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“I was never going to do that.”
She came over and wrapped her big brother and best friend in a tight group hug. Then Molly nudged her way in, not wanting to be left out of the action. Beside the four of them, Christmas lights twinkled.
“We’re going to make Christmas in June a thing,” Keaton joked.
“I’m so happy!” Leah declared. “I have been trying to get you two together foragesand you’ve both been so stubborn. This is wonderful.”
“Not anymore.” August laughed. “The only stubborn one left is Molly.”
“Woof!”
They all laughed as the dog chimed in, happy to have the crown for “most stubborn” firmly atop her furry head. Keaton looked down dotingly at his little sister, the woman he loved, and the dog who’d stolen his heart.Thiswas what life was all about—love, family, connection.
And he’d never shy away from those things ever again.
EPILOGUE
Christmas that year...the real Christmas
The best thing about August’s day was coming home. Because no longer was she greeted by an empty couch and an empty bed and creaking, quiet rooms. Now, when she came home, it was like stepping into a pair of open arms.
Sometimes literally.
Sometimes, when she returned home, she was attacked by a four-pound puppy with gold fur and a tongue that seemed to be everywhere all at once.
“Oh my goodness, you’re a little floofy tornado!” August dropped her bags and bent down to scoop up the puppy, whom they’d had for three weeks and hadfinallysettled on a name for.
Noelle.
Christmas-themed, of course, because it felt like an important moment in their relationship. And now it was their firstactualChristmas together, it felt like August’s life had finally come together the way she wanted it to. Nothing was missing.
Her business was booming.
Her friendships were strong.
Her love for Keaton had blossomed.
Of course, her parents were still annoying whenever they took swipes at her career or did their “keeping up with the Joneses” bullshit that they liked to do. But she’d made peace with the fact that it wasn’t her job to change them. She and Keaton visited them every so often, and he really tried to be friendly and connect with them, which she appreciated.
Would she ever be super close with her parents? Probably not. In their eyes, she would never quite be what they’d wanted her to be. But she was perfectly okay with that, because inhereyes, she was everything she should be.
Besides, family was the people you chose to surround yourself with...like all of those who were due to arrive in the next two hours for a festive Christmas Eveevedinner. Isla and Theo, Scout and Lane and their adorable baby girl, Leah and Will—her people.
“I’m home!” she sang out, and she snuggled Noelle. “You’re going to be well-behaved tonight, aren’t you? Molly is coming over.”
To say that Molly wasn’t exactly a fan of Noelle was slightly understating things, but the husky did her best to be tolerant and made it clear when she’d had enough. Noelle, of course,adoredMolly and wanted to play with her every second they were together. August had hopes they’d become good friends in the future, once Noelle’s puppy ways calmed down a bit.
“Kea?” she called out again as she put the puppy down.
Since the day Keaton had declared his love at Leah’s house, it felt like everything had changed. August had moved into his apartment and sold her place, and they were on the hunt for a house in Brooklyn, which would be closer to his family. Now that he didn’t need to commute into Manhattan every day—and August’s clients were all over the place, anyway—the thought of having a house with a backyard filled August’s heart with possibilities.
They could have a grooming station in the house for some clients to come to her, plus a spare bedroom for any friends who wanted to stay andplentyof space for Noelle to run around. They’d already planned to get another dog, since Keaton had now decided that he was, indeed, a dog person.
In fact, since he’d been gloriously unemployed, it was his job to take Noelle out for walks each day, and he’d taught her all kinds of tricks, like jumping through a hoop and playing dead and balancing a dog treat on her nose. Watching him find joy in things outside work was like watching a flower bloom, and he was, for the first time, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life...for the sake of enjoyment, rather than money.
The fact was, he’d made more than they could possibly need in a lifetime, and August’s business easily covered the basics. He’d dabbled with the idea of consulting to small businesses who were facing hostile takeover attempts, to help educate them on how to defend themselves and make sure their businesses weren’t vulnerable. But for now, he was simply living and enjoying all the things he’d forgone the past decade.
And mercifully, Fairchild & Hill had decided not to sue. Keaton had been very quiet on the whole thing, but she suspected that he had enough dirt on his old boss to keep them from lashing out at him. One lost deal was nothing compared to all the things they’d done in the past—things Keaton knew all the dirty, intricate details of.
