She smiles brightly and nods.
“Donovan, Chloe,” Co-Co suddenly whispers, lightly tapping me on the shoulder.
Behind her, Ethan grins at us. “We were both hoping we could chat for just a second.”
“Oh?” I ask, curiously exchanging a look with my own Chloe.
My fiancée nods. “Sure. What’s up?”
Ethan and Co-Co share a glance before Ethan begins to speak. “Well . . . now that you’ve had your stay here, we were wondering if you’d still be interested in partnering with us. I think we could do great things together.”
“Seriously?” Their timing couldn’t be worse. I’ve decided I’m dedicating all of my focus to my fiancée, not work. That very same fiancée however, is suddenly leaping up and down with joy.
“Yes! We’d love to,” Chloe says, enthusiastically.
“Obviously we’ll work out the details later,” Co-Co says happily, “but we just wanted to let you know that you’re the only people we’d trust with our business.”
“It’ll be so amazing working with friends,” Chloe says leaning against me. “What do you think, Donovan?”
I grin down at her, and then back at Co-Co and Ethan. “I think you’ve got something magical here in Pine Island and that Chloe and I would be thrilled to help you share that with the world. Plus, I think I can learn a lot from you about the importance of small scale, family-owned businesses. You’re where the magic comes from.”
“I see a great future for us,” Ethan says with a grin as the four of us shake hands.
“But first,” Stacy calls from the couch, “let’s talk about wedding plans!”
Everyone laughs, grinning as we pass around some more of Co-Co’s special cocoa.
I press a kiss against Chloe’s forehead, gazing out over our sea of friends. Never again will I forget the magic of Christmas or just how much these people mean to me.
Businesses may come and go, but the Christmas spirit can burn as eternally as true friendships do. Thanks to this trip to Pine Island, I know it’s a lesson that I will never forget.
Epilogue
Chloe Price
“You look so beautiful, sweetheart,” my mother gushes as she helps me with the glittering broach keeping my fur shawl closed. “Thanks, Mom. I’m so glad you’re here.”“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” she says, beaming at me through fresh tears.“Mom!” Margot scolds. “No more crying. I just fixed your makeup.”“I know, I know,” she says, dabbing her eyes with a tissue before returning to the broach. “Now this is your something old and borrowed. It was your great grandmother’s. She wore it on her wedding day, her mother wore it on hers and I wore it on mine.”“Me too,” Margot says. My mother nods. “One day, I’ll pass it down to you girls. And your children can wear it on their wedding days.”“Oh Mom,” Margot sniffles. Now all three of us are crying, but I don’t even mind. I’ve never been this happy and I haven’t even seen Ethan yet. I’m just so blown away that he did all of this for me. The man knows my heart so well. He thought of everything, probably even details I would’ve missed or deemed unimportant.
From flying my parents in early, to my favorite flowers and even hiring a string quartet—my wedding day is perfect. But the best part of it is that I didn’t have to expend one ounce of stress planning it. He even ordered my dream wedding dress from my Pinterest board!
I still can’t believe Ethan pulled off this incredible surprise. I’m marrying the man of my dreams today! It still hasn’t fully sunk in. A fresh wave of excitement ripples through me. I absolutely cannot wait to be Mrs. Ethan Hall.
From the moment we shared that first cup of hot cocoa I knew I was done for. There would be no other man for me. And somehow, beyond all reason, this incredible man who could do anything, have anyone . . . he chose me.
I truly don’t know how I got so lucky.
And today, I’m marrying him on my family’s Christmas tree farm, at midnight on New Year’s Eve, so we can start our new life with the new year.
I mean, who thinks of that?
Ethan . . . that’s who.
And I’m crying again, because I’m without a doubt the luckiest woman in the world.
“Co-Co,” Margot scolds. “Your makeup!”
“I don’t care,” I say, grinning at my sister. “I’m marrying Ethan today, Go-Go!”
Margot and my mother squeal, each of them grabbing my hands as we pull each other into another bone-crushing hug.
“Okay, okay. We better get you out there,” Margot says. “Your groom planned the perfect day and I’m gonna make sure it happens on time. Now, here’s your something new and blue.”
I unwrap the tiny gift my sister has given me to find a stunning silver bracelet. On the band are two tiny charms, each with an engraved name and a sapphire stone in the setting—our birthstones. I read the names on the charms. Go-Go and Co-Co.
Margot leans in close. “We might be married, but we’ll always be the Price sisters.”
“Oh, Go-Go! It’s perfect!” I throw my arms around her and hug her tight. “Thank you so much.”
“Now let’s go get you married!”
Ethan Hall
Shaking more from nerves than the cold, I stand on the tiny dock at the frozen pond behind the lodge. Each time I think I hear the faint jingle of sleigh bells my head snaps up with anticipation as I look for my bride.
I glance at my watch. In a few minutes, it’ll be midnight. And I can’t think of a better way to usher in the new year than with Chloe as my wife. That is if Margot can get her here in time.
I check my watch again and Owen catches my eye. “Take a breath,” my brother whispers from his spot on the bank. “Margot will get
