EPILOGUE
Ten years later
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“Y ou think they’ll all make it?” Anthony asked, fidgeting with his tie. He ran his hands through his gray hair for the millionth time, earning an eye roll from his wife.
Natalie swatted his hand away, smoothing the lapels of his suit and straightening his tie. “Now, honey, you’re going to mess up this outfit that I took a lot of time to perfect.” She kissed his cheek before wiping away the lipstick smear. “They will all be here. You need to relax.”
“Traffic in DC is no picnic on a good day, but at Christmas.” Anthony shook his head and started pacing the room, nearly wearing the carpeting out. His wingtips slapped the floor in pace with his racing heart.
The doorbell rang, causing Anthony to jump. “Someone’s here!” he exclaimed, barreling past his wife to get to the door.
“Just like I said,” Natalie teased him. Even in her sky-high heels, she caught up to him.
When they opened the door, they were greeted to a sight that brought tears to their eyes. “Merry Christmas!” the gang cheered, filling their porch and spilling out onto the sidewalk.
Alice pushed through first, throwing her arm around her brother’s waist. “Merry Christmas, Senator.”
“Merry Christmas, Alice.” Anthony held his sister tight, savoring the moment of peace. “And thanks for not calling me Tony .”
Alice pulled back and rolled her eyes. “Spoiler alert, that will happen. I’m just being nice until you start feeding me.”
James followed her inside, hugging Natalie and shaking Anthony’s hand. “Big city politics look good on you, Anthony. Aren’t politicians supposed to get surlier and more haggard?”
“And here I thought you were the good in-law,” Natalie quipped, hip-checking James out of the way for the next round of guests.
“Sorry we’re late,” Beckett said, holding the door for Mallory and Maybelle. Both of whom had matching braids and red-and-green dresses. Beckett’s genes had won out, and his daughter’s hair was the color of a campfire, bold and fiery. “I forgot how to drive in a major city, apparently. I went through a roundabout three times before I could figure out our turn.” He huffed, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
Maybelle raised her hand. “I almost puked.”
Mallory covered her daughter’s mouth and pushed further into the house. “Ignore her, she’s fine.”
“Make way,” CeCe said, leading a parade of her clan. The twins were at her heels, their blonde heads bobbing up the steps. Evan followed closely behind, carrying a tower of to-go boxes.
“If I tell you there’s cheesy bites in here, will you hold the door?” Evan asked, shoulders slumping from the weight of the parcels.
“Only if that’s the truth,” Natalie said, helping Evan with his boxes before pulling CeCe into a bone-crushing hug.
Everyone filed into the kitchen and living room, the kids turning on the TV and entertaining themselves. Anthony craned his neck from the threshold and sighed. “I thought Max and Ginny were going to make it.”
Despite their best efforts, this would be their first Christmas together since the twins were born. Everyone was busy, the kids older and in some cases in college. Anthony and Natalie had left Buckeye Falls a year ago when he was elected to the US Senate. While they would still spend time in their family home, most of his efforts were focused in DC. Natalie had taken to their new roles with gusto, turning over most of her duties to Ginny and Madeline, who kept N&G afloat.
“Hold the door, Senator!” Max shouted from the sidewalk. He waved like a lunatic before bounding up the stairs and crushing Anthony in a hug. “Man, it’s good to see you.”
Anthony choked up, realizing just how relieved he was that everyone was there. Ginny’s footsteps carried up the walkway until she joined in their group hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Ahhh!!!” Natalie squealed from behind them, tossing her arms around the growing group. “The fun can begin now.”
Henry pushed past the parental reunion, eyes darting over the crowd. “Is O here?”
“What’s up, man!” Otis said, joining his friend and bumping fists. “Want to see my new PlayStation?” And with that, the boys were entertained and out of the way.
“It’s a shame that Maddie and Josie are so busy,” Ginny lamented as she took off her coat. Natalie took it, draping it over her arm before dragging her friend down the hall to the coat closet. “I know Josie’s at OSU and happy as a clam, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want her here.”
Natalie made a sympathetic noise, the sound of a mother missing her children. “I’m still in shock that Maddie’s boyfriend invited her to Christmas. It’s too soon for that, right?”
Ginny bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Nat, she’s twenty-six. She’s been dating Colin for over a year. I’d say the timing is perfect.”
CeCe stuck her head in the closet door, her eyes narrowing. “Are you having a special meeting already? I thought I’d at least have time to pop a cork and open the cheesy bites.”
Before Ginny and Natalie could make room in the tiny space, CeCe was pushed in by Alice and Mallory. “Is this where the girls are hanging out?” Mallory asked over Alice’s shoulder.
Alice scrunched her nose as a hanger hit her in the cheek. “I thought a senator’s house would offer more of a seating area. Ouch,” she exclaimed, rubbing her arm where Mallory had just pinched her.
“Everyone out!” Natalie said through the scarf in her mouth. Her heels wobbled as she gently shoved her friends out of the way. “We are headed to the kitchen where we can all sit and gossip in comfort.”
While the wives paraded past the living room, finding Eva, Charlie, and Maybelle watching Christmas movies, they stumbled on the men in the kitchen. “Hey, this was supposed to be our turf,” Natalie protested, getting on tiptoes to kiss Anthony’s cheek.
Max waved a spatula from the stove, already clad in an apron. “Sorry, Nat. I wanted to get these sauces on the stove before anything got funky.”
Ginny knelt to a tote bag on the floor, pulling out various canisters and boxes. “Please tell me the kids haven’t gotten into the cookies already. I thought they were packed with the vegetables?”
Anthony cupped his hands in front of his mouth and bellowed, “O! Where are the cookies?”
A moment later, Otis and Henry shuffled into the kitchen with guilty expressions. Ginny put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Hen, we’ve been here ten minutes. How could you have already eaten the cookies?”
Even in his late teens, their son was still a little troublemaker. He dusted crumbs from his ugly Christmas sweater and sighed. “Mom, we were in the car for hours. You couldn’t expect me to hold off the whole time.”
Max stifled a laugh. “Did you at least save some for the group?”
Now it was Otis’s turn in the hot seat. He surreptitiously wiped a smudge of chocolate from the corner of his lips. “I assure you, Hen did share with the group.”
Everyone laughed, and CeCe held up her hand. “I think I can salvage this.” She turned to Evan and asked, “Where was our box of cookies and cheesy bites?”
“In here, Mom!” Charlie shouted from the living room.
Evan snorted. “Then I guess we’re skipping dessert, because those rascals will eat anything that isn’t nailed down.”
“Oh man, I wanted some of those,” Otis said, following Henry to the living room with the rest of the kids.
“Good thing I made an apple crisp,” Beckett said, earning a cheer from Evan.
Natalie shrugged. “Crisis averted. Now, whose drinking?”
Two hours later, everyone was seated for their first Christmas together in years. The kids were relegated to the living room, smushed together around a folding card table. The adults surrounded the dining room table with barely enough space for their plates. The cramped quarters didn’t matter though, because the food—and company—was amazing.
Max and CeCe glazed a ham that was fit for the cover of a magazine, while Natalie, Ginny, Mallory, and Evan handled the side dishes. Alice and James were not needed for their decoration skills, because Natalie had hired a professional decorator. She gave the White House a run for its money on tasteful, classy décor. Beckett attempted to play bartender, but he lacked the flair and finesse of Chloe and Addison.
“I’m still disappointed Chloe and Addy couldn’t make it.” Alice sighed as Beckett poured her a cocktail he made on the fly. Fortunately no one winced at the odd flavor combinations of cranberry and juniper.
James took her free hand and squeezed. “I know, but they’re busy at their place.” True to her dream, Chloe got a quiet place outside New York with Addison. While the city was still important to them, both women now had the space to relax and enjoy their time together. Less hustle, but all heart.
“Hey, Uncle Beckett, can I have a beer?” Otis asked, already reaching out for a bottle.
Beckett flinched, glancing around the room for confirmation. Natalie let out a sigh from the tips of her toes. “It’s okay, Beckett. O’s sadly legal.”
Henry held a hand in the air and grinned. “And I think I should be allowed to have one, too. You know, since it’s Christmas.”
Everyone burst out laughing, but Anthony gave in and handed him a beer. “You get one, and don’t tell my constituents that I’m promoting underage drinking.”
Otis and Henry darted back to the safety of the living room before Max and Ginny could change their mind.
Anthony raised his wine glass in a toast. “Now that everyone has a drink, I propose a toast!” he exclaimed, cheeks rosy from his earlier imbibing. “To friends that are like family, and to Buckeye Falls. Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” the group responded.
They didn’t know what the new year would bring, but they knew they could handle anything together. Anthony’s schedule only got busier the more he got involved in DC politics. Ginny and Madeline—when she wasn’t working on her next art piece—were expanding N&G yet again, and Natalie pondered opening an East Coast office. Max was focused on the diner and Max’s Gin Joint, which Henry was beginning to show interest in. Evan and CeCe were cooking and baking at both of Max’s places, but they split their time at the bakery on Beckett and Mallory’s farm. James had another show coming up in Europe in the spring, and one of Alice’s books was being optioned for a Netflix special.
Everyone was thriving.
Everyone was in love.
Everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be ... even if there weren’t enough cheesy bites to go around.