Page 37 of Make You Mine This Christmas (Holly Ridge #2)

One Year Later

Austin

“I know, but I can’t sleep anymore.” The giddiness in my fiancé’s voice makes me smile, even if the sun won’t rise for almost two more hours.

“So, the morning after Thanksgiving is to a professional Santa what Christmas morning is to kids?” I crack an eye open and watch Brody make sure the lines on his beard are sharp, trimming any stray hairs in the ensuite we remodeled in my mom’s house.

Something about making her old room our room gave me the willies, so we knocked down a few walls, and built a second master suite on the second floor.

“A very astute observation, fiancé,” he says, leaning close to the mirror to examine his work. Since I accepted his proposal last night at dinner, he’s referred to me as fiancé about twenty times. It’s fucking adorable. “Plus, we’ve got that special visit to get there early for.”

I am excited about the private Santa session we have booked before we open to the public today.

The thought gets my feet on the floor and into my slippers.

A dull headache from the Thanksgiving turned engagement celebration wine last night beats in my head.

A hot shower and caffeine should fix me right up.

“Hi you,” I say, wrapping my arms around his middle and pressing a kiss above his ear. I look at us in the mirror and my heart stutters with happiness. How different my life is from a year ago.

“Morning fiancé,” he replies, lacing his fingers with mine and leaning against me.

“Head feeling okay this morning?” Brody may or may not have warned me against the last two glasses of wine.

His hangover rule only applies to Santa—my two-day stint last year will be my only time wearing the beard.

I am reprising my role as elf for today only, though, so he may have had a point.

“I’ll be all right.” I give the side of his head one more kiss before stepping back and turning to the shower. I push down the pumpkin pie boxer briefs Brody presented me with yesterday and turn on the water, waiting for it to warm up.

“When are you going to upgrade me from fiancé to husband?” My question is met with silence.

I turn my head and find Brody staring at my ass.

I smirk. “You coming or what?” He pushes down his flannel pants and steps up behind me, his cock going into the crease of my ass.

“If I have any say, we’ll both be coming very soon. ”

After a longer shower than strictly necessary, we’ve eaten up all the extra time Brody’s early wake-up bought us. By 7:30 a.m., we’re out the door, to-go coffee cups in hand. “Susie’s going to be offended when we don’t stop in this morning,” I say, climbing in the passenger seat.

“You can run over this morning sometime and tell her we were running late.”

“Should I tell her my future husband was employing his tried-and-true orgasm-headache-recovery method, and we ran out of time?”

“I think we should do a destination wedding in February.” Brody ignores my teasing and answers my question from this morning instead.

An effective method of shutting me up. “Something small—Grams, your mom, Cole and Blaire, and the girls? I’d marry you anywhere, anytime, but something about picturing you on the beach, looking handsome at sunset, makes my heart swell. ”

I lace my fingers through his hand resting on my knee and bring it to my mouth for a kiss. “Sounds perfect.”

Brody nods. “Can’t wait to call you my husband.” My heart does that stutter thing again, and if it weren’t for the past year of swoonworthy moments like this one, I’d be much more concerned.

We get changed at the high school and walk over to Santa’s Workshop. Our special visitors are already inside.

“Cassidy, please don’t eat the snow.”

“Melody, that’s not a present for unwrapping.”

Cole and Blaire each scoop up a twin as we round the false wall from the back door. They look a little harried already this morning, but the first day of a holiday festival and managing two sixteen-month-olds will do that.

“Wody!” Cassidy reaches from Blaire’s arms for Brody, not at all fooled by his whiter beard and red suit.

Blaire and I exchange a look as she hands over her daughter.

We’re doing this before we open in part because Blaire wanted to be here for their first meeting with Santa, but also because we were worried about this exact thing happening. The girls love their Uncle Brody.

“Pay up,” I say to Cole, taking Melody from him as she reaches for me.

He pulls out his wallet to hand me a twenty when I realize these tights don’t have any pockets.

“Later,” he says, and turns to watch Cassidy on Brody’s lap.

The photographer snaps pictures of the two of them and I turn my attention to the little girl in my arms. She looks suspicious of the guy in the red suit.

“Hey now, little butterfly,” and her mouth turns up at the special nickname I have for her. “You don’t have to be scared. It’s Uncle Santa Brody under there. Want to take a closer look?”

She nods before burying her face in my neck. I laugh as I walk over to Brody’s chair. Cole pulls Cassidy off his lap to make room for her sister.

“Want to sit on Santa’s lap?” I ask. She turns her head so she has one eye open to look at Brody but doesn’t seem too sure.

“Here, I’ll come with you.” I sit on Brody’s lap, holding Melody in mine.

She peers a little closer at him and seems to decide it is Uncle Brody under there, pushing me away and climbing onto his other knee.

“Well, I know when I’m not needed,” I joke, and step back to stand next to Blaire and Cole.

“Ready to hang up your elf suit?” Blaire asks.

After today, I will be shadowing her and helping as she runs the festival.

We’re considering starting to host some of our own events, staffed by Brody’s Santas, so thought this would be an opportunity to learn from the best. I haven’t decided if working for Brody’s company is a long-term thing, but I’m happy helping people and getting to work with my partner every day.

For now, it’s a fit and does, in fact, pay for my health insurance.

“I’ll miss the tights, but I know I can always pull them back out if I need to.

” She shoves me, and I laugh. “What? I meant if I ever need to fill in again. Oh, did you think I meant an s-e-x thing? Mind in the gutter. No wonder you’re carrying my nephew.

” Blaire and Cole found out last week they’re having a boy.

She rests her hand on her stomach, just starting to show. Cole takes Cassidy over to sit on Brody’s other knee, and the photographer gets photos of both girls together with Santa. “You’re getting married before I have this one, right?”

I nod. “I think February. We’ll get you the details soon.”

She fist pumps. “Cole owes me another twenty. Cleaning him out today.”

Blaire steps up to join in for some photos, and Cole slides over. “What do you think—will this be your kids in a year or two?” I imagine it, a photo of Santa and elf dads and some smiling kids. I can see it, but I’m not sure it feels right.

“Maybe.” I shrug. “We’d raise the hell out of some awesome kids. But we also have some awesome nieces and a nephew to spoil rotten. Who knows?”

He squeezes my arm and steps up to join in for some pictures. I look at most of my favorite people, all standing together in one frame. Cole and I finding our people, and those people liking each other? I know I’m lucky.

“Austin.” Blaire says my name to get my attention and waves me into the frame. Cole slides over to wrap his arm around Blaire, and I go stand on Brody’s other side. He’s got a firm grip on each twin to stop them from squirming away, so I wrap my arm around his shoulder and lean in.

As we’re smiling, I’m already planning exactly where this photo will go in both the Winterberry Glen and Stamford houses. I want everyone who comes over to see what I’m most proud of in my life—my family.