Christmas Criminal

Noelle

EPILOGUE

Two Years Later

I tried my hardest. I really did.

But in the two years since I rented this apartment half an hour from Snow Falls, I've spent probably two full months there, collectively.

It makes more sense to crash at Nick's. He's close to my mom and sister, and after Christmas the year we got together, he turned one of his spare bedrooms into an office for me in the space of an afternoon. It's cozy and quiet, and when I'm there, I get lost in my work. After school, he comes home and knocks, asking if I have any thoughts about dinner, and we sit downstairs at the island together and give each other a quick download of our respective days.

Considering we're going on two years now, we think it only makes sense to make it official.

So a few weeks before Christmas, I give notice to my landlord that I'm moving out, and over the space of a few weeks, we move all of my stuff to Nick's. He grins with every box he carries in, like each one brings us closer to officially living together .

My lease is done at the end of the year, but my apartment is cleared out by Christmas, and we spend Christmas Eve at my mom's, like usual, but we come back early to spend our first official Christmas Eve together.

He lights a fire and we sit on the floor in front of the tree, two glasses of wine on the coffee table next to us. He throws an arm around my shoulders and tugs me close. "So how does it feel, living with a boy?"

I can't help the laugh that tumbles from my throat. "It feels okay, so far."

He nods. "Good."

"How does it feel living with a girl?"

He presses a kiss to my head. "Awesome. Really awesome. Looking forward to accidental nip slips. And every morning is a toss-up: Will your hair finally take me out, or will it take pity on me?"

I cackle as I press a kiss to his cheek. "You're nuts."

"You're nuts for me," he parries back.

I nod and rest my head on his shoulder. "Absolutely."

"I love you more than anything, ."

I lift my head so I can kiss his cheek again, resting my chin on his shoulder. "I love you more than anything, too."

He's quiet for a moment. "I never thought I'd get this lucky," he murmurs, his lips against my head. "Never thought I'd be sitting in front of my Christmas tree with someone like you at the holiday. Since I met you, you've made every holiday special for me. Every day special for me." His breath runs hot across my cheek, and I close my eyes, squeezing him tight.

", will you marry me?"

My eyes pop open and I turn to face him, my gaze connecting with his.

He clears his throat as he takes his arm from my shoulders. "I, uh, sorry." He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a little velvet box. He twists, so he's on one knee in front of me, as he pops the box open. "Will you marry me?"

I blink, the utter shock draining into a feeling of elation as I take him in, his wide, hopeful eyes and the perfect ring between us.

"Yes," I breathe.

"Yes?"

"Yes!" I say, and now I'm moving, wrapping my arms around his neck and tackling him to the ground. He laughs as he struggles to hold onto the box, to pluck the ring out and slide it on my finger as the light from the Christmas tree reflects off of it and bounces around the living room.

He laughs, his hands settling on my hips as I sit up straight to admire my ring. "You're going to marry me?"

"Nick, why do you seem so surprised by this?" I let my hands drop to his chest, my eyes still glued to the shiny diamond on my finger.

He shakes his head, his hands settling on my hips as a grin spreads across his face. "I don't know if I’m that surprised, but I’m… I don’t know. Thrilled. Happy. Excited. It all just feels too good to be true."

"Well, it is, but it's true anyway." I lean down and kiss him, brushing my hair to one side so he doesn't have to fight for his life. He holds my chin with one hand, the other reaching down to grab my ass and give it a firm squeeze.

When I pull away, he drags his thumb along the line of my jaw. "I love you, Criminal."

"I love you more, Saint Nick."

Thank you so much for reading Nick and ’s story!