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This was the second time in his life he’d said vows in front of a preacher and all the people he loved. One thing he hadn’t expected was how much more it would mean the second time around. He’d been through a failed marriage. He knew what he’d done wrong—the mistakes he’d made. He was stronger, a much better man now. And he would spend the rest of his life proving to her that he wasn’t going anywhere.
And neither was she.
As they kissed for the first time as a married couple, the audience cheered. And then they were following the wedding party out of the main room of the ski lodge and into the restaurant, where they’d have their reception.
“This is the best day of my life,” she whispered into his ear as they had their first dance.
“It’s only going to get better from here,” he whispered back.
EPILOGUE
Christmas morning came early at the Pryce house.
But this year, it wasn’t J.J. pounding on their door to tell them Santa had come. This year, it was their newborn, crying in his crib down the hall.
“I’ll get him,” Holden said, settling a hand on Faith’s arm to encourage her to stay exactly where she was.
“I need to—”
Holden didn’t let her finish. “You need to sleep.”
He’d never tell her this, but he didn’t mind getting up early with the baby. Not at all. In fact, some of his favorite times over the past few years had been rocking in that chair in the nursery, first with their daughter, Emory, and now with their son, Easton.
But today, when he opened the door, that rocking chair wasn’t empty. Instead, J.J. sat in it, wearing her Santa PJs with her hair all mussed. In her arms was Easton, and she was rocking him as she smiled down at him.
“What are you doing up?” he said.
She looked up at him, still obviously very groggy, and said, “Shh.”
This time, he said it in a whisper. “What are you doing up?”
“Santa came,” she said. “Do you think I could sleep in?”
J.J. was twelve now, and way too mature for her years. Maybe it was being a big sister. She loved the role.
“You never could wait to open your gifts,” he said. “But what time is it?”
He really needed to put a clock in here. During the day, he had his phone on him at all times, but when he stumbled in here at night, it remained on the charger next to his bed. He was always clueless as to what time he entered and how long he was in here before Easton was tucked peacefully back into his crib.
“Christmas isn’t about me,” she whispered. “It’s about Emory. She’s so excited. I can’t wait to watch her open her gifts.”
He believed she was excited about that. But he also knew J.J. She didn’t want to admit that the sight of Santa still made her giddy, even if she said she didn’t believe in him anymore.
“Still, you really should go back to bed,” Holden said, stepping into the room with every intention of taking Easton off her hands. “It’s going to be a long day, what with all your cousins coming over and all.”
The Pryces were hosting Christmas for the first time this year. While Faith’s parents loved having everyone over, the family had outgrown their kitchen. Besides, now that all three sisters lived on this property, near the top of the mountain together, it was just easier to have group events in one place.
Soon after their wedding, Holden had bought this large chunk of land. He and Nic had grown the ski lodge to a profit almost immediately and the needle just kept ticking upward from there. Ana’s husband, Trevor, now managed the place full-time, while Lucky and his crew were busy with the additional chalets the successful ski resort had brought to the mountain.
Business was good in Misty Mountain, and it was only getting better.
“Dad?” J.J. whispered.
“Hmm?” he asked.
He wasn’t sure if he was distracted or still groggy from sleep. Maybe a little bit of both.
“Do you think maybe I could watch Emory and Easton when you guys go out for New Year’s Eve?”
