44. Bonus Epilogue
Gabby, 5 Years Later
“ W hat in the world are you doing?” I call to my crazy husband as he walks past our reading nook for the umpteenth time. It’s my favorite spot in the house. Alex and I moved out of the condos shortly after we were married. Our home is one of Jax and Travis’s flips. I knew I had to have it from the moment Aly showed me a picture of the cozy-looking cottage. It came with everything I wanted: a place for my books, a large backyard for gardening, and our own washer and dryer.
Our six-month-old daughter Maya sits on my lap while drooling over her favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Her face lights up when Alex finally stops and pokes his head in. She’s a daddy’s girl through and through.
“I’m just making sure everything is perfect.” He adjusts a large duffle bag strap on his shoulder. A blanket is draped over his head, and Maya’s favorite stuffed penguin is tucked under his other arm .
“It looks like you’re bringing the whole nursery with us.” I scan him as Maya spots her penguin and puts her arms out, desperately trying to reach it.
“You can never be too prepared.” Alex drops the blanket and bag on the floor to quickly hand our daughter her lovey. She grabs it and immediately starts chewing on the beak. Those poor teeth are coming in fast and furious. It’s led to some rough nights, but we’ve been taking it all in stride. Just a few years ago, this was everything we wished for.
Alex and I decided to start a family about a year after we were married. We, of all people, should have known that life never goes the way you expect it. Still, we were shocked month after month when those little pregnancy tests kept coming back negative. It was painful, especially watching Aly seemingly become pregnant every time she looked at Jax.
Then one night on our annual trip to New York to visit Lucia, I became ill. I thought it was something I ate, but Alex insisted on running over to a local pharmacy and purchasing a test. Lo and behold, two pink lines finally appeared.
“You know, we don’t have to go tonight. We can wait until Maya gets a little older.”
“But the weather is perfect.” Alex’s smile falls. “Have you even looked outside? There’s not a cloud in the sky. Plus, I already dropped Bear off at Jax and Aly’s.”
Bear is our German shepherd that Alex insisted we adopt. He was sure the dog would make a great sidekick for him. But Bear chose me as his person instead. It’s not that Bear doesn’t like Alex. It’s just that he prefers me and I love it. He’s also a fantastic and gentle playmate for Maya.
“I haven’t.” I take in the sight of my husband, who still gives me butterflies. Much to Miss Ruby’s delight, Alex’s muscles have only grown bigger as evidenced by the sleeves of his shirt wrapped tight around his upper arms. Once we found out we were having a baby, he increased his upper body workouts, stating that he wanted to ensure he could carry Maya anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes, I worry if she’ll ever learn to walk.
“Well, if the weather is good…” My voice trails off as I hold our daughter up for Alex to take.
“Hello, mi princesa, ” Alex coos while adjusting Maya in his arms. “We’re going to take you somewhere special. It’s a place where Mommy and Daddy have been going since before we were an item.” He pauses. “Now that I think of it, it’s probably where you were conceived.”
“Alex! That’s not appropriate!” I hiss and stand from my chair. Although…he’s probably not wrong.
“She has the right to know how she got here,” he states matter-of-factly, and because he knows how much they affect me, he flashes his dimples.
“What am I going to do with you?” I groan and throw my hands up in the air.
“I can list several things you can do with me, but that would be inappropriate considering our audience.”
Our daughter just looks at us with a gummy grin. We have yet to determine her eye color as it changes depending on what she’s wearing. Sometimes, they have a bluish hue like her dad’s and sometimes they look brown like mine. With the little fuzz she has on her head, we’ve determined she’ll probably have dark hair, although right now, she resembles Mari as a baby. She’s absolutely adorable, and I can’t believe she’s ours.
“Let’s just get going.” I grab the duffle bag and blanket Alex placed on the floor and head to our vehicle. I opted for another small sedan after Stinky bit the dust, but I recently traded that in for a minivan. I thought it would be overkill with having just one baby, but I do enjoy the fact that it can hold a ton of supplies. Plus, it’s a pretty smooth ride .
We even took the minivan back to Elmwood Grove to visit the Joneses. While I’m still not their biggest fan, we all manage to stay cordial for the few visits we make each year. We want our daughter to know who her grandparents and extended family are even if we do keep them at a distance. Lilli, of course, is the exception. She was even in the delivery room when Maya was born.
I hate to admit that it took me far too long to realize that you don’t need to share blood to be a family. And boy, do we have quite the family out here in Starboard Beach. Even Ms. Ruby has adopted Maya as her grandchild…or maybe that’s great-grandchild since she just had her ninety-third birthday. Her neighbors threw her a huge block party complete with food trucks and bouncy houses for the kids. It felt like half the town came out to celebrate with her. I can’t wait to do it again next year.
There’s no shortage of love out here in Starboard Beach, and although I sometimes like to reminisce over my past, I try my best to live in the present and look forward to the future.
“She’s all buckled in and ready to go,” Alex says, slipping into the driver’s seat.
“It really is a beautiful and clear night.” I keep my eyes focused on the sky as I take my seat on the passenger side.
“See? What did I tell ya? It’s perfect.” He clicks his seat belt into place and calls out behind him, “Okay, baby girl. It’s time you get to experience counting the stars.”