20. Epilogue Joe
Epilogue: Joe
[ Seven Months Later]
The beach is quiet tonight, with only the faint laughter and murmurs of other families gathered on the frozen beach in the distance, each group a little cluster of anticipation as we all wait for midnight. I shift my feet in the cold, snow-dusted sand, shaking my head a little as I look over at Cody and Eli, who are standing beside me, bundled in puffy jackets that make them look twice their size. They’re still shivering, though, their excitement tempered only by the chilly sea air and the blustery gusts of wind coming off the water.
Poppy stands just a few feet away, her hands jammed into the pockets of her wool coat as she watches the pier with a soft smile. A strand of golden hair, turned almost white in the moonlight, escapes the hood of her coat and brushes her cheek, and the way she’s looking out at the horizon makes me pause for a moment just to admire the sight of her.
Something about her still catches me off guard, even after all these months. The way she just fits into my life, like we were supposed to find each other all along, with a kindness and warmth I hadn’t expected. Seven months together, and it already feels like she’s been a part of our family for years.
“Dad, how much longer?” Cody tugs at my sleeve, his nose red with cold as he tries to stifle a yawn.
“Almost there, kiddo. Just a few minutes left.” I squeeze his shoulder, pulling him closer to keep him warm.
Eli’s bouncing on his toes, wide awake. He’s been trying to keep himself still, but he’s buzzing with anticipation.
“It better be a good one,” he mutters, glancing at the pier. “They do this every year?”
I grin. “Every year, like clockwork.”
“Fireworks off a pier,” he says, shaking his head as though he’s some kind of New Year’s connoisseur. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
From beside us, Poppy lets out a soft laugh. “Just you wait, Eli,” she says. “Mermaid Shores knows how to put on a show.”
Just hearing her voice—so natural with the boys now, as though they’ve always been a part of her world—stirs something deep inside me. It took her no time at all to find a place in their lives. And they, in turn, welcomed her in a way I never thought possible. For boys who have only ever had a father, they’ve latched onto my girlfriend with all the earnestness of children reaching for their mother.
And maybe it’s too soon to be thinking that way. Maybe it’s too intense for my thoughts to take a direction like that.
But it’s New Year’s Eve, and I can’t help but feel a little emotional and romantic about everything. I’m a changed man, no longer so stoic and stern.
Poppy is so patient with the boys, even when they’re bickering over the smallest things, and she has a knack for getting them to laugh even when the day has gone a little sour. It’s easy to see that she loves them, and it makes me feel complete in a way I’d almost forgotten I needed.
“Ten seconds!” Poppy calls out, her eyes shining as she nods toward the pier, where the fireworks crew is moving into position. She starts the countdown, and the boys join in, their voices rising with excitement, filling the night air around us. In the distance, the other locals gathered on the frigid beach are echoing the countdown so loudly that I swear the stars themselves can hear us.
“Nine, eight, seven…”
We’re all looking toward the moonlit ocean now, the stage that’s been set for the glittering performance about to begin. Our excited breaths float through the cold air, curling up toward the dark sky like tendrils of smoke.
Our voices meld into one. “Six, five, four…”
I sneak a glance at Poppy as we reach three, two, one…
The first burst of color explodes in the sky, and Cody lets out a cheer, jumping up and down as more fireworks follow, painting the night in a rush of color. Poppy’s laughter rings out beside me, and I can’t resist reaching out for her. I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her as the rainbow bursts illuminate her face. She smiles up at me, eyes full of warmth.
“Happy New Year, Poppy.”
She beams, reaching up to cup my face. She kisses me, soft and tender, like she’s telling me all the things we haven’t put into words yet—all the things we’ve been building, bit by bit, over these last several months. When she pulls away, I’m left a little breathless.
“Happy New Year, Joe,” she whispers, her fingers brushing my cheek.
The boys are still whooping beside us, enthralled by the fireworks as if they’ve never seen them before. Childlike wonder will never cease to amaze me. To them, every fascinating thing is brand new. It’s nice to be reminded what that feels like again. To see the world with fresh, fascinated eyes. To wake up every morning feeling like I’m facing the day with genuine hope in my heart.
Eli looks up at us, catching us in the middle of our moment, and his eyes widen as he nudges Cody, grinning like he’s in on some kind of secret.
I give him a half smile, hoping he won’t make too big a deal of it, but that’s wishful thinking. He nudges Cody again and, together, the boys scurry a little ways down the beach to give us a moment of privacy.
Poppy laughs, her cheeks going even pinker in the brisk air, but she leans into me a little more, unfazed by the boys’ antics. We let the boys carry on their teasing several yards behind us as we walk back to the house. Our little group moves through the sand and up the steps of the porch, past the outdoor fire pit where scattered blankets and leftover mugs from earlier, now empty of hot chocolate, have been abandoned. It’s a ritual she’s introduced us to—a cup of hot chocolate with a little pinch of cinnamon and a marshmallow, she says. Apparently, it’s something her dad used to do for her when they were living on the road.
Once inside the cottage, now fully renovated, the boys toss off their jackets and flop onto the couch, wrestling for control of the remote while Poppy and I make our way to the kitchen.
“I can’t believe we made it to midnight,” she says, her voice low as she places a mug in front of me and reaches for the box of chamomile tea in the cupboard. Her eyes flick over to where the boys are still sprawled across the couch, their limbs tangled as they try to decide what movie to watch. “They’ll crash soon, you know.”
“Oh, I know. I give them ten minutes, tops.”
She laughs softly, and there’s a warmth in her gaze that melts me more every single day. I’m not even surprised that I’ve become so soft. Honestly, I’m more shocked that I ever let myself grow so hard.
“Actually,” she murmurs, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, “I wanted to show you something. A little surprise. I thought that maybe now, with the magic of the new year and all that, it’s the right time.”
I raise an eyebrow, a little curious and a little confused. But I trust her, so I let her guide me upstairs, past the boys’ temporary sleeping arrangements in the guest bedroom, and down the hallway to the two rooms she’s recently put the finishing touches on with Misha. I haven’t been very involved in those final details, having tidied up the last of the structural changes this past summer.
She stops just outside the first door, her hand lingering on the doorknob as she glances at me, a flicker of nervousness in her ocean-blue gaze.
“I know it hasn’t been that long, and I know this might be a bit unconventional, but… just take a look, okay?”
She opens the door, and I take a step inside.
I can barely believe what I’m seeing.
It’s a bedroom—warm, welcoming, and with every detail thoughtfully chosen right down to the vintage soccer posters on the wall and the bookshelves filled with graphic novels. There’s a bed in the corner with a set of flannel sheets made up neatly—the cozy kind of bedding that Eli likes—and a small desk against the far wall with a little lamp. It’s everything he could ever want in a space.
Everything he could ever need to feel at home.
And there’s a second bedroom, done up with the same care and attention to detail, only this one is filled with the things I know Cody would love. It’s softer, a little more refined, with shelves full of his favorite books and a little window seat for him to curl up in when he wants a quiet moment to read. There’s even a shared bathroom connecting the two rooms, complete with matching towels and a little sign that says, Brothers Only .
I turn back to Poppy, my heart hammering as I take it all in. “You… you did all of this for them?”
She nods, biting her lip as she reaches for my hand. “I know it hasn’t even been a year, Joe, but I… love you. I do. And I love them. And I thought… maybe it’s time we all had a place to come home to together.”
“I…” My voice is lodged in my throat as I continue to stare at the rooms.
Poppy didn’t just remake her cottage to her personal specifications. She remade it with special places for my boys, too. For us. For the future we could build together.
“I mean, I know that it would mean they’d have to change schools, but Aiden tells me that the local school here is one of the best in the state. I know it’s a lot, but…”
She swallows hard, too focused on waiting for my reaction to finish her sentence.
My throat feels thick as I pull her into my arms, unable to find the words I want to say. She’s done so much for us, brought so much light and laughter into our lives. And now, seeing these rooms she’s made with so much thought and care… it’s like I’m living in a dream come true.
“I can’t believe this,” I murmur, pressing my forehead against hers. “This is—it’s perfect, Poppy. It’s everything. I love you. So much.”
She gives me a soft, hopeful smile. “Does that mean you’ll move in? I mean, I know it’s a big step, and we don’t have to rush anything, but I just thought… maybe we could make this our home. After all, you played a pretty big role in rebuilding it.”
For a moment, I can’t answer. There’s a tiny part of me that’s loud enough to be scared, that wonders if it’s too soon to take a step like this. Except, even without asking them, I know for certain that the boys will be overjoyed at the prospect of moving to Mermaid Shores.
I look at Poppy, drinking in the gentle way she’s gazing at me so full of hope and love, and I realize that I want this more than anything in the world. I want her. I want us.
I nod, brushing a strand of hair from her face as I lean down to kiss her, pouring everything I feel into that one moment, that one promise.
“Yes,” I say, my voice a little rough. “Yes, we’ll move in. I want this. I want you, Poppy. I want everything with you. Even if it means we’ll be doing things a little out of order, I don’t care. I want to take this next big step with you.”
She lets out a soft, relieved laugh, and we stand there for a moment, wrapped up in each other as though we’re the only two people in the world. Downstairs, I can hear the muffled sound of the boys laughing, their voices mingling with the raucous sounds of the movie they’ve put on.
For the first time in a long time, I feel like we’re all exactly where we’re meant to be.
As we make our way back down to the living room, hand in hand, I can’t help but smile, thinking of all the new memories we’ll make here and the new life we’re building together. This is the start of something good, something real.
Something I had secretly been dreaming of for years now, but hadn’t dared to think could actually become a reality.
And as I settle onto the couch with Poppy by my side, the boys leaning into us as they fall asleep, I realize that this is everything I could’ve ever hoped for. A family. A home. A future. And it’s all ours.
The End