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“I need to hear you say it,” Will said. “That this is what you want. That you’re all in with me.”

Suzanna nodded. “I am. I love you.” She leaned into him, sighing, as the twins crowded in. She thought she’d made peace with herself, writing her book. Accepted herself for who she really was. But all along, she’d been wearing her mask, shaping herself to fit in, just like she always had. But now she knew, now she got it: she didn’t need to change. She could be loved for herself. She could fit in right here, in this town, in this family. In Will’s arms. She leaned back against him to take in the scene—his family all smiles, all ugly sweaters and hearty good cheer. “I’m happy. Really happy. I feel like I belong.”

“To us,” said Ann. “You belong to us.”

“And we’re not letting you go.” Beth held her tighter, fists bunched in her sweater.

“Come on, let’s dance.” Will took Suzanna by one hand and Ann by the other. Suzanna grabbed Beth’s hand and they swarmed the dance floor, skipping in graceless circles, laughing fit to burst. Will’s mom clapped her hands and the crowd circled up, and soon the dance floor was hopping, packed from end to end. Uncle Vince and Aunt Jess led the kids in a conga line. Sarah and Cassie did a clumsy two-step. Even Taison joined in, swinging his hips with the rest.

“Merry Christmas,” said Will, and bent to kiss Suzanna.

“The merriest,” she agreed, and that was the truth.

EPILOGUE

“You’re going to freeze your butt off, going out like that!” Beth tugged at Suzanna’s jacket. “It gets cold at night. You need a whole coat.”

“And mitts, not gloves.” Ann held out a pink pair, fat as boxing gloves.

“Those? Really? How cold can it be?”

“Ten below,” said Will. He came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. “My girls know what they’re talking about.”

“They get that from you, always prepared.” Suzanna leaned up and kissed him, tasting nutmeg on his lips. He’d made cocoa for the girls, hot apple cider for the adults. “These mitts, though, they’re huge! They look like fat turtles, like...” She held one up like a sock puppet and made it talk. “I tried out for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but they said ‘no girls allowed.’” The puppet hung its head. Beth burst out laughing. Ann held up her own mitt.

“That’s okay, pink turtle,” she said. “We can start our own club, all girls, no boys.”

“What about Dad?” Beth’s pooched out her lip.

“Dad can be our butler, like Batman has.”

“Yeah—Dad’s our butler. He can clean our room.” The girls dissolved in laughter, holding each other to keep from falling down.

“I feel like I’m getting the raw end of this deal,” said Will. Suzanna reached around him and made her puppet pinch his ass. That made the girls laugh harder, gasping for air. Will watched them, smile fading, as the girls collapsed in a mad tickle fight. With the girls distracted, she drew Will aside.

“Hey, you okay?”

He nodded, cleared his throat. “I’m perfect, just... It’s so good, hearing them laugh like that. They get that from their mother. She used to get the same way—she’d hear something funny and she just couldn’t stop. Her face would go red and she’d struggle to breathe, and still she’d keep going because when you’re happy, you laugh.” Will brushed at his eyes. “She used to say that: when you’re happy, you laugh.”

Suzanna leaned into him, laid her head on his chest. “You’ve been laughing a lot lately. Does that mean you’re happy?”

Will kissed her gently on the top of her head. “Happy seems such a toothless word to describe how I feel. Ecstatic, maybe. Over the moon.” He chuckled, then laughed, and spun Suzanna around. “You’ve brought this place back to life, and me along with it.”

Suzanna barely heard him through her own startled yelp, and the giggles that followed as he whirled her around. When he set her down, she staggered, nearly bumping into Sarah.

“Oh, Sarah! We were...”

“Acting like giddy teenagers, as you should be.” Sarah winked at her. “Does that mean the call with your publisher went well?”

“It went, uh...” Suzanna chewed her lip, searching for the right words. “It was uncomfortable at first. I mean, they were all on the call, not just my editor, but marketing, legal. The Zoom call was so full it took up two screens.”

“But what did they say?” Sarah was bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Do you still have a book contract, or—?”

“Well, first they made me talk. They had a million questions—why did I lie? What did I lie about? Did I lie about anything that could be seen as defamation or false advertising? The legal terms were flying, and I nearly peed my pants. But then their head lawyer made this sound like ha, and he tore off the top page of his legal pad. He tossed it in the trash, and he said something like so you weren’t a rancher, but now you sort of are? And the Carsons are fine with it, and no one got hurt? And then everyone started saying how the truth is even better. How I’ll have to come clean publicly—you know, for legal reasons—but they’ll spin it so it’s cute, not some mean exposé. And they want me to write a book based on my story and Will’s.”

Sarah burst out laughing. “And Will’s okay with that?”

“As long as he doesn’t have to be on the cover.”

“I’m so relieved for you. Come here.” Sarah flung her arms around her, pulled her into a hug. Suzanna hugged back, heart full. She’d found a sister in Sarah, a partner in Will. A place to call home, and a family who, even now, was headed up the drive, truck horns honking as they descended on the ranch.

Will held up his songbook. “Everyone ready to go caroling?”

Sarah whooped. The twins cheered. Suzanna joined in, her joy bubbling over.

Outside, the night was cold, but Suzanna felt warm as she and the Carson clan made their tuneful way up Main Street. They sang Silent Night outside the feed shop, and the old couple upstairs came to their window to listen. For the kids at the next house, they did Jingle Bell Rock. The two elder sisters came out and joined their group, then Mr. Bennett from the pet shop followed their lead. By the time they’d made their way down the street, half the town had come out to join them—the young and the old, friends and neighbors, all lending their voices to I’ll Be Home For Christmas.

Suzanna looked up at Will as the last strains died away. A light snow was falling, big fluffy flakes, alighting on Will’s shoulders and in Suzanna’s hair. Will brushed one off her nose, then kissed the cold spot, and Suzanna knew she was home.