The Christmas Crush

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Two Christmas Eves later …

“Ginger, no. You have to stay home, little one. Sugar, show her how it’s done.” Elena grabbed the orange tabby kitten as the furball lurched for the door. She kissed the spot between Ginger’s ears, closing her eyes to savor the fact that she finally had a kitten after years of wanting one. Lawrence had surprised her with Ginger two nights ago, opening his winter jacket to reveal giant golden eyes peering from the smallest orange face. A pink nose tinier than an eraser.

She set the kitten next to Sugar on a crumpled blanket under the Christmas tree. Sugar snuggled up to Ginger, promising she would babysit until Elena and Lawrence got back from the tree lighting.

“Are the cookies in the truck?” Elena asked Lawrence as he walked into the living room, looking unfairly sexy in a fitted red sweater. More than two years together, and her heart still caught when he walked into a room, her cheeks still heated, and she had to cross the distance to touch him at once. Hands on his strong forearms, she repeated her question, since he seemed strangely distracted.

“Yes, sweetie, everything is loaded up. No New Hope kids will be without cookies because of us.” He opened the front door, blanched, and then grabbed his coat from the closet. “I can’t believe I almost forgot this, though.”

An extreme reaction to forgetting his coat for a second, but he could get in his head sometimes, and she was too occupied with the upcoming ceremony to question him. Since she’d bought in as a partner, Sweet L’s had been flourishing. Between Lawrence’s unmatched baking skills and her ability to tempt new customers through the door, they’d been making steady profits for over a year. But success didn’t keep her from switching into full-on business mode when they had a special event like the tree lighting.

She locked the front door with her own key, which hadn’t gotten old in the eight months they’d been living together in Lawrence’s (her) house in New Hope. Some might think seeing each other all day, every day at work and then spending most of their free time together would dim the glow, but loving Lawrence was easy, and it grew on itself. The more she had, the more she wanted and needed.

Sure, sometimes they disagreed, but they were both committed to being honest when they felt upset, to giving each other space before anger could make them say things they regretted. Ninety percent of the time, they managed to give each other the benefit of the doubt. And the ten percent of the time they didn’t, they’d built up enough goodwill with each other that forgiveness came naturally, if not always easily.

As Lawrence drove to the town square, Elena watched snowflakes floating in the air. The night felt extra cold, and she pulled on her leather gloves. Wind snapped around them when they exited the truck, but she warmed up rushing around setting out cookies on a table near the gazebo. Cookie duty meant a prime view of the tree lighting.

Kids began to crowd the table, chubby hands and red cheeks. Iris came over, gave Elena a hug, then chose a cookie for baby Milo, who watched the scene with serious eyes from the carrier on Trey’s chest. Iris and Trey stuck close by, even as Lawrence and Elena got too busy to chat.

“Is that my mom?” Elena asked, rising to her tiptoes. Yes, here came Mom and Dad, wearing designer overcoats, looking a bit lost, weaving through the crowd. “Honey, look! My parents are here.”

“I know,” Lawrence said, attention focused on a family of four as he handed them cookies. “You always wish they were around for the holidays, so I begged them to give up the Caribbean for the Snowcap Inn this year. Merry early Christmas, my Elena.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Figures they’d do it to make you happy.” Mom and Dad were kinda obsessed with Lawrence ever since they’d seen how much Elena loved working at the bakery. Her new job gave her a steady income plus the time to freelance illustrate for Home Baker’s Quarterly and work on her painting . She waved wildly, excitement pumping. “Mom, Dad! Over here.”

“This is delightful,” Mom said, leaning in to kiss Elena’s cheek.

“I’m wondering why we even planned to spend Christmas on the beach in the first place,” Dad said. Elena gave him a long hug. “Who knew there was such beauty this close to home?”

Elena knew, but she was too thrilled to have them here with her to point it out.

“Mayor Montgomery said we can come up by the tree this year,” Lawrence said. “I guess they’re starting a new thing where a local business gets to be by the tree to highlight them.”

“Hey, they should’ve reached out to marketing for that, not you,” she said, giving him a sly smile.

“What can I say? The local boy still has an edge around here.”

“Go ahead. We’ll pass out the cookies,” Mom said, pushing Elena toward the gazebo. Elena turned back to protest, but Lawrence grabbed her hand right as Mayor Montgomery began the first countdown and the lights dropped.

Inside the gazebo felt less frosty than the open square, and she had to admit she was eager to be close to the lighting, even though she knew Santa was Mr. Martinez. In the pitch dark, she felt Lawrence pulling off her left glove.

“It’s cold,” she said, yanking her hand away. He caught it, removed the glove, then kissed her fingers. The fire truck lights whirled red across the square, and children clapped for Santa.

“I’ll keep you warm. Anyway, can you blame me for wanting to remember the night I met you, love?”

His hand and lips heated her, and she flushed at the memory of him running after her to return the missing glove. What if she hadn’t forgotten her glove that night? Everything might be different. She might still be suffering at Sparkle Cookie, hating her job, spending Christmas alone in her old apartment. She opened her palm to him; he pressed a kiss inside her hand. The lips she loved against her skin.

Santa climbed the steps, and the throng began the second countdown.

Ten, nine, eight …

Lawrence stepped back, maybe to get a better view.

Seven, six, five, four …

Her left arm stretched out behind her, hand still clasped to his.

Three, two …

One.

The lights exploded to brilliant life. Elena squealed in joy, voice echoing. The rest of the square stayed completely silent. Her gaze flew around the crowd. Where were the cheers? Mom made a twirling motion with her finger; Dad laughed about something. Elena’s brows knit, confused.

What …

“ELENA, TURN AROUND,” the entire population of New Hope shouted as one. Santa—Mr. Martinez—pointed behind her, eyes merry.

She spun. Then her mouth fell open, warm tears clouding her vision. She blinked them away. Lawrence, on one knee behind her, blue eyed and breathtaking. Picture perfect. Lawrence holding her left hand in his, a red-velvet ring box in the other. An open red-velvet ring box, an emerald solitaire the color of evergreen trees inside. Snow swirled around them, and a thousand lights glittered.

“Elena, sweetheart, I want you—I want everyone—to know, the last two years have been better than anything I could have wished for. I never could have imagined you, or dared to dream you. Under the most unlikely circumstances, I found my best friend, my partner, my true love.” His voice rang out—fearless and honest. His signature shyness was nowhere in sight as he declared what she meant to him, unworried by all the expectant eyes. “Every good day is better with you in it, and every bad day is endurable because you are by my side. Will you marry me and be my Elena forever?”

They stood in the town hall’s shadow, steps and a world away from their first meeting. Since that cold, confused night, everything had changed. All the risks had paid off. All the chances she’d taken had brought her to this moment, with the love of her life on his knee in front of her. Her heart was the fullest it had ever been. The crowd—these people who’d become friends and family—watched, waiting for her answer. Elena could dazzle them with an eloquent response, but instead she leaned down until her lips grazed the ear of the man she loved. Her warmth to his. And she whispered for only him to hear, “I will love you all my days. Yes, Lawrence, my darling, I will marry you.”

Best Christmas ever.