Ash’s eyes widened and a breath whooshed out of him. “Oh.”

She ventured a little closer. “Ash.”

“I’m sorry, KC,” he said, regret on his face. “God, you must think I’m the biggest liar. I—”

She lifted her hand, pressed it over his lips to halt him. “Ash.”

He blinked down at her.

“I know you’re just here for the holidays. I know I’ve said hurtful things to you. I know you have to travel and write your books and live your life, but I can’t let you go on thinking I hate you.” She lowered her hand. “I’m not upset that you lied about the letters.”

His gaze searched hers. “You’re not?”

“No. I’m upset that I never saw it.”

A line formed between his brows. “Saw what?”

She looked into those beautiful blue eyes of his, her throat tight with emotion. “That the boy I fell in love with when I was seventeen years old was you.”

He stared down at her, confusion on his face. “What?”

“The letters are what made me fall, Ash. Those words were tattooed on my heart.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “And I knew that the boy who wrote them was the one I was meant to be with for always.” Her eyes stung with the beginning of tears. “I always loved you, Ash. You were my best friend. Not because you weren’t hot enough to date. Not because you weren’t boyfriend material. You were both, but you were so much more than that. I never let myself go there because I didn’t want to risk what we had. You were everything to me.”

His throat worked.

“But if I had known these words were yours, if I had known you felt that way…I would’ve risked it all.” She pressed her palm over his heart, feeling the quick beat beneath her hand. “Because you, Ashton Isaacs, are my soul mate.”

Ash’s eyes glittered in the twinkle lights, his expression full of wonder. “KC…”

“And I’m not telling you all this to try to make you stay. You deserve your dream. I know this town doesn’t mean good things for you. But I don’t want you leaving again without knowing that I’m in love with you.” She took a deep breath. “Like, really, really in love with you.”

Ash stared at her in awe for a long moment, and then the biggest, most beautiful smile broke out on his face. He lifted his hands and cupped her jaw. “Well, it’s about damn time, Breslin.”

She choked, some combination of a laugh and a sob trying to come out at the same time, and tears spilled over. But before she could say anything back, he bent and kissed her.

The moment his lips touched hers, everything that had been knocked out of alignment for so long seemed to click into place, the universe giving its nod of approval. She looped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up off her feet—or maybe she floated there. She hooked her legs around his waist, and they kissed until they were breathless.