Wreck the Halls(107)
Relief rolled off him in palpable waves. “I wouldn’t bet against us. We’re pretty good at accomplishing the impossible.”
“You’re right. We better get on the case.”
“I’ve got your first forever right here,” Beat said, setting her down and taking a ring box out of his pocket. Getting down on one knee, right there in the falling snow. “Please take it?”
Melody laughed through her tears. “Consider it taken.”
“I’m going to love you every day for the rest of our lives like I’m making up for fourteen years away from you.”
Her heart rejoiced in colliding with his, two becoming one. “I’ll love you back the same way.”
Beat slipped on the diamond ring with unsteady hands, lunged to his feet, and folded Melody in his arms, their laughter ringing up to the sky as he turned her in circles to the tune of applause and whistles. People cheered from the windows of apartment buildings above. Christmas magic spun around the pair and would continue to weave miracles and happiness throughout the decades that were yet to unfold.
Acknowledgments
Some of my favorite recent advice came by way of The Bear (an incredible television show on Hulu). Let it rip. The idea for this story seemed easy on paper, but when I started writing it, I realized I was holding more than just the outcome of a romance in my hands, but the friendship of two iconic women, in the form of Octavia and Trina, Beat’s and Melody’s mothers. They deserved words and weight, too. Because when you’re bold enough to take big chances, when you let it rip, the result might just echo across decades.
I hope Beat and Melody’s love story (and the friendship story between Octavia and Trina) stay with you at least that long. I know they will for me.
Thank you to my Mac and Pat. Thank you to my team at Avon Books and HarperCollins, stateside and abroad, including (but not limited to) my talented editor, Nicole Fischer, my publicity team, D. J. DeSmyter, Danielle Bartlett, Mary Interdonati, Alice Tibbetts, Shannon McCain, Madelyn Blaney, and Liate Stehlik at Morrow Group.
Last but never least, thank you to the readers. Each of you is glorious.
All my love, Tessa
Announcement
Keep an eye out for the first book in Tessa’s next series . . .
Fangirl Down
A new sports rom-com duology, starting spring 2024!
About the Author
#1 New York Times bestselling author TESSA BAILEY can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue-collar men and loyal,
lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island, avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called.
Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok @authortessabailey or check
out tessabailey.com for a complete list of her books.
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