Epilogue
A month later…
“We survived our first Christmas with the family,” Cree said as she dropped down on the sofa next to Tristan. “And I feel like I’ve been running a mile a minute for the last two weeks.”
Tristan chuckled. A glass of bourbon was in one of his hands, and he draped his other arm around her shoulders. “To say the weeks since moving into our home have been eventful, would be an understatement. But I have to admit, this has been the best Christmas I’ve ever had thanks to you.”
Cree smiled and snuggled closer. She felt the same way.
They were sitting on the sofa facing the fireplace, and she marveled at how Christmasy everything looked. The crackling fire, the humongous Christmas tree her husband insisted they needed, and the twinkling lights in every single window, made their new home look festive and feel warm and inviting.
As the real estate agent had predicted before showing them the place, they had immediately fallen in love with the home. They had put an offer in on the spot, willing to pay cash, and their offer had been accepted within a few minutes.
From there, the days had flown by. Not only did they buy a house, but they had to pack up Cree’s place, organize movers, and take care of a host of other tasks. They also had a wedding reception the weekend after Thanksgiving.
The reception hadn’t been as grand as their mothers had wanted, but Cree thought the cookout at her in-law’s new home had been perfect. It had been too cold to hang outside, but there had been more than enough space for their friends and family to congregate indoors.
Then, two weeks ago, she and Tristan had moved into their forever home.
It hadn’t taken long for her condo to sell, and they decided to hold on to Tristan’s condo for a little while.
The idea of having a place in town appealed to them both, but Cree doubted they’d stay there often, if at all. They both were in love with this place.
The eight bedrooms and eight-in-half bathrooms was extreme, but they wanted a place that could hold family and friends whenever they visited.
All the bedrooms weren’t decorated, and they hadn’t hung all the pictures or unpacked all her boxes, but today it had served its purpose.
Both sides of the family had spent the day with them eating, drinking, playing games, and enjoying each other.
“Yep, best Christmas ever,” Tristan murmured as if reading her mind. “I think we should host Christmas every year.”
“I could get with that,” Cree agreed. “Especially if it’s like this year where I didn’t have to do much.”
The women in the family pulled together and cooked a feast, and having a kitchen large enough for all of them to fit had been a bonus.
“Did you hear everyone talking about my amazing Christmas decorations?” Tristan asked. “My skills are endless.”
Cree chuckled. “Don’t you mean the Christmas interior designer skills are endless?”
“I said what I said. Who do you think gave her all the ideas? Like the garland and twinkling lights above the windows, and that big, twenty-foot tree in the corner—sparkling like diamonds under a spotlight—that was all me.
“And don’t forget about those poinsettias on either side of the fireplace,” he said, nodding at the beautiful plants, “and the one on the dining room table—all me. The Christmas themed bathroom down the hall? Me. That’s only half of what I told her we wanted. So yeah, I’m taking full credit.”
Cree shook her head and laughed. “How did I not know you were obsessed with Christmas?”
“I don’t know because it’s been my favorite holiday since I was a kid. Maybe you never knew because when we first met, I barely had two nickels to rub together. Decorating for Christmas was out of the question. Now that we have a little money, there are some things I want us to splurge on.”
“Like more Christmas decorations?” she asked and smiled.
“Exactly.”
For the next few minutes they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
It had been a long day, but as Cree remembered bits and pieces of it, she couldn’t help but feel joy at being able to spend time with their family.
The day had truly been story-book worthy and something she would never forget.
“Something else I think we should add to our new list of traditions is the family singing Christmas carols around the piano,” Tristan said, and once again, Cree had to agree.
They had so much space in the house, Tristan had converted one of the large bedrooms on the first floor into a piano room. His baby grand sat in the middle of the floor, and along the perimeter of the space was comfortable seating for at least thirty people.
“You and Nyla leading a round of Christmas carols was one of the highlights of the day,” Cree said.
Her sister had a beautiful singing voice and had sat next to Tristan on the piano bench while he played one song after another.
Tristan’s musical talent on the piano never ceased to amaze Cree, and she could listen to him play all day every day.
Tristan drained his glass and said, “Are you ready to head up to bed?”
Cree nodded. “Yes. I’m wiped out, but there’s something I need your help with in the bedroom.”
Tristan laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I do love the way you think, and I’m always willing to help fulfill your needs.”
Cree laughed and stood.
After tidying up downstairs and making sure the house was locked up for the night, they headed upstairs hand in hand. When they reached the bedroom, Tristan started undressing, and Cree went into the bathroom.
Her heart started beating double-time and anxiousness swirled within her like a flock of birds taking flight inside her gut. She grabbed the small paper bag from under her sink that she had placed there a few days ago and returned to the bedroom.
“Something else I was…” Tristan started but stopped when he spotted her standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Cree wasn’t sure what he saw on her face, but in two steps, he was in front of her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a rush, cupping her face between his large hands. “Are you feeling okay?”
Cree released a long breath and held up the paper bag before holding it out to him.
His eyebrows dipped into a frown as he took the bag. “What’s this?” When he looked inside, he started to say more but froze. Seconds ticked by before he glanced at her. “Are you… Does this mean… umm…” he stuttered, and Cree laughed.
“I don’t know for sure, but I thought tonight we can see if we’re pregnant.”
Tristan just stared at her, his chest heaving and a range of emotions flashed across his face.
They both had agreed they wanted to start trying for a baby right away, even though they both held concerns.
After Cree’s miscarriage, the doctor had assured her that there was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to carry future babies to full term.
But of course, she couldn’t stop the fear of losing another child from creeping into her mind.
The other day, when she realized she was two weeks late when normally her cycle was like clockwork, she decided to buy a pregnancy test. Her problem was, she hadn’t decided when to tell Tristan.
At first, she considered taking the test and only mentioning it to him if it turned up positive, but she quickly shot that idea down.
He had missed out on everything centered around her previous pregnancy, and she vowed to never let that happen again.
“That’s why you’ve been turning down alcohol this past week,” Tristan said more to himself, still looking a little dazed.
“Yeah, I figured I’d better be safe than sorry. Okay, so I’m going in here to do my part,” she said pointing to the bathroom, “but I’ll need you when it’s time to look at the results.”
Tristan nodded, then cupped her face between his hands again and kissed her. “I’ll be right here. Whatever the results, just remember we’re in this together… forever.”
Cree nodded, struggling to keep her emotions in check.
Part of her was excited about the possibility, but the other part of her didn’t want to be disappointed.
Not with the results and not with the chance of another miscarriage.
More than anything, she didn’t want to disappoint Tristan.
He wanted a family just as much as she did.
A few minutes later, Cree exited the bathroom, her hands shaking. They had to wait a few minutes before they’d know, and her nerves were on edge.
“Come here,” Tristan said, pulling her into one of his famous bear hugs. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know. I’m excited and nervous, while also being scared to death. But if I’m being honest, I want the test to be positive. What about you?”
“I feel the exact same way.” He leaned back without releasing her and gave her a dimpled smile. “I have a feeling it’s going to be positive, and I also think we’re going to have a boy.”
Cree burst out laughing and swatted him away. “Of course you do, and I’m sure you’ve already decided what NFL team he’ll play on. However, it might be a girl, and instead of us buying football gear, we’ll be buying volleyballs and knee pads because we already know our kid is going to be tall.”
For the next few minutes, they laughed and came up with one scenario after another on what it was going to be like to have a baby. Cree’s nervousness from moments ago quickly turned into hope. She wanted the test to be positive, and she sent up a silent prayer.
“I guess we should go check,” Tristan said.
When they returned to the bathroom, Cree was too nervous to look. So, Tristan did the honors. He stood there for a solid minute looking down at the white stick. When he looked up, his face was expressionless, until he broke out into a huge grin.
“Yes! We’re having a baby!” He whooped and picked her up and started swinging her around but stopped abruptly. “Shit, I shouldn’t be doing that. You okay? How do you feel? Did I hurt you?”
He rattled off one anxious question after another, and Cree couldn’t help but laugh. His excitement was contagious, and she was happier than she’d ever been.
“Oh my God, Cree… We’re having a baby!”
***
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