Page 87 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

I lifted my chin. “This is your space, Sofia. Your retreat. Your sanctuary.”

Her breath hitched, and she took a step closer, her free hand resting lightly against my chest. “This is the best Christmas present ever.”

“Better than the suitcase full of books?”

She chuckled. “Yes, but now I know where I’ll put them all.”

“Fair point.” I reached into my pocket, my heart pounding as I pulled out the small velvet box. “And, at the risk of turning our lives into a walking Hallmark Christmas movie, here’s another present.”

Her lashes fluttered as she looked down at the box in my hand. And when I lowered myself down to one knee and into her line of sight, the impact of her watery smile almost kept me from saying what I had to say.

“As soon as I bought this house, I made a plan to do this right here, in this exact spot. This morning, before you asked meto come here, I was trying to figure out where to do it instead. But then you reminded me—again—that every dark thing has a bright side, and I knew I had to stick to my original plan.”

She pursed her lips, nodding in a way that told me she was glad I had.

“Sofia.” I opened the box, revealing the vintage ring nestled inside. “Will you marry me?”

For a moment, she just stared at me, her hand pressed to her mouth. Then she nodded again as a soft, breathless laugh escaped her lips. “Yes.”

Relief and joy flooded through me in equal measure, and I slid the ring onto her finger. The moment it was in place, I pulled her against me, holding her close as her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

Her lips found mine, and the kiss was everything—soft, sweet, and full of that fiery strength that flowed through her veins.

I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes as I cupped her face. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered, her smile brighter than I’d ever seen it.

Epilogue

SOFIA

One year later…

I took a sip of cocoa,the rich, chocolatey warmth filling me as I sank deeper into my cozy library chair. This room was my sanctuary, my favorite place in the house.

It turned out exactly how I’d pictured it—floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined every wall, their dark wood glowing in the warm light of the fireplace. A plush rug covered the floor, its soft texture a perfect match for the oversized armchair I was curled up in. And the windows let in the most amazing light, even as snow drifted lazily outside, coating the world in a white blanket.

The sound of boots on the hardwood broke through the quiet, and I looked up just as Hudson appeared in the doorway. He was carrying a box of ornaments, his lips quirking into a half-smile as he surveyed the room.

“You know,” he drawled, setting the box down on the rug, “for someone who told me you weren’t going to go crazy for our first Christmas in the house, you sure bought a lot of ornaments.”

“Blame Grace.” I smirked, setting my mug on the side table. “Anyway, I said I wouldn’t goover-the-top. I still feel like I’m holding to that.”

He raised an eyebrow and pulled a glittery gold star out of the box. He held it up, swinging it gently from his fingers. “Once all of this is up, we’ll circle back to that.”

I shrugged, fighting back a grin. “You’ll love it. Besides, as the new manager at The Hearthstone, I feel like I have a duty to make my house look just as festive as the bar looks.”

Hudson chuckled, setting the star back in the box before settling onto the ottoman in front of me. “If you love it, I love it. Besides, I’m not here much. You’re the only one who’ll have to sit in it if you get carried away.”

I rolled my eyes, but my smile softened as I reached out to brush my fingers over his. I hated how hard recruiting duty was on him. As promised, it took a serious toll on his mental health. But, if there was one thing I’d learned in my short time as a Marine wife, it was the importance of helping them through it when there was just nothing they could do to make it better.

“I’m glad you’re here now,” I said, leaning in to give him a soft kiss.

His expression shifted toward tender when we broke apart. “I’m just glad I’m coming home at the end of every day instead of being on deployment. Makes the whole day go by faster when I think about coming home to this.”

“This?” I teased, gesturing to the room around us.

“This,” he said firmly, leaning forward to kiss me again. “You. The house. All of it.”

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