Max nodded, the expression on his face making his gut clench. The kid looked so damn surprised, almost overwhelmed. “Thanks. I uh, will.”
“But you can’t hit on Allie.”
Max grinned at him. “It’s okay. I was thinking her sister is more my type anyway.”
Dani presented herself in the doorway, all attitude and sly smiles. “Hey, douchebag, you’re supposed to help me clear the table.”
Max shrugged and followed Dani out of the room, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Allie hurried down the hallway toward him in her coat and hat. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out the front door. They stopped in front of his car. The street was quiet and snow was tumbling from the sky.
“We’ve got exactly three hours before Dani gets home.”
He grinned and stepped into her, dipping his head so that he could taste her again. She tasted different tonight, she tasted like she was his, like she would be his, forever. “Ah, so you’re dying to get me back to the condo so you can—”
“It’s the whole Weekend Ethan thing you’ve got going on. And maybe the fact that you blew a fortune saving a shelter.”
“A minor detail.” He laughed as he kissed her. He sank his fingers into her thick hair and kissed her like he’d never get enough of her, but he already knew that. He knew he’d never get enough of Allie. Allie had brought him back to the person he was meant to be, the guy he’d buried years ago. She took away his fear. She made him whole. She made him real.
“Merry Christmas, Allie,” he whispered against her lips.
Epilogue
“What’s the point of being rich if you can’t get a giant church in the city to get married in? I mean, seriously, we’re out in the sticks.”
Allie laughed at her sister’s disgruntled expression. “This was a sentimental choice, Dani.”
“Oh, right,” Dani mumbled, giving Hannah a small, slightly sheepish smile.
The three of them, along with Emily and Christopher, were currently in the back of a limo, on their way to the country church miles out of the city.
“I had no idea Ethan was so sentimental,” Hannah said with a smile. “Choosing the church Jackson and I were married in is so sweet.”
Allie couldn’t stop smiling; she was almost giddy with emotion. There had never been a time in her life that she’d ever been this happy, this complete. Taking a chance, opening up to Ethan, had been the biggest risk she’d ever taken, and oh how he’d been the biggest reward. He had completely opened up to her, and they had both changed.
“Still. Don’t you think it would have been cool to have a giant wedding in one of those places you see in the magazines? With, like, hundreds of people?”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Nope. Neither of us wanted that. We’ve invited the people that matter most to us. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she said, glancing out the window. Snow was falling down hard, and the rolling countryside was blanketed in pristine white snow. They were running very late and she’d tried texting Ethan to let him know, but the message kept failing. She hoped he wasn’t worried.
“You know how happy I am for you, right? Ethan is like a brother to me, and I always knew he’d come around and figure out what he needed.”
Allie felt her eyes tear up as she smiled at her best friend. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I never would have guessed, when we were on this road on our way to your wedding, that I was about to meet my future husband. Or that we’d all be here today.”
“It was all meant to be,” Hannah said, reaching across and squeezing her hand.
“I need to find myself one of these rich dudes like you two did,” Dani said. “Who’s left out of their group?”
“Just Nicholas Wright. Apparently their other friend Hayden is getting married in the spring. Never mind that anyway. You are way too young to even be considering any of their friends. Besides, I thought Max was the love of your life?”
Dani smirked. “Of course he is. I just can’t let him know that or he’ll get cocky.”
“Daddy said Uncle Ethan is out of control,” Emily said with a grin. Allie looked down and laughed as her goddaughter snuggled into her side.
“Ethan’s been a bit nervous this week, I think,” Hannah said, smiling.
Dani rolled her eyes. “Why? It’s not like you’re going to leave him at the altar or something.”
“Ten bucks says Allie leaves Ethan at the altar.”
Ethan would have given his best man, Jackson, the finger, had they not been standing at the front of the church. The guests were all seated, and soft music from the harpist was hopefully drowning out their conversation.
“I’m in. Maybe she decided she could do better.”
Ethan shut his eyes and rolled back on his heels, ignoring his other stupid friend, Hayden. He and Allie should have just eloped on an island. Without friends.
“I’m in, too. Way too good for Ethan,” Nicholas said.
Someone slapped him on the back and he opened his eyes, shooting them all dirty looks. “She’s not leaving me at the altar. They’re just late because of the weather.”
“Everyone else made it okay,” Nicholas said, pointing out the obvious.
Ethan swallowed hard. He had already thought of that. His gaze wandered the crowd, already knowing all the faces he would see. There was Max and Denise from the shelter. Hayden’s fiancée, Alexandra McAllister, the Sampsons, and Annie. His eyes focused on her, and she gave him a wide smile. The noise from his friends’ chatter continued and a rush of emotion swam through him, filling him with gratitude. For being here. For being alive, healthy. For Allie. God, so much gratitude for Allie.
The doors swung open and suddenly she was there, snow swirling around her, and for a second he couldn’t breathe. Every single part of him was so filled to the brim with emotion he didn’t know he was capable of. She was everything to him. And she was here. She was wearing a long, beaded ivory gown that fit her like a glove. The beads sparkled under the candlelight, her long hair shiny and loose around her shoulders. It was probably wrong to already be thinking about how he wanted to take the dress off her later, but hell, he was only human.
“Shit. Looks like we owe Ethan ten bucks,” Jackson whispered.
Thankfully, his friends’ stupid comments snapped him into the present, and he smiled at Allie. Jackson’s kids made their way down the aisle first. The fact that Jackson had managed to have such cute kids was solely because of Hannah. Next came Hannah and Dani. Dani gave him a troublemaker wink before settling in beside Hannah and Jackson.
He blinked back the moisture in his eyes when everyone stood as Allie made her way down the aisle. But hell, he couldn’t wait for her, so he met her halfway. He’d waited his entire life for Allie. He’d waited his entire life not to be alone. Alone, he could only be so much. With Allie, he was everything.
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About the Author
Victoria James always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples) and a cardboard cover and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again.
In high school she fell in love with historical romance and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in interior design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill the dream of writing romantic fiction.
Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after’s for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house w
ould be ideal, but she’s quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and very bad cat.
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Also by Victoria James…
Falling for Her Enemy
Alex McAllister always dreamed of a life filled with family, but being abandoned at a young age left her wary of letting anyone in. Now that she’s settled in Still Harbor, Alex is faced with the magnetic pull of Hayden Brooks, the handsome workaholic who claims he’s the biological father of her adopted daughter. A paternity test is all that’s standing between Alex and her dream, but Hayden’s about to make the most shocking decision of his life, just in time for Christmas…
The Rancher’s Second Chance
Rescued by the Rancher
A Risk Worth Taking
The Best Man’s Baby
The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée
The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby
Falling for the P.I.
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