Page 123 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

Mara wrapped herself around him, burying her face in his chest as she cried. Dammit, she hadn’t been prepared for this level of emotion today. But this was the only thing that made sense. Chris in her life, at her side, loving her as much as she loved him.

They’d spent too much time apart. Now they needed to spend every second together going forward.

“I love you too. Pretty sure I never stopped either. So, yes,” she blubbered, wrapping her arms around his torso. She relished the heat and solidity of him beneath her. She’d never grow tired of that feeling…never take it for granted. “For God’s sake, it’s about time!”

Chris laughed, squeezing her into a tight hug before rolling so she was lying beneath him. He pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that stopped time.

Because finally, they were right where they were meant to be.

Together.

EPILOGUE

MARA

One year later

Mara rushed around Mitch and Jules’s penthouse above Denton’s flagship hotel in New York City. Tonight was the big Denton family dinner, and she’d offered to create the dessert display. Thanks to Chris’s generosity and the popularity of last year’s gingerbread house competition, Sweet and Savory Treats was a rousing success from the day they opened and they were discussing possibly expanding to include mailorder to accommodate fans who lived out of state.

And boy, were there a lot of fans; particularly thanks to her sister. Kaitlyn was responsible for the bakery’s social media and they’d developed a huge following thanks to her sister’s TikTok videos and Instagram pics. Of course it helped that her sister often included pics of a shirtless Chris, which fans of Chef Chris ate up. Mara didn’t mind. Chris belonged to her and she belonged to him and she loved showing him off when she could. He was hot when he was in the kitchen wearing an apron, but he was scorching when he was walking around half-naked.

She inhaled deeply taking in the calming scents blending in the kitchen. Chocolate mixed with cinnamon and chiles. The citrusy scent of orange blossom mixed with vanilla. Then there was the fresh strawberries embellished with basil and balsamic vinegar. Her treats were almost ready, but she felt a level of stress she hadn’t even felt during the gingerbread competition.

This was somehow more intimate. More important. Even after a year as Chris’s girlfriend, she still felt like the new girl in the Denton clan. She got along amazingly well with everyone, but she wanted to impress them as much as possible. Make them see that she deserved a spot in the family just as much as everyone else.

Because the Dentons had some pretty huge shoes to fill.

“Good lord,whatis baking in here?” Amelia swept into the kitchen, sniffing exaggeratedly. “Everything smells amazing, I think I want to skip dinner and eat nothing but dessert.”

“I’m guilty of doing that all the time,” she said with a chuckle. “I can’t wait for everyone to try these. The brownies and the orange and vanilla meringue tarts sell out faster than we can make them at the bakery. But the shortcake parfaits with strawberry, basil and balsamic vinegar are new and I’m anxious to see what everyone thinks.”

“We’ve been trying to make it to Glenford,” Amelia said, just as Josh breezed into the kitchen. “But it’s been so hard with how busy we’ve both been with work. Denton Hotels keeps expanding, and I feel like I’m constantly on the move at Grayson International.”

Josh paused at Amelia to kiss her cheek, then grinned at Mara. “Everything smells amazing,” he confirmed.

“I’ve already told her,” Amelia said.

“What thehellis that smell?” Mitch’s voice boomed through the penthouse, and he appeared a moment later, two-year-old Noelle giggling as he carried her over his shoulder. Jules trailed behind, their newborn in her arms.

“Oh, Mara, everything smells amazing. I can’t wait to try them to see which ones we’ll be adding to the menu in the hotels,” Jules said with a smile. They all gathered around the kitchen island where she’d taken out her desserts to let them cool. She still needed to assemble the parfaits, but the bite-size brownies and meringues were finished. The Christmas cut-out cookies, using her gingerbread recipe, were already on a rack to cool. She’d made a variety of snowflakes, snowmen, and Christmas trees to commemorate her first Christmas with the Denton family.

But hopefully not the last.

“Where’s Chris?” Josh asked, checking his watch.

“He said he was checking on the food downstairs,” Mara said, wiping her hands on a towel. She didn’t want to mess up her gray scoop-neck dress, which would highlightanyfrosting mishap should that occur.

“That’s weird,” Mitch said. “He knows the food is going to be delivered here when its ready.”

Mara caught Jules slapping his arm, though it seemed furtive, like it was supposed to be a secret message between them. She watched as Mitch sent her a quizzical look.

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Josh said pointedly, looking at his brother.

As if on cue, the front door to the penthouse opened, and Chris came in a moment later. He was rolling a food cart with him, eyes shining.

“Ahh, here he is!” Mitch went to help him roll the cart into the kitchen, where they all got to work bringing out the various trays of food. “I know you’re not in the city much anymore,” Mitch went on, “but we do have employees who can do this workfor you.”

Chris smiled mysteriously. It seemed his gaze hadn’t left Mara since he’d come into the kitchen. “I know. I wanted to check on things since I was overseeing the dinner prep.”

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