Page 95 of Holiday Rescue

She sits back down, pleased with herself. “Now, who wants pie?”

Everyone laughs, and the conversation returns to normal. But I catch Jax’s eye across the room, and he mouths, “I love you.”

I mouth it back.

Later, much later, after everyone has gone home, Jax and I are back in his room, curled up in bed.

“Best Christmas ever?” he asks.

“Best Christmas ever,” I confirm. “Though I have a feeling they’re all going to be this good from now on.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Because I’ll be spending them with you,” he says, pulling me closer. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“One week,” he says quietly.

“One week until I move here for good.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

We lay there in comfortable silence, and I think about the future. About opening the business with Maggie and Riley. About building a life in this town. About waking up next to Jax every morning. About his family becoming my family. About everything I have to look forward to.

“Sloane?”

“Hmm?”

“Marry me.”

I lift my head to look at him. “What?”

“Not now. Not yet. But someday. When you’re ready. When we’ve had time to just be together. Marry me.”

My heart is racing. “Is that a proposal or a statement of intent?”

“Statement of intent. But also, a promise. That I’m in this. All the way. For keeps.”

Tears fill my eyes. “I’m in this, too. All the way.”

“Good.” He kisses me softly. “Then I’ll ask you properly someday. With a ring and a plan and something more romantic than a post-Christmas food coma conversation in bed.”

“I don’t need romantic. I just need you.”

“You’ve got me. Forever.”

“Forever,” I repeat. “I like the sound of that.”

We fall asleep wrapped around each other, and I dream about the future.

And when I wake up in the morning, I know with absolute certainty that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

This is home.

This is family.

This is love.

And it’s everything I never knew I needed.

THE END