Epilogue
THINGS THAT WERE ON MY BINGO CARD THIS YEAR…
Ben - One Year Later
“Say hello, Buster,” Henry says, holding the iPad up for our standard red poodle.
On screen, Dominic is trying to get Daisy—the French bulldog he and Seth gave each other for their one-year anniversary—to notice Buster.
He and Seth are planning to bring her when they come visit next month, and he thinks if they see each other online first, they’ll be fast friends.
“Can you see your cousin Daisy? Say hi!”
“They’re dogs,” I tell him. “They can’t talk.” I pat Buster on the head, then say, “Isn’t that right, Buster? You can’t talk, can you?”
Seth, Dom, and Viv all burst out laughing at me. I chuckle at myself. “Okay, yeah. I heard it too.”
Daisy has inched her way to the phone and is clearly chewing it now, based on the slobbery mouth taking up the screen. “Oh no, baby, you must not eat the phone,” Seth says, pulling it away from her and giving her a chewy toy instead. He looks at us and shakes his head. “Puppies, am I right?”
Dom and Seth bought Vivian’s apartment from her (for a steal), furniture and all, so she still gets to see her beloved green couch when we Facetime each other.
Dominic managed to woo the producers of The Great Gatsby, landing himself a role as the understudy for Nick Carraway.
Three months into the show’s run, the guy playing Nick got a movie deal, so he split, leaving the spot open for a very thrilled Dom.
Seth, who is still at Tiffany’s, went to watch every performance, right up until their puppy took over their lives.
My parents just flew to New York for a visit and to see their son in action, and now they’ve gone to Argentina to start on another project.
Viv’s mom has been to see us twice already, and is calling herself Gammy Nat.
She’s completely in love with Henry, and I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty sure at this point, if Viv and I decided to call it quits, she’d want to keep us.
(Not that this will ever happen, mind you.
We’re still sickeningly happy—like so ridiculously in love, we even roll our own eyes at ourselves sometimes.) But I digress, because I was talking about my mother-in-law.
She was here last week and put some feelers out for jobs at the local museums. She also found a delightful village of patio homes that she’s keen on.
It’s the same one Mac’s Grandpa Jack lives in, and even though Viv and I think she’s far too young to live among the older seniors, she seems to think she’d be very happy there (which is all that matters in the end).
On Mother’s Day, Henry gave Vivian the very misshapen flower vase he made her at school, then asked her if he could start calling her Mum, since she’s his real mum now.
She immediately burst into tears and peppered him with kisses while hugging him so tightly, I was worried he might get hurt.
She still gets tears in her eyes when he calls her that.
To be honest, I get a bit of a tickle in my nose, which could be because I’m so unbelievably grateful that this wonderful woman has come into our lives and loves my son as much as I do. Or it could be allergies. Who’s to say?
Paige and Viv are killing it at Sun Splash Marketing and Ad Solutions, bringing in clients from around the world and charging the kind of money that the big firms in New York ask for.
More importantly, they love working together.
My little company has taken off. Viv still runs my social media and website for me (best wife ever), and I’m booked out for the next five years.
I’ve also found a way to build in time to do one pro bono playhouse per year for a family in need, which honestly makes me feel a little verklempt each time I think about it. (Or it’s those pesky allergies again.)
My beautiful, industrious wife has also started doing a little woodworking in her downtime, mainly flipping thrift store finds by sanding and refinishing them, then selling them.
It’s extremely satisfying work, and it allows us to hang out in the shop together.
She even started a channel, “Flippin’ with Viv.
” She’s got a thousand subscribers, including a few of her super fans from her previous channel, like GinaFey25, who has forgiven her.
We chat with Seth and Dom for a few more minutes until it’s time for ‘Daisy’s walkies.’ I check my watch, then say, “I think we’ve got just enough time for a walk before bath time.”
A few minutes later, Buster is bounding down the empty beach with Henry throwing a ball for him, while Vivian and I walk hand-in-hand.
I stare out at the ocean, seeing the sun disappear behind the horizon, and I feel a sense of contentment I’ve never felt before.
I glance over at my wife, who is wearing the same smile I am.
Nudging her on the shoulder, I say, “What are you thinking about?”
“About how close I came to missing out on all of this,” she answers, gesturing to Henry and Buster as they run along the sand.
“It’s a pretty great life, isn’t it?”
“The best anyone could ask for.”
“Agreed.”
She stops walking and turns to me. “There is just one thing…”
“Uh-oh, I know that look. I’m going to have to say yes to something, aren’t I?”
“Only if you want Henry to have a sibling.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pick her up and twirl her around, joy radiating through every cell of my body. I kiss her hard on the mouth.
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s the biggest yes of all time.” I set her down and we kiss again. I rest my forehead against hers. “When would you like to get started?”
“I was thinking tonight.”
Giving her a quick nod, I call, “Henry, time to turn back home. It’s getting late!”
Vivian laughs and covers her face with one hand. “That really was a quick yes.”
“Hey, when you get an offer that good, you don’t mess around.”
We start back toward the house, ready for a new chapter of our lives together to begin.
And in my heart, I know how incredibly lucky I am that we found each other, and that we took the risk of a lifetime to build a life together.
She’s everything I’ve ever needed, and all I’ll ever want.
And the best part is that this is just the beginning…