Page 97 of When the Fake Snow Falls

The corner of his mouth quirks, and he takes my hand, pressing his lips to the back of my knuckles.

Smiling at Miles, I say, “I think I’m ready for another one of those drinks.”

Miles cocks an eyebrow. “In the mood to celebrate?”

I look at Chase. This beautiful man inside and out who has managed to beat all my expectations. It’s all been real. I wasn’t his fallback plan. I wasn’t his second pick. It wasn’t fake. A slow smile pulls at my lips, and Chase mirrors my expression. Turning back to Miles, I grin.Thisfeels like Christmas. “Yes. Let’s celebrate.”

epilogue

ONE YEAR LATER

“You weren’t kidding.This is . . . uh, this is impressive.” Chase might as well have his face glued to the car window as we pull up to my parents’ heavily decorated home.

A full Santa’s sleigh with eight reindeer is supposed to be the focal point, but they almost get buried under everything else around them. There’s blow-up polar bears and penguins, seven twinkling trees, and enough string lights to flip a circuit breaker.

“You have no idea what you’re in for.”

Chase looks over at me with wide eyes, and I’m sure my smile looks more like a grimace as I put the car in park. He’s met my parents, but this is the first time he’ll see their home, and he’s definitely seeing it at its finest.

He points out the window. “Is that an actual candy cane forest?”

I crane my neck to look in the direction he’s pointing. “Oh, yeah. It is.”

He balks at me. “Your parents have a candy cane forest in their front yard.”

I take in a breath and nod. “Yeah. They’re kind of big fans of candy canes.”

As if on cue, my mother comes running out of the house with both hands waving in the air like a lunatic. “Candy Cane!” Looking over her shoulder, she hollers for my father. “Bill! They’re here!”

Chase looks from my mother back to me with possibly the biggest smile I’ve ever seen plastered on his face. “Oh. I’m so excited for this.”

“Gotta love weird parents, right?”

He doesn’t take his eyes off my mother with that same stupid grin on his face. “So much.”

The woman is now frantically rubbing her hands on her apron and hurrying toward the car. She looks like a dark-haired Mrs. Claus equipped with a gingerbread skirt and all.

“I love her.”

Looking over at him, I scoff. He still hasn’t taken his eyes off her, but he reaches for the door handle.

“Chase!” I playfully scold with a laugh.

Quickly darting his eyes to me, he adds, “Not the same way I love you, Candy Cane.” He smirks, and I know this is only the beginning of him using that nickname as a weapon against me.

“Despicable,” I mutter, but he just laughs as he gets out of the car.

By the time we’re both standing, my mother has reached us, and is practically bouncing on her toes, trying to decide who to hug first. She ends up going for me, her arms squeezing tightly around my neck. “How was the drive? Are you hungry?” She pulls back to examine me, her hands still firmly clasped on my shoulders. “Your aura is radiant.” She looks over at Chase. “You’re doing wonders for her.”

He grins. “I am, aren’t I?”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I shake my head.

If only the smug look that coats his features made him any less desirable. “Auras don’t lie, Candace. Listen to your mother.”

My mom beams at Chase before looking back at me, and literally booping me on the nose with her finger. “See, he’s a good one.”

This is going to be a long visit. Technically, we’re only staying for a couple of days, but I already know how this will go. Especially when my mom releases me and turns to my boyfriend. “Chase,” she says with open arms and a warm smile.

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