It’s Only Make Believe

Epilogue

TIA

Two Years Later

I’m kind of nervous as the celebrant calls upon Luke and me to come forward with our baby. What if she cries? Well, she’s sure to cry, all babies do, but what if she won’t stop? I tell myself to stop worrying and try to enjoy the moment. I get up and carry our baby forward,

“Welcome to the naming ceremony of Ebba Jackson,” the celebrant says.

Luke and I both agreed we didn’t want a religious service and we’re doing this our way. The celebrant talks about life and the responsibilities of parents and then she talks about the importance of a name, and she explains how we are naming our baby after my Swedish mom.

“Luke, Tia, do you both promise to raise this child with love and help her to become a valued part of her community?” the celebrant says.

“We do,” Luke and I say.

The celebrant smiles and looks out over the room filled with family and friends. I look out there too and I see Luke’s mom is beaming, and she catches my eye, and I smile back at her.

“Do you, the family and friends, promise to help Luke and Tia raise Ebba should they need your support?” the celebrant says.

“We do,” the congregation says as one, and I can’t stop the smile from crossing my face,

“Can we have Louisa Sanchez up here please,” the celebrant says, and Louisa comes up to the front.

“Louisa, do you promise to be an aunt to Ebba, to be there for her whenever she should need you, and to support her parents with raising her with love?” the celebrant says.

“I do,” Louisa says.

“And should any event occur, that should leave Ebba alone in this world, do you, Louisa, promise to take the child into your home and into your heart?” the celebrant says.

Of course, Luke and I have already discussed this with Louisa and asked her to be Ebba’s guardian if anything should happen to us, but this still feels like a special moment to me, and I find that I’m holding my breath while I wait for Louisa to answer.

“I do,” she says.

Her part done, Louisa goes and retakes her seat, and I hand Ebba to the celebrant. She’s fine in the woman’s arms, until the water is poured on her head, and she sniffles a little bit, but she soon settles back down, and I see that all of my worries were for nothing.

“In view of your family and friends, I officially name you Ebba Jackson. May all of your wishes and dreams come true dear child,” the celebrant says, and she hands our baby back to me.

With the service over, our friends and family come up to take photographs of us and then they come closer and start congratulating us. Enrique makes everyone smile when he takes Ebba in his arms and beams proudly around the room.

“This is my surrogate granddaughter,” he announces.

I love that despite me not having any blood relatives anymore, except Ebba of course, that I am still surrounded by love, and I know that no matter what the future holds for us, Luke and I will always have each other, and Ebba will never, ever be alone in this world.

“I love you,” I say to Luke.

He smiles at me and kisses the top of my head.

“I love you too,” he says. “More every day.”

And they lived happily ever after…