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“And then we got to the airport and grabbed two coffees and kept going.” Holden laughed. “I didn’t sleep a wink, even after we got home. I don’t know how I did it.”
“Pure adrenaline,” Nic said. “I can relate.”
“When you find the woman you love, you don’t need sleep,” Lucky said.
Everyone looked at him then, and he shrugged. That shrug said he realized it was cheesy, but he meant it. And Faith could relate. She’d taken a nap in Holden’s guest bedroom that afternoon, but only because she was so tired, she couldn’t keep her eyes open another second. And once she had that brief nap, she was good to go until bedtime.
“It’s all because of that mistletoe,” Noelle said. “I knew it was magic.”
“That Santa stepped in to help too,” Nic said. “I still don’t know what his deal was.”
“William Martin?” Lucky said. “Just an investor wearing a Santa costume.”
“Impossible,” Nic said. “The guy just vanished into thin air. He was there one second and gone the next.”
Lucky shrugged. “I can assure you he’s one hundred percent a normal guy. Just a retired teacher who served in the military back in the day. He acted like he had a big project for me, but all he wanted to talk about was you.”
Lucky turned his stare on Holden then, as did everyone else in the room. The investment. Faith had almost forgotten about all that with her own internal turmoil. But yeah, that was one of the main reasons he was here tonight.
“We’ve all discussed it and we’re in,” Matt said. “All of us. The group at large. We’re pitching in to help you build it and make it happen. Whatever you need, this is your group.”
Holden looked around, and Faith could see the emotion in his eyes. He was seeing the magic of Misty Mountain right in front of him. It didn’t come from some guy in a Santa costume who showed up with magic bags full of presents to make kids smile. It didn’t come from some investor in England who wanted to stick his nose in his personal business. No, it was here. It was this community.
“And I say once it’s built, we have a party just like this one,” Enzo said. “Hold some rooms for us at the ski resort next year. We’ll ring in the new year with a big punchbowl full of eggnog and some moose glasses, overlooking the ski slope.”
“With no snow,” Charity said.
“We don’t need snow for the night to be magical,” Noelle said. “Now, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but have any of you looked at the time lately?”
Gasping, Faith glanced at her phone screen and confirmed it was, indeed, one minute before midnight. They’d gotten so caught up in playing games, they’d forgotten the whole reason they were here.
“Grab your hats and let’s get ready!” Charity called out.
And then they were scrambling—rushing over to the area where the refreshments were to get their hats and noisemakers. There was even a little gadget that shot out confetti. Faith hated to mess up Lucky’s floors, but he’d insisted it was all part of the fun.
She and Holden came together, just as all the other couples did. Unlike the others, though, they stood back a little, taking some space for themselves. He put his arm around her and pulled her toward him, smiling down at her.
“They seemed to have taken it all pretty well,” he commented as the group around them counted down the seconds.
“I think so,” she said. “That’s what’s great about this town. Everyone has your back, no matter what.”
“I’m learning that,” he said. “I never imagined when I moved here that I’d be joining an extended family. The family I never really had.”
As Faith looked up at him, she saw that he’d come to some realizations tonight. This was his family. They were all here for him. She could’ve told him that from the start, but maybe it was something he had to learn for himself.
“That’s what’s great about Misty Mountain,” she said. “You’re finally home.”
“You’re my home,” he said.
And then, as the group around them got to four and three, Holden didn’t wait. He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a heartfelt kiss that was long overdue.
Faith didn’t care how the rest of this year went. This one kiss already made it the best year of her life so far.
27
Holden’s plan was to make breakfast. Problem was, he couldn’t find anything.
“Pans are over there,” J.J. said.
