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He exchanged a confused glance with Monica. “Huh?” they asked in unison.

“A few months ago, when you were grumpily working on our house, Rose mentioned you needed to find someone,” Jack explained. “She thought you were lonely.”

Gabe scowled, but Monica leaned her head against his shoulder. Whether he liked that it had been noticed or not, hehadbeen lonely. Now he wouldn’t be, because he was hers. She glanced at Colin, who was leaning against Gabe’s other side.Theirs.

“Jack said it would take a miracle to find someone for you,” Rose continued.

Jack lifted his glass. “So we should toast to Christmas miracles.”

Monica wanted to be offended, but it was hard to find any kind of outrage in the midst of all this love and joy and Christmas cheer. She lifted her glass, clinked it with Gabe’s, and grinned. “To Christmas miracles,” she murmured.

“That you are,” he returned, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Aww,” Becca said with a sniff. “Nowthisis the perfect Christmas. And the only thing that can make it more perfect? Let’s eat.”

The room dissolved into laughter and chatter, everyone filing into the kitchen to load up their plates before coming back to the living room, where the tables were set up.

Gabe held her back from following the crowd, so she tilted her head up. “What were you and Colin whispering about?” she demanded.

“Ah, we’re planning a bit of a shopping trip.”

“And that’s a secret?”

“It is.” He grinned down at her, overly pleased with himself for a man with secrets. “You’re not invited.”

“Hey,” she protested.

“Man time,” Gabe said with a smile before something in his expression went very, very sly. “You wouldn’t happen to know your ring size, would you?”

“My ri—” Her head jerked up so hard it nearly hurt. “What?”

“Colin’s quite sure New Year’s Eve is the moment, and he wants it to be a surprise. I’m a little more…careful. I want to make sure you don’t need more time, so he won’t be awfully disappointed. But ifIput it off, I think he’ll be fine. So…”

“So,” she repeated stupidly. She could only gape at him for a few more moments. Rings and asking and… “Gabe.” The funny thing was, she thought sheshouldbe wary. Sheshouldthink it was too fast and too soon.

But she didn’tfeelany of those things. “Do you need more time?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

His smile widened, and there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in him. “No. Might have been Colin’s idea, but I wouldn’t have been too far behind.”

She swallowed at the lump in her throat. “Then I don’t need more time. I might need to measure my finger, but I don’t need more time.”

“Good,” he murmured, then pressed his mouth to hers.

“Gross,” Colin groaned as he reentered the room, plate heaped with food.

“I think you’re going to have to get used to it, baby,” Monica said. “And me saying this: I love you both. More than anything.”

Colin rolled his eyes, immediately plowing into dinner. “I love you both, too,” he muttered, looking anywhere but at them.

“And I love you both, too,” Gabe added, even as people filed in with plates.

As Christmas miracles went, it was the best one she’d ever get.

Epilogue

Five Years Later

“I wish he’d get here already,” Monica grumbled, pacing from the living room to the entryway and then back again.