A Christmas Call of Duty (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

19. Epilogue

Epilogue

Shay

E leven months later…

I unbuckle the latch to my seatbelt and slide across the tan leather bench seat of Colt's truck to give him a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Babe, what are you doing? " He slows his speed and uses his free hand to reach across me, finding the center lap belt and buckling it into place in a swift movement before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me in close.

I just smile, feeling slightly amused at the Hallmark movie that has become my life. As I snuggle deeper into Colt's embrace, I can't help but marvel at how much has changed in a year. Last Christmas, I was alone and miserable, convinced that love wasn't in my cards when Colt came storming into my clinic with Jack. Now, here I am about to spend my second Christmas with the man I love. Only… this time, you won't hear me complain.

"Merry Christmas, girlfriend," he says, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Merry Christmas, boyfriend," I whisper back, my heart swelling with affection.

On our drive to his parents' house, I catch myself humming along to Christmas carols playing over the radio when I think Colt's not paying attention. Who would've thought that I, Shay Mason, certified Grinch, would actually be looking forward to family time and holiday cheer? I guess it's just another side effect of dating a guy who insists that my annual Die Hard marathons don't count as ways to get into the Christmas spirit.

After breakfast with Colt's family, we all huddle around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts, and I'm mortified when Colt's mom, Linda, presents us with matching his-and-hers pajamas. "You didn't ," I say, shooting Colt an accusing look.

"Oh, I did ," he smiles.

"Of course , he did," Zane heckles from across the room.

"Now, you hush, already," Linda says, swatting a hand in Zane's direction. "You two, please go try them on. For me? We need pictures!"

"Pictures?" I swallow hard, glancing at Colt for backup, but he's already on his way to the bathroom as soon as his mother says the words. Traitor.

"Come on, Shay," she says with pleading eyes. "I want to make sure they fit."

"Alright, alright. I'll go," I say, following Colt down the hallway. "But no posting on Facebook," I call out behind me. I try on the soft, thick flannel pants with the matching red and black button-down shirt, surprised by how comfortable they are. At least they make my butt look cute, I think, turning to the side for a profile view.

"Come on, let me see!" Colt says, practically beating down the door with his fist. When I finally open it, I'm stopped dead in my tracks to see him standing there. Shirtless. My eyes drop down to the long-sleeve pajama top clutched in his hand and the baggy flannel drawstring pants hanging from his waist, and I swear I want to write Santa a thank you letter for being so good to me this year.

"Wow," he says taking a step closer. "Those look amazing. You… look amazing." He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me onto my toes for the world's most tender and most delicious kiss. "You ready?" he asks, sliding into his shirt and buttoning it up as I nod, still in a kissing coma.

When we return to the living room, Linda cups her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my stars! Well, don't you two look like you just fell from heaven?" she gushes. "James, where's the camera?"

James hands it to her, and after at least a dozen photos, Colt calls for a cease-fire so we can move on to the rest of the gifts. The rest of the exchange begins with my gift to Colt—a brand-new Nikon Z50 with a lens kit. "Shay, this a really nice camera. You know you didn't have to—"

"I know," I say, reaching out a hand and placing it on his knee. "But I wanted to."

He leans forward to give me a peck on the cheek, then hands me a small, colorfully wrapped package. "Now, for yours."

I lift the package to my ear and shake it, but it doesn't make any sound.

"Hey, no cheating," Zane warns. "Ralston family rules."

"Last time I checked, I'm a Mason," I say, playfully narrowing my eyes. "And where I come from we take our gift guessing very seriously." I carefully tear away the wrapping paper of Colt's gift to reveal… a snowman-making kit. Seriously? I frown, giving Colt an unimpressed look.

"Oh, come on. You were practically belting the lyrics to Winter Wonderland on the drive over," Colt says.

"I was not belting ," I say as matter-of-factly. "I don't belt." I look around at the rest of Colt's family, and they all nod as if they're actually buying it. "Fine, whatever," I scoff. "I guess we're all building a snowman later."

Colt's eyes light up with amusement. "Okay. But only if you insist. Now… where did I put your real gift?" He pats over the pockets on his pants, then fishes around under the tree until he finds another present beautifully wrapped in brown paper with delicate gold lace ribbon accents. "Aha! Here it is. My lady," he says, turning to hand me my next gift.

This one is a bit heavier, and I can tell by the shape that it's a book of sorts. "Is it… The Life and Times of Britney? Oh! Or maybe a boxed set of all her greatest hits!"

"Good grief, woman. Just open it already," Zane says impatiently.

I unwrap the paper to reveal a beautiful leather album with an inscription that reads: A Year of Firsts. "What… is this?" I ask, getting caught in Colt's mesmerizing gaze.

"Open it," he whispers with a smile.

As I begin to flip through each page, I feel a surge of tears well up in my eyes. Colt made a scrapbook of all our firsts. On one page, there's a receipt from Murphy's Diner with Colt's hand-written words below:

First Kiss.

I glance over the itemized receipt just to be sure, and yes. It includes two cheeseburgers with fries, a Diet Coke, one large chocolate milkshake, two cups of coffee… and a sampler platter of pie. I flip to another, and then another, until hot tears are spilling down my face. It's all here. Our first baseball game. First movie. First rock concert. First military ball. Colt has been collecting souvenirs for an entire year without me knowing and all for this? It's almost too much, and I have to stop and blow my nose after Linda hands me a box of tissues.

As I near the end of the book, I find myself fighting back even more tears until I finally turn to the last page. There's a thick red envelope taped to it and another hand-written message that reads:

Shay, I love you so much.

Will you be the first and only woman to make me the happiest man alive?

As I stare down at the words scribbled in front of me, Colt reaches over and gently peels the envelope from the page. Before I can say anything, he opens it to reveal a dazzling princess-cut diamond engagement ring and gets down on one knee. "Colt…" I say, stifling a sob.

"Shay," he whispers. "Marry me?"

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you!" I say, laughing through my sobs.

The next few moments are filled with flashes from Linda's camera, no doubt picking up any residual snot still running from my nose, as I leap into Colt's arms and happily accept his proposal. After all the commotion, congratulations are in order from both of Colt's parents, and even Zane makes a point to pull me aside and welcome me to the family.

It's funny how so much can change in a year with a simple Christmas wish. In fact, I'm sure it won't be long before I'm asking Santa to bring Zane a no-nonsense girlfriend who can love him as unconditionally as his brother loves me. Because at the end of the day, we all could use a little more light in our lives. And if you know anyone who's looking, tell him to come find me.

I've got plenty to go around.

THE END