Epilogue

Emery

One Year Later

I smoothed the tablecloth for the hundredth time, even though it was already wrinkle-free thanks to Blake’s obsessive attention to detail. He’d arrived exactly forty-seven minutes early—which was actually fifteen minutes later than I’d expected—armed with a label maker and a binder full of party optimization strategies.

“The flow from the appetizer station to the drink table needs to be more efficient.” He consulted his notes. “We should adjust by approximately four inches to the left.”

“You know what? You’re absolutely right.” I helped him shift the table, fighting back a smile. A year ago, I would have found his precision exhausting. Now, I found it endearing. Besides, he wasn’t wrong—the flow was better.

“The fairy lights in the entry are asymmetrical.” He squinted up at them.

“I know. Levi did that on purpose because he says it adds whimsy.”

Blake’s eye twitched. “Whimsy,” he repeated, as if the word offended him.

“Tell you what—why don’t you go adjust the garland? I noticed it’s not maintaining a consistent drape ratio.”

His eyes lit up. “I brought my measuring tape.”

“Of course you did.” I watched him march toward the garland and couldn’t help but marvel at how much had changed. The Blake who’d once treated my mere existence as a personal affront was now one of my closest work friends—even if he did still occasionally mock write me up for “excessive caroling in the workplace.”

“Is he measuring the garland?” Ronan appeared behind me, sliding his arms around my waist.

“Mm-hmm. And don’t pretend you weren’t just in the kitchen rearranging the dessert display for the fifth time.”

“I was not.” He smiled against my neck. “It was the third time. And the mini pavlovas weren’t properly aligned.”

I turned in his arms, straightening his tie even though it was already perfect. “My perfectionist.” I rose on tiptoes to kiss him.

“Get a room!” Levi called. “Actually, wait—we have several rooms. Dibs on the next make out session!”

“You can’t call dibs on make out sessions.” Max came out of the kitchen, sampling what appeared to be his third appetizer. “We established that rule after the Great Hallway Incident of last March.”

My cheeks heated at the memory. “We agreed never to speak of that again.”

“Speaking of things we’re not speaking of...” Levi grinned wickedly. “Remember when-”

“The geometric precision of these hors d’oeuvres is suboptimal,” Blake interrupted, having apparently finished with the garland. “Would you like me to reorganize them?”

“Yes,” I said quickly, grateful for the distraction. “And maybe you could help Max stop eating them before the guests arrive.”

“I’m testing for quality control.” Max popped another one into his mouth.

I put my hands on my hips. “You’ve quality controlled half the shrimp already!”

Before Max could respond, the doorbell rang, and Ronan went to open it. Janet bustled in wearing a sweater with an LED Christmas tree that lit up.

She paused, taking in the decorated space. “Well, would you look at this? A far cry from last year’s warehouse party.”

I looked around our transformed living room, feeling a surge of pride. The massive Christmas tree sparkled with ornaments collected over the past year, each one holding a special memory. Garland and lights transformed the modern space into a cozy winter wonderland, and the fire crackling cast everything in a warm glow.

“Wait until you see the backyard.” Levi was practically bouncing with excitement as people started to arrive.

The next few hours passed in a blur as the house filled with laughter and conversation. I moved through the crowd, making sure everyone had drinks and food, occasionally catching glimpses of my guys doing their thing. Max had a group in stitches with his story about the time a client wanted everything wrapped in pine needles. Ronan was having what appeared to be a serious discussion about tape strength with some of the warehouse staff. Levi flitted from group to group, charming everyone as usual.

“Your house is gorgeous,” Sophie gushed, joining me by the drink table. “And I can’t believe how different everyone is now. I knew I liked you the second you walked in to Wrap It Up.”

“Aww, Soph, don’t make me cry.” I elbowed her playfully.

“And the guys...” She glanced over to where Ronan was now laughing at something Levi had said. “They’re like different people. Well, except for Max stuffing his face. Some things never change.”

I watched as Max did, indeed, sneak another shrimp. “They’re still them. Just happier versions.”

“Because of you,” she said softly. “You changed everything.”

“ We changed everything.” I couldn’t take all the credit since they had to be open to change for it to happen.

After the last guest had left, I collapsed onto the couch between Max and Levi while Ronan built up the fire.

“That went well,” I sighed contentedly as Max pulled my feet into his lap and started massaging them.

“Very well,” Levi agreed, playing with my hair. “Though I think we need to talk about Max’s shrimp addiction.”

“I don’t have a problem,” Max protested. “I can stop anytime I want.”

“The empty platter suggests otherwise.” Ronan joined us on the sectional.

I snuggled deeper into their warmth, feeling overwhelmed with love for these three ridiculous men. “Can you believe where we were this time last year?”

“You mean when you were living in a motel with a conspiracy theorist?” Levi chuckled.

“Hey, Gary’s doing great now. Did I tell you he started a YouTube channel about alien-proofing? He’s making bank. He also unwrapped our gift on a live and Sophie said we got an influx of customers because of it.”

I suddenly felt tears prick my eyes.

“Hey,” Max said softly, squeezing my ankle. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. That’s just it.” I wiped my eyes, laughing at myself. “Last year at this time, I had nothing. No job, no home, no...” I gestured to encompass all of them. “And now look at all this. Look at what I have.”

Ronan took my hand, kissing my palm. “You’re the one who showed us what was possible.”

“Our very own Christmas Spirit.” Levi wouldn’t stop with the nickname no matter how much I begged. He said it was fitting seeing as they had previously been known as the Three Scrooges.

Max poked my side playfully. “Technically, you should be Turkey Spirit, since you threw Thanksgiving dinner at your ex before all this started.”

I grabbed a throw pillow and smacked him with it. “Way to ruin a moment!”

“Speaking of moments…” Levi waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I believe I called dibs earlier...”

Max laughed, but he was already pulling me closer. “You’ll have to fight me.”

“Actually,” Ronan’s voice dropped to that low tone that never failed to make me shiver, “I think we can all agree that some things are better when shared.”

As I melted into their embrace, surrounded by love, I sent a silent thank you to whatever twist of fate had led me to that gift-wrapping shop a year ago. I’d walked in looking for a job, and somehow found everything I never knew I needed.

“I love you,” I whispered, meaning it for all of them. “Even if Max ate all the shrimp.”

“I regret nothing,” Max declared, pulling me in for a kiss. “We love you too.”

And really, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for reading Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges!

Coming Soon: Under Construction with my Brother’s Best Friends

When life hands you a cheating fiancé, rage buy a haunted Victorian fixer-upper... said no sane person ever.

But that's exactly what I did. Sure, the house has more issues than my ex, but it's mine. Even if the ceiling is literally falling down around me.

Enter my brother's three best friends—the owners of Triple Threat Construction. One's a smooth-talking businessman who makes spreadsheets sexy, another sees the beauty in every broken thing (including me), and the third can fix anything except his own commitment issues.

Now, I'm drowning in building permits, buried in renovation chaos, and definitely not getting hot and bothered watching them swing their hammers. Because that would be crazy, right?

But when demo day starts taking on a whole new meaning, I'm left wondering if they might be exactly what I need to rebuild more than just my house... I just hope these three men are up to code.

Under Construction with my Brother’s Best Friends

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