“You have my whole family’s blessing,” he says quietly. “I told them everything. That you weren’t my girlfriend—but I want you to be.”
My happiness falters. “Do they hate me?”
“Do you think they’d be out here caroling if they did? My brothers hate caroling.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ears. “But they like you.”
I stare up at him, sure this is a dream, and I’ll wake up and find myself back in Atlanta. Alone.
“How did you find me?”
He laughs. “The joys of living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone’s business. It took Mom about ten minutes and that was because she got stuck on the phone with Mrs. Hamilton for about seven of them.”
I can’t stop smiling.
“Do you think this is less public enough?” His gaze pins me. “Because I’m not sure how much longer I can wait to kiss you the way I’ve been wanting to kiss you for days.”
“Yes.” The word slips out, breathless.
His palm slides up the side of my neck, his thumb grazing my pulse as he tilts my head back. Then his mouth is on mine—hotter, hungrier than before. Every ounce of restraint we’ve been clinging to shatters like ice. My hands fist in his coat as I kiss him back, just as needy, just as desperate.
He kisses me like a drowning man searching for air—and I’m his only breath. When he finally pulls away, I’m dizzy, my lips tingling, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Is this real?” The words tumble out before I can stop them.
His thumb sweeps across my cheekbone, anchoring me. “Yes.”
“How are we gonna make this work, Alex? We live completely different lives.”
His thumb strokes my jaw, slow and deliberate. “I don’t know, Fin. But I do know I was miserable without you. I don’t want to feel like that again, so we’ll figure it out—whatever it takes.”
He lowers his mouth to mine again. This kiss is slower but no less intense, a promise in every brush of his lips. By the time he lifts his head, I believe him.
“Will you come back to my parents’ house?” he asks softly.
For the first time, I glance away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
His face falls.
“But Barb and Mirna have the house for the rest of the week,” I add quickly. “So maybe we could… date?”
His smile blooms, warm enough to melt the snow around us. “I would love to date you, Finley O’Brien.”
The sleigh glides forward, the bells jingling in time with my racing heart, and as Alex’s hand finds mine under the blanket, I know this is just the beginning of our story.
Epilogue
Finley
One Week Later
* * *
When I walk into Beans to Go on January second, I’m prepared for an inquisition. Maggie and Bethany texted me all week, demanding updates. But I kept things vague—just the holiday activities, nothing personal.
To be honest, I’m exhausted, but in the best possible way. Alex kept me busy every day, especially after Mirna and Barb went home a few days before New Year’s Eve. Things were going well between us, and since he’d given Grant the bed in their room and moved to the sofa bed, he started staying in the cottage with me.
Not that I’m complaining.
Still, I’m nervous about being home. Hollybrook was like a fantasy—snow, sleigh rides, and Christmas village magic. But today’s our first day in the real world, and I’m not sure how this version of us will hold up.
I unlock the door to the shop and walk inside. Maggie and Bethany are already behind the counter, prepping to open the shop. Maggie looks up, and her face lights up.
