Once Upon a Sure Thing (Heartbreakers #2)(56)

“Ho ho ho,” he says in a deep voice, and Chloe laughs. Then he whispers something to her. She nods excitedly.

“Don’t tell her what’s in it!” I chide.

A chuckle comes from Chloe, who covers her mouth, saying nothing.

“Found it,” Miller declares.

“Wait,” Chloe cuts in, grabbing another gift I can’t quite see. “You forgot this one from Santa, Ally.”

I set down my mug on the coffee table and wait to see what Chloe wants to give me from the jolly man in red. It’s a small white box with a red bow.

“Santa is so smart,” Chloe says.

“He really is. I wonder what he brought me,” I say, but really, I wonder what Miller bought me since he must be pretending to be Santa for her sake.

I unknot the bow, rip open the paper, and freeze.

My lips part, and wild hope rises in me. It’s a blue velvet box.

This can’t be . . .

I blink as I click it open, gasping when I’m blinded by a stunning diamond.

In a split second, Miller’s down on one knee, taking my hands in his. “Ally, you’re my best friend and the woman I adore. I’ve been falling in love with you for six years, and I don’t want to wait any longer for us to have this beautiful life together that I know we can have. Will you marry me?”

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” My soprano voice hits a new high, and tears rain down.

Chloe claps and squeals. “Is that a yes?”

I laugh and cry, throwing my arms around Miller. “Yes. I want that more than anything.”

“Good.” His eyes find Chloe’s. “I want us all to be a family.”

“We already are,” I say.

“Then this makes it official.” He slides the ring on my finger, and it’s stunningly beautiful.

I hug him and kiss him chastely. Chloe jumps on the couch, sliding in next to me and staring at my ring. “I helped him pick it out.”

I laugh. “You’re an amazing ring elf. And you two worked fast.”

She leans her head against my shoulder. “Can I give you a gift now?”

“Of course.”

Chloe hands me a package, and when I open it, I find her smiling selfie inside. Only it’s not alone. She framed a picture of all of us in the coffee shop, with whipped cream on our faces.

“I love it. It’s perfect.” I give her a kiss on the forehead, then rub my hands together. “Okay, let’s see what else Santa brought.”

Chloe drops a hand on my knee. “Ally, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

She takes a deep breath and fixes me with a serious stare. “I know Santa is really my mom.”

She thinks Santa is Lindsay? Oh God. I’m going to need to call Dr. Jane again. “Chloe,” I say quietly, but Chloe continues.

“Everyone knows that Santa is your parents.” She points at me. “So you’re Santa.”

My hand flies to my mouth. My eyes widen to moons. I can barely speak. As she roots around under the tree for another gift, I turn to Miller, mouthing, “She called me Mom?”

He nods. “Merry Christmas, Ally.”

I have more gifts than I ever expected, since I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here.





Another Epilogue





Ally



I scurry around my room, hunting for my favorite red sweater.

“Chloe, have you seen my red sweater? The one with the little pearl buttons?”

“No, but your phone is ringing,” she shouts from the living room.

“Crud. Can you answer it?” It’s probably Miller, but I’m going to be late to the New Year’s Eve party if I can’t find my sweater.

Seconds later, Chloe appears in my doorway. “Sure, Angie. She’s right here.” Chloe covers the phone to whisper, “Angie from Butler Press.”

I startle. She’s calling me on a holiday? I grab the phone as I fling open my bureau drawers. “Hey, Angie. Happy New Year.”

“It will be if you can say yes to a huge new opportunity.”

“Tell me what it is.”

As I hunt through my closet, I nearly drop my phone when she makes me an offer—an offer that’s going to do more for my future than a band would ever have done.

Just so I’m clear, I ask her, “You want me to be the voice for the lead singer in Girls Rule?”

Chloe shrieks, and I can barely hear Angie, but I make out enough. “Butler Press is owned by the same media conglomerate. The lead actress on the show has some vocal problems, and while she can still act on camera and do the speaking bits, she can’t handle the singing. So when they were looking for a voice actress to record the songs, I thought of you immediately. We need someone who sounds like a teenager and has a gorgeous singing voice. That’s you.”

And as Chloe bounces on her toes, I say yes to being the voice of the lead singer in an all-girls band on TV.

I don’t regret that I’m not being hired to be sexy, or to read a romance novel. They don’t need my vocal gymnastics.

I’ve won a job by being who I am.



*

A little later, we’re at Campbell’s toasting the New Year with the whole crew. Jackson is here with a Diet Coke, and I congratulate him on winning the scholarship.