Falling for Finn (Maplewood Falls #1)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

FINN

TWO MONTHS LATER

The snow-covered landscapes on the farm are as beautiful as ever. We got hit hard with a blizzard, and now everyone’s trying to clean up the mess. The sun reflects off the snow and shines bright in the sky, giving the illusion of a perfect clear day when in reality, all of our vehicles are buried, and people are scrambling to find cell service.

“Finn!” Oakley shouts from the bedroom, and I rush upstairs from the kitchen, where I was staring out the window.

“What? Are you okay?”

“Levi’s looking for you. My phone just turned on, and he’s messaged me like ten times.”

“Oh shit. Is he okay?” I grab my cell off the nightstand and see I have a couple of bars. Levi also left a few voice messages and half a dozen texts.

Instead of listening to each one, I call and put him on speaker.

“Hey, man. You alright?” I ask as soon as he picks up.

“Dude. A strange woman is in my house.”

“Are you j-joking?” I choke on my words because there’s no way he said what he said.

“Hell no. Her name is Fallon, and she’s a journalist from Seattle.”

Oakley chimes in. “How’d she end up there?”

Levi explains the whole situation about how Fallon was scammed by an online rental company that wasn’t legitimate. Apparently, someone posted his cabin on this phishing site and claimed it was for rent. They took her money, and when she showed up, the door was open, so she made herself at home thinking it was her rental.

“I was outside chopping wood, and when I walked inside, I started taking off my clothes and making my way to the shower,” Levi explains. “So I’m walking upstairs toward the bathroom when I find her in my bed.”

Oakley’s jaw drops. “Oh my God, no …”

“Yep, showed her all my goods. Scared the living shit out of me because I thought she was robbing me or something. Meanwhile, she thought I was breaking in to harm her. In the midst of me trying to cover my junk, she sprayed me with pepper spray, and I tripped over her suitcase. Made a complete ass out of myself as I tried to explain she was in my house.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I bellow out, imagining the entire scene in my head as I die with laughter.

Oakley’s in a fit of giggles as she covers her mouth.

“When was this?” I ask.

“Three days ago, right as the blizzard hit.”

“Shit. I’m surprised you’re still alive at this rate.”

“Honestly, me too. When she showed up, the roads were already bad. So I told her she could stay in the guest room for the night, but then by the morning, all the roads were closed. Right after I got a weather alert, I lost service.”

“So she’s living with you?” Oakley asks.

“Yep. I called the inn and all the hotels in town this morning. They’re all booked.”

No surprise there since it’s the holiday ski season.

“How long is she in town?”

“Two weeks.”

“Is she pretty?” Oakley asks.

“Yeah, she’s drop-dead gorgeous, but she’s rude as fuck. I swear she’s the Grinch’s twin sister.”

Oakley snickers, giving me an incredulous look.

“Huh?” I ask.

“She hates Christmas, man.”

My eyes widen. “What? Who hates Christmas?”

“ This chick . Like seriously, she’s here on some job to write an article about Maplewood Falls, and based on her shitty attitude, I feel like it’s a smear piece. I don’t want her to say anything bad. If she does, it could be detrimental for all the small businesses who rely on winter tourists to stay open.”

“Well, then perhaps you better show her a good time so she has nothing but positive things to say,” Oakley suggests, waggling her brows at me, and I know she’s up to something. “How’d she even end up on a Christmas tree farm?”

“It’s such a long-ass story. But anyway, I wanted to let you know what was going on because you’ll be meeting her soon. She’s supposed to visit all the farms and stay through the winter festival.”

“ Great. Can’t wait,” I deadpan.

“Maybe I should talk to her. Out-of-towner to out-of-towner.”

Levi scoffs. “Doubt it would matter, but we’ve gotta do something. First, I have to figure out how to pull that entitled stick out of her ass, then help her realize how charming and amazing our town is.”

“I know of one way…” I taunt, staring at Oakley’s bare chest.

“If flashing her your dick didn’t work, I don’t know if there’s hope.” Oakley giggles.

“Ugh.” He groans as if he’s been frustrated nonstop for the past three days. “Thanks a lot for all your help, guys. Super appreciate it.”

I bark out a laugh. “We’ll come to your rescue as soon as we plow ourselves out of here.”

“Yeah, I gotta do the same. Little Miss Seattle needs some fancy coffee beans that I don’t and won’t ever have. She’s been complaining about it since she arrived.”

“Good luck!” Oakley yells before he ends the call. “Poor Levi.”

I snuggle back in bed with my fiancée and cup her breast. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell him we got engaged last night.”

Oakley moans at my touch.

“We’ll fill him in later when his head isn’t ready to explode,” she says.

We’ve basically been locked in the house for three days straight since the blizzard hit. I intended to propose on Christmas Eve, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed her to say yes to being my wife.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” she warns as I suck the softness of her neck.

Before my call with Levi, I was planning to go snow plow the parking lots and gravel roads.

“Fuck.” I lick her hollow throat. “Screw it. What’s another twenty minutes?”

She giggles as she claws at my boxers, and we end up tangled between the sheets.

“I can’t wait to tell my sister and your family,” she admits once we come down from our high and lie in bed.

“Me too, Sunshine.” I kiss the tip of her nose, then get up to find my jeans and boots. “I better go before they come looking for me.”

“Okay, be careful, please. Love you,” she says while she pulls the sheet up and snuggles back in bed.

I lean over and press my lips to hers. “I will.”

OAKLEY

After Finn leaves, I manage to take a hot shower and scrub myself from top to bottom. As I stand under the stream, I hold out my left hand, still in shock.

I knew he’d propose soon, but I didn’t know when. When we were celebrating our one-year anniversary, I’d made it known that I was ready for the next step in our relationship. And although it wasn’t anything over the top, it was the perfect proposal.

We were watching my favorite holiday movie and drinking hot cocoa when he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife. I was so surprised that I could only stare at him in shock. He then asked if I was okay before I blurted out yes . Then I laughed because I couldn’t believe it was happening.

Of course, we spent the rest of the night celebrating.

But now there’s a lot of cleanup to do. The snow is great for ski businesses but not for agricultural farms. There isn’t much I can do since the walkway to the cottage hasn’t been shoveled yet, and all my supplies are there. So for now, I’ll wait until Finn returns so I can go help at the inn or bakery.

My phone rings, and when I look at the screen, I see it’s Jessa.

“Hey! You guys okay?”

“Yeah, finally have service.” She groans. “Finn’s plowing us out now and told me a little about Levi but said to get the full story from you.”

I laugh thinking about it.

Once I recap everything, I share the news about our engagement.

“Oh my God! About time!” she squeals.

I smile wide at how excited she is. “I know it’s early, but would you be in my wedding party?”

“Duh! I’m going to help you plan it, too. But please, do I have to wear a dress?”

I snort. “Yes.”

“Damn, fine. Nothing pastel, though.”

“Okay, deal.”

She recaps the past few days of being snowed in with her girlfriend, Layla. They started dating five months ago, and when the storm hit, Layla was staying at Jessa’s. I adore them together and have enjoyed getting to know her when she visits. The two of them were made for one another. She’s a creative like me but on the introverted side. Doesn’t matter, though, because Jessa’s loud enough for both of them. Layla’s a novelist and spends most of her time penning thrillers. I’ve listened to all her audiobooks already.

Four hours go by before Finn returns, and he looks frozen from head to toe.

“Allow me to warm you up…” I tease, tearing off his clothes. Next, I lead him into the shower and keep it on hot.

“Fuck, that feels like needles,” he hisses as the water pounds hard on his cold skin.

Once he’s acclimated, it’ll be much better, but until then, I kneel between his feet. “Let me distract you.”

I pull him into my mouth and enjoy the way he hisses out a moan.

“Goddamn.” He fists my wet hair, clenching his teeth. “Get up so I can put a baby inside you.”

I immediately do as he says and position myself in front of him with my palms against the wall, then spread my legs.

We’ve not been actively trying to get pregnant but not taking extra precautions either. I take birth control, but we don’t use condoms. I know we have time, and now that we’re engaged, I wouldn’t mind waiting until after the wedding. But I still love hearing him talk about knocking me up.

“Thatta girl.” He smacks my ass, encouraging me to lean over farther.

As soon as he enters me from behind, I gasp in pleasure.

Our bodies move in perfect rhythm, and when Finn whispers in my ear how much he loves me, I explode. Moments later, he fills me up with his hot cum.

“I can’t wait to see your swollen belly,” he confesses as he washes every inch of my body.

“I already have names picked out.”

The corner of his lips knowingly rises. “Why am I not surprised?”

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him as close as I can. “Because you know me better than anyone.”

“Do I?”

“Yep, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Same here, love,” he mutters as he kisses my forehead. “Now let me devour my future wife’s cunt so we can go watch another one of your Christmas movies.”

“How do you manage to make that sound so damn sexy? If I hadn’t already said yes to your proposal, that would’ve done it for me.”

“Glad to know that’s all it would’ve taken.”

“What can I say? I’m easy to please,” I singsong.

Finn nearly chokes on some water. “Sunshine, you are anything but easy, but I love you regardless.”

I shrug because he’s not wrong. “As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

He cups my face, smiling so sweetly. “I already know I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to marry their best friend. You made falling in love with you so goddamn effortless.”

“Okay, I lied. That would’ve done it for me, hands down.” My face cracks in two as he fuses our mouths together. “I love you.”

“Love you too, my forever pain in the ass.”

“Forever and always.”