Epilogue
When I open the door, Lily Hale rushes in. With bleached blonde hair and an impressive tan, she’s just back from somewhere in the Pacific. I’ve stopped asking, never caring.
“Where is my grandchild, the best grandchild in the world? Where is she?” My mother greets me with a kiss on the cheek and pushes a bottle of wine in my hands. “Enjoy, honey.”
“I don’t drink, Mom.”
She doesn’t miss a beat and takes the wine back. “Forgot. Sorry, love. I’ll be drinking this.”
I follow her into the living-room, where everyone else is already gathering. Winnie is standing in the centre of the room, surrounded by family and presents, a huge ‘happy birthday’ banner hanging in the background. Colourful balloons on the floor.
When they see each other, my mother and Winnie start to yelp in excitement and run towards each other. “Gamma!”
Lily Hale barely has time to drop the presents before Winnie is launching herself into her arms.
“I’ve missed you so much, lovely. How have you been? You’re so much taller and so much older, what the fuck has happened to you?”
From one side of the orange couch, Martin Bergman sighs. “I thought we were not supposed to swear in front of the children.” Beside him, Pippa’s mom runs a shaky hand through her short hair.
“d’fuck!” Winnie repeats dutifully and Lily laughs, twirling Winnie in her arms.
“They’d have to learn it sooner or later.”
“That’s what I s-”
Pippa’s mom slaps the back of Martin’s head and he closes his eyes, hurt but not surprised. I nod my head in a silent ‘thank you’ but I know it’s too late, anyway. We’re a British family, after all. Swearing runs in our veins, just like tea does and all those stereotypes.
My dad appears beside me then, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and greeting Mom. “Hi, Lily. What have you been up to?”
“Oh, nothing, dear, nothing at all. Just faffing around here and there. Alaska, Lithuania, Nepal, Brasilia. Flight was delayed but I’m so happy I made it for the biggest girl in the world.” Putting Winnie down on the carpet, Lily stares at my dad, then at me. “I’m glad I was invited.”
“It was Ash’s idea.”
And in that precise moment, Ash enters the room with a frosted cake in his hands. “We don’t have to say everything, now, do we, Ford?”
Ash walks up to my mom and she offers her cheek to him. “Hello, dearest.”
He kisses it gently. “Glad you could make it, Lily. Take a seat, please, you’re just in time for the cake. You’ve met everybody, haven’t you?”
Winnie yells, “Everybody!” and bounces on the orange couch, making space for Lily to sit down beside her. A couple of black pillows fall down, but I’m not bothered.
I watch as my mom scans the room, recognising old and new friends.
Sydney and Darshi, sitting on an armchair, sharing a glass of white wine.
Pippa’s mom and Martin, on the other end of the couch, bickering about anything and everything.
Preston and Morgan, sitting on the floor with sweet Pippa and two devils that are an exact copy of Sydney.
Finally, Lily Hale’s gaze lands on Kirsty, standing in the corner of the room, busy entertaining two identical babies. And that’s exactly who she hasn’t met, yet.
Without hesitation, Mom picks Winnie up and announces, “Let’s go meet everybody, Win.”
When my mother and Kirsty shake hands, my ears are ringing and I’m holding my breath. The two women make some amicable conversation and between them, Winnie claps her small hands happily.
Ash places the cake on the coffee table and from the hallway, Erik appears with three pink candles.
Behind Erik, the final guest joins us in the living-room. “Fucked up, eh, Gregory?” Vicky comes to stand between my dad and I, and I hear Dad release the same breath I was holding.
“Indeed, Vicky. Fucked up indeed.”
“Not every day that your ex-wife meets your new lover,” Vicky comments, toying with something in her hands. A black lighter. She is back from Shanghai to fulfil her auntie duties and to make sure I’m not spinning out.
“Mom’s gonna eat Kirsty alive.”
My dad clears his voice. “Be kind to your mother, Ford. She’s trying her best.”
“I heard Lilian’s an actual shark out there. Getting shit done and all that.”
“Facts,” Preston chimes in from the floor, fingers snapping in the air.
“Name’s actually Lily. Just Lily.” Mom gives Vicky The Look and my friend switches the lighter on and off. The flame appears and disappears. A small ‘oh’ escapes her lips.
“And we can hear you cunts, we’re standing right here,” Kirsty adds and somewhere on the couch, Pippa’s mom is wincing and muttering about cursing.
“We’re all adults here, we can be civil,” Kirsty says.
Lily ducks her head to the side, winking at Kirsty. “Or we could fuck things up a little. Make this a birthday to remember.”
With a conspiratorial look, Kirsty purses her lips. “Should we throw fists? Burn some shit? Swap the twins?” Then, her expression turns kinder and she blows a kiss to my dad.
“Speaking of twins, I count only three Bergmans,” Mom points out, eyes jumping between Ash, Martin and Erik. She’s trying to hide her amused smile.
Ash carefully sinks the three pink candles into the cake and asks Vicky for the lighter. One, two and then three candles are lit.
“Edwin’s got a new partner.” Erik gives a vague explanation as he walks towards Kirsty to check on his twins.
“He’s visiting his boyfriend in Canada. They’re probably having freaky maple syrup sex in the woods as we speak.” Martin’s explanation is not so vague and Preston’s hands go to cover the ears of one of Sydney and Darshi’s sons who’s sitting next to him on the carpet.
“Whatever, dude. He’s heard worse,” Darshi says, emptying her wine and next to her, Sydney pops his tongue in agreement.
Preston ignores them and instead focuses on me. “I think now it’s gotta be official, Hale,” he declares in his ridiculous American accent.
I can’t take him seriously while he’s holding a dinosaur toy in each hand. “What is?”
“I am Ash’s best friend.”
“Pres, drop it already,” Morgan chimes in without looking up from Pippa’s head. She’s braiding her blonde hair in the same simple hairstyle as Winnie’s. Two quadrants, four twists each. So the girls can be the same.
“I’m just sayin’. Dude’s gonna be his husband next month. Hale here can leave some space for us.”
Morgan elbows Preston, and then Ash raises his voice. “Alright everyone, settle down. Winnie, peanut, come stand here for a picture.”
“Pict’ah!” Winnie wiggles and my mom puts her down.
The girl sprints towards the coffee table and Ash catches her just in time, before she crushes and spoils the intricate set up.
Presents on one side, cake in the middle, pink balloons on the other side.
With strong arms, he sets Winnie before the cake and tells her to not blow just yet, please.
Then, Ash tells the guests to squeeze in.
It’s messy.
Dad ends up standing between Mom and Kirsty and Vicky can’t stop giggling at the situation. Pippa jumps on Martin’s legs and kicks him where it hurts most, and he almost chokes in an attempt to keep the curse words in. Pippa’s mom beams at him.
Erik tries to pick up both his children, but ends up almost dropping one twin.
“Teddy can do it!” he laments, but Teddy is back to work and Erik has to learn how to take care of both children alone. So he tries again and this time, both twins fit in his hold.
Sydney, Darshi and their two sons all have matching grins and I simply throw my arm around Ash’s neck, holding him to my side. Where he belongs.
“Say ‘Happy Birthday, Winnie!’”
“Happy Birthday, Winnie!”
???
When everyone is gone and Winnie is asleep, the house is quiet. Finally empty. Ash is laying on the couch, his head in my lap. With one hand I’m brushing through his long hair. With the other, I’m searching for a delivery service on my phone.
“I can’t even remember the last time I’ve eaten.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. We had breakfast. We had cake.”
“Barely! I had one toast for breakfast and half a slice of cake before Winnie and Pippa knocked that juice over.” Ash sighs, lifting his chin to look at me. “It was everywhere, Ford.”
“I know. I was there.”
“Ugh, starving. Are we ordering or what?”
“I’m on it, man.”
“And the toys. They’re so loud. Does she need so many? How many birthdays, still?” Closing his eyes, Ash reaches one hand up to massage his temples and then, he holds it up for me to grab. I toy with the ring on his finger instead.
He’s got his own engagement stone, alright. Grey, just like the colour of his eyes when it’s dark and rainy outside. That’s when I love him the most, when everything else outside sucks but inside it’s just me and him. And Winnie, of course.
“Just about sixty more,” I calculate.
“She’s not celebrating with us until she’s sixty, Ford.” Ash is shocked, brows shooting up and mouth curved in horror. He’s adorable.
“We’ll see. Ugh, they don’t deliver anymore. It’s too late.” I tap on Ash’s palm and he gets the message. He rolls away from me and snuggles on the other side of the orange couch.
“One pizza, please. And let’s play UNO later, I’m feeling lucky,” he mumbles tiredly.
A strand of hair falls on his face, and he looks ready to sleep himself. I walk behind him and gather his hair up, then grab the elastic from my wrist and wrap it around the bun. “One pizza coming right up, Mister Luck. I won’t forget.”
The comment makes him open his eyes and then, a flash of panic. When I realise what I’ve just said, it’s too late. Ash is breathing heavily and blinking rapidly, almost as if chasing a bad dream away. Fuck, great.
“I’m glad I was there to celebrate with Winnie, this year. I’m glad we all were,” I try to reassure him.
“You were there last year.” And Ash is right, but still.
“Not really, though.”
“Ford, you were there. You never left us. Hey, look at me. You’re wrong, I’m right.” Ash angles his head upwards, lips waiting. I peck the side of his cheeky mouth.
“Get the UNO cards. Be right back.”
Ash’s voice softens, “Drive safely, will you, my love?”
It’s what he always says, but my kiss lingers a little longer this time.