by Aven Ellis
I break the kiss and stare into his eyes. “I love you so much,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”
Matt carries me toward the house, and as soon as we’re inside, he puts me down. We’re both soaked, but we don’t care. All that matters is that we are back where we belong.
“I’m the one who is sorry,” he says, cupping my face in his hands. “I should have listened. I should have believed you. As soon as I read your letter on the plane, I knew I made a mistake.”
“The angry letter?” I ask.
He nods. “Nobody has ever loved me the way you do. Your letter talked about all the things you saw in me and the things you loved about me. It said if you made me mad, I should try and remember those things and forgive you. Nobody writes letters like that without being in love. Your love is the most real thing I’ve ever had in my life. I confided in JP on the plane. About you. About us. He told me I had in my hand what he only dreamed of finding, and I would be an idiot to let it go. I told him he was right.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” I whisper. “That is the last thing I’d ever want to do.”
“I know,” Matt whispers back. “The things I said to you at the hospital . . . I didn’t mean them.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t call you from Vegas because I was a mess. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I had to get through that road trip and see you in person.”
Something dawns on me with his words.
“Wait. You knew you wanted to get back together before you read my book?”
Matt strokes my face. “Yes. But the book . . . Holly, you wrote our story.”
“I’ve been writing it all along. I outlined the story before New Year’s Eve, Matt. You’ve always had my heart.”
Matt smiles at me. “Just like you’ve had mine.”
He presses his lips against mine, and my heart sings with happiness.
Matt brushes a wet lock of hair away from my cheek. “I don’t care what Nate thinks about us. I don’t care if people think I’m wrong for you. I know I’m not. I’m not trash. And if you believe in us like I do, that’s all I need to know.”
“I believe in us,” I say, my voice strong. “I know you want me exactly the way I am, social anxiety and all. I know it doesn’t matter to you.”
“It never has,” Matt assures me.
“I know what we have, and that’s all I need to know,” I reassure him. “I’m all in forever.”
“Me too. This is it, Holly. I’m all in. For the rest of our lives. People will say we’re young and stupid, but I don’t care. All I care about is building a life with you.”
We kiss again, and I savor every second of it. My heart is whole now, and I know the future will be bright and full of love. We’ll have ups and downs, but we’ll face them together. As a team. It doesn’t matter if anyone else understands us because we understand each other.
I break the kiss and gaze up at him. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Shit. I think I need a redo for this one, too.”
“No,” I say. “This Valentine’s Day is perfect. I have you. That’s all I need.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Snow Angel,” Matt says, kissing me again.
Then he breaks the kiss and steps back from me. “You need to get out of these wet clothes.”
“You want me to change into nothing but a pair of socks?”
That sexy smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, and love fills every inch of me.
“Yes. After I take a hot shower with you.”
“Mmm,” I say, putting my hands on his chest. “A hot shower, make love, bottle of wine with a cozy blanket on the couch. I think this will need to become our Valentine’s Day tradition.”
“Perfect,” Matt says.
I link my hand with his and lead him down the hallway toward the master bedroom.
“Okay, Matthew, start stripping,” I tease. “I want to see dat ass right now.”
“Dis ass is yours forever,” he declares, his blue eyes shining affectionately at me.
Yes, it is, I think joyfully. Matt is mine forever.
And as he kisses me again, I know one thing for sure.
Happy endings don’t only exist in fiction.
I have one with Matt.
But it’s only the beginning.
And I can’t wait to write the rest of our story together.
Epilogue
Dana Point, California, June
I close my eyes as the surf washes over my legs. It’s a beautiful morning in Dana Point, California, and it’s the last day of our vacation before we head back to Dallas.
I open my eyes and turn to Matt. He’s standing next to me, his face tilted up toward the sun. The scent of the salty sea perfumes the air, and seagulls cry and swoop around us.
“This is beautiful,” I say in delight.
Matt moves behind me, looping his arms over my chest and drawing me into his body.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, nuzzling my neck.
Bliss.
I wrap my hands around his powerful arms, content to drink in this moment. Being on a beautiful beach with the man I love.
As I stare in awe at the vast ocean in front of me, I reflect on everything that has happened in the last six months. I fell in love with Matt. We went through a lot to be together, and while everyone doubted us, we never doubted each other.
Matt has continued to grow, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He hired a social media expert, Aubrey Paige, out of Chicago, to rebrand his image. She also helped him lay the groundwork for his new foundation, which is what he is going to work on this summer after we return home.
Matt excelled on the ice, but a tear to his Achilles’ tendon knocked him out late in the season. He dedicated himself to his recovery post-surgery and rehab, and I know he’ll be better than ever when the new season starts.
I moved in with Matt the day we got back together. Nate didn’t approve but remained silent as he knew it was my choice to make. Now Nate has had the time to see how good Matt and I are together, and he couldn’t be happier that we found each other.
Puck has continued to flourish with Matt’s care, and that little cat has become our fur baby. Matt has even talked about getting another cat, but he wants another sugar kitty. We’re keeping our eyes open for the perfect addition to our family.
I’m also happy that Matt has found a true friend in JP. After he confided in JP on the charter that night in February, they became close. JP gets Matt, and they push each other at practice and have fun on the road together. JP has come over for dinner, too. If Reese weren’t so stubborn about being set up, I’d do it in a second. I need to work on that when JP comes back from Switzerland in the fall.
I reworked my book and submitted it to several publishers. I couldn’t believe it when a mid-sized press in New York gave me a contract for it. I’m excited for it to come out this October and to be working with an editor to shape it into the best book possible. Matt was excited when I got the offer—I think he was actually more excited than me—and he threw a small party to celebrate my success.
I’m still working at the barre studio because I want to have a job until my book career takes off, which is years away. I also edit papers for university students, and that has become a profitable side business for me. Reese and I hang out all the time, and she truly is my best friend.
I’ve continued my work with the therapist on my social anxiety. I’ll never be cured, I know that. But with therapy, I’m getting better and better at managing my reactions in social settings. I’ve come a long way.
“I’m so happy,” I say aloud.
Matt kisses my temple, and I melt into him.
“What was your favorite part of our vacation?” he asks. “Yo
u can’t say the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”
I laugh, and he does, too. We spent a week in Southern California, but the first thing Matt did was take me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.
“That was the best day ever!” I declare.
And it was. I was completely lost in the magical world of Harry Potter, and Matt went along with everything. We took a million pictures, drank way too many frozen Butterbeers, rode all the rides, and Matt might have blown half his salary in the T-shirt section of the gift shop for me.
“It was epic,” Matt agrees. “I promise I’ll take you back there next summer.”
Happiness fills me. I love him so much.
We’re silent for a moment, content to watch the waves roll in while we hold each other.
“Holly? Did you know all of our big moments have been outside?”
I turn in his arms, so I’m facing him.
“What do you mean?”
“We had our first kiss outside,” Matt explains, taking his hand and gently brushing my hair back. “And you became my Snow Angel when we played in the snow.”
I smile at the memory.
“And we got back together in a rainstorm,” I add, running my hand up to the side of his face, feeling his golden scruff scratch my skin.
“Now we’re in Dana Point,” Matt says, his blue eyes gazing affectionately into mine.
“We are,” I say, curious as to where this is going.
“I found this beach for our trip,” Matt says, the wind blowing his beautiful blond curls. “I wanted the perfect spot for us. It had to be naturally beautiful, like you. For this.”
Matt takes my hand and leads me away from the shore. Then he stops. To my shock, he drops down on one knee in front of me.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, my heart beating out of my chest.
“Holly,” Matt says, gazing up into my eyes, “I fell in love with you the day Nate brought me to your house. When we were only nineteen. But I never dreamed you would ever return those feelings. That you would see me in a good light. That you could ever love me back.”
Matt pauses for a moment, and I can tell he’s finding it hard to speak.
“But you did,” he says, his voice thick. “It took us two years to figure this out, but I’m grateful every single day that we found our way to each other. I love you, Holly. Your love made me the man I am. I love seeing you in your glasses at night. I love when I wake up and find you next to me every morning. I love how we laugh together. How we don’t care what anyone else thinks. How we believe in each other and support each other. It’s been you all along. I know we’re only twenty-one. I know people will say we won’t last, that we’re too young, that we should wait. But we’ve never listened to anything but our hearts. And my heart tells me I want to be your husband.”
I begin to shake as Matt reaches into the pocket of his shorts. He retrieves a velvet box and slowly opens it.
“I love you, Snow Angel,” Matt says. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, but as my wife. Holly Johansson, will you marry me?”
I stare down at the stunning pear-shaped diamond set in a platinum and diamond encrusted band.
This is really happening.
Matt asked me to marry him.
“Yes!” I cry, nodding. “Yes, I will marry you!”
Matt’s eyes grow watery as he slips the ring onto my trembling hand.
Then he stands back up, and I reach for his face and draw him to me.
“I love you,” I say. “I love you, and I can’t wait to be your wife!”
I kiss him to let him know how ecstatic I am to become his wife.
And as the waves continue to crash against the shore, I kiss Matt with all my heart.
I break the kiss and gaze up at him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“We’re engaged.”
Matt grins. “We are.”
“We’re engaged!” I yell out.
“We are!” Matt yells back.
We both burst out laughing.
He takes my hands in his. “We have a few things to work out, though.”
I see the glimmer in his pool-blue eyes.
“Sounds very serious. Like what?”
“I’ll have to get you more drawers for socks.”
“That’s paramount,” I say.
“Probably knock out some walls and build you a huge closet for all your new Harry Potter T-shirts.”
“Yes, I’d hate to start fighting over closet space. Now, we need to talk about my one demand.”
Matt grins at me, that wonderful sexy smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. I love the fact that this smile belongs to me for the rest of my life.
“And that is?”
“I get to grab dis ass whenever I want,” I say, arching an eyebrow at him.
Matt throws his head back and laughs loudly. He cups my face in his hands, gazing down at me lovingly.
“You’re weird.”
“I know. And you love it,” I insist.
“I do. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
As we kiss, I know we have a life ahead of us full of love.
I’m going to be Mrs. Matthew Paul Rhinelander.
And I couldn’t have written a happier ending if I had done so myself.
Also by Aven Ellis and Soul Mate Publishing:
CONNECTIVITY
Overachiever Mary-Kate Grant (who is indeed named after an Olsen Twin) has followed every rule to the letter to pursue her dream of working in TV programming. Ripping a page from the “hard work pays off” playbook, she takes an assistant level job at a Chicago sports network to break into the industry.
MK has no time or desire for a relationship right now—she is totally focused on her career and being independent, unlike the other women in her family.
But MK’s plans are run through the shredder when she finds herself working for William Cumberland, a British media mogul who made his fortune with Connectivity, a social media site. William blows into Chicago just like the winds off Lake Michigan and purchases the group of networks MK works for—and makes her his personal assistant in the process.
Suddenly MK finds her career plans in jeopardy. William makes her question everything she has ever thought and has the uncanny ability to see right through her. And for the first time in her life, MK finds herself not only questioning what she wants for her career but for her personal life as well.
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/npzdr6c
WAITING FOR PRINCE HARRY
(A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance)
Twenty-four-year-old Kylie Reed has always been a rule follower. Organized and cautious to a fault, her dreams for life are often filed away for future use—when she has a house, when she meets her future husband, when she has been at her visual display job at a chic Dallas boutique longer. Kylie always has a reason for living her life in the future, not in the present, and fears not living her life to the fullest and reaching her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
The only exception to rules, of course, would be running away with Prince Harry. But living in Dallas and not knowing Prince Harry make this a non-option.
Or does it?
Because when Kylie accidentally falls into the lap of a gorgeous ginger guy—yes, even more gorgeous than the real Prince Harry—all bets are off. Kylie’s life takes some unexpected twists and turns thanks to this encounter. Could this stranger be the one to show Kylie how to live in the present?
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/paapxo8
CHRONICLES OF A LINCOLN
PARK FASHIONISTA
Recent college graduate Avery Andrews
is ready to begin a new life in the big city. She’s landed an apartment in Chicago’s famed Lincoln Park neighborhood–and has her eye on the cute commodity trader just a floor above.
If Premier Airlines knew about her fear of flying, they never would have hired her to be their marketing assistant—but it’s not like Avery wants a lifelong career. Right now she simply wants a job to pay her bills . . . and fund a few little shopping excursions, too.
Her new lifestyle comes with a price tag, as Avery is not only faced with paying a ridiculous rent but finds she’s perceived as one of the vacant, husband-hunting fashionistas who live in the area. Avery resents this stereotype. So she doesn’t want a lifelong career, and she loves fashions she can’t afford, but that doesn’t mean she is empty-headed and spoiled, does it?
When an opportunity to participate in a documentary at work arises, Avery finds a two-fold solution to her problems. She’ll earn extra money for it, and the documentary will show her as a serious career woman, enabling her to shed that husband-hunting fashionista label for good.
When the camera is on, Avery attempts to be a motivated professional woman. But when she is challenged by Deacon Ryan, the videographer assigned to cover her story, Avery finds herself wanting things she was never supposed to want—like a lasting career—and Deacon. And Avery might just gain more from the experience than a perfect career image and extra cash to put in her Tory Burch wallet . . .
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/mv87r8v
THE DEFINITION OF ICING
(A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance)
Kenley Hunter finally has everything sorted out. Fresh from studying chocolate making in Europe, she's gambling everything on her new business, Confection Consultations.
All Kenley wants in life is people to take her seriously, to see the person on the inside rather than the blond beauty on the outside. While pursuing her passion of chocolate, Kenley discovered people seek her knowledge. They see past the exterior and fall for the chocolate delights in front of them.
