EPILOGUE
Blue
I wake up on Christmas morning in Garrick’s arms. There’s a hectic day ahead. The festival will be at its busiest on its last day. The snow is falling gently outside, Lilith is sleeping heavily on my feet, Barry is snoring on the floor next to the bed, and all I want to do is lay here with Garrick and our pets all day.
Okay, I’d love to do more than just lay here, but I definitely want to stay with him.
We probably should have scheduled our Christmas celebration for another day, but I want to celebrate today.
Garrick’s eyes flutter open and he smiles when he sees me awake and looking down at him. “Mornin’, Demon.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
He grins. “Oh, so you get to call me sweetheart?”
“Yup. I get to call you whatever I want.”
“Not going to argue with that.” He squeezes me tighter. “How much time do we have before we have to get back to work?”
“Enough.” I press a quick kiss to his lips. In the two days since we got together, for real this time, we’ve both been crazy busy and, in the moments we’ve had alone, talking hasn’t been high on the agenda. “I do have a question, though.”
He pushes loose hair behind my ear. “Shoot.”
“How did you have time to convince the business owners to support me? You’ve been so busy planning for the corporate trip on top of everything else…”
“I canceled it.”
I sit up and stare down at him. “What? Why would you do that?”
He shrugs. “You were right. I was so intent on impressing my parents, I wasn’t making the best choices with my business. To be able to host Horizon Solutions, I would have had to go into debt. And the business is doing well right now. I’ll be better off if I grow it slowly.”
“I’m sorry you had to cancel the trip, but I’m glad you’ve got a new outlook on the business. That’s great news.”
He nods. “Mav wants to stay. He wants to be a partner in the business, which will mean I’ll be able to take more time off when I need it and I won’t have to be so stressed all the time. He’s got a good head for business and some great ideas about how we can expand without bankrupting the company.”
He looks so happy and at ease, but as far as I know, he hasn’t really spent time with his brother in years. “And you think you two will be able to work together?”
“He’s actually more mature than I remembered. We don’t always agree on everything, but we’re already good at compromising. Mav’s too grateful to be out of an office job to give me too much trouble yet.” He cups my bare breast. “How much time?”
I glance at the clock. “Forty minutes.”
“Let’s not waste it talking.” He pulls me down into a kiss and we use every last second of those forty minutes.
***
The festival is a success. We’ve had more visitors every day and I’m on my feet and running so much I don’t think I sit down once all day.
I park in front of Xavier’s small log cabin that evening, wishing I had time for a nap.
Garrick pulls in right behind me, leaps out of his truck, and hugs me as soon as I step out of my car. “Long day?” he asks, somehow knowing better than to point out how tired I probably look.
“The longest. But I heard the council has approved my request for you to finally get your permits.”
His expression lightens and his smile is so big I wish I’d waited to tell him when we were alone so we could celebrate properly. “That’s great news. I get what I want and the council has clearly decided to work with you.”
“Calling an emergency session on Christmas Eve because they’d heard a rumor I might be looking to move back to Vegas would definitely indicate that. There are other issues I’ve been pushing them on and they’ve finally made decisions. Not all of them went my way, but enough did to make me feel confident they won’t stonewall me again.”
He lifts me off my feet and spins me around. “That’s amazing. We need to celebrate.”
He sets me on my feet and kisses me much more soundly than I would have expected within sight of the house. I don’t complain.
“We’ll celebrate later. Today is about Christmas. Even though everyone’s probably just as tired as I am.”
Inside, we find Peach and her fiancé Nick, as well as Cherry and her husband Xavier. Cherry’s curled up in Xavier’s lap, her head on his chest as he runs his fingers through her hair. Peach is snuggled up against Nick on the couch, her head on his shoulder. They all look as tired as I feel.
“Where’s Mom?” I ask.
“She decided at the last minute to go on a cruise with Bro.” Peach doesn’t look at all sad about the change in plans. “She found out Milo’s wealthy family cut him out of the money last year, but Yarbrough’s got a huge trust fund.” Peach is a lot more forgiving toward our mother than I am, but she’s finally starting to admit how exhausting and emotionally immature the woman is.
“I hope she has fun.” It’s the most charitable thing I can think to say.
“We have mugs of hot chocolate waiting for you on the kitchen counter,” Cherry says. “Help yourself.”
“You sit.” Garrick pushes me toward the smaller of the two couches. “I’ll get the hot chocolate.”
I sink onto the couch gratefully. For the first time in maybe forever, I know I’ve done something right. I’m in the most perfect of Christmas towns and I’m spending the holiday with the people I love most in the world.
Garrick sits next to me and hands me the hot chocolate. I take a sip and my day gets even better. “Wow, this is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted.”
Xavier points at Peach. “Your sister lent some much needed inspiration.”
Peach beams with pride, but Nick looks even prouder than she does. He looks at her with more love than I’d’ve thought possible.
“Garrick and I have some news,” I say, unable to keep the secret a moment longer. All eyes turn toward me and I’m suddenly nervous about how they’re going to react. “Um, well…”
Garrick laces his fingers through mine. “We’re having a baby.”
The four of them stare at us in shocked silence for so long my heart stops beating, flips, and starts up again.
“Congratulations!” Peach shrieks. She wraps herself around me and hugs me so tight I can barely breathe. “I’m going to be an aunt!”
“I’m so happy!” Cherry piles on, wrapping her arms around us both. “Best Christmas present ever.”
Tears sting my eyes as they hug me and I’m so very, very glad I’m going to be staying in Yuletide. I’m so lucky that my baby will get to grow up with these two amazing women in their life.
Xavier and Nick congratulate us more sedately once Cherry and Peach have let me go, and we all settle back into our seats.
Garrick puts an arm around my shoulders and I lean into him, realizing that for the first time in my life, I actually believe in true love and that for the six of us in this room, it’s guaranteed to last.
A happily ever after that doesn’t feel like being trapped. Even if I get sick of Garrick’s scruffiness after a days-long trek or he gets tired of me never having the time or inclination to decorate or even pick up my clutter, I’ll still be better and happier with him by my side. I’ll be free to be me and also be loved, and that’s so much bigger and more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be.