For Fox Sake

Epilogue

Jake

The plow bounces over a snow drift and Ari whoops in the seat next to me, lifting her arms in the air like we’re riding a roller coaster. “Go faster!”

I chuckle. “Pretty sure this thing tops out at thirty-five.”

Not to mention the fact that it’s still pitch-black outside and the twinkle lights are muted with snow.

Ari woke up at five this morning.

When we were kids, it was the same every Christmas. Aria woke me at the crack of dawn, always too excited about all the presents under the tree to sleep in past six.

Ryan is still sleeping, so I bundled up Ari and took her out to plow away some of the snow that fell over the camp last night.

I’m trying to keep her distracted until it’s late enough to meet up with the rest of our family.

“I think we’re about done.” At least, the main road that winds through the camp has been taken care of.

I spin the wheel, turning the plow around. “What do you say we head back and have some hot cocoa?” And I can brew up some coffee. A jolt or twelve of caffeine is exactly what I need.

“Do we have marshmallows and whipped cream?”

I press a hand to my chest, feigning offense. “Do I look like a cocoa amateur?”

She laughs.

I come to a stop in front of our cabin, the same one Finley always sets aside for us, the one we stayed in a year and a half ago during Ryan and Ari’s first visit to Camp Aria.

Ari scoots across the bench seat to get out on my side, and I lift her out and down to the slick snow. “Be careful.”

“I will.” She scampers up the walkway to the cabin, not careful in the slightest.

I sigh and follow her inside, hanging our coats and scarves up on the rack in the entryway, exposing our matching Christmas pajamas. Finley bought coordinating sets for the entire family, all red flannel and green stripes. The woman is a menace. But Ari does look pretty adorable and she absolutely loved the fact that the whole family matches.

Ari hops up on the stool at the kitchen island. “Can we go to the big house after cocoa?”

I glance over at the clock. It’s six. “Maybe? I’m sure by the time your mom wakes up and gets ready it will be time to go. How does that sound?”

“Good.”

Oliver and Piper are more than likely up and about. Their son, Benjamin, is only ten months old and doesn’t sleep past seven. I move around the kitchen, pushing the button on the coffee machine and grabbing the milk from the fridge for the cocoa.

Finley is probably awake too. She was just as excited about Christmas as Ari. It’s not often she manages to gather the whole family in the same spot at the same time, and the mountain of presents under the tree is mostly a result of her efforts.

Everyone is eager to see Ari’s reaction to the gift I got her.

Anticipation twists in my stomach. I really hope she likes it.

We drove in from Binghampton yesterday morning. We’ve been renting a house there for almost a year now. Binghampton sits in between Whitby and Ithaca, an hour away in either direction. Ryan started classes at Ithaca last spring. She’s also been helping Finley part-time with a variety of tasks in her downtime, some of which she can do from home—like payroll and accounting. Most of our weekends are spent at the camp anyway, much to Ari’s delight.

Yesterday after we arrived, we rode on snowmobile, went ice skating, and built snowmen, and then after dinner, we played Uno and charades with everyone.

The milk steams, and I remove it from the heat, pouring it into the mug. I stir in the chocolate and marshmallows and add a dollop of whipped cream on top before setting it in front of Ari.

“Thank you.” She picks up the spoon and shovels a giant bite of whipped cream into her mouth. “Daddy, do you think Santa knew to bring my presents here?”

My heart tumbles, the way it always does when she uses the moniker.

About eight months ago we were sitting on a bench in the early spring sunshine, enjoying ice cream cones after school when she asked if she could call me Daddy, since I was marrying her mommy. I told her yes, of course, and then had to change the subject so I wouldn’t burst into tears like an infant.

I saved the crying for when Ryan came home and I was able to tell her the story in private and then sob on her shoulder.

Ryan and I aren’t getting married until she’s done with school. But I couldn’t wait to ask her. I proposed one lazy morning in bed, shortly after we moved into our new place. Probably the least romantic proposal, since we were both naked at the time, but for some reason it was just... perfect.

“I’m sure Santa will find you. He knows when you’re naughty and nice, he sees you when you’re sleeping and all that, so clearly he must know you were sleeping here.”

“Hmm.” She purses her lips at me.

She’s getting old enough to start questioning the whole Santa thing, but maybe we can squeeze out one more year before we have to break it to her—or the kids at school will.

I grab a couple mugs full of coffee. “You good?” I ask Ari. “I’m going to check on your mom, get her to start moving.”

She nods. “I’m good.”

Padding into the bedroom, I nudge the door with my foot, leaving it open a scant inch, and set our coffees down on the nightstand. Then I slip under the blankets, still warm with Ryan’s body heat.

She immediately turns into me, one arm slipping around my waist, the other tucking between us. “Hmm,” she murmurs, half asleep, her face settling into the crook of my neck, her nose brushing against my skin. “Jake.”

I tighten my hold on her. “Merry Christmas.”

Her lips slide against my neck. “How much time do we have?” Her voice is husky with sleep.

Within a split second, my cock hardens into a rock.

Damn. I will never get enough of this woman.

I stifle a groan. “Ari is awake. She’s in the kitchen drinking hot cocoa.”

“We need to soundproof these walls.”

“Agreed. You should tell Finley that.”

She chuckles, her laugh vibrating through me. My heart squeezes inside my ribcage. I didn’t know it was possible to be this deliriously happy.

“Can we go now?” Ari calls out from outside the door.

Ryan pulls back slightly. “Are you ready for this?” she asks, her voice low.

There’s only one possible answer. “Yes.”

Thirty minutes later, we walk into the main house using the side door that opens directly into the kitchen and I’m immediately struck with the scents of pine and cinnamon undercut with cleaning products. It smells like home. Laughter and the low hum of conversation drifts in from the living room.

“We’re here!” Ari skips ahead of us.

Finley and Piper are both sitting on the floor, near Benjamin. The baby is standing at the coffee table in his flannel onesie, holding the edge and bobbing up and down. He’s not walking quite yet, but he’s getting the hang of moving around a bit while hanging on to something stable.

Oliver sits on the couch behind him next to Archer, his eyes focused on his son’s every movement.

Luke and Mindy are in the recliner, Mindy snuggled into his lap.

“Where are Taylor and Ace?” I ask.

Ryan takes a seat on the couch next to Oliver and Archer. Ari settles on the floor between Finley and Piper.

“Taylor and Atticus should be here soon, they just woke up,” Finley says.

I roll my eyes. “Shocker.”

Mindy chuckles. “She’s used to working late nights, but she knew it would be an early morning.”

Holidays have always been especially tender, for all of us. Aria’s absence is loud. But with Ari here, her youthful exuberance and innocence somehow provide a layer of relief.

“When can we open them?” Ari stares up at the tree, covered in multicolored lights and homemade ornaments mixed with store-bought bulbs in various colors.

It’s not one of those perfect, catalogue-ready trees.

The tree itself was chopped down from the other side of the property. It’s a little on the thin side, and there is a janky spot where the branches were uneven that Finley faced toward the wall.

Most of the decorations were made by all of us at various points in our childhoods. There is a clay mold of Aria’s handprint up there, a drawing Piper did in kindergarten that someone poked a hole in and slipped through a string to hang on the tree, and a tinfoil star Aria and I made together. We wanted it to be a tree topper, but it wasn’t sturdy enough.

It’s not a perfect tree. It’s messy. It’s a tree full of life and memories, both good and sad.

It’s perfect.

“Do you want to play elf and start handing out the presents? You can just put a pile to the side for when Taylor and Atticus get here, it should be any minute.”

Ari jumps to her feet and races to the tree, vibrating with excitement at the permission to dig into the gifts.

I perch on the arm of the couch next to Ryan while Ari proceeds to sort and pile presents all around.

“I need an IV of coffee, stat!” Taylor calls from the kitchen, the door opening and shutting with their arrival.

“Hurry up, we’re about to get started without you,” Mindy yells back, shaking the gift in her hand that Ari just handed her.

Everyone has a small pile in front of them by the time Taylor and Atticus emerge from the kitchen, mugs in hand. They sit on the floor near Finley.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in.” Finley motions with a hand.

The sound of ripping paper fills the air as everyone opens at once, tossing ribbons and bows onto the floor.

Oliver has Benjamin in his lap, and he’s holding up a T-shirt that reads The Original in block letters. Piper, laughing, holds up a baby-sized shirt that says The Remix in the same lettering.

“Jake, this is too much.” Ryan’s hand lands on my leg. She’s staring down at the new laptop I bought for her.

“You need it for school.”

She leans her head against my side. “Thank you.”

I open the package in my lap. It’s from Archer. It’s a T-shirt with a photo on it. The photo is of me, sleeping, wrapped in the giant Archer face blanket.

I chuckle and look over to find him grinning at me. “You’re a di—uh,” I glance over at Ari, clearing the bad word from my throat, “not nice person.”

He just laughs, the dick.

Ari is still sorting through presents and handing them out, so interested in everyone else’s gifts, she hasn’t opened any of her own.

I make my way over to the tree to find a very specific box and bring it over to her.

“Here. Take a break from your elf duties and open this one.” I set it in her hands and then crouch down next to her while she tears it open.

“It’s a new backpack!”

“Open it up.”

“There’s more?”

“Yep.” I swallow.

She opens the bag and pulls out a paper. “What is this?”

“Read it.”

She scans over the page and then she reads the words slowly. “You may not have my eyes, you may not have my smile, but you have all of my heart. When you’re ready, I would love the honor of being your real daddy.” Her eyes fly up to mine.

The noise in the room has muted to almost nothing.

“Do you want to... adopt me?” Ari asks, her voice hushed.

“Of course, baby.”

Her face crumples, her hands lifting to cover her eyes.

“Hey.” I tug her onto my lap, her arms wrapping around my neck, her face burrowing into my shoulder. “I love you, superhero.”

“I love you too.”

“There’s no pressure here,” I say into her hair. “It can take a long time to adopt, and if you need to think about it, that’s okay. We can wait until you’re older, we can talk about it again later, whatever you want. I just wanted you to know that I already consider you my daughter, and I always will. You will always be a part of my family. And if you ever want to make it official, we can do that.”

Ryan sits next to me, her arms going around both of us.

After a minute I lift my head.

Finley swipes at her eyes.

Mindy is pressing a tissue to her nose.

Oliver holds Benjamin against his chest, his eyes gleaming.

Ari pulls back. “Does that mean I’ll be family to everyone else here too?”

I wince. “I know that’s a scary thought, but really they’re not as bad as they seem. Don’t let the thought of being related to,” I wave a hand around, “all these weirdos scare you from making your decision.”

She giggles and pushes on my chest. “Daddy!”

Archer chucks a wad of wrapping paper, smacking me right in the forehead.

“Way to ruin a moment.” Taylor pitches a wad of ribbon at Archer.

The room turns into a full-scale battle, tissue paper and bows and trimmings flying around the room indiscriminately.

Ari leaps out of my lap to join the fray.

Amidst the chaos, Ryan leans into my side.

I turn my head and brush a kiss over her mouth. She tastes like coffee and chocolate and home.

My eyes rove over her face, then over the rest of the room.

Archer is subduing Finley with one of his giant hands while batting away projectiles from Ari with the other. Mindy and Taylor have teamed up in a battle against Luke and Piper. Oliver is out of the line of fire, standing behind the couch, frowning at all of us. He’s holding Benjamin against his chest to face the room, an identical scowl marring his little chunky baby face.

Happiness bubbles in my veins.

I shut my eyes and send out a quick prayer to my twin.

Thank you for bringing me to them.

I will always miss Aria. But I know that my grief is proof that love was here. It was real.

I open my eyes, my gaze locking with Ryan.

And love will continue.

The End.

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