by Aven Ellis
“What else do you see in our future?” I ask.
Cade smiles. “I see a full house. Filled with our friends and family and children.”
“How many children?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow.
“Three?”
“I’m one of three. I like three. Two dogs?”
“Two dogs, for sure.”
“I see you at the big kitchen island with our kids baking Christmas cookies. You’re in your apron. Holiday music is blaring—the old classic kind—and our dogs are roaming around near your feet. You have a beautiful smile on your face as you juggle it all.”
“And you come home from practice,” I say, picking up our story, “and kiss my cheek in greeting. The kids will cry ‘Daddy!’ the second you’re in the room. You’ll chase them around the living room, and I’ll warn you all to make sure the tree doesn’t get pulled down.”
Cade’s eyes dance.
“Then after I read them a bedtime story and they’re tucked in, we’ll open a bottle of wine and enjoy the fireplace and our Christmas tree before I take you upstairs and make love to you.”
“I thought you hated Christmas,” I tease.
“Not anymore,” Cade says, wrapping his hand over mine. “Because I’ll always think of Christmas as the time I first told my future wife I loved her. I do love you, Josephine. And I always will.”
As his lips close over mine, I know I have forever with this man.
I break the kiss and smile up at him.
“I love you so much,” I say, brushing my fingers through his dark hair. “But you’re still going to have to fix the hole in my wall, Cade Callahan.”
Cade glances at the wall, spots the hole, and groans.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I’ll pay to have that fixed.”
“Don’t worry. I know how to patch it. My dad makes his living as a repairman, so I can handle some drywall.”
“Oh, can you now?” he asks. Cade eases me back on to the bed, and I giggle in delight. “That’s hot.”
“I can. And I can handle you, too,” I say playfully.
“We’ll see about that,” Cade murmurs sexily as he closes his mouth over mine.
As I kiss the man I love, nothing feels as right as this. He is The One, and there is no greater gift I could ever receive this Christmas than the love of this man.
Merry Christmas indeed, I think happily.
EPILOGUE
January 28th
FDR National Historic Site
Hyde Park, New York
“This is so beautiful,” I say as we walk along the snow-lined Hudson Valley trail. I stare up at the bare trees in awe, as we hike through the magnificent winter woods. Snow is softly cascading down from the sky, painting nature’s canvas once again in a blanket of pure white.
“You don’t wish you were in Cabo with Sierra and Jupe?” Cade asks, his breath escaping in a frozen puff of air.
“Not for one second,” I say happily. “This is us.”
I take in the beauty around me as we walk through Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s estate. Cade asked if I wanted to come back home to New York with him for a few days while his best friend is off relaxing on a beach in Mexico during their All-Star break. Not only to spend time with his family but so he could take me to Springwood and the presidential library, two places dear to his passionate history heart.
I glance up at him as we hike, snow crunching underneath our boots. His dark hair peeks out from the edges of a gray knit cap. I squeeze his gloved hand in mine, love for him overflowing in my heart. We’re the only people on the trail this cold morning, and it’s easy to get lost in my thoughts.
I just celebrated the best Christmas ever with Cade last month. He rearranged his holiday break and flew with me to Chicago to celebrate Christmas Eve, where he experienced his very first Feast of the Seven Fishes. Cade said he’d never seen so much food in his life. My brothers hounded him to share hockey stories, my dad chided him to lay off Landy Holder of the Chicago Buffaloes, and my mom cried because I’ll live in Denver forever now. He brought autographed Mountain Lions stuff for my cousins’ kids and promised my family tickets for when the Mountain Lions come to play the Buffaloes. Needless to say, he’s the most popular member of the family now.
Oh, and Nonna. Nonna adores Cade. He cornered her while she was in the kitchen and asked her all about the Rossi family history. She told him the legend of the apron, and Cade told her she was right, which made her beam with happiness. Nonna was over the moon when Cade asked if he could record their conversations and write them into a book for the family. She was so touched she got teary-eyed.
He left the next day to spend Christmas back in Poughkeepsie, but said he wanted to bring me home during his January break to meet his family if I was okay with skipping a glamorous tropical resort in favor of cold New York.
I remember I laughed and told him the only choice I wanted was the one closest to his heart. There was no way we weren’t going to New York for our break.
So here we are. Cade had his last game before break in New York City, so I took time off work to fly up to meet him. He picked me up in New York City with his whole family, and we had an amazing family-style dinner at Mission Chinese Food. I felt like I already knew his parents, Brett and Cecily, from video chats, but I got to know his brother, Shane, and Shane's girlfriend, Liza. It was a fantastic night, and I felt right at home with them.
Ah, work. Angelique is still my boss and still miserable, but sometimes you have to work with people who aren’t helpful or good at their jobs. I challenge her and drive her crazy, but I continue getting assignments from Tiffany and being mentored by her is all I care about. The Valentine’s spread turned out so beautifully that Bake It! magazine asked if Skye wanted to have a monthly feature about exploring things in the kitchen. She agreed, but only if I was part of it. We just finished our April project—the cheesecakes I first pitched to Anqelique. I couldn’t be prouder of what we have accomplished together. They are kicking around the idea of a cookbook if the features go well, and Skye has already requested I develop all the recipes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out.
Speaking of Skye, she has been approached to write a book about her experiences on the show and the aftermath, and I think she’s going to take it. I’m trying to convince her to move to Denver, and the book advance would allow her to do so. We’ll see. I’m still trying to play Cupid for her and Maxime, but my arrows have a better shot of landing if she’s in Denver.
Sierra and Jude got engaged on Christmas Eve. It was perfect. Jude had “Will you marry me?” engraved on an ornament. Sierra’s brother shot a video of the proposal showing her shaking and crying. She didn’t answer right away, but when she did, you could see nothing but love burst from her as she screamed “Yes!” They plan to get married in July in Indianapolis, and I’m going to be the maid of honor. I’m so excited! I’m making the wedding cake as well as a groom’s Star Wars cake for Jude.
We come to a point on the trail where FDR’s house is straight ahead. Cade stops walking to study it for a moment, and I gaze up at him, wondering what is going through his head bright mind of his.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“I’m remembering,” Cade says slowly, staring out at Springwood, “when I told you what Springwood meant to FDR. It was solace for him. This home had his heart.”
“I remember,” I say, squeezing his hand in mine.
The snow drifts down on us, picking up a bit, and Cade clears his throat.
“I hadn’t found my Springwood,” Cade says softly, “until I met you.”
I turn toward him. Cade cups my face in his hands.
“Josephine,” he says, staring down at me, “you are the one who brings me peace and solace. You’re the one who rejuvenates my soul when I need it. Once I found you, I realized my Springwood wasn’t going to be a home, it’s you.”
To my absolute shock, Cade drops down on one knee in front of the historical site that means
so much to him.
“Josephine Camilla Rossi,” he says, gazing up at me through the falling snow, “I love you. I love your passion, your strength, the way you accept me as I am. You make me braver. Stronger. I can do anything knowing you’re with me. I love you, and I want forever with you.”
I begin crying as he yanks off his glove and reaches into his pocket. Cade retrieves a velvet box and opens it up to me, revealing a sparkling diamond ring set in a platinum band of diamonds.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp through my tears.
“Josephine,” Cade says, his voice growing thick, “will you marry me?”
Elation bursts through me. “Yes!” I cry, nodding frantically. “I will marry you!”
Cade reaches for my shaking hand, removes my glove, and slips the diamond on my finger. He stands up and kisses me, our first kiss as an engaged couple.
He breaks the kiss, and I gaze up at him through my tears.
“I love you,” I say, my voice thick. “I love you, and I can’t wait to marry you.”
“You make me so happy,” Cade says. “I love you. I can’t say it enough, so I’ll keep saying it. I love you, my sweet Josephine.”
“I love you, too. So much. That was the best proposal ever,” I declare, putting my hands over his heart. “We’ll find our own Springwood in Denver.”
“Wherever you are is my Springwood, Josephine,” Cade says, his eyes growing watery.
As we kiss again, I know he’s right. We have solace and strength together. Our love is passionate and strong and will carry us through the good times and bad.
Our combination of sugar and ice works, I think happily.
And the legend of the Rossi apron proves once again to be true.
THE END
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BOOKS BY AVEN ELLIS
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Playing Defense (Dallas Demons #5) Coming Soon
The Aubrey Rules (Chicago on Ice #1)
Trivial Pursuits (Chicago on Ice #2)
Save the Date (Chicago on Ice #3) Coming soon
Reality Blurred (Rinkside in the Rockies #2) Coming Soon