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Hana rose from the sofa and gave her a hug. “Good job, sis,” she said quietly. “You did yourself, and me, proud.”

Rosie smiled from her seat on the sofa. “You were great, kid.”

A tiny bud of pride grew in Maya’s chest.

Yvonne got to her feet, closing the gap to stroke Maya’s hair. “I’ll go in and have a chat with your dad. Help him come to terms with what you said.” She kissed Maya’s cheek, her voice soft. “Thank you for what you said to him at the end. He does love you as you are, and so do I. I just need to help him express it better.”

Maya nodded, rubbing her eyes. “Thanks, Mum.” She cleared her throat. “I’m going now before I cry like a baby.” Managing to flash them a smile, she made for the front door to put on her boots and jacket, listening to her mum enter the kitchen and the start of a murmured conversation between her parents.

Opening the door to a blast of cold and billowing snow, she blinked. “Blimey. It’s like being on the slopes.”

She stepped outside and walked down the driveway, pulling her hood over her woolly hat and pausing on the pavement to look left and right, trying to decide which direction to go in.

The desire to walk toward Sam’s was too strong, so she set off that way. Though she was unsure whether she’d go and ring his bell or not, because he might still need space. Maybe she’d just walk past and have a look at his place, if she could manage it without seeming like some kind of crazy stalker. At least the sight of their glorious Christmas lights might cheer her up a little.

A figure became apparent through the snow a few yards away, and she glanced up, wondering if it was one of the neighbors. But she recognized that red jacket, and the handsome face under the cute beanie.

Her heart lifted; was he coming to see her? Why else would he be in this vicinity in a veritable snowstorm?

Pushing down the urge to run toward Sam and throw her arms around him, she closed the gap, slowing to a stop.

“Nice evening for it,” she said, getting lost in his amber eyes. “Come here often?”

He smiled, with the snowflakes swirling around him, and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “I only come here when I’m looking for my hot girlfriend, to whom I owe a huge apology, in order to grovel on my knees that she take me back.”

A starburst struck her insides so forcefully that Maya thought it must surely be visible for him to see. “On your knees? I think you’d end up with frostbitten legs.”

Sam reached out to hug her close. “I’m so sorry about my impulsive reaction. I didn’t want to break up. I thought that I was doing the right thing.” He glanced down. “If I’m honest, and after a bit of amateur counseling by Olivia Holland, I did it because I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. I was scared you’d be the one to end it, and it was an avoidance tactic from my apparently mammoth rejection issues.” He took a breath, lifting his gaze to hers again. “Whatever you need me to do to prove that I’m worthy after my stumbling at the first hurdle, I’ll do it.”

Maya grasped the front of his jacket and pulled him in, kissing him, absorbing the graze of his beard, the heat of his mouth, and the tiny bursts of cold as the falling snowflakes became part of their kiss.

She broke off to hold his face as she spoke. “You don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Because I love you and of course I want you back.” She kissed the tip of his nose and smiled at how cold it was. “I’m not going anywhere, Sam. You are good enough, and you’re stuck with me. I was planning on telling you that, once you were ready. Plus that I’ll wait around as long as it takes for you to be ready for a relationship. Because I was worried we’d rushed it and you needed time to get over what happened with you and Cat. That was the only reason I accepted you finishing things.” She searched his face, taking in the emotion shining in his eyes. “We don’t have to be official again until you’re ready. I’ll wait.”

He tugged her back in to kiss her, taking her breath away. “I want it to be official. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. Maya, I’ve loved you since I was eighteen, and I’m locked in.”

Despite the arctic conditions, Maya had never felt warmer. “Me too.”

Sam gave her a tentative smile. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about the counseling. I’m going to go for it. It’s my responsibility to face my issues, not yours to fix them.” He cleared his throat. “I wondered whether, if my counselor thinks it’s a good idea, we could get some couples counseling too? I don’t want any past baggage getting in the way of us moving forward.”

Maya nodded, pride swelling within her that he was brave enough to face his demons. “Of course we can.”

His smile broadened, making his eyes shine. “If you want that job, then take it. I’ll move to Edinburgh with you. They’ve got a dry ski slope, after all.”

Maya pretended to gag. “A dry slope? Do not speak such filth to my ears.”

Sam laughed, pulling her closer.

Shaking her head, she smiled. “I’m turning the job down. Which is what I would’ve done, whether you and I were together or not. I hate accountancy, and I love skiing. I want to be content in my career.” She shot him a meaningful look. “As well as in my private life.”

He ran a gloved thumb over her cheek. “I just want you to be happy, and I’ll do whatever you need me to, in order to make that happen.”

“I am happy,” she said. “As long as I have you. You don’t hold me back, Sam. You set me free.”

He blinked hard, his eyes shining. “What about your dad?”

“We’ve just had a heated discussion. I nearly bottled it. But then I realized I couldn’t keep on sacrificing pieces of myself to make others happy, because soon there’d be nothing of me left.” She sighed. “I told him some hard truths, then left to walk it off, and here we are.”

Frowning, Sam searched her face. “Are you okay?”