Page 145 of A Very Merry Mistake

“How was it?” I ask.

“Better than my wildest fantasy.”

After we clean up, we lie naked on the couch, holding each other. We’re yawning, but we force ourselves to stay up until midnight.

When there’s one minute left, we turn the TV up a little louder, but we don’t leave the couch. It’s surreal to see the ball in the distance lowering in real-time beyond the TV. “Auld Lang Syne” plays quietly in the background, and confetti rains down on the crowd. I place my hand on Claire’s cheek and kiss her, knowing we’re bringing love and laughter into the new year with us.

“Happy New Year, darlin’.”

“Happy New Year, baby cakes.” She snickers. “I’m trying out pet names.”

“Not that one, please.” I chuckle, petting her hair. “You know, I think back to everything that’s happened in the last month, and it feels like a dream,” I mutter.

She rests her head back on my chest. “Yeah? It’s been a lot,” she says, then she props herself up to meet my eyes. “But I think I’ve realized something.”

“What’s that?” I steal a kiss and smirk.

“You’re my favorite mistake.”

I reach around, wiggling my fingers into her side as she laughs and tries to squirm away. “I love you, CeCe.”

I open my arms, and she returns to me, allowing me to hold her tight. “Love you, JJ.”

“Oh, what did you and your father talk about?”

She meets my eyes. “He told me he was proud of me for standing up to him.”

“I’m proud of you, too,” I say.

“What did you two talk about?”

“I told him if he hurt you, I had a shotgun shell with his name on it.”

She gasps. “You didn’t.”

“Nah. I didn’t. But he told me he loves you.”

“Yes, he told me as much, too.”

I squeeze her tight and kiss her forehead.

“Everything worked out better than I ever could’ve imagined,” she says, releasing a contented sigh.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

EPILOGUE

JAKE

7 MONTHS LATER

“You didn’t warn me that Texas would be so hot,” Claire says, fanning herself after lunch. We walk back to her shop, and she unlocks the door, allowing me in. Since it’s a holiday, a lot of the boutiques on Main Street are open, and Claire is making the best of it.

CeCe’s Collectibles opened a few months ago and specializes in snow globes. The locals welcomed her business with open arms and have been supportive. No other outsider has been able to genuinely win over as many hearts as Claire has. She’s even started volunteering in town and has become fast friends with my cousins.

I smile, carefully glancing over the new inventory that was delivered earlier this week. She moves to the counter and turns on a tabletop fan, where it’s blowing full blast in her face. “You get used to it. July is the hottest time of the year. Okay, well, some people say August is, but I disagree.”

She clicks the thermostat down several degrees.

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