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“You’re in love?” Dad asks. “Why are we only just hearing about this?”
“Because it’s new,” I say, my eyes meeting Jackson’s as a loving smile plays on my lips.
“I heard yelling, sugar. Is everything OK?” He drops the bag onto the coffee table and eyes my phone, his eyebrows arching.
Nodding, I sigh.Might as well go ahead with it.
I pat the seat next to me and look back to the screen to see Mom and Gran’s eyes eager and wide. Dad’s red face looks about ready to burst, though. Jackson settles beside me and gives me a soothing smile, his hand gently squeezing my thigh in support.
“Mom, Dad, Gran…” I begin, turning the phone slightly so Jackson joins me in the frame. “This is Jackson Lee. Jackson, that’s my mom, Nina, my gran, Eloise, and that’s my dad, Vernon.” I point each of them out on the screen, and Jackson smiles and lifts a hand.
Mom gasps a loud, “Oh, my.”
“Merry Christmas, Clarke family,” Jackson begins, but Dad jumps in before he can say more.
“Now, what’s this I hear about you and my daughter—”
“Dad! No!” I hiss.
“It’s OK.” Jackson chuckles and stretches his arm across my shoulders, hugging me to him, before turning back to look at my family. “Sir, I know I could have gone about this a different way, and should have come to you and Mrs. Clarke first—”
“And me,” Gran interrupts. “You can call me Ellie, though. I hear you’ve got the goods.” She winks saucily at him, and Jackson flashes her an amused smile. As I shake my head and groan.
“She hasn’t heardanything,” I say.
“It’s OK.” Jackson chuckles before he continues. “Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, Ellie, I want you to know that I’m in love with Sophia, and I’ve asked her to marry me. She’s said yes, and the minute we’re cleared to fly, we’d love to come to Oakwood Falls to get your blessing in person and officially meet you.” Seriously, my man is so smooth, I just swooned a little harder hearing how respectful he is to my folks.
Mom blinks at him, and I find it important to mention that seeing her at a loss for words—never happened before. Gran smiles, a big toothy grin, and dad… I blink in surprise to see him looking at Jackson with what looks like...respect?
“Will you look at that?” Dad says, fighting a smile. “You’ve turned Nina mute.” He gives my mom a loving look even though he’s teasing her. “Son, if you weren’t already marrying into the family, I’d adopt you.”
Mom rolls her eyes and Dad kisses her on the cheek. And just like that, the most perfect Christmas of all feels complete. And it wasn’t because it was filled with expensive gifts and a ridiculous amount of food. No. It’s because it’s been filled with love. And I couldn’t be happier.
EPILOGUE
Jackson
Five Years Later
When I wake up, it is with Sophia curled into my side, her breathing soft and warm against the hollow of my throat where her face is buried. My wife loves her mornings because I always keep the promise I made to her when I proposed—to wake her up with kisses and love-making. She shifts a little, pressing closer as her hips move against mine. I groan softly. Five years later to the day, and my Sophia still makes me hard, even in her sleep.
This morning, however, I simply hold her to me, watching and feeling the rhythmic rise and fall of her shoulders. We probably have a minute or two before our kids come running in, and I’m surprised we’ve gotten this much time to ourselves.It is Christmas, after all.
Right on cue, the door to our bedroom bursts open, and our firstborn, Jordan, comes bounding in, holding his little sister Eloise’s—or Ellie, who we’d named after Sophia’s Gran—hand as she waddles, trips then crawls in behind him. Ever since Jordan realized how to help his sister out of her crib, Sophia and I have been having nightmares, thinking of all the things that can happen. But my boy knows how precious the baby of our family is, and Ellie adores her brother.
“Dada!” Our girl cries as Jordon struggles to hoist her up onto the bed.
I grin and reach an arm out, place my arm under her little butt and boost her up. She crawls all over me, getting tangled up in our sheets.
I turn to see that Sophia is awake now, slightly propped up against her pillow and smiling down at Jordan who’s sitting at the curve of her hip, chatting away to his mom about how Santa came and there are presents everywhere. Sophia catches my eye and smiles up at me during the tirade of chatter, and I lean over to kiss her.
“It’s Christmas, Jackson,” she whispers with a sigh.
I grin at her slyly. “Happy anniversary, honey.” Her face heats up. My shy, sweet Sophia, has never managed to get past all that blushing. I love it.
I reach over to pluck little Ellie off the bed, laughing as her little bootie clad foot finally comes untangled from the blanket, and kiss the top of her soft, downy auburn curls. Our baby looks so much like Sophia, and I know that I’ll need to get Vernon to teach me how to use his shotgun one day. Four years ago, right after we had Jordan, I surprised Sophia and bought us a home in Oakwood Falls, a street over from her parents’ place. She’d fallen in love with the house, and I’d fallen in love with her family and Oakwood Falls during our first visit here. So we moved down here permanently before our family got any bigger. I still have my penthouse in Boston for all the times we visit my family or when Sophia has a show there. But our home base is here. In this beautiful small town where happiness reigns.
My Sophia made it big in Boston with her clothing brand for plus-sized women, and a couple of years into our marriage, she became so successful that I’d decided to pull back fromPhase, so I could be with the kids and she wouldn’t worry about them when she was away. I still run my company, but my brother, Matthew, now manages things at the head office in Boston, and I work remotely. Watching Sophia grow, first, round with our baby, and then, with her brand, has been the best.
