Dani’s Epilogue
Dani's Epilogue
A Few Weeks Later
THANKSGIVING
“Okay, make some room, lovebirds. We’ve never had this many people around for Friendsgiving before!” Kelsey wiggles her hips, bumping against my shoulder so I’ll lean away and let her set the already overburdened table with another plate of potatoes.
“Okay, I thought the idea of Friendsgiving was that we’d all bring something to share,” Colby whispers in my ear. “How come Kelsey made so much?”
“Because she’s a feeder,” Mel answers, her tired arms wrapped around a sleeping Jolie. “Mama Bear and Madame President.”
Beside her, Ryan hands the baby over to Kelsey’s big brother, Travis.
“Here, buddy. Hold Jaxon for me, will you? I need Mel to eat before one of these two wakes up for another feed. Besides,” he says with a wink, “You’d better get used to this. From what I hear, you’re next.”
A chorus of exclamations and shocked noises erupts from the crowd crammed together around a table in Hunter and Kelsey’s newly finished home.
“You weren’t all supposed to know that yet, Mel,” Sloane says, crossing her arms and shooting her a look.
Travis laughs. “Why do you think I was in such a rush to close on that house?”
“Who else knew?” I shout out.
Sloane’s daughter, Lily, leaps up from her chair with her arm in the air. “I knew, I knew!”
“I bet you knew before any of the rest of us, didn’t you, sweetie?” Kelsey taps her on the nose as Hunter waves his hat at his fiancée, motioning for her to sit down.
“Darlin’, take a seat. You’ve been running around like a chicken without a head all day.”
She smirks and slides into his lap. “Here good, cowboy?”
He turns to the rest of us and drawls out, “Honey, we’ve got guests. Maybe later, eh?”
“Oh, gross. That’s my sister,” Travis groans, his arms around baby Jaxon so he can’t effectively pretend to cover his ears.
I laugh and slip my hand into Colby’s as his head swivels around the table. There’s so much love, light, and laughter around us that I know this year, we all have something to be thankful for.
Leaning over, I prop my chin on his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, babe. Everything’s good.” He presses a soft kiss to my hairline and gives me a quick smile.
In the short time we’ve been together, I’ve learned to tell when he’s thinking about his first wife. It’s in the way he sometimes rubs his ring finger, like the wedding band is still there.
I thought it would make me feel like I was in second place, but it doesn’t. We all have a past, and we both know I’m not a replacement for Margot.
But what I’ve learned to embrace most is the fact that every love is different.
The evidence is all around me at this table, with everyone piling their plates high with food we’ve made and enjoying the time we’ve got together.
So before I can think better of it, I give Colby’s hand a quick squeeze and tap my knife to my wine glass, calling for everyone’s attention.
“A toast,” I say, raising my glass. “This is the year we all found love, and found each other. We found our way, even if we might’ve lost sight of the path before or had to change direction to bravely take steps towards our happiness. In the end, we’ve all found it, hey?”
I lift my glass, but Colby quietly interjects.
“I’d like to toast you. This is the year you found the courage to embrace your art and stake your claim in the art world.
One of these days, your parents will come around to see it.
Maybe when we open up the doors of the Danielle Fan Art Studio next year, huh? ”
A chorus of “Hear, hear!” and a variety of cheers sounds as we clink glasses, and I lean in to press a kiss to his lips. It’s hard to believe it was just a few weeks ago, but that autumn art walk changed my life.
I sold more paintings than I ever expected to, not just to the locals but also to a vacationing art dealer who gave me just enough to cross the threshold of my dream studio savings goal.
In fact, the sales I made and the news that I’d saved enough for my own studio earned me a surprising congratulatory pat on the back from my parents. They’re still a long way from understanding me, but one small step towards acceptance is good start.
And all it took for me to be seen was a willingness to step out of the shadows and into my light.
Gratitude floods me as I turn back to the table and add, “I’m thankful for you all. To love, life, and family.”
And as we all drink, Lily blurts out, “I thought he was supposed to be the writer?”
Laughter erupts around the table and Colby slides an arm around my shoulders.
“Well, about that. I finished my first rough draft of my new book,” Colby says. “As long as I can juggle writing alongside teaching a class on writing fiction at the university, you can expect The Color of Love to come out late next year. And yes, it has a happy ending.”
“Just like us,” I grin, my heart full to bursting.
Thank you so much for reading Dani and Colby's love story!