“I’d love to have you all at the B&B. We’d have a lot of fun.” Ashley sips her drink and looks at the cards in her hand, deciding what to play.
Things were a little awkward at the start, but as the hours ticked by, she became more and more comfortable with my family, and now she’s settled right in.
“We should spend next Christmas there,” Brynn says.
“Way to invite yourself,” Tre says.
Brynn throws a cheeseball at him, and it pings off his forehead. “I meant if she wasn’t already booked.”
Ash shakes her head. “I only open the dates a year ahead of time, so I can block them off.” She knocks me with her shoulder. “Well, my expert IT husband can do it for me.”
I love the idea of my family coming out to Vermont to visit us next year. So much so that I pull my phone from my back pocket, log into the backend of Ashley’s website, and block off the dates. “Done.”
“I’ve never been to Vermont. Looking forward to it. You have ski slopes, right?” Pierce says in his posh English accent, glancing at Brynn. The two of them and their need to compete on what’s better, skis or snowboarding. I love Pierce, and I hate to side with my sister, but snowboarding is so much better.
“What did your family say when you told them you got married, Ashley?” Brynn glances at me as though she’s worried.
“My parents were pissed. My mom specifically. But I honestly think a big part of it is that she didn’t get to attend the wedding, or more accurately, she didn’t get to plan a big wedding. My sister hired a wedding planner, so she missed out with her as well. We FaceTimed my sister and Doug, and that went surprisingly well. They were shocked, of course, because as far as they knew, I didn’t like Carter.”
“Not surprising. What boneheaded thing did my brother do to make you hate him?” Brynn asks.
“You don’t want to know, sis, trust me,” I say, and Ash and I share a chuckle.
“Doug and Steph were happy for us, but also a little upset that they missed the wedding. But they’re excited because now when we see each other, it’ll be a lot of fun since I’m coupled up with their best friend.”
“I think it’s romantic,” Tessa says with a sigh, setting her chin on her hand. “Falling in love at Christmas is the most magical time.”
Tre kisses her cheek.
Pierce kisses Brynn’s cheek.
I kiss Ashley’s cheek.
All three of the Russell kids fell in love at Christmastime. Who could ever have predicted that?
“Agreed. I never could have guessed we’d end up here, but there really are Christmas miracles,” I say.
“God, love has made you sappy.” Brynn tosses a piece of the cookie at me, and I shift, opening my mouth wide and catching it.
After I finish chewing, I look at my wife. “If sappy feels this good, I’ll take it.”
Epilogue
ASHLEY
There’s a knock at the bedroom door, but before I answer it, I look at my reflection in the mirror.
I think back to last year at this time and how I was getting married. This year, Carter and I are headed to the same hall the holiday dance was at to celebrate our union. So many people in our lives regretted not being able to celebrate with us on our big day, so we decided to have a reception while Carter’s family is in town for the holidays.
It seems like the perfect way to share our joy with everyone who means the most to us.
Once I fix my hair a little, check my makeup, I take a deep breath.
The plan is that everyone else is already at the hall, and Carter and I will arrive after. The DJ will announce us like he would at a regular reception, then we’ll enjoy a night of drinks and dancing with all our favorite people. Carter’s whole family will be there. My parents, Steph, and Doug flew in with some other members of our family, and some of our friends from town will be there as well.
True to his word, Carter quit his job as soon as he returned to the office after the holidays last year and moved to MistletoeFalls. The past year has been magical, as if the holidays never ended. We’ve carried the feeling throughout the whole year.
My hand wraps around the door handle, and I swing open the door. Carter’s there, as I knew he would be, and for not the first time this year, he seems speechless.
