Chapter One BRYNN

We walk into my parents’ house on Christmas Eve because I asked Pierce if we could spend the night so we could wake up there on Christmas morning, rather than at our place in Portland.

Last year, we both called Enzo after the New Year and told him we weren’t interested in the position at his firm. He took the news well and said he’d gotten word that two of the interviewers had both flown from New York into the same city to spend the holidays. After Pierce was acting so weird the day of the interview, he and Annie assumed it was us. They agreed that we’d be stupid not to put both our marketing brains together and start a company.

Working on The Mad Batter brief together, we both enjoyed not having to get approvals and okay’s from higher ups, but were able to pitch what we thought would be the best without any pushback from execs. And it turns out we’re a great team.

“Mom?” I call out.

Ryah runs to the door, and I swoop her up in my arms, hugging her tightly to my chest. The best part of us starting our business in Portland is that I get to see her all the time, to be an active aunt in her life.

“Pierce!” she whines, holding her arms out toward him.

I groan, kiss her temple and hand her off to Pierce. The downfall of living so close is that she loves him so much that I may resent their bond just a little. But seeing Pierce with her makes my ovaries ache to see him interact with our own kids.

Although, we’re far from there yet. We’re not even engaged and technically he has his own place in Portland which is a waste of money since we’ve barely slept apart this entire year. We’re just constantly shuffling things from one apartment to the other.

I follow the voices to the kitchen where Tessa is measuring out baking ingredients, Tre is using cookie cutters to make the sugar cookies, and mom is holding our newest addition to the Russell family, Maisie.

“I’ve been replaced,” I say, throwing my arms and myself into a chair.

“No, you haven’t. She’s just spreading her wings.” Tessa mixes the ingredients. “There’s more than a little love to go around.”

“Try Maisie. She takes to anyone who will hold her,” Tre says.

Some time after he met Tessa he really perfected cutting out sugar cookies and having them perfectly spaced on the tray.

“Hold up. She loves her grandma the most.” My mom kisses the baby’s forehead.

“I put a lot of time into Ryah,” I say, picking the extra cookie dough off the rim and bringing it to my mouth.

“Cookies!” Ryah points, as her and Pierce walk into the room, her arms wrapped around his neck.

“I can’t wait to eat them all,” Pierce says, leaning over and kissing Tessa on the cheek and then my mom before sitting next to Tre. “How’s the assembly line going?”

Tre rolls his eyes, but Tessa’s back is turned. Plus, we all know if it makes Tessa happy, it makes Tre happy.

“Sprinkles!” Ryah picks up the bottle of red sprinkles and dumps it on one of the cookies, leaving the cookie snowman looking like it has frostbite, all red and angry.

“No!” Tre says, reaching for the bottle, but it’s too late.

“Uh-oh,” she says, slinking back into Pierce’s arms.

Ryah doesn’t care for making mistakes or being corrected. She’s got a fiery personality that I admire. I probably admire it since she resembles me.

“It’s okay. That’s what making sugar cookies are all about. I call dibs on that one.” I raise my hand.

Ryah looks to Tre and then Tessa standing by the mixer. She’s looking for reassurance that it’s okay.

Tre sighs and Tessa’s lips turn into a smile. “It’s okay, Ryah. Aunt Brynn is right, there are no rules when you make Christmas cookies. And everyone will probably fight over that one,” Tessa says.

“Yeah, let’s make a green snowman too.” Tre dumps a bottle of green sprinkles onto the next snowman.

The entire room stops and stares. Is this what fatherhood has done to my Army Ranger brother? Who knew he could be so spontaneous and messy.

“Stop staring,” Tre grumbles.

“Another one, Daddy?” Ryah reaches for the red cinnamon dots.

“Hello?” Carter yells from the front of the house.

We all look around, waiting and wondering. Every year Carter brings someone different home for Christmas, as if he can’t stand to be alone with us.

“In here,” my mom calls out.

“Ryah. Where are you?” he asks as he steps into the room.

“Yeah no go, big brother, she’s stuck to Pierce like he’s gingerbread frosting.” I sit back in my seat, still a little sour that my niece’s affections have turned elsewhere.

“Maybe for you, but not for me.” He holds out his arms for Ryah who ignores his existence, and I spot the redhead behind him.

Tre kicks me under the table obviously spotting her too.

“Oh hi,” Tessa says, wiping her hands on the apron. “I’m Tessa.”

“Oh sorry guys, this is Ashley. My wife.” Carter grins at us all.

She lifts her hand and a big diamond sparkles under the kitchen lights. “Hi.”

“What?” we all say in unison.

“Yeah, what?” Dad walks in from the other room, his shirt dirty from chopping wood for the fireplace.

“I got married.” My brother’s smile is one of pure happiness, but I have so many questions.

“We got that part, Carter,” Dad says.

“Sorry, remember when I went to the destination wedding two weeks ago? Well, Ashley was a bridesmaid, and I was a groomsman and we just kind of hit it off.”

“And got married?” I ask, eyeing Pierce and Tre. Their expressions are the same as mine, pure shock.

“I know this is weird. I told him to tell you before we got here.” Ashley almost hides herself behind my brother, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

“Well Carter’s weird, so get used to it.” I pull another piece of dough off the bowl and pop it into my mouth. When I reach for another, Tre slaps my hand.

Carter ignores our reactions. “Ryah, seriously? I want to introduce you to your new aunt.”

Ryah looks up but doesn’t say anything.

“Nice try, but unless Ashley has an English accent you’re wasting your time,” I say.

“Are you suggesting she only wants me because of my accent?” Pierce asks.

“Well, it is why I wanted you.” I give him a cheeky smile.

“It’s okay Pierce, throw it at her.” Tre offers him a cinnamon candy.

I open my mouth, and Pierce tosses it in like a good boyfriend.

“Hello? I just announced I’m married,” Carter says with his hands out at his sides.

We all scramble to our feet and rush them. “Sorry, Ashley,” Mom says, handing Maisie off to me. “It can get a little crazy around here.”

I nuzzle Maisie in my arms and when I look up, Pierce is staring at me, and he’s got that look in his eyes. The same one I’ve seen when I’m playing house with Ryah and babysitting her doll. He’s ready. I know he is.

Kenzie and Andrew get in tomorrow to spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s with us. Obviously, Kenzie and Tessa are planning for all their children to be the same ages since they also have a newborn coming to visit with them.

“It’s fine,” Ashley says, allowing my mom and dad to officially congratulate her and welcome her to the family.

Soon she’s at the table with all of us making sugar cookies and when Carter asks her to go upstairs for a nap she declines. Carter grows a little pouty, but she kisses his cheek and whispers something in his ear that makes him smile. I think I like her.

After the cookies are all decorated, Maisie is asleep in her pack and play and Ryah is on the couch.

Pierce comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Come on a walk with me.”

“It’s cold,” I say.

“Just come.” He nods toward the door.

My family are all relaxing and watching a Christmas movie, so we grab our coats and sneak out the front door, heading out into the brisk weather.

Pierce wraps his hand in mine, and we walk down the driveway. “I just wanted a little alone time with you.” He tightens his hand around mine.

“You miss having me all to yourself already?” I laugh.

He stops us, brushing a strand of my hair back and tucking it behind my ear. “I like walking with you. Reminds me of our first weekend together. That was everything.”

I smile because he’s right. That night will always feel special and like it had a touch of magic to it.

We walk a few blocks, admiring the houses along my parents’ street. They’ve all gotten older since I’ve been away. Some have had their roofs and landscaping redone, and others are still the same as they were when I was a grade schooler. The park has all been redone since I used to play there.

Pierce stops in front of a house across from the park that is partially hidden by the number of trees lining the property. “Let’s go take a peek,” he says, walking us past the For Sale sign.

“Um no, that’s trespassing.” I stop in my tracks.

“Is it?” he asks. He arches an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I nod at him emphatically.

His free hand digs into his coat and he holds something out to me. “Not if we own it.”

He’s lost his mind. “Pierce, did you buy this house?” My eyes widen when I see that there’s a key in his palm.

“Would you be mad if I did?” There’s a genuine touch of fear in his eyes that maybe he made the wrong decision.

“Did you?”

He nods.

My chest swells with emotion. “Why?”

“Because family is important to you, and it is to me too. Don’t get me wrong, I love Portland and both of our small apartments. But we’re paying double the amount of rent when we could live here and go for long walks and start a real life together.”

I nibble on my bottom lip. “You want to live with me?” I ask, unbelievably happy.

I don’t care what house we live in or if it’s dated and stuck in the past, I just want to share my life with this man.

“Well, I’d like to do more than that.” He falls to his knee and pulls a ring box out of his coat pocket.

“Pierce!” I shout.

He only smiles and opens the box. “Marry me, Brynn. Fight with me every day but make up with me every night. Just please, marry me.”

I fall to my knees on the wet concrete driveway and nod, unshed tears stinging my eyes. “Yes.”

He slides the ring on my finger, and I throw myself at him. Luckily, he catches me and kisses my neck. “I love you.”

“I love you.” I draw back and kiss him on the lips.

Claps ring out and I look to my right to see my entire family standing on the edge of the driveway. Ryah has a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

“We surprised you!” she says running to us and handing me the flowers.

“You sure did.” I’m crying happy tears through my laugh.

One by one my family walks up the driveway, hugging and congratulating us. After years of feeling like I hadn’t found my place, this past year the puzzle pieces just slid in perfectly.

They all go ahead of us up the driveway to see the house, but I tug on Pierce’s hand to stay back with me for a second.

“Don’t you want to be the first to see it?”

“I have my whole life to be in that house, but there’s something I’ve been keeping from you.”

His gaze falls to my stomach, way too smart of a man. I’m sure he’s recalling the night two months ago when the condom broke. It has to be when we conceived the little one growing in my belly. “Really?” His smile could light up an entire city block.

I nod.

He picks me up and circles me around. “I didn’t want to say anything but watching you with Maisie today, all I could picture is you with our baby. This is the best Christmas of my life.”

“For now,” I say. I cradle his cheeks in my hands. “You’re happy?”

“So happy.” There’s a hitch in his tone. Could my cool as steel, soon-to-be husband be a little emotional?

“We’re going to have quite the life,” I say, kissing his lips.

“We’re going to have an amazing life.”

We turn to look at the house, my family having already disappeared inside. I like to think we’ve been sprinkled with a little holiday magic. Someone got us to that interview and on a plane and in the same villa. All to get us right where we’re standing now—at the beginning of our happy ever after.