drift in this dream before we had to head back to town. And I couldn't wait to celebrate with my friends.
I hope you loved Reina and Morgan’s story!