Chapter 34
I thought summer at Rosewood was beautiful, but it’s nothing compared to winter – especially Christmas.
Fairy lights wind through the bare branches lining the drive, glowing softly against the dimming sky. The lodge glows with warmth, music drifting out of open doors, the smell of pine and cinnamon and mulled wine.
I grab the firewood and carry it back inside, being welcomed back in by the sound of love and laughter from the people inside.
I pick up my mulled wine and warm my hands, glancing back out of the window. It looks like it’s threatening to snow – well, let it. I have nowhere else to be.
Rosewood – our little pocket of it – is completely transformed. New stables, a place for horse-riding lessons, glamping pods and shepherd’s lodges decked out to be writing retreats. So many new reasons for people to visit the estate, and business is booming.
Jake comes up behind me without a sound, in that quiet, sure-footed manner you don’t expect from a big guy, and wraps his arms around my waist. He kisses me on the cheek.
‘You sneakin’ out on me?’ he jokes. ‘Leaving me with this lot?’
‘Just grabbing more wood,’ I reply. ‘I think it’s going to snow.’
‘I love the snow,’ he says with a sigh.
‘That’s because you didn’t grow up sliding on the sludge to get to school,’ I joke. ‘But I love it too now. Especially here.’
Between us, we’ve helped Arty to make Rosewood thrive.
Weddings book out years in advance. The equestrian centre runs like a dream under Jake’s care.
Kids learn to ride here. Writers come for a quiet and picturesque place to work.
Most importantly, new stories begin every day, people meeting, falling in love, getting married, spending time with their families. I love to see it.
My own book came out this year and sold well – better than I expected it to, but I never had that much faith in myself. But Jake was always there, reminding me how great I am, and that mattered so much more than him pretending to be my fiancé.
I’m halfway through the next one now. A cowboy romance, obviously.
I’d be lying if I said Jake wasn’t my main source of inspiration, although he does sometimes take issue with how brooding I make him out to be, and he thinks it’s hilarious that I find watching him do basic chores, like chopping wood or cleaning the gutters, so horny.
Trust me, when Jake does anything, it’s sexy.
‘Okay, I’m here, and I’ve got the champagne,’ JJ announces as she walks through the door, dumping her bags down like we have staff that will put them in her room for her. ‘Now Christmas can begin.’
She never looks any different, never ages a day, never changes one bit. And I wouldn’t want her to. Some people are meant to stay gloriously and unapologetically themselves forever.
Andy’s laugh carries through the living room, warm and familiar.
Cordelia is with him, one hand resting protectively on her stomach.
She’s glowing in that unmistakable way, and at first I couldn’t imagine Andy as a dad, but being married has really matured him, and it’s so nice to see. They’re both so excited.
Jake’s dad is here too, settled comfortably by the fire inside, wrapped in a blanket.
We’re so happy they cleared him to spend Christmas with us – and he’s having more good days than not now, which the home thinks has come from Jake being around more.
He’s been great today, telling Jake how proud he is of him, and me how much he loves me.
And I’m wearing Jake’s mum’s ring for real now – not just for continuity, because we’re actually engaged now. These days I’m not faking a thing.
I look out of the window, Jake still holding me close, swaying me to the Christmas music.
It’s the last day Rosewood is open to the public, before it closes for the Christmas break. I notice a man and a woman, over by the stables, the two of them bumping into each other, laughing it off, then chatting.
A meet-cute. I see them all the time here and it really makes me smile. Sure, none of them can measure up to mine, but that doesn’t make them any less special.
But it’s like I always say – this is why I love love stories, because you always know exactly how they’re going to end, and yet the journey is still so delicious.
Jake tightens his arm around me slightly.
‘You thinkin’ what I think you’re thinkin’?’ he asks.
‘That those two are going to fall in love?’ I say.
He laughs.
‘I was gonna say everyone is so happy here,’ he replies.
‘They are,’ I reply, leaning back into him. ‘Especially me.’
‘I love you,’ he says, burying his face into my neck to kiss me.
‘I love you too,’ I reply.
‘I can’t wait to marry you,’ he says. ‘Not long to go now…’
‘Although some might say it’s been a long engagement,’ I joke.
‘Let ’em talk,’ he replies.
I really feel like I have it all – the job I wanted, a beautiful home, great friends and the man of my dreams. My very own happy ending – and I don’t care if it’s a cliché.