Page 63 of My Three Christmas Secrets

“Let me guess,” Liam piped up. “Small-town girl goes to the big city, comes back for Christmas, and rediscovers her love for her hometown... and the handsome photographer next door?”

Mason smirked. “With a side of saving the local bakery from going under.”

“And don’t forget the obligatory ice-skating scene,” added Eric with a mock sigh.

I feigned irritation. “You guys have it all figured out, huh? Well, joke’s on you! This year, it’s a new release:Sleigh Bells and Second Chances, where a city girl and a country girl who look identical swap lives, and—wait for it—they both fall in love with the other’s neighbor!”

Bodhi laughed. “Well, that’s... definitely a twist on the usual. But if there’s no scene with someone dramatically running through an airport, I’ll be sorely disappointed.”

“Only one way to find out!” I said, grabbing the remote and starting the movie.

As the opening credits began to roll, I looked around at my family and knew we were all exactly where we were meant to be.

Epilogue

ZOEY

ONE YEAR LATER

The winter air kissed my cheeks as I stepped out of the rented SUV at my parents’ Montana cabin. It was hard to believe that only one year earlier, my relationship with Bodhi, Mason, and Liam had only just begun.

But the past year had brought changes that I could never have imagined.

My parents, their faces radiant with happiness, emerged from the cabin, closely followed by Eric and Jenna. The sight of Eric hand-in-hand with Jenna, the fiery beauty he’d met on a Bahamian shark-tagging adventure, never failed to bring a smile to my face.

“Back again, and with more baggage than before!” my dad joked, nodding toward the guys.

With a mischievous smirk, Mason gestured to my rounded belly. “Just making sure our most precious package is well-guarded.”

My mom approached, giving me a quick hug before making her way to each of my fiancés, enveloping them in warm embraces. “It’s good to see you all. And just in time, dinner’s almost ready.”

Eric sauntered over, playfully nudging me. “From boyfriends to fiancés in just one year? Time flies, sis.”

“Blame them,” I responded, pointing to the trio. “They’re just too irresistible.”

Jenna, with a twinkle in her eye, added, “Oh, trust me, I get it. Eric is a handful enough for me, so I have to admire you for taking on three!”

Liam winked. “She’s always been an overachiever.”

Bodhi chimed in, giving me a tight squeeze. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jenna had swiftly become an integral part of our close-knit circle. With Eric being not only my brother but also the best friend to my fiancés, our gatherings were frequent and lively.

The ease with which Jenna blended into our eclectic group, joining in on our adventures, movie nights, and impromptu beach volleyball matches, had solidified her place in our lives.

It wasn’t just that she was Eric’s girlfriend; she was truly one of us now.

My guys brought the luggage upstairs while I settled into the living room. When I’d first arrived at the cabin the previous year, it had been with the intention of wallowing in my own self-pity, but what I had discovered, instead, was genuine happiness.

The year had brought more change than just our engagement and a baby on the way. Each of the guys had scaled new heights in their careers, and Bodhi’s new series of Montana-inspired oil paintings were selling for more money than any of his previous art. And as for me, I’d found my niche as a freelance artist.

And with my free time, I’d written my first Christmas-themed romance book about a heartbroken woman rediscovering love in a small town in Montana. I had just published it, and it was already getting great reviews. In fact, I had already finished the first three chapters of my new book.

When the baby came, I would stop working as a freelance graphic designer and focus on my writing. But most of my focus would be on my growing family.

Adjusting to our ever-evolving relationship dynamics meant rethinking our living situation. The idea of living separately was unthinkable, so we’d taken the plunge. Now, we proudly resided in a sprawling five-thousand-square-foot mansion on Star Island, right off the shimmering coast of Miami Beach.

The place was a dream—sunlit rooms, a pool that overlooked the bay, and a rooftop perfect for our impromptu dance parties under the stars.

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