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I smile, but it’s bland. “Of course I do.” I don’t care though. The last thing on my mind is my family’s reputation right now. When Mom goes to take a last minute call, I close my eyes and take myself through my routine that I go through before I perform. It’s supposed to make me feel more ready to get up on a stage and let people see me, but I never really feel completely ready because of my OCD. It’s as close as I can get, I guess.

I take deep breaths and wrap my arms around myself, patting my elbows in time with the beat of my heart. I breathe in, hold it, breathe out, counting slowly to four with each step. It settles something inside me, but there’s still the dull ache that’s been lodged in my chest ever since Catherine Peters walked in on me, Callan, and Tate.

When I open my eyes again, Mom is bustling Dad into the room. “Everybody ready?”

I just nod. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.

We all head down to the town square where the closing events are taking place. There are already tons of people milling around, waiting for the show to start. There are people I recognize from Hope Falls and visitors, everybody bundled up against the cold and clutching paper cups of coffee, hot cocoa, or hot cider.

People still shoot me sidelong glances, but at least no one comes up to me and says anything.

Through the crowd, a bit away, I can see Ares, standing taller than most of the people around him. Callan and Tate are flanking him as always, and my heart gives a painful squeeze at the sight.

It’s like the moment in the airport all over again, seeing him there and not being able to cross the distance between us. Before I can turn away, Ares looks up and sees me. He nudges Callan, who looks over too. For a moment, it looks like they might come over to say something to me, but then someone taps the mic and gets everyone’s attention.

Mayor Donlan is standing on the stage, smiling out at everyone. “I want to thank everyone for attending the annual Hope Falls Winter Festival. As you all know, this is a special one, and we couldn’t have done it without everyone pitching in to help. So give yourselves a round of applause.” He waits for the clapping to die down before continuing on. “The festival is winding down, but we still have a couple treats for everyone before it’s over. Starting with a performance from Hope Falls’ own Brynn Carter.”

The crowd starts clapping again, and I guess even the rumors about me aren’t dimming people’s enthusiasm for hearing me perform.

My mom takes my arm and hustles me up to the stage.

This is a smaller crowd than I’m used to performing for, so I just take a breath and take the mic. I went back and forth, debating what to sing for this. I know my parents would probably prefer I do one of my more popular songs, the ones that get the most radio play these days. I thought about doing that too. But standing there in front of everyone, the only song in my head is Dandelion, the one that Callan likes so much.

It feels fitting to sing it now, almost like a goodbye to Ares, Callan, and Tate, before we go our separate ways.

I pick up the guitar that’s been left on the stage for me, and I start to sing.

I haven’t performed this one in a while, but it comes to me so easily. The words, the melody, everything flowing out of me with more emotion than I expected. I look into the crowd and I see all three of them watching me, their eyes locked on the stage, and my chest aches.

But I push that aside and build to the climax of the song, letting my voice ring out pure and clear until the final verse. The last few chords fade away as I finish the song, and the crowd bursts into thunderous applause.

Someone whistles from the back, and I smile, taking a little bow. “Thank you guys so much. Happy holidays.” I lift my hand, waving at them all before stepping down from the stage.

The mayor takes the mic again. “Let’s get one more round of applause for Brynn Carter! She’s doing us proud. Now, to close out the festival, we’ll have a few words from Ares Thornton.”

He says a bit about the Thornton family and how they’ve dedicated themselves to making Hope Falls a better place, alongside the efforts of the Carters, the two founding families of the town.

Ares takes the stage, standing tall and proud, and part of me wants to turn away and not listen. Part of me is rooted to the spot. I can imagine his parents gave him something rehearsed to say, something about their family legacy and all that.

When he takes the mic, his voice is deep and strong.

“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for coming. If you’re from here, you know how magical Hope Falls is around Christmas time. It’s the winter wonderland everyone’s always trying to reach, right here in our own little town. If you’re a visitor, welcome, and thank you for making the trip. We hope you’ve enjoyed yourself.” He clears his throat. “I grew up here. This was my home until I went off to college. By that point, it didn’t feel much like home anymore.” There’s a shifting in the crowd, and I frown, staring up at him and wondering where he’s going with this.

“Once, I walked away from the best part of living here. I found something on the other side of that, a new life, good friends.” He beckons, and Tate and Callan step forward and make their way onto the stage.

Now I know he’s going off script. There’s no way Claudia Thornton would have let him do this.

Tate and Callan fall in behind him, and Ares continues. “But no matter how far from home I was, the best part of it was still out there, and I felt incomplete without it. Without her.”

Someone in the crowd gasps, and my eyes fly open wide. There’s no way, right? He’s not… he wouldn’t…

“Brynn Carter was everything to me once, and now that she’s back in my life again, I’m not letting her go. I love her. I’ve always loved her. Ever since we were teenagers, and I’d watch her scribbling lyrics instead of taking notes in math class. Over this holiday break, it’s been my honor to watch the two other people who mean the most to me fall for her too. That just made me love her even more. I know there have been rumors spreading these last few days, but I want to say that it’s no one’s place to judge our relationship. Even if you do judge us, I don’t care. That’s not enough to make me give up what I want anymore.”

His eyes seek out someone in the crowd, and I realize he’s looking at his parents.

“The people I love are the only people whose opinions matter to me now.”

When he finishes, he steps back, and the crowd doesn’t seem to know how to respond. But then Tate moves forward and takes the mic, his eyes finding mine.