epilogue
Four Months Later
I step through the front door, shivering in the cold as snowflakes cling to my skin and hair. Winston runs up with a flurry
of barks and excited piddles, dancing around my feet as I remove my boots and coat.
Lex smiles from where she’s peeling potatoes in the kitchen of the new townhouse we moved into last month. “How was Pilates?”
I chuckle. “I’m not sure what hurts the most—my ass or my core.”
“I’m proud of you for keeping up with it! How’s Jasleen?”
“Oh, she’s good. She’s meeting her boyfriend’s parents tonight, so that’s exciting.
Can’t wait to hear about how it went at next week’s class.
” I clean up Winston’s mess and tousle his grey fur.
“And the project is going well! With all the financing they got for it they’ll be rolling out the beta test of the program in Vancouver after Christmas break, and hopefully province-wide by next year. ”
“That’s great news!”
After throwing out the dirty paper towels and washing my hands, I wrap my arms around Lex from behind, kissing the soft spot
behind her ear.
“No offence, my love,” she says, tilting her head to give me more access to her neck, “but you stink.”
I laugh. “I know, I have to hustle if I want to be out of the shower before everyone gets here.” Even so, I don’t stop my
kissing. Lex sighs in contentment, her hands stilling from her work. “Are you sure we don’t have time for a quickie?” I ask,
my hands gliding from her belly to the apex of her thighs.
Lex turns just enough to kiss me before pulling away and nudging her nose against mine. “You say ‘quickie’ but that always
turns into a ‘longie’ with you. People are supposed to start showing up in twenty minutes.”
The doorbell rings, followed by a frenzy of barking. Lex and I look to each other, wondering who could possibly be this early,
and I leave Lex in the kitchen to answer the door. “Olsen!” I say, stepping back to let him in and out of the cold. Winston
yaps and jumps at him as he shakes the snow off his jacket, his arms encumbered with bags of groceries and bottles of wine.
I take the groceries from him so he can remove his boots and jacket.
“Hope you don’t mind I came early,” he says. “Figured you two could use a hand.”
“Actually, I could,” Lex calls from her station. “Can you peel some carrots, please?”
“The turkey smells amazing,” Olsen comments as he brings me in for a brotherly side-hug.
“That’s all Lex,” I say, hugging him back, the melted droplets of snow on his sweater making me shiver.
Olsen lets me go and walks into the kitchen before poking Lex in the ribs. “Your domestic side’s coming out, I see.”
Lex slaps his hand away. “I can follow basic instructions.”
“I’ll be right back, just jumping in the shower!” I say before running up the stairs and into the bedroom I share with Lex.
Our bedroom is a mismatched collection of items from each of our previous homes: Lex’s mauve comforter, my jarringly bright
throw pillows, clashing dressers and end tables, and a collage of photos on the wall from all our adventures together. I smile
at how perfect it is.
In the shower I wash my body but keep my hair dry, then don a festive sweater and some jeans before applying a quick layer
of makeup, making my way back downstairs to help within twenty minutes.
“What’s this?” I ask, noting that Olsen has taken over cooking and Lex is stationed at the island counter with two glasses
of red wine in front of her.
“We have a private chef.” Lex grins, patting the stool next to her.
Olsen laughs. “So happy I can come to your house for dinner and proceed to do all the cooking.”
I take my place next to Lex and raise my glass toward her. “Cheers to that!” Her dimples pop as she cheers me back, eyes twinkling.
“How’s the business going?” Olsen asks as he finishes a task, drying his hands on a tea towel.
“Couldn’t be better! We placed, what was it, four dogs this week?” I look to Lex, wordlessly asking if I forgot anyone.
Lex nods. “Four dogs out of the shelter and into homes right before Christmas.”
When I’d been fired from my job, I’d been so lost. After spending a week pacing my kitchen, drafting and scrapping résumés,
and asking myself over and over again what I really wanted to do with my life, I’d come up with a plan for a non-profit business called Old Dogs, New Tricks, where we help place geriatric dogs with senior citizens for companionship, and all the costs associated with the animals are covered.
Lex had been so eager to leave the corporate world behind and make the world a better place that she quit her job and helped
me gather data showing that pets improved the physical and mental well-being of the seniors they’re placed with. Since Jasleen
had experience working with the government to secure funding for projects at Kindness Forward, she’d lent a hand and was able
to help us do the same. In the past few months we’ve helped save over one hundred senior dogs from shelters and placed them
in the homes of very thankful elderly people in need of companionship, entertainment, and an excuse to get out the door and
go for a walk.
We talk animatedly about the goings-on of Old Dogs, New Tricks until we’re interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Winston sounds
the alarm, and I get up to answer it.
“Patricia! So happy you could make it!”
“Where else would I be?” Patricia wears a sparkly red sweater with a blinking Christmas-light necklace and a Santa hat atop
her head. There’s a furry little friend in her arms shaking from the cold despite his hand-knit sweater. Winston whines and
wiggles at her feet, making more puddles. “Ah, yes, I see you there, Sir Winston Churchill. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget your
best friend.”
Pat sets down Paco, a twelve-year-old Pomeranian she signed up for via Old Dogs, New Tricks. He and Winston became immediate
best friends, bordering on lovers. The pair run off into the living room to hump each other.
“I brought pie, but it’s in the car. Couldn’t carry a dog and pie, that’s a recipe for disaster.
He’s old but he’s quick. I’d have let him walk but Paco hates the snow, little diva.
He has these adorable booties for walks, and he doesn’t go anywhere without his sweater, and .
. .” Pat continues her monologue as Lex toes on her boots to run out and grab the pies.
Meanwhile, I escort Pat to a comfortable chair in the living room next to the Christmas tree as the dogs, erm, play, and start the kettle for tea.
Several minutes later the doorbell sounds again. Gabe walks in with Jared one step behind, carrying a backpack full of clothes,
Gabe’s favourite pillow, and a weighted Stitch stuffed animal.
“Come in out of the cold,” I offer, taking a few things out of Jared’s arms.
Gabe greets the dogs first, then Lex, then me, and then races over to Olsen, who hoists him into the air and twirls him around,
which leads to a fit of giggles and more excited barks from the dogs.
“Thanks for dropping him off,” Lex says, hugging the Stitch stuffy to her chest. “I’ll have him back with you tomorrow afternoon,
after gifts.”
Jared nods, shuffling his feet in the entryway, looking between the two of us tentatively. I’m not sure if he’s completely
wrapped his head around Lex leaving him and switching teams, but he’s never been rude about it. I’m sure it takes time to
get used to seeing his ex-wife and the mother of his child with someone else, anyone else, no matter their gender.
“Do you have plans for dinner?” I ask tentatively.
He fits me with a tight-lipped smile. “I’m sure there’s a hockey game on somewhere in the city.”
I look to Lex, who meets my gaze, and offers the tiniest shoulder raise. I turn back to Jared. “If you don’t have plans, you’re
welcome to join us.”
He hesitates, looking from me to Lex and back. “Are you sure?”
Lex nods. “Of course. There’s always room at our table.”
Jared smiles earnestly for the first time since arriving.
I can’t imagine how hard it is dropping off your kid and then spending Christmas Eve alone.
After removing his boots, he joins us in the kitchen.
Olsen offers him a brotherly side-hug/back-slap combo, and then a glass of red to join us.
I add another place setting to the table, and Lex carries the office chair down from upstairs.
Jared leans against the counter and relaxes with each passing minute.
Soon conversation and laughter flow easily between us all, with no animosity whatsoever.
Another knock, another flurry of barks and piddles, another blast of cold from outside as the door opens. Carol and Robert
enter, shaking the snow from their jackets, and go around the room giving everyone hugs. They’ve brought piles of gifts and
more wine, which is perfect timing, and we pop another bottle. Telling Lex and Olsen’s parents about the confusion with who
was dating who was weird, of course, given the fact that Gabe had caught the two of us “cuddling” together. Thankfully, they
were quick to adapt, and are every bit as lovely as Lex had described.
Robert and Jared leave the kitchen to join Pat in the living room, where they find a hockey game on the TV, the relationship
between them still wholesome and very much like father- and son-in-law despite the change in marital status. Once family,
always family.
Carol pulls up a stool next to me. “Are your parents coming tonight?”
I give her a small smile. “No, my mom’s soaking up the sun on a beach right now.” Thanks to being back on social media, and
weekly therapy sessions, I’ve been able to reconnect with her. She doesn’t feel like a motherly figure to me, and she probably
never will, but it’s nice to know she’s happy—currently in Thailand with Unicorn Guy. I’m sure they’re finding all sorts of
fun over there together.
The next guest to arrive is Courtney. She looks radiant with her pink nose and cheeks, and snowflakes caught in her shiny blond hair. She’s dressed prettily in a satin dress that accents her lovely curves. I greet her with a tight hug. “So glad you could make it!”
She hugs me right back. “Yes, thanks for the invite! With my parents in Costa Rica and my sister doing her own thing with
her family in Ontario, I was about to spend my first Christmas alone.”
I pull back and take her hand. “Not around here, you don’t.” I lead her around the room and introduce her to everyone, ending
in the kitchen with Olsen, who hasn’t taken his eyes off her since the moment she walked in. I release her hand and nudge
her forward. “Courtney, this is Olsen. Olsen, Courtney.”
The pair gape at each other. Both their cheeks flush. Finally, Olsen reaches out a hand. Courtney offers hers. They hold on
for far longer than necessary, just looking into each other’s eyes and smiling. Lex holds me from behind as we share a silent
squee of happiness. We’d hoped the two would hit it off, but seeing it happen in real time is extremely rewarding.
Minutes later, Olsen, Lex, and I carry the steaming dishes from the counter to the table and then call everyone to eat. Pat
sits between Courtney and Carol, joined by the men after they turn the hockey game over to gentle festive music, and Gabe
comes down from his room with headphones on his ears to block out the noise. We all take our seats, elbow to elbow, hip to
hip, the table overflowing with food and drinks. It’s crowded, but somehow not stuffy at all. As I look around the table,
there’s not one person I wouldn’t have here.
I didn’t get to have a family like this growing up.
I thought moments like this only existed in the sappy rom-coms I’d watched on repeat my whole life, and that I’d never get to have anything so perfect.
But here I am, living my best life, surrounded by these wonderful people I have the privilege of calling my family.
My heart swells with the realization that this is it—I’ve made it.
I am currently living my happily ever after.
Clearing my throat, I raise my glass and address the group. “Thank you all so much for joining us here at our first Christmas
dinner together! There’s a word that’s come back to me again and again lately: gratitude. I look around and I feel so incredibly grateful for each one of you. Thank you for supporting us in our journeys these past
few months—from a new relationship, to new careers, to a new home—and for continuing to show us so much love through it all.”
I look from smiling face to smiling face, then settle on Lex beside me. “And thank you to Lex, for being beside me every step
of the way. I couldn’t imagine life without you. Each day is such a blessing.”
Lex, not generally a fan of PDA, leans forward and gives me a soft peck on the lips. Glasses clink, followed by a hearty “Cheers!”
Then, we dig in. Laughter and conversation flow like wine and gravy as dishes are passed—turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes
piled high.
After dinner Gabe excuses himself, needing time to decompress after so much noise and chaos. The rest of us continue to sit
around the table, dirty dishes stacked on the counter for later, not wanting the evening to end. Pat enthralls Carol with
stories of Paco’s shenanigans, Courtney and Olsen tentatively flirt, Robert and Jared enthuse about the hockey season thus
far—and in the centre of it all are Lex and me, our hands resting on the table, fingers threaded together.
I look at her. She looks at me. Once again, an awed sense of gratitude alights within me.
For so many years I thought I was destined to live a life alone, wrenched away from love by a curse I’d given myself, haunted by past mistakes, unable to forgive, forget, and move on. Now, my life is so full. So whole. So complete. Life without the curse certainly is—
“Look, Ma! I’m a unicorn!” Gabe interrupts, drawing our attention to where he’s standing at the foot of the stairs with Lex’s
strap-on purple dildo affixed to the top of his head.
The entire table freezes in a tableau of awkwardness. I look at Lex. She looks at me. And we all burst out laughing.
If it weren’t for Gabe’s spontaneous dress-up party, dinner would have been totally normal and not awkward at all. But where’s
the fun in that? Life doesn’t need to be perfect. I don’t need to be perfect. I just need people who love me and accept me for who I am. And as I look around this table, at the
laughing, smiling faces of my new-found family, ending with Lex—the love of my life—I realize I have just that. Everything
I could ever want.
I’ll take our own special brand of awkwardly ever after, every day of my life, as long as she’s by my side.
* * * * *