“What’s it gonna be, Sophia? Are we doing this, or are we doing this?”
The sound of cheering came from somewhere behind them in the town square, followed immediately by a band breaking into a lively Christmas medley. The houses all around where Finn and Sophia were standing were decorated with tinsel and lights, and a perfect dusting of snow. The pine trees that were everywhere in Frost Peak gave off the heady scent of evergreen. Sophia had never been anywhere that felt so much like a Christmas postcard. And she had never been anywhere that made her want so badly to find someone with whom to spend not just the holidays, but her whole life.
She looked over at Finn again, and at the hopefulness in his eyes. And she realized suddenly that this was the reason she had agreed to come to Frost Peak. She had known deep down that there was nothing for her in San Francisco anymore. She had known somehow that this was her home now, and her heart had been calling her home. Her bear had known that Finn was here, and it had been drawn to him.
“Are you asking me to move in with you? To be your girlfriend?” Sophia asked, her voice trembling.
“To hell with girlfriend,” Finn said. “You and I know this is much deeper than just a casual fling. Be my lifemate, Sophia. I promise I’ll do a proper proposal later, with flowers and champagne and a ring and whatever else it is I’m supposed to do to be romantic. But I can’t wait until later to tell you how I feel. You’re the first person since my parents died that has made me willing to take another chance on family. I love you, Sophia. Be my family. Be my lifemate.”
Sophia’s heart had started pounding wildly in her chest. This was going to be a crazy ride for both of them, but that would make it all the more of an adventure, wouldn’t it? She had arrived in Frost Peak less than a week ago, thinking that love would never happen for her. And now, here she was, standing on the edge of forever with the most amazing man she’d ever met.
“Okay,” Sophia said, tears welling in her eyes as she looked over at Finn. “Okay. Let’s do this, Lifemate.”
Finn grinned, then threw his arms around her with a whoop, sloshing mulled wine into the snow as he did. He put his lips on Sophia’s giving her a giant kiss, then pulled back and looked into her eyes.
“This is crazy, you know that, right? I’m pretty sure we’re both out of our minds for agreeing to do this so soon after meeting each other?”
Sophia smiled and winked at him. “It’s the magic of the season,” she said.
Finn laughed. “Well, this is definitely going to be a Christmas to remember.”
Chapter Ten
The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Finn and Sophia didn’t make a big formal announcement about their engagement—neither one of them liked the spotlight, and they figured there would be plenty of time after the holidays to work out the details of moving Sophia to Frost Peak and getting married. For now, they just wanted to enjoy the first holiday season either of them had had in a long time where they weren’t single.
Sophia couldn’t help but notice how much more magical everything suddenly felt. The snow-covered pine trees were even more beautiful, the Frost Peak Christmas Tree in town square seemed to twinkle even brighter, the eggnog tasted even sweeter, and the Christmas carols sounded even more joyful.
Finn had to work most evenings at his bar, so he spent the mornings with Sophia. He showed her more of her favorite trails in the woods, and they spent hours letting their bears run free through the forest. He also cooked several meals for her in his cozy kitchen. Sophia had never met a man who could cook like Finn, and she told him more than once that she was pretty sure she’d won the lifemate lottery in that respect. He brushed off her praise gruffly, but she could tell he was pleased.
In the evenings, Sophia spent time with her family. She had let her relationship with her parents take the back burner for too long when she was working at the law firm, and she made up for lost time now. Spending time with them was also made easier by the fact that all of the questions the other shifter elders asked her about when she was going to settle down no longer bothered her. She just shrugged in response and said “soon enough.” Her dad seemed to know what was going on, though. Every time Sophia saw him, he would ask “How’s Finn?” with a knowing look in his eyes.
On the nights that Sophia didn’t hang out with her parents, she would spend time with Drew and his clan. They were all about the same age as Sophia, so hanging out with them was a refreshing change of pace. Sophia had worked so much over the last several years that she had lost touch with all of her friends. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed having a “crew.” And what a crew it was. Drew’s friends had the ability to make Sophia laugh until she cried, or until she snorted soda into her nose—or sometimes both. They mixed lively nights out with jolly nights in. When they found sitters for the little ones, the adults would go to a pizza parlor or bowling alley and eat and play until they closed down whatever joint they were at. When there wasn’t a sitter, they would stay in and play board games, drinking wine or beer until late at night. Sophia relished the chance to spend time with her brother and to get to know his family better. Her little niece Nikki often requested that Sophia read her a bedtime story, which melted Sophia’s heart. Sophia smiled whenever she thought about how much closer she would be to Nikki now that she was planning to move to Frost Peak. Kodiak, where her brother lived, was a very short plane ride away, and Sawyer and his pilots were always going back and forth between the two cities.
Sophia’s days passed quickly in this manner. She had worried at the beginning of December that time would drag, and that she would be counting down the days until she could leave and get away from the reunion of shifters. But, now that she was here, and had made plans for her own future, she found that she was actually dreading the end of December, when the reunion month would be over and the clans would all head back to their respective cities. Sophia was enjoying spending time with the shifter Aunts and Uncles she had grown up with, many of whom she had not seen in a long time.
Before she knew it, Christmas Eve had arrived. Finn’s Bar was closed down for the day, but he told her he had some errands to take care of, so he wouldn’t be able to spend the day with her. Sophia was bummed, but in the end it was a good thing because her mom asked her to come over and bake holiday cookies with her. Sophia had loved baking with her mother as a child, and the day spent together surrounded by flour and sugar brought back such fond memories. Sophia could hardly wait until the evening, when her family would have Christmas Eve dinner together. Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, all of the clans that were here for the reunion would get together for one giant Christmas Day celebration. But everyone was spending tonight with their immediate families.
Finn would be coming to Sophia’s family’s Christmas Eve dinner. He and Sophia planned on telling her parents about their engagement tonight, and then making the announcement to the rest of the clans tomorrow. Sophia knew that, at this point, the announcement would not come as a surprise to anyone, least of all to her parents. Sophia and Finn had spent every moment that they possibly could together lately, and it was obvious to everyone around them that they were in love. Still, Sophia couldn’t keep from feeling nervous as the clock inched toward five p.m., which was when Finn would arrive. When she heard his old gas truck pulling up in front of her parents cabin, she took a deep breath and a long, last sip of the wine she was drinking. She hoped her parents wouldn’t have any objections to their union.
* * *
Finn tugged at the hem of his buffalo checked button down shirt, and looked down at his crisp new blue jeans. He hoped that the outfit he had chosen was appropriate. It had been years since he’d gone to a Christmas Eve dinner. What was one supposed to wear to these things? And, more specifically, what was one supposed to wear to these things when one planned to ask the host for his daughter’s hand in marriage?
Finn took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, wincing at how loud the computer’s voice was when it announced to the home t
hat there was a visitor at the door. Moments later, the front door slid open as the computer announced, “Access Granted.” The smell of sugar and baking cookies immediately hit his nose, making his mouth water. The hallway he had just stepped into was decorated festively with a mixture of pine and holly garlands, and several strands of twinkling lights.
“Coming!” Sophia’s voice called from somewhere down the hallway. Moments later, she stuck her head around the corner and grinned.
“Hey you,” she said.
“Hey,” Finn said softly, taking in her disheveled but adorable appearance. She was wearing a red apron covered in flour. Underneath her apron she had on a long-sleeved black t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and, even though he was pretty sure she didn’t have on a stitch of makeup, her face glowed and her cheeks were flushed pink.
He was relieved that she had been the one to greet him, and not her father, Zach. Finn didn’t often worry about the approval of others, but tonight, one man’s approval meant the world to him. Just the thought of Zach potentially refusing to let him marry Sophia made Finn break out into a cold sweat. Sophia had told him not to worry, but Finn couldn’t help it. Sophia had quickly become his everything. He hoped Zach realized how serious he was about taking care of her forever.
“My parents ran to the store to pick up some more wine before it closes,” Sophia said. “They should be back soon. And Drew and Hope will be here with Nikki any minute now.”
Finn smiled. He had spent a little bit of time with Drew’s family over the last couple of weeks, and little Nikki already had him wrapped around her finger. She was the sweetest little toddler he had ever met, and he could hardly wait to officially be her uncle.
“It smells amazing in here,” Finn said. Sophia nodded proudly.
“Mom and I have been cooking and baking all day. Well, Mom did most of the cooking and a lot of the baking. And I made a few cookies,” Sophia said with a laugh. “My mom is a machine in the kitchen. She definitely deserves the majority of the credit for dinner tonight. But I had a really great time with her.”
“Good,” Finn said, his heart warming at how wide Sophia’s smile was. She loved her family dearly, and it was nice to see her finally relaxing enough to enjoy them instead of worrying about who was going to be the next one to ask her a nosy question about her future.
Before Finn could sneak into the kitchen to steal a cookie, the front door whooshed open and Nikki came rushing in, followed by Drew and Hope.
“Aunt Fee-Fee!” Nikki said, running into Sophia’s arms and managing to cover herself in flour from Sophia’s apron. Sophia laughed and bent down to give the girl a hug, brushing off flour from Nikki’s face as she did. Finn shook Drew’s hand and gave Hope a hug, and then was tackled by Nikki, who had just realized he was there as well.
“Unkie Finn!” she squealed. Finn bent down and lifted her into his arms, spinning her around so that her curly pigtails bounced around her face. She let out more squeals of delight, and Finn saw Sophia smiling at him out of the corner of her eye. They had already talked about having cubs of their own. Sophia wanted a big family, and Finn did too, if he was honest. He worried that having children would be even scarier than marrying a lifemate. After all, the only thing he could think of that would be worse than losing a wife would be losing a child. Finn swallowed hard as he set Nikki back down on the ground. He knew he had to stop living life in fear of losing everything. After all, he would never regret opening his heart to Sophia. Even if, God forbid, he lost her tomorrow, the short time he’d already had with her had been enough to make the pain worth it.
Finn glanced out the front window as he saw a hovercar pulling up. He swallowed hard, knowing it was Sophia’s parents. He and Sophia had decided it was best if they announced the news about the engagement as soon as everyone had arrived and was settled. Sophia knew he was nervous about it, and she didn’t want him dreading the announcement all night. She also reassured him that her family would be thrilled, and would want to toast and celebrate with them, so they might as well lengthen the celebration by saying something sooner rather than later. And, lest he forget, she reminded Finn that it was pretty obvious to everyone around them that they were dating.
“You don’t invite a guy to Christmas Eve dinner with your family if you’re not serious about him,” Sophia had said.
Finn knew she was right, but that didn’t stop him from saying a silent prayer as he watched Zach and Mindy walk up the driveway. The door to the cabin whooshed open, and Nikki once again squealed as she went running into her grandma and grandpa’s arms. The next several minutes were full of greetings and commotion. Sophia helped her father carry the wine bottles they had just purchased into the kitchen, and when she reappeared she had taken her apron off and was holding two glasses of wine.
“Here,” she said, handing one of the glasses to Finn and one to Hope. “Dad wants to do a toast. I’ll be right back.”
Moments later she came back with two more glasses, handing one to Drew and keeping one for herself. Her father came out with two glasses, handed one to Sophia’s mother, and then motioned toward the living room.
“Come on, let’s all go get settled in and have a glass of wine,” he said.
Finn followed the rest of the group into the living room, where he took a seat on the arm of a sofa next to where Sophia sat down. Zach raised his glass and smiled widely before beginning his toast.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have each of you here today,” he said. He took a few moments to make eye contact with each family member as he spoke, even Finn. “For several years of my life, I thought I would never have a family. I was a broken and bitter man. Then I met my sweet Mindy and everything changed. I found my daughter Sophia again, I had the great honor of becoming Drew’s adopted father, and, now, I have the privilege of sharing my children’s families with them as well.”
Zach didn’t shy away from looking at Finn when he said “children’s families,” and Finn felt a small swell of pride and reassurance in his chest. He was getting the clear message that he belonged here and was wanted here. His nerves started to settle a bit as Zach continued to speak.
“It’s been decades now since I finally found my family and let go of the bitter, angry man I was, but I’m just as grateful today as I was back then. Having you all here for Christmas is the best gift I could ask for. Family is what makes the season special.”
Zach raised his glass higher with a wide grin and said, “To family.”
“To family,” they all echoed, their glasses clinking as they all reached across the spaces between them to toast each other. As the commotion of the toast died down, Finn caught Sophia glancing over at him with a meaningful look. He took a deep breath and nodded. It was time.
“Speaking of family,” he said, standing and raising his voice. “As I’m sure you all have noticed, Sophia and I have been spending quite a bit of time together. I’ve only known her a few weeks, but it has been the best few weeks of my life. She is the most beautiful, amazing woman I have ever met. And, even more amazingly, she seems to like me, too.”
There were soft chuckles of laughter, and Finn felt encouraged by the sound as he continued.
“Sophia and I believe we are lifemates, and I’ve asked her to be my wife. We wanted to use this special occasion of Christmas Eve to share the news with all of you, and to ask you for your blessing.”
Finn looked directly at Zach while he spoke the words. He stood tall and proud, waiting for Zach’s response. Even though he felt nervous, he knew it was important to display a confident, strong exterior. He wanted to show everyone in the room that he was ready to take on the role of alpha in Sophia’s life.
To his relief, another wide grin spread across Zach’s face. “It’s about time you two made an official announcement,” he said. “Come here, son.”
Zach pulled Finn into a big bear hug and slapped him heartily on the back a few times. Then he turned to Sophia and pulled her into a bi
g hug. Finn watched in amazement as tears filled the older man’s eyes.
“I knew this was your year, Soph. I knew you’d find someone this Christmas. And I couldn’t have asked for a better match for you.”
Sophia was crying now. Little trickles of salty tears ran down her cheeks as she beamed up at her father. She didn’t say anything, just nodded happily at him before looking over at Finn. The love on her face melted his heart.
Moments later, the room became chaotic again as the rest of the family came over and clamored to hug Finn and Sophia. Even little Nikki jumped up and down and joined in the celebration, although she didn’t understand what the excitement was about. Finn felt his heart warm in his chest.
This was family. This is what he had been missing for the last decade. He’d pushed away anyone who tried to get close to him or care about him, because he was terrified of being hurt by losing someone again. But he’d missed out on so much love and laughter in the meantime. They hadn’t even started dinner yet, and Finn already felt like this had been the best Christmas Eve he’d had in a long time.
The feeling only continued. As the evening wore on, Finn felt just like a member of the family. Everyone treated him as though they had known him forever. They talked and laughed with him around the table as dish after dish of good food made the rounds. And they took a genuine interest in his goals and dreams. Long after little Nikki had fallen asleep in her mother’s arms, the family was still asking Finn questions about how he had learned to cook, and how he managed to run the kitchen at Finn’s Bar by himself. They jokingly said that next year they were going to recruit him to cook the family’s Christmas Eve dinner.
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