Page 76 of The Holiday Honeymoon Switch
“Think the guys will actually show up?” Ivy jokes as they wait downstairs for their Uber.
During the few days they spent together in the Hudson Valley, Aiden and Oliver bonded, fast—at first because Oliver had heard of Air Works and was in awe of Aiden, and then because it turned out Aiden was a huge fan of Oliver’s work and even owned a few of his prints. Today they had spent the afternoon at MoMA together, checking out the Karl Blossfeldt exhibit, and were meeting Holly and Ivy at Alice, the restaurant where they’ve booked a table for their New Year’s Eve get-together.
As they settle themselves in the back of the car, Holly turns to Ivy.
“It’s okay, right?”
“What is?”
“That I’m showing up at our New Year’s Eve party with a new guy, when I was with Matt not too long ago, about to get married.”
“Does it feel right to you?”
“It feels like the rightest thing in the world.”
Ivy smiles. “Then it is. And besides, it’s just going to be us, and Ted and Ming—who already hated Matt, let’s face it. And Larry and Shira, who you are going to love.”
“I already do love that they have enough respect for ourobsession with New Year’s Eve to have flown all the way in from Hawaii.”
“Trust me, they are the best.”
The car lets the best friends out in front of the restaurant, where Aiden and Oliver are already waiting for them, smiles on their faces when they see the women approaching as a gentle snowfall begins to blanket the city streets. Oliver gives a low whistle as he gathers Ivy into his arms for a kiss, and Holly feels yet another wave of happiness that, finally, her friend has found someone who makes her so happy. And who, yes, is very hot.
For Holly, the night is a blur of happiness. Food, drinks, friends—and Aiden by her side through all of it. Always just a glance, a smile, or a touch away.
Just before midnight, Holly taps on her glass. It reminds her of the night of her rehearsal dinner—but better, because she feels so much more relaxed tonight, so much moreherself. “I’d like to make a toast,” she calls out, holding up her champagne glass. “To love, and to friendship. The two most important things in the world.”
“Hear, hear!” calls out everyone—including the man she suddenly and unexpectedly loves and already knows she couldn’t live without. The man she knows without a whisper of a doubt is her match, her destiny. And that he always has been, since they were trying to keep pace with each other in high school, and since he wrote her the card she has always cherished, and will for the rest of her life.
Moments later, as the clock chimes midnight and cheers erupt around the terrace, Holly and Aiden share a kiss just as perfect as all the other kisses they’ve shared. She watches as Ivy and Oliver do the same. Then the two men each step back, and Holly and Ivy rush across the room to embrace each other, their hearts full of love, joy, hope, and the delicious anticipation for all that’s to come, all that will be. The best friends agree in happy whispers that this is what makes New Year’s Eve the most special night of the year—but that Christmas is magical, too.
Epilogue
One year later…
Holly closes her eyes as Ivy applies her mascara and the finishing touch on her makeup, then opens them and takes in the effect. “Love it,” she says.
“Perfect,” Ivy agrees. “As usual, Holly, you look like a Disney princess—in the best way possible.” She picks up her own makeup kit and sits down on the stool in front of the bathroom mirror. “Okay, do me now,” she says.
“Your skin is so glowy. You hardly need anything,” Holly says, swiping just a touch of bronzer and then blush across her friend’s cheekbones.
“It’s all the great sex.” Ivy winks, and Holly turns and examines herself in the mirror.
“Yeah,” she says thoughtfully. “Thatisgood for the complexion, isn’t it?”
“Tell me, how often does Paul Bunyan carry you across the room like he’s a lumberjack and throw you on his bed?”
Holly laughs, then blushes. “We do that all the time,” she admits. Then she turns back to her friend to finish her makeup. “I can’t believe the wedding istoday,” she says.
Ivy sighs, her eyes bright with joy and anticipation. “I know. Me neither.”
She turns and pulls a bottle of good tequila out of her bag. “I brought this. A little shot, for good luck? Not that it’s needed, really. But just for fun.” She pulls out two plastic shot glasses while Holly examines herself in the mirror again, then looks back at her friend.
“I’ve never seen two people more in love, you know, or more perfect for each other.”
“Other than you and Aiden, of course.”
“Well, that goes without saying,” Holly laughs.
