Faking It with My Bossy Ex (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Epilogue

Amy

One Year Later

Snow drifts lazily past the window of Laura's bakery, collecting in soft piles against the glass. The sight brings back memories of last Christmas—a broken-down car, snowshoes, and a certain someone who turned my world upside down.

“Earth to Amy!” Laura waves a hand in front of my face, breaking my reverie. “That's the third time you've sighed in five minutes. Either you're thinking about Dylan, or my cinnamon rolls aren't as good as they used to be.”

I bite into the warm, gooey pastry with an exaggerated moan. “The cinnamon rolls are perfect, as always.”

“Then it must be Dylan.” She settles into the chair across from me, a knowing smile on her face. “Hard to believe it's been a year since you two found each other again. Though I have to say, watching you try to resist falling for him was pretty entertaining.”

“You're terrible.” I throw a napkin at her, but I can't help smiling. This past year has been like something out of a dream, the kind I never let myself believe could come true.

Moving to New York hadn't been part of my plan, but when an art gallery offered to represent me full time, Dylan insisted I take the chance. “ Chase your dreams ,” he'd said. “ This time, we'll do it together. ”

He found me an apartment in his building, close enough for morning coffee runs but with enough space to rebuild our trust. Every day, he proved that this time was different.

No more secrets, no more making decisions for me. Just love and patience.

“Speaking of your handsome man, isn't he supposed to be here by now?” Laura glances at the clock. “The Christmas Couples Contest starts in an hour.”

Mrs. Parker had been relentless about us joining the Christmas Couples Contest again this year. She considers us her greatest success story, proof that Christmas magic really does exist at Cozy Haven. After all, how many couples go from pretending to be in love to falling for real? When I'd tried to protest, she'd reminded me that some couples compete for ten years straight. According to her calculations, we only have nine more to go.

“He's picking up Jake and Tyler from the airport. Can you believe they're actually excited to see him this time?”

It took months, but my brothers finally warmed up to Dylan. Probably around the time he helped Jake land a job at his company and got Tyler's basketball team new uniforms. Though I suspect it had more to do with how Dylan showed up for every family dinner, every crisis, every celebration, proving he was in it for the long haul.

The bell above the door chimes, and a gust of cold air sweeps in along with my favorite person in the world. Dylan's cheeks are pink from the cold, snowflakes melting in his dark hair. His eyes find mine immediately, lighting up with that smile that still makes my heart skip.

“Sorry I'm late, sweetheart.” He crosses the room in three long strides, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Your brothers insisted on stopping to get Mrs. Parker's dog a Christmas present. Apparently, Pepper is family now, too.”

“Speaking of family …” Laura stands with a suspicious grin. “I should go check on things in the kitchen. Very important things .”

Dylan doesn't lead me to our usual table. Instead, he guides me toward the back of the bakery where a small “Reserved” sign sits on a familiar booth, the same one where we used to share brownies and dreams in high school.

“What's going on?” I ask as he pulls out my chair.

“Just thought we'd revisit some old memories before the Christmas Couples Contest.” His smile holds a secret, but before I can question him, Laura appears with a familiar silver tray.

“Special delivery,” she announces with a knowing grin, setting down what looks like a time capsule of our relationship: a chicken melt with extra mustard from our first date, two cups of cinnamon cappuccino, and a brownie sundae split down the middle, just like we used to share.

“Dylan …”

“Wait.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, wrapped package. “Open it.”

Inside is a delicate snow globe. But not just any snow globe. Inside is a perfect miniature of our skating pond, complete with two tiny figures spinning on the ice. When I shake it, instead of snow, tiny specks of blue and silver glitter swirl around them like stardust.

“Turn it over,” Dylan says softly.

On the base is an engraving: Some love stories are worth writing twice.

When I look up, the bakery has transformed. Hundreds of tiny lights twinkle from the ceiling, and our families have somehow materialized. Jake, Tyler, Laura, Emily, Sam, even Mrs. Parker and Pepper. They form a circle around us, each holding a canvas.

One by one, they turn their canvases around. Each one is a painted scene from our story: our first kiss at the pond, the pillow wall at Cozy Haven, our reunion in the snow, the gingerbread house competition.

They're all my paintings, ones that disappeared mysteriously from my gallery over the past year.

“You didn't …” I whisper, tears blurring my vision.

“I did.” Dylan's voice is thick with emotion as he takes my hands. “Every time you painted our story, I bought the piece. Because each memory with you, even the hard ones, they're all part of what brought us here.”

He nods to Laura, who flips the final canvas. It's blank except for four words written in Dylan's handwriting.

Will you marry me?

When I turn back, Dylan is on one knee, holding not a ring box, but a paintbrush tied with a ribbon. From the end dangles a stunning moonstone ring that catches the twinkling lights above.

“Amy Bennett,” he says, his blue-green eyes shining, “you once wrote a story about a princess who taught a prince the meaning of true love. What you didn't know was that you were writing our story all along. You've painted my world with colors I never knew existed, loved me not once but twice, and made every day an adventure—pillow walls and all.”

A laugh bubbles through my tears as he continues.

“So I'm asking you to write our next chapter with me. To paint our future together, every messy, beautiful moment of it. Will you marry me?”

I'm nodding before he even finishes, pulling him up to kiss him as our family cheers around us. The snow globe tumbles safely into Laura's waiting hands as Dylan lifts me off my feet, spinning me just like he did that night on the ice.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips.

“I love you too.” He slides the ring onto my finger. “Even if you make me rebuild that pillow wall on our wedding night.”

“Dylan!” I smack his chest as our family laughs around us.

Later, as we walk hand in hand through the snowy streets of Snowfall Springs, I can't stop smiling. The Christmas lights twinkle overhead, and in the distance, I can see the newly built community center.

A dream made real, just like us.

“You know,” Dylan says, pulling me closer, “I never did tell you who really donated that cruise last year.”

I stop walking. “Wait, what?”

He grins that boyish grin I fell in love with twice. “Let's just say I had a feeling we'd win. And I wanted our first vacation together to be special.”

“You …” I shake my head, laughing. “You're impossible.”

“That's why you love me.” He tugs me toward the old skating pond, where it all began. “Come on, future Mrs. Carter. I hear there's some mistletoe with our name on it.”

Some love stories are meant to be written twice, first in pencil, then in permanent ink. Ours just needed a little time, a little trust, and maybe a few strategically placed pillows to get it right.

But now? Now we have forever. And I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings.

The End

***

I hope you fell in love with Amy and Dylan. I had so much fun writing their story!

Don’t miss out on the rest of the Sweet Christmas Kisses Series!