His Heart for Christmas (Love is Back in Mistwood Hollow #1)

Epilogue - Josh

3 years later

I unlock the door to my house and step inside. I take off my boots and set them by Emma’s. I hear her humming Christmas songs in the kitchen and lift my eyes to see her in a long sleeved shirt. She pauses in her swaying and leans back a bit.

“Sweetness,” I greet.

She looks over at me, her full smile on display, dimple in place. She’s so gorgeous. Time hasn’t changed a thing. Once I decided she was mine in every way, not just for a night, my life seemed to fall into place.

Emma convinced the owners of the coffee shop to sell the land to me and they retired happily. She took over the business, turning it into a café with a hot chocolate specialty bar during winter. Of course, I tried to convince her to hire a manager last month so she could take more time off but she’s too ambitious and stubborn sometimes. I help her as much as I can, and soon her brother, Brett, will join us to take some of the load off our shoulders.

“How was your day?” She asks once I kiss her cheek.

“Busy. The café has more people coming. Everyone wants your specialty drinks,” I compliment. “And I missed you, a lot. I love you.”

She beams at me and stands on her toes to kiss me, like she always does. I slide my hands under her big belly, lifting it a bit and earning a moan against my lips. She closes her eyes. “I love you so much, Josh.”

“That’s why you’re keeping my ring around that finger, huh?” I ask, grinning as the diamond ring on her finger sparkles.

“Yeah, that’s the only proof. Not your baby in my belly,” she snorts.

I rub her belly gently. “Our baby. But you’re doing all the work.” I notice she’s still working on dinner and shake my head. “You go sit down. I’ll handle this.”

“I can do it!” She argues.

Rolling my eyes, I pick her up and carry her to the couch. I set her down, pile pillows so she can put her feet up, then kiss her hungrily. “You’re going to need all your energy in a bit. So, you and our little one need to relax for a bit.”

I set my hat on her belly, making her giggle. I grin at her and kiss her forehead. “Any regrets?”

It’s a question I ask at least once a month. Emma’s amazing and I’ve loved every step in our relationship. I love that she insists on helping me with marketing, accounting, and everything on the business side of the tree farm. I love living with her. I love being the reason behind plenty of her smiles. Every moment has been bright and shiny, even if it’s been stressful at times.

She rubs her belly, slips my hat onto her head, and then shakes it. “Not a single regret, love. I’m so ready for our little one to join us. Are you sure you don’t want to know the gender?”

I nod. It’s still a miracle to me that we’re pregnant. We got married two years ago and started trying about six months after. It hasn’t always been easy, but the fact that Emma’s giving me my dream – a family, a future, a life of smiling and laughing ... god, I regret not snapping her up and marrying her the first week I had her.

“I’m happy for the surprise, sweetness. I just want to enjoy it all,” I promise.

“I hope we get through Christmas first. I don’t want to miss a thing,” she murmurs.

“We never do,” I assure, kissing her again. “You make sure of it.”

“I love you,” she murmurs against my lips. “So much, Josh. You keep giving me the best Christmases.”

“With many more to come.”

Our lives are only going to get better with a baby and I’m more excited and fulfilled than I’ve ever been. All thanks to Emma and one whirlwind Christmas that gave me everything I’ve been missing.

Want to know what happens next in Mistwood Hollow?

Brett’s arrival is about to stir things up, bringing his own brand of possessive charm to the small village. Secrets, sparks, and a love he never saw coming—discover it all in the next book of the series "Love is back in Mistwood Hollow", His Touch for Christmas .