Page 74 of Postmarked December

She looked over the flickering candlelight at him. He’d done all this for her and Toby. “Thank you,” she said in a whisper as she pulled the book to her chest.

“You’re welcome.”

She put the book back into the bag and stuffed the tissue paper on top, now wishing she hadn’t rushed through dinner. “What are you doing tonight for New Year’s Eve?” she asked.

“This.”

“Want to ring in the New Year with me?”

He gave her a definitive, “Yes.”

She clutched her bag and rose. He put his napkin on the table and stood up, then came around to her side and took the handles of the gift bag for her, carrying it to get their coats.

He’d traveled all over the place, planting those notes for her. Who does that for someone? The memory came to mind of him chasing after her car. He’d yelled out, “I adore you!”

Little did he know—because she had a terrible way of showing it—she felt just the same about him. Suddenly, she wanted to go back and do all the things she’d done this holiday—the wine shop, the cabin, the carriage rides, the bookshops—with him by her side. He’d been in the wings, quietly working to give her the best holiday anyone could ever ask for. And he adored her.

He stopped just before they got to the coat check. “What are you thinking about?” he asked, searching her face.

She looked up at him. “You.”

Interest flashed. “What about me?”

“That I don’t want to wait for midnight.”

“For what?”

“This.” She reached up and put her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips gently to his.

Suddenly, his strong arms were around her, holding her. His lips were on hers, his spicy scent overwhelming her. The world around them faded away, leaving only the warmth and quiet intensity of their connection. A shiver ran through her, an electric mix of nervousness and longing, and when they pulled back slightly, their eyes met with shy smiles, knowing something had quietly, irrevocably shifted between them.

Welcome to the beginning, she thought. And she couldn’t wait to see the next chapter.

Epilogue

The Next Christmas

“Thank you for coming,” Heather said to Alice Beckmeyer from Stargate Publishing.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Nick and Heather had planned the book launch for Christmas With You during the holiday, and it was as if the season itself had paused to remember Toby. Evergreen garlands framed the small, makeshift stage area of the local Nashville bookshop, and the scent of pine mingled with coffee and paperback books as country music fans gathered to view Toby’s memorabilia and personal photos of him and Heather. His fans were many—some in pressed denim jackets, others clutching photos of him and copies of his biography—all of them taking their seats for her speech.

Though he’d been gone for almost two years, Toby’s presence felt close tonight, stitched into every story and photograph, every quiet nod from those who had enjoyed his songs.

Heather stood at the podium in her green velvet holiday dress, steady, the book resting in her hands, her full journal in front of her so she could pull out a few stories to tell. Her last note to Toby was dated right after New Year’s. She’d thanked him for introducing her to Nick and for his blessing.

“Thank you for coming tonight.” Her voice echoed through the room.

Nick winked at her from the front row.

“I know Toby better than anyone, and when I read this for the first time, I cried the whole way through because of its absolutely raw honesty and transparency about how he felt about me. While he did a great job of telling me he loved me, I could only truly understand the depths of his love after reading this.”

She went on to speak of Christmas mornings spent in a van when they couldn’t afford a tour bus, of handwritten lyrics tucked into coat pockets, of the man behind the music who never stopped believing in simple truths and fighting for those less fortunate. Nick came up to read the first chapter and tell a few stories about writing with Toby. Then they stepped down into the crowd to celebrate with them.

As she and Nick signed copies of the book, Marion and Anthony passed out singles of “Highway 40” from Toby’s new album. In Toby’s memory, multiple artists had agreed to cut all the unpublished songs, with the proceeds going to Toby’s charities: a safehouse for women, a nationwide homeless food kitchen, a music program for underprivileged youth, and one for cancer research that Heather had chosen.

Pre-sale copies of Toby’s biography sold enough to launch Iron Pen Creative into the stratosphere, and Ricky scrambled to print the massive number of copies needed to fulfill all the orders. The biography hit number one the week it was announced, and Toby’s song of the same name topped the charts for another year, along with a couple songs from the new album. The book and charity album were a fantastic culmination of Toby’s talent.