Page 39 of Yours to Ho Ho Hold
Holly’s eyes light up in excitement as she covers her mouth to hold in a squeal.
“But tonight, it’s still Christmas, and I think I’d like to spend the next”—I glance at the time on my phone—“three hours doing very dirty things to you in the privacy of your very expensive suite.”
Her smile is quickly replaced with my favorite sexy grin as she takes another sip of her cocktail. “Only if we can finish the rest of the scene. What do you say, Santa?”
My heart skips a beat in my chest as I try to keep from throwing her over my shoulder right here in this hotel bar.
I pull some cash out of my wallet, adding an extra hundred on top. “Larry, my man, how much will it cost me for that Santa hat?”
Epilogue
Holly
Christmas Eve– 3 Years Later…
I had big,audacious dreams when I was a little girl and I was privileged to grow up in a home that nurtured my creative spirit. So much that at the ripe age of twenty I felt ready to take my first leap into the real world only to have it all come plummeting down on my face.
I thought I’d fallen too far, messed this up too badly to repair, that I’d ruined my only shot by wasting it before I was ready… but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I thought that failing meant just that, that I’d failed and wasted my only opportunity away, like there were only so many shots available to me and I used up all my chances.
But that’s not how life works and what I’ve come to learn is that success isn’t possible without its loyal companion, failure.
They go hand in hand because success doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s the ebb and flow and constant iteration of ideas, making little tweaks and changes along the way. Success is recognizing failure while it’s still early and pivoting into something better.
I used to look at my past mistakes as a stain or a scar that marked me as a constant reminder of the shame I felt but now I see my past mistakes more like speed bumps warning me to slow down so I don’t wipe out around the next big curve.
“Are you ready for this?” Drew whispers in that gruff, sexy voice as he wraps an arm around me.
It’s Christmas Eve and all of our family is here as well as a store full of fellow enthusiastic romance-readers, as we celebrate the grand opening of our fifth brick and mortar bookstore in, none other than, Chestnut Crossing.
Readers from all over the country have flown in to celebrate with us in this magical Christmas town where it all started.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, baby. You created all of this from a seed of an idea in that brilliant head of yours.”
I grab his hand and twist underneath his arm bringing us chest to chest. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my well connected, insanely hot, super model boyfriend.” I sneak up on my toes and plant a kiss on his lips, my sticky lip gloss leaving a thin sheen that he quickly licks away.
It’s hard to believe so much has happened. In only 3 years, with the help of Sam’s investment and Drew and Wren’s industry contacts, I was able to create a booming online book club subscription box focusing solely on romance books. The subscription box quickly turned into live events, where I’d travel to different cities and host fun book-themed parties, meeting amazing authors and readers along the way.
When the merch line took off we needed a place to hold all the inventory, and it just made sense to try another swing at a brick and mortar store. I opened the first Ho’s Books in my hometown, across the street from my very first location. Then a year later I opened the next one back in Florida to be closer to Drew and his family.
Shortly after I had two more stores popping up coast to coast, but I saved the grand opening of my favorite location just in time for my favorite holiday.
We booked out the local inn a year in advance in preparation for tonight. It was a risk, I didn’t know if people would show up and travel to be here on Christmas Eve, but what better place to spend Christmas than the Northpole of the Midwest?
I look around at the tightly packed space as my heart burst with gratitude. Readers file around the author tables, taking pictures with friends they’ve only known online and meeting their favorite authors. It’s incredible and so much better than I even imagined.
I glance up at the bulky stud beside me, decked out in his infamous Santa suit and killer handlebar mustache, tattoos covering nearly every inch of his skin apart from his handsome face. And to think, none of this would be possible without his little jump start, as he calls it.
I’ve come to realize that the Jordan Law goes so much deeper than being a generous lover. Drew still won’t tell me all the details, but I’ve come to gather that the Jordan men have an affinity for helping their women appreciate themselves. And that’s a good enough explanation for me. I still don’t know how I ended up so lucky, because I think Drew Jordan has made it his mission to make sure I love myself almost as much as he loves me. A girl can’t complain about that.
“I can’t wait to sit on your face tonight, Santa, and take that mustache for a ride.” I kiss his cheek catching him off guard with my words.
“Jesus, Hols, are you trying to give me another boner in front of your mom?” He tightens his grip on my arm, sending me a warning look.
“She still has that picture of us on the fridge.” I shake my head and laugh. “No matter how many times I’ve asked her to take it down. She says that she doesn’t mind, she just wants to remember the way you looked at me the first time you met them.”
“Okay, it’s kind of sweet but you can totally see the outline of my cock in those gray sweatpants. You have to admit it’s a little creepy that I was shaking your dad’s hand with a giant boner.”
