Epilogue
ANGELA
Ever since the town hall meeting, Hudson and I were solid. He'd vowed to stand by my side, and he did. For the first time in my life, I felt loved and supported by a partner.
No matter what happened with the store, I'd be okay. I'd find a new space or go all in on the online one. That idea was attractive because I could work around Ayla's schedule.
Hudson spent most nights at our house, which was nice. He was becoming a bigger part of our lives, and I was learning how to depend on him without giving up my independence.
Tonight was the grand opening of Belle's Bookshop. She'd decided to have a party for the opening after Christmas and another when the patio was done.
The work at my shop was complete, but I hadn't heard anything from Eve about the lease. The funny part was that I'd let the pressure go. I'd be okay no matter what happened. Because at the end of the day, Hudson loved Ayla and me, and he'd be with us every step of the way.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, admiring the dress I'd put on, a short black number with a metallic tint that caught the light when I turned.
"You look gorgeous."
I turned my head to find Hudson leaning a shoulder against the doorjamb as if he'd been admiring me for a while.
He pushed off the frame, moving toward me. He was dressed in a navy suit over a crisp white shirt with the top button open. He paused in front of me.
"You look handsome." And he smelled even better. It must have been his aftershave, because he didn't wear cologne. He didn't need it.
He kissed me softly, then pulled back, his hands on my hips. "I don't want to go anywhere."
I raised a brow. "But Ayla's waiting for us downstairs. She's so excited."
He dropped his forehead to mine. "I know."
"We have to support Belle. She's done so much for me." She'd had me restock the store with Valentine's Day heart panties. She was even more excited to pair those with the blind books.
"This is for you too."
"I know." This was my chance to go out in public and hold my head high. I wouldn't let Bill take me down.
His brow furrowed. "Have you heard from Eve about the lease?"
I pulled away, sliding my feet into black heels. "No. But I'm not worried about it."
He held his hand out to me. "That's because you have me."
I placed my hand in his. "I have you."
"I have a feeling tonight's going to be great." We headed down the stairs.
There was something about getting ready together, as if Hudson officially lived with us. It made me feel like we were a family. I'd never felt that way with Gus. It was Ayla and me, then him.
Ayla waited for us at the bottom of the stairs, her hands on her hips. "Can we go now?"
"Yes," I said, amused by her excitement.
"Are your brothers coming?" Ayla asked Hudson for the hundredth time.
"They wouldn't miss it."
"I can't wait to show them my favorite books," Ayla said, slipping into her jacket.
Hudson held mine for me, and when he slid it over my shoulders, he dropped a kiss just below my ear. He enjoyed finding ways to sneak a kiss or a touch when Ayla wasn't watching.
Affection from a partner was new for me, and I loved it.
In the truck, Hudson put on a popular song, and Ayla sang the lyrics from the backseat. "I still can't believe that we're together. That everything worked out. When Bill put that picture on the projector—"
"You thought we were done."
He looked over at me. "There was no way you'd ever forgive me."
"You had good intentions though. Who would have thought that Bill would go to those lengths to hurt me?"
He leaned over and took my hand, threading our fingers together. "I'm forever grateful to have you in my life."
I squeezed his hand. "Me too."
He parked in the lot behind the Mistletoe Inn, and we walked together toward the bookstore. There were balloons tied to the sign that hung over the sidewalk, and a band played on the corner where the patio would be installed.
We paused for a second to listen before Ayla urged us to go inside. Her eyes lit up when she saw Morgan and Maverick.
"Come on." She grabbed their hands and tugged them toward the children's section.
I exchanged an amused smile with Hudson. His brothers had become really important to Ayla. She wasn't used to having a lot of male role models around, and now she had them.
There were hearts hanging from the ceiling and posters with messages of love on the walls.
A vendor was handing out mocktails with a mix of chocolate and strawberry flavors. I sipped mine, content to walk around the store.
Reina was serving mini cupcakes by the front counter, and Meg, hot chocolate in to-go cups.
We paused at the Valentine's Day display of panties and blind dates with a book. I snapped a picture and captioned it before posting to the shop's social-media pages. Then I tagged Belle.
"I'm so glad you came." Clara approached us and hugged me.
"We're excited to be here," I said as she pulled away.
"I was worried you'd want to hide away—"
I shook my head. "I'm not going to let Bill affect my life. What he did is on him."
Clara grinned. "You go, girl. He's not worth a second of your time."
Belle came over to us. "I'm so glad you’re here. It wouldn't be an event without you guys."
"We support each other. No matter what," I said to them.
We tried to get together on Wednesdays to talk, commiserate, and troubleshoot any business and personal issues. It had become a sacred time for me.
Eve approached, and my stomach sunk.
I'd hoped to avoid dealing with Bill or the lease tonight. The party was supposed to be about Belle and her success.
Eve looked at me. "Can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure." I followed her into the back where there was a break room, storage area, and a closed door, presumably to Belle's office.
Eve went into the break room, pulling a water out of the fridge. "You want one?"
"I'm fine. Thanks." How could she be so calm when my heart was pounding?
Eve unscrewed the cap and drank. Then she set the bottle on the small table and pulled a manilla folder out of her bag. "I wanted to give you something."
"What is it?" This was it. She was either going to tell me that she wasn't renewing the lease and I'd have to start over, or I'd get to stay in this town that I'd grown to love.
Eve opened the folder and turned it so that the paperwork faced me.
It was titled Lease Renewal Agreement. My heart leaped at the words, but I didn't trust what I was seeing, so I turned over the page and scanned to the bottom of the second page where Eve had signed and there was an X marked for my signature.
Eve handed me the pen. "I'm hoping you'll want to stay in Christmas Town despite what happened at the town hall."
I drew in a shaky breath as I took the pen from her. "What Bill did—"
"It wasn't okay, and he's been told that he's on probation through the end of his current lease.
If there's any more harassment of store owners or stunts like the one he pulled with your picture the other night, I'll cancel his lease early and deal with the penalties.
I don't think he'll be a problem anymore, and if he is, he's gone. "
I blinked away tears. "I was prepared to start over."
"I hope you'll want to stay. You don't have to sign this tonight though.
You can think about it. I know that Bill's actions weren't professional and were creepy, and we didn't protect you like we should have.
But that's changing. It doesn't matter how long someone has been here; we don't treat our people like that. "
"And I'm one of your people now?" I asked, feeling emotional.
Eve nodded. "You're one of us now, and we couldn't imagine Candy Cane Lane without your shop."
"I want to stay."
She smiled. "Good."
When I turned my attention back to the lease, she said, "It's the same lease terms as before, except it's for five years."
I scanned the document to confirm that what she was saying was true. I couldn't believe it was a long-term lease. That was more than I'd ever imagined. Plus, it would lock me in at a good rate and meant I didn't have to worry about having to leave while I was building my business.
I signed my name next to the X and closed the folder.
"It's nice doing business with you," Eve said with a smile before she hugged me.
"It's nice doing business with you too."
Natasha appeared in the doorway. "Did she sign?"
Eve held up the folder. "Five more years of sexy lingerie."
I grinned, not quite believing that I’d gotten everything I wanted.
"We want you to know that we're building something here, an experience. We want people to come back to Christmas Town to get the same feeling every time, and Tempting Dreams is a part of that."
"I'm excited to be here," I said to them.
"Now, we'd better get back out there. We're celebrating Belle tonight too."
As I followed them out front, I felt like a part of the town. These women were my friends, and I'd found a future with Hudson. He held his arm out to me as I approached. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is perfect."
He leaned down to kiss me on the lips. "You got everything you wanted?"
"And more," I said with a grin.
He squeezed me to him as Belle stood at the front of the store, trying to grab everyone's attention. This was just the start of my happily-ever-after.
I hope you loved Angela and Hudson’s story!
Belle and Maverick are next in Broken Dreams. When the town hires my high school crush, Maverick, to build a garden patio next to my bookstore, I’m forced to see him every single day.
The boy who once broke my heart is now a man with bulging muscles, tattoos, and a gruff voice.
As the patio takes shape, so do old feelings I thought I’d buried with the past.