Epilogue
MATTIE
Two and a Half Years Later
The summer sun shone through the window catching dust motes floating on the air. The scent of Mattie’s shampoo teased my nose, and I pressed a kiss to the back of his neck in a sleepy haze.
My phone buzzed on the bedside table.
The first day of summer vacation for Toby looked to be dawning bright and clear. No doubt, he’d be itching to go to Jasper’s and spend the day doing whatever the two of them did.
Jasper was a good kid, and they had been a loyal support for Toby over the years. My nephew hadn’t outright said he had a thing for Jasper, but I’d noticed a bit of a change in their interactions over the last couple years.
As long as Toby was safe and happy, I had no qualms over who he fell for. Mattie and I had fun watching the little love story play out.
My phone buzzed again.
Mattie hadn’t turned on the air conditioning in his side of the duplex just yet, and a soft breeze fluttered the curtains in his bedroom. I knew I needed to check my texts, but I wasn’t above ignoring them for a few more moments.
Tabby was home for a surprise two-week stay before she went back to finish this round of deployment.
Toby had been ecstatic to see her sitting on the front porch when he got home from school a few days ago.
They’d pretty much been inseparable since, but Tabby had to drive to the base today, and I knew Toby would take advantage of the guilt-free freedom to hang with his friend.
My phone buzzed.
Again.
Mattie, Darcy, and I were meeting today to go over plans for the Sugar Pine Gingerbread House Extravaganza. It had nearly tripled in size since the inaugural year.
Darcy had been so thrilled when he called on that Christmas morning two years ago to let us know we’d gotten the grant.
And he’d nearly combusted when he found out we’d gotten a three-year extension on the grant.
Tourism was way up, and Sugar Pine was back in the black.
We were now known for the gingerbread house competition and festival.
People came from all over to enter for prizes and view the amazing talents on display.
When my phone buzzed two more times, I finally admitted defeat and grabbed it from the nightstand.
“Who is it?” Mattie curled into my side and threw his leg over mine, a hand caressing down my torso.
Tabby: Get your asses out of bed. You can boink later. I have coffee.
Toby: Mom said I can go to Jasper’s. We’re going to hike the woods today. They want to take a picnic. Can I borrow your gas card?
“You sure you want to be part of this crazy life?” I asked as we chuckled over the texts.
Mattie pulled me close. “Even if I didn’t, I’m way too invested now. We’ve got a unique setup, but it works for us.”
“Well, I guess we better get going. Coffee sounds good, and we slept later than Toby, so it’s definitely time to get up.”
“We can boink later,” Mattie teased.
After quickly washing our faces and brushing our teeth, we pulled on clothes and made our way to the front porch.
Toby and his mom sat on the swing. Tabby sipped her coffee, her uniform crisp and hair pulled back in a tight bun.
Toby flicked his keychain as he told her some funny story about the last day of school.
I produced my gas card and handed it to my nephew. He and Jasper had jobs lined up for the summer, but Tabby and I had agreed to help him with gas as needed. He was a good, responsible driver, and he didn’t go far—mainly just driving in and around Sugar Pine—so we didn’t mind helping.
“Thanks,” Toby said with a grin. He hugged his mom. “See you tonight. Movie tomorrow?”
I loved that they were getting time together. All of Tabby’s deployments had been challenges, some more than others, but Toby had really been missing her this time around. Having her come home for a two-week surprise had been just what he needed to start his summer break.
He ran down the steps and climbed into the car we’d got him.
It wasn’t new, it wasn’t shiny, and it didn’t run like a dream.
But it was solid, got good gas mileage, and was a good vehicle for a first-time driver.
Toby and Mattie had taken to pulling the car into the yard and tinkering on it a couple evenings and weekends lately.
Those two were thick as thieves, and I loved seeing their relationship grow.
They were good for each other. Thanks to our unique setup, Mattie kinda took over the uncle position I couldn’t fill because of stepping into the dad position.
The three of us stood on the porch and watched Toby drive away.
Tabby’s head on my shoulder, Mattie’s hand in mine.
When Tabby got home for her long stretch in a few months, Mattie and I would head out for a week-long trip out west. Over Christmas break, the four of us were going to Florida to visit Disney World.
But until then, we had a couple weeks to enjoy as a family of four.
Maybe we weren’t the normal family unit, but it was our normal, and I loved the little life we’d built.
~THE END~