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“Oh, god,” she says, sitting up.
“What?” I ask, running my hands over her sweet skin. Then I feel it. A release of water. I look down.
“We're about to have a Christmas baby, aren't we?”
She laughs, covering her face and shaking her head. “My water broke.”
“Now I know what we're going to name him,” I say with a grin.
“What's that?” she asks.
“Nicholas. We can call him Nick.”
“Saint Nick?” she asks, eyelashes fluttering.
I nod, laughing. “It suits a boy conceived on Jingle Bell Lane; don’t you think?”
She grabs my hand. “Now help me up so I can get to the hospital because I don’t want to give birth to Nicholas on the street.”
I help her stand and dress, and soon enough we’re out the door. Before she steps into the truck, I give her one last kiss, standing under the softly falling snow, the streetlamp lighting the mood.
“The Grinch may have stolen Christmas,” she says. “But you, Filson Barre, stole my heart.”Epilogue TwoMapleFive Years Later…I've always been proud of my husband. Five years of marriage have taught me that Filson is definitely not a grinch. He’s the most generous man I've ever known, and not just because he showers me and our four children with more love than any woman could ever imagine.
I realize now that my initial love for him back when we were little kids wasn't just because he was someone I could help, who I could look out for. It was because he saw me the way my parents had, the way Granny did. As a treasured gift, something not to take for granted but to value every day of our lives. He loved me like I was family long before we were one.
Standing here at the Snowy Valley Shopping Center, my heart fills with pride. Filson has become a fixture in the town. He’s been Santa Claus on Jingle Bell Lane's annual Christmas party every year since the first time I asked him. He dons the red velvet coat and big black belt, turning into the sexiest Santa I've ever seen and pulls kids onto his lap as he lets them whisper in his ear their dreams for Christmas; their wishes. But he is also the first one to lend a helping hand when someone’s roof is leaking, to offer assistance when someone needs their heating system fixed, or the first man to volunteer when the football team needs a coach.
It's romantic. Seeing him help others. When I first propositioned him as a fix-it man, I didn’t realize he’d been fixing things for people long before I asked him for help. Now I know it is in his blood as much as it is in mine.
His generosity makes me want to be a better wife, a better mother, a better friend. Speaking of friends, Annabelle waves at me from the crowd. I'm standing with my family, of course, up front next to the bright red ribbon that's about to be cut. Filson is talking to the older women in town who seem to think he is the sexiest Christmas gift around. I smile, knowing it's harmless flirtation and I’d never begrudge the women a moment with him.
“Auntie Annabelle,” Nicholas shouts, calling my best friend over. She leans down, giving my five-year-old a big hug.
“How's my little guy doing? Look at you. So handsome in your Christmas sweater.”
“Mom made us match,” he says proudly.
I reach out and squeeze my best friend's hand. “And how are you doing?”
“Pretty good. Although Isaiah said I shouldn't be out in my condition.”
“Your condition?” I ask with a laugh. “You're six months pregnant. I don't think that should ban you from this.”
“I agree. But he's just worried. You know with it so cold out and there's supposed to be a big storm.”
“So I heard,” I say. “But you're still planning on coming up to the cabin tomorrow?”
“Weather permitting,” she says. “And Isaiah is driving, so that makes him feel better. Of course, I can't go sledding with all of you guys, but it'll be awesome to make Christmas cookies together at Filson’s old cabin.”
I nod in agreement. “It will be a little chaotic, but Jody and her daughter are coming too.”
“That's great,” she says. Then looking around at the crowd, she shakes her head. “I still can't believe Filson pulled this off. You must be so proud of him.”
“We all are. It's been his dream for a long time.”
Annabelle nods in understanding. “And with Asher finally kicked off the city council, it’s like everything is finally right in Snowy Valley.”
I smile. “I still can't believe he had been embezzling money all that time and to think of all those people who weren’t able to be helped because of his choices.”
“I know,” Annabelle says. “It's terrible. But on the bright side, we have this amazing shopping center opening. The bookstore that is opening here is going to feature Jody’s soup recipe book.”
