Josephine laughed and playfully pushed him away. “We’ve only been apart for about an hour.”
“Way too long,” he teased and leaned down to brush a kiss on Marcos’s forehead. “How are you doing, little one?” he said and took the baby from her arms with the ease of a man who had been doing it his whole life.
She wasn’t sure if there was anything more touching—and enticing—than a powerful man holding an innocent baby so tenderly.
“We should get going,” she said. With winter having arrived, night came earlier, but on top of that, she wanted to be alone with Martin and savor the freedom that the long winter night provided to be together. And although they’d been careful after their wedding night, it might be time to soon discuss adding to their family.
“Before you go,” Zara said and reached into her purse. She drew out an envelope and handed it to her. “The postman delivered it this morning to the cottage.”
Josephine peered at the envelope emblazoned with the name Crimson Romance, the publisher to whom she had sent her story so many months earlier.
“What is it, my darling?” Martin asked, peering over her shoulder at the envelope.
“I don’t know,” she said, not daring to guess at what it might say. Hands trembling, she tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. The words jumped at her, and she had to read it several times to make sure she had not misunderstood. Glancing first at Martin and then at the rest of her family, she softly said, “They want to publish my story.”
As her family reacted with jubilee, Martin hugged her and twirled her around, and she threw back her head and shouted this time, “They want to publish my story!”
Even after the congratulations were over and Martin, the baby, and she were in the carriage and heading home, she kept on repeating it. “They want to publish my story!”
“They most certainly do.” Martin smiled happily and tucked the blanket tighter around her and the baby. It was an unseasonably cold winter day and the sky hung heavy with dark gray clouds that promised a storm was on the way.
Martin pushed the horses as fast as he could to avoid being caught in bad weather. The wind that whipped into the carriage had a bite to it, and Josephine huddled tight against him, tucking Marcos between them. Drawing comfort from Martin’s presence and the heat of his body.
They arrived at their homestead in less than half an hour, and Josephine smiled as she took note of all the progress that had been made in the last few months. Catching Sin Sombra had come with an unexpected blessing—a monetary reward from the city that had allowed them to accelerate the work on their house. In another week or so, the rooms for Alberta and Zara, as well as a separate nursery for Marcos and her writing room, would soon be ready.
She sighed with happiness and with the peace that being with Martin had brought her the last few months. Peace and passion, an unexpected mix. Even now her body awoke with desire as Martin pulled the carriage up to the door of the cottage.
He helped her down and as she set foot on the ground, she noticed the fat, white flake that settled on the dark brown of Martin’s sack suit. Peering upward, the cold kiss of another snowflake landed on her cheek and was quickly followed by several more.
Snow falling in Miami? She laughed, wrapped an arm around Martin’s waist, and faced him. “Do you remember what you told me once?”
From the lopsided grin on Martin’s lips, it was obvious he did. “I said I would love you until snow falls in Miami. Only I hate to disappoint you, Josephine.”
He pulled her close, mindful of the baby caught between them. Tenderly cupping her cheek, he said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
They came together, laughing and kissing. Grateful for the miracle they’d been given… Each other.
Ta-da! Now that’s a happily ever after, my friends. What started so well and got so complicated has ended much as we all wanted… Well, except possibly Rake. But while one story is complete, there are still so many others waiting to be told. You just must be patient—always patient—and see what will happen next.
Acknowledgments
This book would not be possible without the help of my wonderful editor, Jeremy Howe, and everyone at Lorden + Gregor and Simon & Schuster. Big thanks to the city of Miami for giving me a rich history to draw from! Thank you to my oldest friend, Lina, who read multiple drafts of this book, even though she hates reading. Thank you to Marlene Donaldson, my mentor, for constantly pushing my limits. Thanks especially to my mom, dad, and abuela, and my son, Mateo: I love you and could never have done this without you.
And finally, my deepest gratitude to Rafael Solano, without whom this book wouldn’t have been written. Thank you for being the first person who believed in me as a writer. Thank you for teaching me how to be brave.
About the Author
A lifelong fan of romance novels and telenovelas, JANE GLORIANA VILLANUEVA has worked as a publisher’s assistant at Silver Horizons and a dating columnist for Cosmopolitan online. She is now thrilled to be publishing her first novel. Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance based on Jane’s now notorious true story of being accidentally artificially inseminated as a Catholic virgin, becoming the target of the nefarious crime lord Sin Rostro, and ultimately marrying her true love who died tragically young.
Jane’s life, loves, trials, and tribulations can be followed on The CW’s hit TV show Jane the Virgin®.
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