32. Epilogue Ryan
Christmas Eve, one year later…
Carrie sat on the sofa with Magnolia to her breast. At five months old, she was already cooing, smiling, sitting up on her own, rolling over, and otherwise being a complete bundle of joy. At times, my heart felt sad that I’d missed out on this for so long because I was stubborn and selfish. Other times, I had such gratitude well up in my chest that I thought it would burst open in a kaleidoscope of colors and emotions.
"Look, here's Daddy," Carrie whispered as I sat down beside them. We'd just finished dinner. Walt was carrying gifts in from the garage and Helen was putting dinner away. Carrie's friend Ethan and his fiancé, Jake, had just left to catch their redeye to O'Hare for Jake's family's Christmas. And I couldn't be happier. My beautiful girlfriend and baby girl were in my arms for Christmas, and we'd had such a good year.
"Oh, that's so sweet," Helen purred as she walked in and sat down. They were eating up every bit of being grandparents, and the irony didn't escape me that had I just loosened up a bit in my younger years, I would be a grandparent by now too instead of an older first-time father. It was exhausting but so very worth it.
Walter placed the last of the gifts and sat in his recliner. He'd been back on his feet again solidly for the past six months. When he walked into the hospital to visit Carrie and Magnolia at her birth, he used a cane, but that was ditched a few months ago. It was so good to see him back to normal, and over the past six months, Carrie's work as a marketing agent here in Evergreen Falls had proven very successful.
"So we're all together again," Helen cooed.
"And we've got great news," Carrie said, smiling at me. "The dealership doubled their profits from last year. That's a one hundred and forty-percent increase over two years." She beamed with pride, and I knew Sam and I could never have done it without her.
"That's so amazing," Helen said, clapping.
"And the hardware store has seen a seventy-five-percent increase too. We're thinking of opening a store in Jennings now." Walter slapped the tops of his thighs and grinned. There was no greater feeling than the warmth of success built on good relationships and hard work. Except perhaps the close intimacy of knowing the woman I loved also loved me in return.
"My marketing firm is really taking off. I have several new clients and I can't wait to expand." Carrie had never been happier, and I knew it was because she was home around the people she loved. There were some tough days we had to endure. When people realized we were an item, the haters really started in. But surprisingly enough, it was Marge Evans who started telling them off. She took my lecture to heart and started reshaping the gossip groups in town. Soon, people were standing up for themselves, and people like Judy Baker were reduced to hermits who had no place in town. The entire city was transforming because of Carrie's love for me and mine for her.
"Well, how about we do presents?" Helen asked, but I had something else in mind first.
"Can I go first?" I asked her, and she looked confused but nodded.
Carrie was fixing her shirt, tucking the nursing bra away and settling Magnolia on her lap. She smiled at me while I waited patiently, then handed Magnolia—whom we'd been calling Maggie—to "Grams" for a cuddle.
I slid onto the floor on one knee and reached into my pocket. This was no surprise to Walt. I asked him in October if he would give me his blessing, and he approved. Helen was shocked, though, so she gasped and whimpered. And Carrie might have suspected because she didn’t look too shocked, but she did tear up a little.
"Carrie," I said, holding out the ring I bought for her. "We've had a bit of a bumpy start. This year wasn't the best for a while, but when Magnolia got here, I knew there was only one thing I wanted for Christmas, and that was this.
"I have loved you since the moment we first kissed. I never thought someone could take my heart by surprise the way you did. I thought I'd die a miserly man, alone and grumpy. But you came along and changed everything. I didn’t want kids. You made me the happiest man alive by giving me our sweet baby. I thought I'd die alone, and you've given me a legacy. Now I want you to give me one more thing. Marry me."
Carrie's eyes were freely shedding tears as she nodded and said, "Yes, I will." She held out a trembling hand, and I pulled the small one-carat ring from the velvet box and slid it on her finger. It was a perfect match. Walter had managed to get the size for me somehow, but I didn't ask what magic he'd used to get it.
She stared at the ring for a moment before sighing softly and looking back into my eyes. I kissed her softly, and Helen cooed and sniffled. This was a happy moment for everyone in the family. But most especially me, and even more so when Carrie started talking.
"Well, I have to give the next gift, and this one is an even bigger surprise. I've been keeping a secret for a few weeks." She looked at Helen, who grinned mischievously and scrunched her nose in a playful way. Then Carrie looked back at me and her eyes lit up. "Ryan, I think we need to take birth control a bit more seriously unless we want to reproduce like bunnies."
I chuckled and furrowed my brow as I shook my head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm pregnant again." Carrie's entire face flushed, and Helen clapped and cheered loudly enough to startle Magnolia, who started to cry.
Everyone else was thrilled, however, and I pulled Carrie into my arms for a tight hug. "Does this mean we can't get married until after the baby is born?" I asked her in a joking tone. We had been living together since February, and I was just itching to make this totally official.
"It means we have a few months to plan a wedding, because while I can't drink, I still want a honeymoon before baby number two gets here."
"You mean babymoon," Helen chortled, and even Walter chuckled at it.
"Congratulations," Walter said, standing. He reached his hand to me, and my chest puffed out with pride.
Magnolia would never know anything other than me as her father until she was old enough to need a medical history on her dad. And at that point, she would never even think twice about it. But the joy of knowing I'd be a father again, this time my blood, brought tears to my eyes.
I'd long-since moved on from grieving Kate and that relationship, but I knew wherever she was, she was smiling down on me. I knew she loved me, and I also knew all she ever wanted was for me to be happy. Now I truly was. Carrie and Magnolia, and now this new child we’d have, were the best things to ever happen to me. I learned what true love means, and now I was able to share it with someone without any pain or baggage or hangups.
I'd call that a Christmas miracle.