Epilogue
“Before we go down…” Glory bit her lip, still ridiculously scared to reveal herself to him, but she made herself overcome it because he never disappointed her. Which wasn’t to say they didn’t fight. He was damned pigheaded sometimes, and she was still on the defensive side a lot of the time, but one way or another they worked things out.
And sometimes she was so in love with him, she didn’t know how to process the vastness of it. How to express it. She only hoped he somehow understood it in this gesture, which suddenly seemed really silly and small yet was a huge deal for her.
She dug the wrapped gift from her underwear drawer and handed it to him.
“First you get mad that you were outvoted about waiting for Christmas morning, then you buck the system and want to do it before dinner?”
“Vivien and Trigg are both American. What are they doing voting for opening presents on Christmas Eve?”
“No patience, I guess.” He turned over the gift, probably already guessing it was a book. “Now?”
She nodded. “Please.”
“Thank you,” he said, dropping a kiss on her mouth before he so much as picked at the tape. Then he showed zero finesse and ripped off the red and silver paper.
He looked at the cover with its scroll of ‘Blessed Winter,’ its hero with a flannel shirt and pregnant heroine embracing before a tree. He ran his fingertips over the ‘by Glory Cormer.’
Something she thought might be pride softened his features. He turned it over to read the back, seeming absorbed.
Her stomach couldn’t get any tighter without disappearing. She waited and waited and finally he looked at her with his steady warm gaze. “This is mine? I’m allowed to read it?”
Heart in her throat, she nodded. “Read the dedication.”
He did. ‘We all need a champion. I found mine in Rolf.’ Her hand had trembled when she had signed the title page ‘All my love, Glory,’ It was her very first author copy.
He hooked his arm around her and drew her in. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” She was moved beyond words and hugged him around the waist, holding her eyes closed to press back the tears. Savoring the press of his lips to her temple.
She could tell he was still looking at it, turning it over behind her. “I want to read it right now,” he said ruefully.
“Please no. Can you—I’m not ready for anyone else to see it yet.”
“I don’t want to put it down. I’m so—Fine. But Glory, this is amazing. Look what you’ve done.” He kissed her name on the cover and set it on the night table. Then kissed her before they went down the stairs, arms around each other.
She was grinning goofily when they caught up with everyone in the lounge. The guests were whittled down to family. Nate would be back the day after tomorrow and a bunch of Rolf’s ski buddies were coming in for New Year’s Eve and heli-skiing. The place would be hopping from now until forever. This was the first and last family Christmas they would be able to swing as a private event, Glory was quite certain.
Which is why the tree in the corner had real presents under it.
Rolf walked her over to it, rather than steering her toward Trigg and Vivien, both sitting at the bar while her father stood behind it, ecstatic in his position as barkeep.
Rolf looked and looked at the tree. She watched him, curious.
“There. For a second, I thought someone had taken it.” He picked up a bauble sheened like a soap bubble with rainbows and a frost of glitter with something inside it that sparkled like a—
“Oh, my God! You left that on the tree? When?”
“This morning, once I knew it was only family left.” It swung back and forth like a hypnotist’s watch as he held it before her nose. “Will you marry me?”
“I will marry the hell out of you.”
He grinned, then hooked his hand behind her neck and dragged her in for a hot kiss. The crew at the bar cheered them on and he drew back to give the bauble a twist. Then they both tried to untie the ring, which was knotted firmly, making them bicker and eventually give up and ask her father to use a knife to release it.
Vivien clapped her hands as Rolf finally put the ring on Glory’s finger. “When?”
Rolf scratched his brow and said to Glory, “That probably depends on Trigg’s schedule, since he’ll be my best man.”
“July, likely. I’ll let you know,” Trigg said. “But this is a serious question, Glory. What do you see in him?”
Glory wrapped her arms around Rolf’s waist and played with her new ring behind his back while she gazed up at him. She wanted to say something cheeky, but the real stuff flooded in, making emotion swell in her heart. He was protective and supportive and made her believe in herself. For some reason, he thought she was special enough to share himself with her when he didn’t like to do that with anyone else.
They had this precious, wonderful thing between them that was still so new, it made her eyes hot. She was scared to look too closely, in case she broke it before it had a chance to fully take root and flourish.
He knew her well enough to know her private feelings were sensitive, delicate things. His mouth quirked in something close to a tender smile as he cuddled her into a shielding embrace.
“Lay off. It’s Christmas Eve and I just got engaged.” His voice ruffled her hair. “Santa’s not real, by the way. It’s time you knew.”
He was her hero. That’s who he was. She hugged him hard and buried her laugh in his chest.
The End