A smile bloomed across Henry’s face, and he bent to kiss her cheek. Then Henry crossed to where Julien sat. He went to his knees again and laid his head on Julien’s lap. Julien looked across at her, and she quirked up one side of her mouth. He would have to make his own decision to forgive Henry. Julien’s sigh was audible from across the room. Then he gently brushed his hand over Henry’s hair.
Olivia turned back to Max. She placed a hand over his heart. “It doesn’t matter the risks. Max, I love you beyond reason, beyond rules. I would risk anything to have you be mine. We can’t get back the years that my father stole from us, but we can craft a new future together, a happy one. That will be the best revenge.”
Max brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. “Are you sure?”
“I know I have been cautious, and I have held back my feelings out of fear. But I refuse to waste even one more minute of my life denying how much you mean to me. Max, please, will you marry me, be mine for always?”
Max swept her up into his arms; her feet dangled several inches off the floor. He twirled her around in a dizzying circle. His laughter spilled into the room. Then he kissed her, soft and sweet. “Yes, my love. Yours for always and forever.”
The End
Epilogue
One year later
Olivia stood bythe front window of the bookshop and watched a group of carolers sing outside of the tea shop next door. Their beautiful voices blended to sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.” Foot traffic up and down High Street was brisk as people enjoyed the festival. She smiled as her husband’s face appeared on the other side of the glass. He grinned and gave a wave. Olivia turned to the door as Max walked inside the shop.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Wife.” He leaned down to kiss her.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Husband,” she replied in kind.
“How was business this afternoon?”
“Busy. We sold all the Twelfth Night card decks and quite a few books.” Olivia turned to the young woman sitting behind the desk. “Miss Martin, what does the tally say?”
“We sold twenty-two books today, six decks, and five stationary bundles.” Her friendly brown eyes sparkled with excitement. “That’s an all-time record for certain.”
Miss Martin had become an invaluable employee. Sunny and personable, she was the polar opposite of the grouchy Mr. Buxley, and the town folk had taken notice. In the eight months Miss Martin had been working for Olivia, they had seen a steady increase in customers.
Last January, Mr. Buxley had taken his wife’s advice, and the money Max had gotten from the sale of the contraband in the attic and retired. Olivia had offered a fair price for the building and its contents, and she believed that Mr. Buxley, despite his grumbling, was secretly happy to have the shop off his hands.
Olivia had altered her original plan to spend her days running the bookshop. She spent last winter implementing changes to the shop, and then she hired Miss Martin to run the day-to-day. She still loved to pop in and see how things were shaping up from time to time. But the past year had been filled with family and adventures of all types.
She and Max had married in February in an intimate ceremony in Marbury. Then they had spent springtime in London, introducing his sister into society. Olivia had found it easier now that she was older to navigate society functions. Perhaps it was partly because she found she did not care anymore what people were saying, and partly that she was incandescently happy being Max’s wife.
During the summer, they had spent two months in the south of France with Louisa and his grandmother while Max’s mother and Ginny had organized the relocation of their household from Paris to London. And this February, to celebrate their anniversary, she and Max were traveling to Italy. She was so excited; she could barely wait.
“Excellent,” Max said. “I knew your idea to extend the Christmas market and create a town festival was brilliant.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Did you now?” He sure had grumbled quite a bit this month that the planning for the Christmas festival had taken up so much of her time.
“I am very proud of my very accomplished wife.” Max wrapped her in his arms and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, are you ready to go to Lucius’s party?”
Lucius and Ellie were throwing a party to celebrate the anniversary of his business. They had invited the whole town to the brewery for the festivities. Olivia looked over her shoulder at Miss Martin.
“Go on. I’ll close up and see you there in a bit.” The woman made a shooing motion with her hands.
Max helped Olivia with her cape and ushered her outside to the waiting carriage. Once they were tucked inside, Max pulled her close. “Have I told you yet today that I love you?”
She snuggled close. “Not yet.” She leaned up and kissed him. “I love you, too.”
Not a day went by where they didn’t appreciate the second chance they had been given. It had been hard to stay angry at Henry when he was the reason she had Max back in her life. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that we received a letter from Julien today.”
“We did? I honestly never thought we would hear from them again after they sent word they had arrived safely in Rio de Janeiro.”
“He said they had settled in a lovely house by the ocean. The expedition is planned for next month, and he is brimming with excitement to start cataloging.”
Max chuckled. “I always did think he was an odd duck for the way he enthused over plants. Good thing Henry is there to be the practical one and watch out for him.”
“Yes, well, it’s a good thing Henry is a fool for love.” She squeezed her husband’s hand.
Max bent and kissed the spot right underneath her ear that always sent shivers down her spine. “Hmmm, it’s a good thing I am a fool for you.”
Yes, it was. Olivia tipped her head so he could have better access to place kisses along her neck. She was forever grateful that this foolish man loved her. His persistence had not only renewed her Christmas spirit but renewed her faith in lasting love and happily-ever-afters.