Epilogue
Winter
The Chuck E. Cheese parking lot is packed full of cars when Thomas pulls in to one of the last remaining spots. “Whoa,” I breathe out, staring out the window. “You really meant it when you said the team shows up for people.”
When Luca met Thomas for the first time almost two years ago, he’d been a little shy.
For at least thirty minutes, anyway. After that, he asked Thomas no fewer than fifty questions.
Including if he knew how claw machines worked, why the sport he played is so violent, and if he knew anybody selling a vending machine.
They became fast friends when Thomas told him that he did know how they worked, and entertained Luca by watching whatever video my nephew showed him.
They were mostly showing the inner mechanisms of claw machines, and Thomas never complained.
It didn’t matter how long the videos were, he watched from start to finish and asked questions that he knew Luca would know the answer to.
That friendship rapidly grew when Thomas gave him VIP treatment at a Fireflies home game. He introduced the lanky boy to all of his teammates, where Luca asked them a similar line of questioning as he did the right-winger, and then he then invited every single person to his nineth birthday party.
Today. At Chuck E. Cheese.
Thomas puts his car into park. “I told you almost everybody on the team RSVP’d. Hoffman told me yesterday that his daughter was excited to come play with Luca again.”
I smile instantly. His head coach’s adorable daughter, Gemma, had a playdate with Luca almost a year ago now.
Since, they’ve insisted on meeting up every chance they get.
Whenever Luca tags along with Kourtney, and a reluctant Brad, to games, he always finds Gemma and spends most of the time with her.
“He’s got a crush,” I tell Thomas, my smile growing. “Apparently, he’s always asking Kourt when they can see each other again.”
He chuckles. “From what I gather, it’s mutual.”
I should have known it would happen. The last time I went over to Kourtney’s, Gemma and Luca were in his room watching videos of kids playing claw machines.
Gemma told Luca all about the prizes she’d won from them in the past and made me drive them to the nearest store that had one so she could prove it to him.
She won them both stuffed animals.
I’m excited for their future wedding.
“I still can’t believe you got him a vending machine,” I grumble, getting out of the car. It’s been two years of the ongoing joke, and Thomas finally found one. “You did it just to piss off Brad.”
Thomas grins. “Of course I did. The dude is a prick.”
I roll my eyes. “Luca is going to officially crown you his new favorite person, and Kourtney will no longer like you. You’ve been warned.”
He grabs my hand, interweaving our fingers, and walks me toward the front entrance.
It took a long time for me to be comfortable with the public affection.
Even something as simple as holding hands made me cautious.
People would watch, some a little too closely.
It wasn’t until about a year after truly giving this a chance that I stopped caring. Inevitably, so did they.
Thomas and I weren’t new news anymore at that point. He was happy. I was happy. His ex-wife and her new wife were happy. Whatever the press came up with to get a quick buck stopped mattering because people were rooting for us, not condemning us. There was no story and there were no villains.
“I’ll find a way to make it up to her,” he tells me, breaking me from my thoughts.
I eye him. “How?”
He shrugs. “Do you think finding her a good divorce lawyer and paying for everything would do?”
That makes me snort. “Good luck. I’ve been trying to make that happen for years.”
He hums but doesn’t have a chance to speak more about it when we walk in and see everybody spread out.
His teammates all greet him with handshakes and high-fives.
A few of them give him a half-hug and back clap before hugging me and pointing to where the birthday boy is showing Gemma a game.
Puck, Honor’s service dog, is sitting on the ground beside her while looking in our direction.
Bodhi Hoffman and Honor, who I’ve come to adore, are watching their daughter with a similar smile as mine. “Are you guys picturing their wedding too?” I ask, sidling up beside them.
Honor laughs at the twisted face her husband makes. “I’m pretty sure Luca is the only boy Bodhi will approve of.”
“As he should,” my sister says, popping up from who knows where. “My son is amazing.”
Bodhi sighs heavily. “He is,” he replies, almost sad by it.
I get it, though. Kourtney tells me all the time that she’s sad how quickly Luca has grown. I’m not even his parent, but it feels like yesterday when I held him as a baby in the hospital.
Honor leans her cheek on Bodhi’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around his. “Are you going to be this way with your other daughter too?”
I stand straighter, looking between them with a huge smile on my face. “Are you pregnant?”
I’ve gotten to know Honor since ‘officially’ dating Thomas, and I’ve learned her battles with PCOS and infertility over the years. They’ve talked in depth about having a child if they could, but I never pressed them on it because I know it’s a sensitive subject.
Honor bites down on her bottom lip, peeks at her husband, and then nods as she meets my eyes again. “We are.”
Thomas claps his head coach on the arm. “I didn’t know. Congrats, man.”
Bodhi smiles. “Thanks. We’re very excited about it. Gemma is too. It’s a wonder she hasn’t told more people. She decided to announce it to her class during show and tell by taking the ultrasound in.”
“At least she didn’t draw a picture showing how the kid was made,” Thomas muses.
Kourtney snorts. “That would have been hilarious.”
“And mortifying,” I murmur.
Honor seems to agree with me. “I wouldn’t be able to show my face again.”
Bodhi rubs her back. “Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that. She still thinks the stork brings babies in baskets.”
“She’s going to be disappointed when a bird doesn’t show up at the front door,” Honor tells him.
To which Bodhi chuckles. “I think she’ll be fine so long as she has a baby to play with. She’s already trying to convince me to let her bring her sister with her to school.”
Kourtney sighs. “That’s so cute. Luca asks about a sibling all the time.”
My brows shoot up. “He does?”
A distant look passes over her face, and I know it well. It’s not sadness or disappointment, it’s defeated reluctance. “Yeah. I told him we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Which means no.
I look around, brows pinching as I try finding the person I’ve been dreading seeing since I woke up this morning. “Where is Brad anyway?”
My sister shifts from one foot to another. “He isn’t here. I told him not to come.”
Thomas and I share a look before I ask, “Is everything okay?”
Kourtney rubs her lips together. It takes her a moment to say, “I asked for a divorce.”
Everybody gets quiet. Kourtney and Honor have become friends since their kids have grown closer, and I know they’ve discussed Honor’s previous marriage before. I wonder if that has anything to do with this new revelation. If it is, I’ll have to get Honor a present.
She clears her throat. “But that’s a conversation for another day. Today is about Luca.”
I walk over and squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry,” I tell her softly.
She shakes her head, trying to hide the glaze in her eyes by rapidly batting her lids. “Don’t be. It’s time.”
I hate that she always masks her emotions, but I understand. Now isn’t the place to let the tears shed. “I can come over later,” I offer. “We have to deliver a giant vending machine anyway.”
Her eyes go from me to Thomas.
They stare at one another.
Then, my sister laughs. It’s a little watery and surprised, but happy. “He’s a keeper, sis.”
Her approval makes my heart grow. “I think so too,” I tell her, giving her a hug.
In my ear, she whispers, “Mom and dad would love him. Especially because he’s a good cook. Dad would be begging him for recipes.”
My arms tighten around her as a choppy laugh bubbles from me. She knows how much that means to me.
So, I repeat, “I think so too.”
My voice is as watery as hers. When I pull back, there are tears in both of our eyes.
And then Luca comes over and says, “Can I open my presents now? None of them are big enough to be what I want, but I’m sure I’ll like them anyway.”
Bodhi chuckles from behind us.
I ruffle his hair while Kourtney sighs. “Yes, we can open presents. But you need to thank everybody for them as you go.”
He thinks about it, then shrugs. “Okay.” Then he turns to Gemma and says, “Come on, Gem. We’re going to open my presents! You can have some of them.”
I beam as they walk over to the table covered in wrapped boxes. “They’re totally getting married,” I tell Kourtney.
All she does is nod, but her smile returns. “I’d be okay with that.”