Epilogue

Danny

A Christmas proposal was cliché, but I didn’t care. It was our one-year anniversary and we needed to get engaged if only to stop both our families pestering us to get engaged. Our effort to get them off our backs had completely blown up in our faces and I was pretty sure my parents and siblings were going to propose to Holiday for me if I didn’t hurry up.

This year, our parents had agreed to joint-host two parties: one at Holiday’s on Christmas Eve as usual, and the second at mine on Christmas Day. It was a relief for all involved that two dynamic women could share duties and not end up so frazzled.

Since Christmas Eve was technically our anniversary, I’d planned to propose under the mistletoe where we’d kissed last year. I’d planned it all out with Holiday’s parents and made sure they knew the signal I’d send them so that Simone could have her phone ready to record. Nearly everyone knew this was happening, except for Holiday. I didn’t think she knew. She couldn’t have known.

I’d been very sneaky about getting her ring and hiding it from her for months.

Simone got up and made her yearly toast and then I nodded to her, giving the signal.

“And I think we have one more surprise,” Simone said, nodding back. This was it.

Before I could take Holiday’s hand and lead her to the arch with the mistletoe, she grabbed mine.

“What?” I asked and then she was down on one knee with a box open. My mouth dropped open as everyone else went silent.

“Are you proposing?” I asked.

Holiday smiled nervously up at me. “Yeah, that’s kind of the idea?”

I gasped and found Derek standing there with the ring box I’d given him for safekeeping because it hadn’t fit in any of my pockets without being too obvious. He was grinning as he handed it to me.

“Then I guess that’s what I’m doing too,” I said, also dropping to one knee. Holiday burst out laughing as everyone cheered.

“They knew,” Holiday said, shaking her head. I glanced quickly at our parents and found them both laughing and crying at the same time. Yeah, they’d known.

“They knew we were in love with each other before we did, so I guess that makes sense,” I said, smiling through tears. “Do you want me to go first?”

She shook her head. “No. I got down on my knee first.”

Holiday had also told me she loved me first, so I’d let her have this one too.

“Danny. I love you. I have loved you for most of my life. You have bewitched me, body and soul.” She grinned, and I knew that was a line from Pride and Prejudice . Of course she’d quoted one of her favorite books. “I don’t know who I would be if I hadn’t met you, and I don’t want to find out. Say you’ll marry me so we can spend the rest of our lives together. My best friend and my wife.”

I nodded, barely getting out the word “yes” before she hugged me hard and then sat back so I could have my turn.

“It feels weird going second. I’ve been trying to figure out the right words to say to you in this moment for months. I don’t know how many times I tried to write down how I feel about you, but there weren’t enough words, or the right ones haven’t been invented yet. Until they are invented, or I figure them out, I can only say that I love you. You’ll always be my best friend. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” She screamed and threw herself at me, causing us both to topple over onto the floor as the room erupted in cheering and good wishes.

Somehow, we managed to jam the rings on our fingers before we were engulfed in hugs from anyone and everyone.

Once we finally found each other again, glasses of champagne were pressed into our hands.

“To love!” Holiday yelled out.

“To love!” Everyone echoed.

She pulled me closer. “To us.”

I tapped my glass against hers. “To us.”

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