Page 48 of Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane

I smiled and was really touched she was thanking me specifically.

‘But Holly, you kept me calm and helped me bring my vision to life in a way that has shocked me – just how perfect is it?! This was our biggest undertaking yet event-wise and a really short time to do it all in. Thanks, Holly, and everyone here for helping to make it happen when I needed help the most.’ She gestured to her bump.

I mouthed a ‘thank you’, my face flushed from her praise. I had thrown my heart and soul into this and I was so happy it had paid off for us.

‘Babe, you wanted to say something too?’ Willow asked Dylan.

Dylan smiled as he touched Willow’s arms, looking every inch the proud boyfriend. ‘Willow continues to surprise me every day with her creativity and her way of making this farm even more special to visit, but also for me to live and work here,’ he said, glancing at her with eyes full of love. ‘And I am so excited for our son or daughter to experience it all along with us soon. Family is important here on Birch Tree Farm.’ He turned to his family beside him. ‘I wanted to say we’re so happy to have my dad and brother here to celebrate Christmas early with us, and that we’ve come to think of all of you in this room as family too. We hope you feel the same. So, all this is to say, let’s have a magical first day of December here on Birch Tree Farm, right, babe?’

Willow smiled. ‘Here’s to the start of the festive season!’ She raised her mug of coffee and we all lifted ours in a toast too.

‘Congratulations,’ Dylan’s dad said when the group started to disperse. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to have a grandchild.’ His eyes lit up and for some reason, seeing him emotional made me think about how if I ever had a baby, my dad wouldn’t know about it. I watched as he shook Dylan’s hand but Dylan pulled him into a hug and then his dad kissed Willow on the cheek. ‘My wife would have been so happy,’ he added in a choked voice.

‘We’re so glad you’re here,’ Willow said. ‘Dylan has missed you both.’ She eyed Nate, who was still silent. ‘I hope you’ll see how happy we are.’

‘I belong here,’ Dylan added. ‘But I want you both to be part of our life too. What do you think?’ He looked at his brother.

‘That would be good,’ Nate said stiffly.

Paul leaned in towards me. ‘Am I as grumpy as that guy?’ he asked in a low voice.

I choked out a half-giggle, half-cough. ‘I think you maybe have been,’ I said.

‘Shit,’ he replied.

‘You’re a big softie now,’ I joked, turning to him, startled by how close he was to me. I couldn’t avoid those warm eyes of his drinking me in like I was his favourite thing to look at.

‘I’m not sure I have much to be grumpy about any more,’ he said with a shrug.

And inside, I melted like a snowwoman in spring.

33

PAUL

Holly was quiet as we left the farmhouse together. The first day of December was crisp and grey. The cloudy sky meant the Christmas lights around the farm could be seen, though. I had come to the farm earlier than I needed to in the café van so I could attend Willow’s lunch. It was the type of thing I would have avoided before, annoyed by how corny this town could get around big events but I took the opportunity to spend more time with Holly. We hadn’t talked for a week.

I’d thought about changing that so many times. I’d wanted to be alone with her so many times. But I also didn’t want to do anything that might chase her away again. I wondered if she thought about me in bed at night or when she woke up because I sure as hell thought about her. She was on my mind whenever I had a second to myself. The way she had felt when I touched and kissed her. The way she had smiled at me in my bed. The way she was so shocked that we were on her side when Karl told us about her dick ex-boss. I wished she knew I would always be on her side if she wanted me to be.

‘Let’s walk the whole thing like everyone will be doing later.’ Holly broke into my thoughts and I thanked God she couldn’t hear them. They would freak her out, I was sure. She was acting like we were just friends. I had to follow her lead there.

Even if I didn’t want to.

‘Okay, so here we go,’ Holly said as we reached the polytunnels that been covered in what looked like snow. To the side of the tunnels were Christmas trees tied up ready for people to buy. Sabrina had made a wooden Mistletoe Lane sign that stood outside the entrance. Daisy had created an archway of holly and ivy and lights and when we walked through it, there was a table and chair ready for the person who would be checking and selling tickets.

‘It’s supposed to feel like a trail towards Santa’s grotto,’ Holly explained.

Inside, the tunnels had been covered in fairy lights, which twinkled with magic. Christmas music played throughout.

The first tunnel was decorated like a forest with the lights dimmed so it felt like you were walking through trees. Along with bark on the ground that created a soft path to walk along.

They had placed reindeer statues in between Christmas trees that were left bare and rustic in this tunnel. There were also statues of woodland animals and toadstools dotted around. And they had created a photo opportunity for visitors: a wooden bench with a Christmas tree on either side and draped it with fur rugs. Behind the bench was a sign saying Mistletoe Lane and another pair of reindeer figurines were beside it. I knew people in town would love to have their picture taken here.

We walked through another holly and ivy archway into the second tunnel.

The next tunnel was set up for crafts. Holly pointed to the empty stalls, saying they would be soon filled with things people could buy, and there were tables for kids to colour in Christmas scenes. This section had a couple of Christmas trees in it too that Holly said they were going to encourage kids to hang their creations on them.

We walked through it and then passed through another of Daisy’s archways, entering a Christmas tree haven. I let out a breath as I looked at the line of trees on each side of the tunnel, each one decorated in a unique way. They looked like we could have been in a fancy department store. The trees reached up high towards the fairy-light ceiling above. Fake snow was draped in between them and the ground was soft bark. It looked amazing.