Epilogue
OWEN
“We’re going to be late!” I call up the stairs while checking my watch for the time.
It’s the first day of school and we had grand plans about waking up early and having breakfast as a family. But of course Everest let Ivy stay up way too late last night and then he had a hell of a time trying to get her ready this morning. I can’t wait to tell him, “I told you so” when they finally come downstairs.
Footsteps thunder across the second floor landing and down the steps. Ivy first, followed closely by Everest. She’s wearing the new clothes we got last week during back-to-school shopping, along with her new backpack—a purple unicorn one because she’s graduated from pink, apparently.
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Everest’s light brown curls are a riot on his head and he quickly slams a baseball cap over them, adjusting the brim so it sits above the back of his neck. “I thought we had more time!”
I hold out a bag containing three foil-wrapped breakfast burritos and Everest sheepishly takes it from me.
“Okay, Ives, let’s get a photo really quick before we go.” I position Ivy by the front door and give her the sign we made two days ago that says “First Day of Grade Two.” I snap the photo as tears spring up out of nowhere, stinging my eyes. The photo matches the one Jeremy and Eden took of Ivy one year ago. God, I wish so much that they could be here to see this. Ivy, one year older, growing taller, smarter, more sure of herself.
Everest’s arm comes around my waist and he kisses the back of my neck. I don’t need to say what I’m feeling. I know he’s thinking the same thing.
I sniffle and shake away the sentimentality. We don’t have time for reminiscing at the moment. We need to get Ivy to school.
“Come on, Ives. Let’s go!”
Once we’re out the door, Everest carefully unwraps Ivy’s breakfast burrito before handing it to her. He doesn’t need to do that. She’s perfectly capable of unwrapping it herself now that her cast has been off for a few weeks. But it makes him feel better to do little things like that for her, so I only scold him about half the time.
I trail behind, letting the two of them walk ahead of me on the sidewalk. The air is still warm with the lingering summer sun and the trees still have all of their green leaves. In a few weeks, the weather will cool and the leaves will morph into bright reds and yellows. I make a mental note to schedule a day at the park so we can enjoy the colors.
Ivy laughs, head tilted back to smile up at Everest. “Don’t be silly, Uncle Ev!”
He bends down to plant a quick kiss on her head and as he straightens, he shoots a quick look back at me. “What about Uncle O? Can he stay with you at school today?”
She spins in a circle, her smile shining brighter than the sun. “No! I’m a big girl! I can go to school by myself!”
Everest and I share a look. Yes, she is a big girl, but she’ll always be our little girl. She can go to school by herself, but we’ll always be here waiting for her when she comes home.
“But we’re going shopping after school, right?”
Everest points at me. “ Uncle O will take you shopping for a new dress.”
“It’s your friends who are getting married,” I shoot back.
Everest rolls his eyes. “Donnie and Connor aren’t getting married. It’s a commitment ceremony.”
“Same thing.” I wave off his objection and turn back to Ivy. “Yes, we can go shopping, Ives.”
She beams at me and I feel like a freaking superhero.
When we arrive at Ivy’s school, we hand her off to her teacher and stand on the sidewalk, waving as she runs inside.
Everest slips his hand into mine, our fingers intertwined. “I love you,” he says, seemingly out of nowhere.
I turn, and as our gazes collide, it steals my breath away. “I love you too,” I reply, filled to the brim with love so strong it sends me staggering.
He leans in and I meet him halfway. The kiss is short, chaste, gentle. But with a promise of so much more to come.