Page 45 of Three Days of Holiday

I guess we didn’t need to be quiet earlier if no one other than my father was sleeping.

“Really, Mom,” Hope started. As the youngest child, she’d always been the last of us to learn all the truths of life. I don’t think anyone even told Mom how Hale spilled the Santa beans when Hope was in third grade.

“I’m kidding,” my mother continued, shaking her head. “But not a single one of you are getting gifts unless you go to bed. It doesn’t work if children are awake. Plus, we need to give these two time to talk.”

“Fine, but if they do naughty things in bed tonight, Santa will find out,” Hale said and winked at me.

“Gross,” Hope said.

“Great, now I’ll have that visual to wake up to on Christmas morning. Thanks a lot, Hale,” Haden growled as he pulled back my brother’s chair, forcing him to stand up.

“Everyone to bed right now. Don’t get yourself written off Santa’s list,” Mom said but looked directly at Will and me.

My cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and I dropped my head.

My four siblings grumbled to each other, making their own comments about Santa and the situation, but they filed out of the farmhouse quickly as my mother held the door open for them. Hope walked upstairs to her room backward so she could watch us for as long as possible.

“Turn the right way, Hope, or you’ll break your neck on these old stairs,” Mom said as she followed her.

As soon as the last one made it out the door, Will pulled me into his lap, and I rested my head on his shoulder. We needed to say so much but not right then. I wanted a moment to be with him in peace.

We sat like that together, neither of us speaking until my eyelids drooped. I tried to slip off of his lap, but he held me tightly. “What?”

He put a finger to my lips and tightened his hold on my hips. “Wait for it.”

I tracked his gaze and found it staring at the clock on top of the stove. We sat together in peace and waited until the minute hand rolled over to midnight.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, tilting my head in his direction and sealing the start of our relationship with a kiss.

EPILOGUE

HOLLY

*One year later *

“Sorry, everyone,” Haden’s voice boomed, echoing in the rafters of the tall red barn at Oceanview Orchards. “The barn is closing early tonight. Santa needs to get started on his deliveries if he’s going to make it around the world.”

Earlier in the afternoon, Hope helped me set up a big cardboard wall we stole from the Uncle Johnny’s Apple Orchard Taste-Off competition team. We blocked off a far corner of the barn to keep our staging area private. I chuckled as she backed into it and made it wobble. It reminded me so much of my first time battling against Johnny’s crew in the competition finals.

They’d been back this year, but like Will promised, I had a secret weapon.

Him.

Oceanview Orchards was the new champion of Maine’s Annual Apple Cider Taste-Off. I didn’t owe it all to Will because I was pretty sure my ideas cinched our win, but he gave me valuable insight, and this year we were a team, so it didn’t matter.

I sat back in the chair and let Hope wrap me in a big blanket to keep my dress clean. She pulled out a caboodle from high school and popped it on the desk we had Hale bring in earlier in the day.

Things were still strained with Will on his side of the family. Shawn took over Causebay Family Farms, but their team didn’t even win the regional competition, so thankfully we didn’t have to see them in finals. Diane worked at the farm, and she even received a promotion after Will left when she began dating Shawn. Will said they deserved each other. We’d seen small signs of improvement in his relationship with the family, though. Will and his father were talking on the phone once a week. He even promised to attend our special evening.

It was a start. Every perfect ending starts somewhere.

“Would you hold still? You’re going to smear your makeup,” Hope said and then lifted my chin, her fingers biting into my skin as she held me still.

“Owww.”

My plea didn’t make her ease up in the slightest. She pushed harder.

Holston slipped in behind the makeshift cardboard wall and stared at Hope as she smothered lipstick across my lips. I had to watch him from the corner of my eyes since I couldn’t move my head.

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