Epilogue Nate
The lights on the Christmas in July tree lit up to an explosion of cheers while a marching band snapped off the Beacon Hill fight song.
I stepped back, officially finished with all of my duties for last year's Lightkeeper appointment, and clapped along with the crowd in beat to the music, but my eyes scanned over the bustling festival for the one face I hadn't seen all day.
Ember stood among the crowd with the baby strapped to her chest in one of those strange elastic wraps I was forever getting tangled in the sheets during wash day, but her broad smile and the way she bounced in beat with the cheering crowd warmed me.
We'd come full circle, almost one year to the day I first kissed her and started the whirlwind of the last year. She waved, and I blew her a kiss.
The sun baked us with its blistering heat, and I imagined next month during our outdoor ceremony, it would be much the same, but I was so ready to take that step.
Making Ember my wife officially meant more to me than anything else.
When the handover was done, I slipped off the stage and found her, mingling among the members of the stage crew behind the large red velvet curtains that separated the props and stage equipment from the crowds.
She was sipping a lemonade, and it made me think of how that first day I really noticed her, she'd brought me one.
I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, leaning in to kiss the side of her neck.
"Bring me one?" I asked playfully, and she snickered as I bit down on her flesh.
"Not this year, Dr. Bradley. You'll have to get one yourself. I'm on Mom duty today." She turned, smiling at me as she offered me her bottle of lemonade, but I gently refused it.
"You're right, Momma. You need the hydration more than me. How's our little guy?" I asked, giddy as I looked down at my son's beautiful head of dark hair.
I smoothed it down gently and she clicked her tongue.
"He's sleeping. leave him be." Ember playfully swatted at me and I kissed her on the cheek.
"He looks snug…"
"He's a little oven." She fanned herself dramatically, and I pulled up a chair for her. "But he's a hit. The women all fawn over him. Little Ryder will be a lady killer one day."
I grinned.
Ryder Edward Bradley was now just over two months old and growing like a weed, and I had never been prouder in my life than to show him off.
"We have to be at your parents' tonight for dinner. Your mom insisted on making me lactation cookies." Ember chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
Mom was being a bit overbearing with the helping hand she offered, but I knew Ember found it sweet since her own mother couldn’t be around.
"I'm really glad the two of you get along so well." My hand found a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear for her.
"I'm just glad your dad finally likes me. Did you know he offered to babysit?"
"I'm not surprised." I laughed. "He thinks Ryder is going to be a pro football player. Give him time and he'll always come around."
I winked at her again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you want a snow cone or one of those ice cream bars you love so much?" Straightening, I stepped back to give her some space, and she sighed softly.
"What I want is for you to take the little man so I can go get my studying done. I'm ready to finish these last few classes and graduate. I turned in my papers. I'll walk in October."
Ember's eyes sparkled with pride.
After I submitted her paperwork in December last year for the tuition reimbursement program, the board approved her switch to part-time with me while she continued studies.
She'd already been offered a permanent position as associate vice president of human resources at Beacon Hill Memorial, and there was a clear path toward directorship and even more opportunities toward advancement in the larger medical system.
I was so proud of her.
I reached for Ryder and she started unhooking the baby carrier from her body, unraveling the many layers I still didn't quite understand.
"I don't think I'm gonna wear that thing. I'll end up getting my elbow stuck in it or something."
The entire idea of wearing a baby instead of just holding it seemed confusing.
Ember called it kangaroo time and told me attachment parenting was the best way to help a baby learn to be confident and grow independently later in life.
I trusted her.
And not just with our son.
I trusted her with my heart in ways that had challenged me, given my past. And despite the challenges I'd faced with my father over the past year—past several years, to be honest—I felt more confident in my own life and my relationship with Ember than ever.
Because my father could only say kind words about her, which isn't something he'd done for either of my previous serious relationships.
Ember was the one for me.
I might've had to wait until almost fifty to find her, but once I did, there was never a chance that she'd get away from me.
"I love you," I whispered as she handed me the baby.
"I love you too, Daddy…" She grinned. "Now it's your turn to change the diapers. There's a bottle in the diaper bag with breastmilk, and you need to be home by five so we can get him ready to see Mimi and Pappy."
Ember pecked me on the lips and backed away. "And you owe me a glass of wine tonight." And with that she was gone, weaving through the crowd to head home and continue pursuing her career, just the way we planned.
"Well, Ryder," I said to the little man in my arms. "Mommy's off to chase her dreams. Should we get ice cream?" I bounced him, grinning as his eyes blinked open, and then I caught one last glimpse of the woman who changed my life forever before she ducked behind a booth. "Yes… ice cream…"
Sometimes, life has a way of surprising you with exactly what you need when you least expect it.
You just have to have eyes to see and ears to hear, or you might miss it.
God knows if I hadn't paused my busy life to notice the way Ember Harrison kissed, I'd have missed the best thing to ever happen to me.
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