Epilogue

Miranda snuggled closer to Kyle, fitting her back against his chest and pulling the blanket over both their legs. Together they stared outside his bedroom at the vast landscape. The moonlight glinted off the freshly fallen snow, twinkling within the trees.

Miranda brought the mug of warm apple cider to her lips and took a sip, relishing in the sheer perfection of this moment. She’d forgotten that this kind of contentment even existed; yet here she sat, basking in it with the man of her dreams.

“Only a few minutes left,” Kyle whispered against her cheek. His fingers gently caressed her arm, gliding over her skin.

For the first time in fifteen years, Miranda experienced something other than pain as the clock ticked down the minutes to Christmas. She would even go so far as to call it happiness. She never imagined she could feel this way about the holiday again. But thanks to the man whose arms held her tight, she felt more than just happy. She felt loved and cherished.

She tilted her head to the side and turned slightly, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Kyle looked at her with an incredulous frown.

“What?” Miranda asked.

“Is that what you call a Christmas kiss?”

He took the mug from her hand and placed it on the bedside table; then he urged her to turn. Miranda twisted in his lap. She brought her knees on either side of his thighs, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his head, linking her fingers behind his neck.

“So, what’s a proper Christmas kiss?” she whispered against his lips.

She caught sight of the numbers on Kyle’s digital clock out of the corner of her eye when they switched from 11:59 to 12:00.

Kyle shoved a hand in her hair and lifted his mouth to hers. “Let me show you how it’s done.”