Under the Mistletoe, page 27
part #1 of Home to Heritage || Book Five Series
Her phone buzzed. It was a message from her mom.
Mom
Merry Christmas! Your dad and I would like to come see you today if you still want us to. Maybe we could take you to dinner.
She stared at the message for a moment before the cushion beside her shifted, and Logan’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Everything okay?”
She glanced at the kids, all occupied with the now-running train, then back at Logan, turning her phone toward him. He read the message over. “What do you want to say?”
“I want to see them, but I want to be here.”
He took the phone, typed for a bit, then handed it back without hitting send. Devin read the message he had prepared.
Devin
I want to see you. I’m spending Christmas with Logan’s family, but you’re more than welcome to join us. We’re eating dinner at six if you want to eat with us, or you can just come in the evening.
Her finger hovered over the send button. “Don’t we need to ask your mom?”
“She has this thing called table math—”
“I’m familiar with her table math.” Devin couldn’t suppress a smile. She had benefited from that very math before.
She studied the text again, then added a few more words.
I love you. Merry Christmas.
She hit send.
“I have another gift for you.” Logan pulled out a familiar blue box with a silver bow from next to the couch.
“Is it a ring?” Alani was suddenly right beside them, peering eagerly at the box.
Logan’s eyes widened. “Uhh…no.”
Devin laid her hand on his arm. “That’s okay. It’s only been a week since you told me you love me. One thing at a time.”
She opened the box to reveal a tiny silver Christmas tree charm for her bracelet. “It’s perfect.”
Holding it out to him, she presented her wrist for him to clip it on next to the mistletoe charm.
“This is for the hope of many Christmas trees and holiday adventures to come,” Logan said, fastening the charm with a gentle smile.
As the warmth of the moment enveloped them, Devin knew this was just the beginning of a beautiful journey filled with love, laughter, and countless Christmases together.
Alani ran to the train, and Logan brushed a quick kiss across Devin’s lips, then whispered in her ear. “I promise a better Christmas kiss when we don’t have an audience.”
“I look forward to that.” Her phone chimed, and she picked it up.
Mom
Send us the address, we’ll come for dinner.
The Thanksgiving miracle that never happened was going to come true for Christmas.
Maybe the family she’d been given could also be a part of the family she chose after all.
She toyed with the charm for a moment. “I never finished reading the whole final scene. I stopped when he started to kiss her.”
She reached for her phone, but Logan pulled it up on his first. “That’s okay, I ended up rewriting the final kiss after I got home that night anyway.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say, after our kiss beside the building, I felt…inspired.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Good research will do that to you.”
She claimed his phone, a smile tugging at her lips. “In case you’re wondering, I am always available for research.”
When Logan’s gaze heated, she shot a look to where the kids played. “Later.”
He groaned and let his head fall back on the couch. Devin laughed and found where she’d left off in the scene and sank into the story.
She ran a weak finger over his cheek. “Because you are worth fighting for.”
“As are you.” Rand pulled her to him again, sheltering her from the falling rain. Her warm breath mingled with his. Rand brushed his lips across hers, down along her jaw.
With a gentle yet fervent urgency, he captured her lips with his. The kiss ignited like wildfire within him. It was a desperate promise of what they could have. It was a dance of his longing in the past, his need in the present, and his desire for a future with her.
As he kissed her, he poured every ounce of his brokenness, his hope, and his unwavering love into that singular moment, as if the very act could bring her back to full health and bind them against the chaos of the world they had yet to face.
Her lips, initially cool and unyielding, began to warm beneath his. Her weakness seemed to fade, and her hands skimmed over his shoulders to the back of his head. And when her lips began to respond in kind, he deepened the kiss. It was no longer a plea for her life. It was a vow, a sacred promise that he would always fight for her, no matter the cost. Rand lost himself in her.
The rain around them increased, but neither attempted to move or slow the kiss. It was as if every worry, every doubt, every unnecessary guilt that they had carried washed away in the downpour.
At last, he drew back, their foreheads resting together, breaths mingling in the rain-soaked air. Astryn’s eyes fluttered open, shimmering.
“Wow,” she whispered, a playful spark in her eyes. “I think I’d like to be awoken like that every day. Now, about that cottage.”
“Done. I’ll start building tomorrow.” Rand chuckled, relief flooding his chest as he brushed the rain from her cheeks. “You scared me.” His voice rumbled low. Scared didn’t even scratch the surface. “You could have died.”
Her smile softened. “I won’t apologize. With the strength of Origin, I’ll always fight for you.”
“And I will always fight for you.” With that, Rand pressed his lips to hers once more, sealing their resolve that promised a long future together. The storm continued to rage around them, but in their embrace, they had found their sanctuary—a home within each other, unyielding and eternal. No matter what they faced tomorrow, they’d face it together.
She turned to drop a kiss on Logan’s face, but it had paled as he stared at his phone. “Logan?”
He pointed his phone toward her. It was a news article with the title Victor Holt Unveiled and Readers Are Swooning. There were two photos, one that looked like it had been taken on a street in LA and one in their local mall, where it seemed to be a selfie with a handful of girls all around a poster.
“Who leaked it?”
He shrugged as an email notification popped up. He tapped it, skimmed it over, then handed it to her.
Logan, I was afraid the studio might do something like this to build excitement. Hope you are ready for it. By the way, I got your last email, and I am excited about what you will come up with. In that email, I could finally hear that fire that you’ve been missing for a while. Welcome back, Victor Holt.
Sandy
She lowered the phone. “Are you ready for this?”
“I guess the bigger question is, are you ready for this?”
She winked. “No matter what we face, we’ll face it together.”
Thank you for reading Under the Mistletoe. We hope you loved this story, our last Home to Heritage story. If you’re looking for more sweet contemporary romance, we’ve got you covered!
DON’T MISS ANY HOME TO HERITAGE NOVELS
Have you read all the heartwarming stories in this series from Tari Faris, Mandy Boerma, and Andrea Michelle Wood? Stop by catch up with any Heritage novels you may have missed!
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MORE SUNRISE SWEET CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Welcome to enchanting Jonathon Island, a picturesque town built on love and legacy. Whether you spend a weekend at The Grand, take a stroll down Lilac Lane, or cozy up in the Christmas Cottage, you'll fall in love with this heartwarming contemporary romance series, full of second chances and unforgettable love stories. So pack your bags, grab your favorite book, and get ready to be whisked away to Jonathon Island, where happily-ever-afters are just around the corner.
Buy at Amazon or read in KU now!
LOVE YOUR ROMANCE WITH SOUTHERN FLAVOR?
From beloved author Betsy St. Amant comes a swoon-worthy contemporary romance series set in a small beach town that reminds us that true love is worth fighting for.
Buy at Amazon or read in KU now!
P.S. I Love You || Restoring Heritage Prequel Novella
What if a woman who’s all about the goals and plans falls in love with man who no longer believes his life has a purpose? A novice life coach needs to cement her reputation with one great success story. When a wounded ex-Army officer walks in looking for a job, she decides to work with him—a win-win for them both.
If Caroline Williams had her way, she’d help everyone in town find their purpose in life—unfortunately, no one seems to want her help. But she refuses to give up, and her new status as a certified life coach should provide her with some badly needed credibility. All she needs is her first client. When Grant Quinn walks in looking for a job, Caroline knows he needs more than that—he needs a new plan for his life. But when Grant refuses to be honest about his dreams and his struggles, Caroline’s business might come crashing down before it starts.
Wounded former Special Forces operator Grant Quinn understood the cost when he enlisted and served his country with pride. The scars on his face are reminders of what he lost, but he is moving on—now if he could just convince his family that he’s fine. When Caroline steps back into his life and offers to help find him a job in exchange for being her Guinea pig in her new life coaching business, he agrees. After all, what better way to show his family he’s okay than with a new, stable job? But when the anxiety he’s been running from ruins his one interview, his plans come crashing down. Can he trust Caroline enough to be honest about everything?
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heritage novels
HOME TO HERITAGE
You’re the Reason
Here With Me
Christmas With You
Playing for Keeps
Under the Mistletoe
RESTORING HERITAGE
P.S. Goodbye (prequel novella)
You Belong With Me
Until I Met You
Since You’ve Been Gone
While It Was Snowing (novella)
Upon a Midnight Snow (Christmas novella)
about tari faris
Tari Faris is the author of Restoring Heritage Series and Home to Heritage Series. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy, is the projects manager for My Book Therapy, and special projects manager at Sunrise publishing. She was awarded Mentor of the Year from ACFW in 2023 and awarded the Genesis in 2017. She has an MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary and lives in the Phoenix, Arizona, area with her husband and their three children. Although she lives in the Southwest now, she lived in a small town in Michigan for 25 years.
Learn more at TariFaris.com.
about susan may warren
With nearly 2 million books sold, critically acclaimed novelist Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA, and Carol award-winning author of over 100 novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill, and Summerside Press. Known for her compelling plots and unforgettable characters, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com, and Christmas novellas.
With books translated into eight languages, many of her novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA's Inspirational Reader's Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. She’s a three-time RITA finalist and an eight-time Christy finalist.
Publishers Weekly has written of her books, “Warren lays bare her characters’ human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness.” Library Journal adds, “Warren's characters are well-developed and she knows how to create a first rate contemporary romance…”
Susan is also a nationally acclaimed writing coach, teaching at conferences around the nation, and winner of the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year award. She loves to help people launch their writing careers. She is the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com and www.learnhowtowriteanovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published. She is also the author of the popular writing method The Story Equation.
Find excerpts, reviews, and a printable list of her novels at www.susanmaywarren.com and connect with her on social media.
Under the Mistletoe
Home to Heritage, Book 5
Published by Sunrise Media Group LLC
Copyright © 2025 Tari Faris
Print ISBN: 978-1-966463-14-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-966463-14-6
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
For more information about Tari Faris and Susan May Warren, please access the authors’ websites at the following addresses: www.tarifaris.com and www.susanmaywarren.com.
Published in the United States of America.
Cover Design: Sunrise Media Group LLC
Editing: Barbara Curtis
Tari Faris, Under the Mistletoe
