Epilogue Maggie
THE NEXT DAY
Maggie woke up on the first day at the start of a new year in a warm bed, with soft lips landing kisses at the nape of her neck and a warm hand pressed against her stomach.
“Hmmm, morning and happy new year,” Maggie said, not surprised that after how late they’d all stayed up that she was still asleep.
“It is a very good morning and going to be a very good year,” Diana said from behind, her warm breath against her back and sending pleasant shivers down Maggie’s spine.
“I won’t jinx it, but you sound so sure.”
“I am sure,” Diana said easily.
Maggie smiled and let her eyes flicker open, taking in the light of the morning and then quickly closing her eyes again, wincing slightly.
“Looks like someone could use some coffee.”
“I could, but I was hoping you were going to show me how you know it’s going to be a good year, maybe just a bit of a sneak peak of what I have to look forward to?
” Maggie said. She really could use that coffee, but lazy lovemaking in the morning was something they hadn’t been able to do for a long time.
But now that Maggie had submitted applications and the orchard season had long wrapped, she was looking forward to making up for lost time with Diana. Particularly in bed.
“How about after coffee? I think you’ll figure it out soon enough anyway.
” And with that, Maggie felt Diana roll out of the bed and heard her barefoot shuffle through the door.
She kept her eyes closed for a little longer, relishing the warmth of the bed and the warmth of Diana that was still clinging to her back.
You’ll figure it out soon enough anyway.
Maybe she already had. These last couple of months had been more freeing than any Maggie had had in years.
Her whole life maybe, save for the two years she had with Diana in high school and the space she created for her and Maya.
She was with Diana, she had moved in, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.
What’s more, she was a lesbian and her daughter knew it.
Her daughter, who never once fulfilled her fear of asking Maggie if she was a mistake or if Maggie regretted her.
Maya had only been compassionate and sad that her mother had hidden all this time.
When she found out about Damien, she was sorry that both of her parents had felt the need to hide but had found comfort in the fact that both of her parents had had each other. They were a family and would always be.
Maggie rolled onto her back and stretched, throwing her arms above her head and leaving them there for a moment.
Maya, her baby girl, was such a woman, and had grown into a woman she not only loved but admired.
She had always felt lucky to be Maya’s mother, but now she felt grateful in a way she hadn’t known before.
Having Maya, Lily, and Hanna with them over the holidays had been surreal.
They’d added in Jay and Michaela and their kids.
Soon, they would be adding Damien and anyone he decided to introduce.
Maggie had been so afraid her secret would destroy her life, hurt Maya, and tear the only family she had left apart, but instead, she had gained a bigger one.
She had gained so much more in having purpose.
She knew exactly what Michaela had meant when she talked about Diana and Jay’s love having saved them, because it had, and Maggie realized it always did.
If more people understood love and compassion, they passed it on and were less likely to cause harm.
That is what she wanted to do with the community center, camp, and eventual school.
She wanted to pass it on. Yes, there are horrors in the world, but compassion and love are the only ways to get through it.
She knew from seeing everything happening around them and seeing the direct effect on her friends, that they had made it because of love, as corny as that would have sounded to her even a year ago.
Jay was alive because her parents put her first and risked their lives to come here and build something.
They were able to build something in a society intent on oppressing them because the Blake family, mostly Diana, had given them a chance.
Diana had loved Jay and shown Jay how to love Michaela.
Michaela was able to shed the pain of her background because of that love.
And their kids would grow up to be amazingly kind humans because they understood what must be passed on.
Maggie had been hiding for so long, and while she had instilled her love in Maya, she wanted to do it more. She felt a sense of pride in that duty because she knew she had the knowledge and the privilege to do so.
Maggie ran her hand through her tousled hair and then over her face, wincing slightly as something pressed into the bridge of her nose.
She pulled back her hand and froze. There, sitting on her left ring finger, was a solid gold band.
It was wide and thick enough that with her hand frozen in front of her face, she was surprised she hadn’t already noticed the slight weight difference.
As if on cue, Diana came into the bedroom hiding two steaming mugs.
“Figured it out yet?” Diana said, and Maggie looked at her, and saw on her own hand, wrapped around the handle of the mug, that she was wearing a matching solid gold band. Maggie’s eyes began to fill with tears and she sat up, ignoring the slight dizziness due to all the champagne the night before.
“What, I mean, when did—”
“You slept like the dead last night,” Diana said, setting one mug on her nightstand and handing Maggie hers while she carefully got back on the bed.
“Dee,” Maggie croaked out, and she felt her tears sliding down her cheeks.
“I will not be asking, FYI, we are past that point, Maggie McDonald.”
Maggie let out a teary laugh and then quickly set her mug on the night stand. Coffee would need to wait. She looked at her hand and the band again, blinking away the tears. She pulled the band off to inspect it, and saw an engraving on the inside to match their tattoo.
In the end it will still be us. 12.31.2026.
Maggie turned and flung her arms around Diana, and they fell into a tangled mess of laughter and tears. When they were both on their backs, Maggie slipped the ring back on.
“12.31, huh?”
“Yeah I had planned to put this on your finger before the ball dropped, unconvinced we’d stay up late, but then everyone stayed later and so here we are.”
Maggie considered it for a moment. “Not to get all philosophical or whatever, but the end, the beginning, a lot of the time it's the same thing, right? Like I remember in college a professor being like, the end of something is the start of something and the start of something is the end of something. So 12.31 or 1.1, doesn’t matter.”
Diana took a long pause and then said, “You’re right, that does sound crazy philosophical and I will need coffee before I can even touch that.” They both laughed.
“I guess then what matters is we are doing this forever.”
“Forever,” Diana said and then added, “Though I do think our daughters will kill us if we do so legally, becoming stepsisters and all, I also don’t care.”
Maggie laughed, “We both have been married before in non-romantic marriages, so I think we can stand to have one for love. Nothing will really change, just a piece of paper that says I’m yours and you’re mine. We know the girls will do whatever they want anyway.”
Diana smiled and rolled over to kiss Maggie, soft at first but then Maggie deepened the kiss and Diana answered. Maggie had a feeling they were going to have to reheat the coffee, but she didn't mind one bit. This was the morning she’d wanted and couldn’t wait to have again and again.