Epilogue
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
“I thought we left Canada to escape the snow,” Luke grumbles, peering out of the airport.
He’s been in a bad mood ever since we boarded the plane, delayed for three hours due to the weather.
The Irish weather. The Irish weather, which I’m pretty sure every Canadian I know would either laugh or cry at if they could see it now.
“I don’t think they’d call this snow.” I raise a hand to catch the soft flakes but he quickly grabs it, holding it to his side. “I was trying to have a Hallmark moment.”
“You’ll be complaining about how cold you are in two minutes.”
“But you love warming me,” I tease. I don’t pull away. I like it when he holds my hand, even when he’s grumpy.
“They’re not here,” he says. “Let’s go inside before you turn blue.”
I let him tug me back into the arrivals hall, his free hand pushing our luggage cart as we find a space over by a Sunglass Hut.
The airport is decked out for Christmas, with large twinkling trees and strands of tinsel and baubles everywhere you look.
On the opposite side of the floor, a choir of schoolchildren sings their way through carols, making up for each off-key note with sheer exuberance, and a surprising number of people, including their pets, have dressed up in festive outfits for maximum embarrassment of arriving relatives.
I look upon it all with a huge smile. Last year, we’d only been in Toronto a few months when Christmas came around and Luke was only a few weeks into his job at the sports clinic.
We agreed it would be better if we stayed and got settled, meaning this is my first Christmas home in seven years, meaning I’m allowed to be a little indulgent.
“Do you see them?” Luke asks, scanning the hall. Before I can answer a cheer rises from the crowd as the next round of passengers emerges from baggage claim.
We watch a woman scream as she rushes into the arms of a man wearing reindeer ears.
Luke shakes his head. “People are weird at Christmas.”
“I think it’s nice.”
“Of course you do. If you had your way, we’d be wearing matching pajama sets to bed.”
“If I had my way, we wouldn’t be wearing anything to bed.”
I look up just in time to catch his smile. “Cheer up,” I say, nudging him.
“I’m sorry.” He sighs. “I guess I’m a little nervous.”
“Think you’re getting coal this year?”
“It’s our first Christmas home as a couple,” he says ignoring me. “Both sets of parents. I just keep thinking about all the questions they’re going to ask.”
“Oh yeah?” I raise a brow. “Like what?”
His mouth clamps shut.
“Like what, Luke?”
“Never mind.”
“Like when we’re getting engaged?”
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Making you squirm?” I grin. “Always. And trust me, you just need to sit there and look pretty. Let me handle the questions.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because I know the answers,” I say airily, and turn back to the crowd before he can respond. “Did you talk to Beth?”
“She did most of the talking.” He grimaces. “I guess I’m not the only one who’s nervous.”
I smile, sympathetic. Once Beth finally plucked up the courage to reach out to Jess online, they quickly become firm friends before a weekend trip to New York established them as significantly more than that.
Trying to be a little less impulsive after closing the café, Beth wasn’t ready to leave Ireland just yet, but Jess had insisted on bringing her over for the holidays this year, so she could spend Christmas in the city.
Knowing Jess, I doubt there’s anything innocent behind her intentions.
The little festive week away is clearly her ploy to convince Beth to move over, but seeing as she’s the first woman Jess has been serious about in a long, long time, I’m curious to see it where it goes.
“They’re dangerous together,” I say with a sigh. “You need someone in a relationship to reign the other one in.”
“Like me?”
“Uh, no. I’m the reigner.”
“You?”
“Yes, me! I—”
“Abby!”
I turn at the shout to see Louise barge her way across the hall, striding through a family reunion being captured by a news crew.
“What are you doing all the way over here? We’ve been looking for you for ten minutes.” She hugs me while she chides me, the chill from outside still clinging to her coat.
“We couldn’t find you. Where’s Saoirse?”
“With her father.”
“You didn’t bring her with—”
“Of course I did,” she snaps. “They’re coming now. Hello, Luke.”
“Louise,” he greets, trying to hide his amusement. “Happy Christmas.”
She nods, her attention already back on me. “You look terrible.”
“Because I’ve been on a plane for— Oh my God!”
I push past her, aiming straight for the little bundle in the stroller pushed by Tomasz. She’s wearing an extremely fluffy hat, making it difficult to see her face, but Tomasz crouches down when I do, tipping it up.
Baby Saoirse is fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
My niece.
“Oh my God,” I repeat, touching her nose with exaggerated care.
“She slept the entire way,” Louise says. “Which means she’ll be up all night. Don’t, Abby.”
“What?” I ask as I try to touch her again. “She’ll want to see me.”
“She doesn’t know who you are. And if you wake my child, I will kill you.” The wild look in her eyes makes me think she isn’t lying.
“We’ll steal her when they’re asleep,” Luke says to me.
“Please do,” Louise mutters but her gaze softens as she adjusts the blanket around Saoirse.
“How are you getting on with Mam and Dad?” I ask as I hug Tomasz hello. Our parents flew back a few days ago to spend the holiday at home. Luke and I will be staying with Pat and Susan while we’re here. Me in his old bed and him on the couch.
“As well as can be expected,” Louise says. “You cut your hair.”
“I did.”
“Hmm.”
Luke fights a smile.
“Thank you again for her birthday present,” she says, not so subtly changing the subject. “We appreciate it.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Starting from scratch with my savings wasn’t easy, but Luke and I were being careful, and the first thing I did when things were a little back to normal was set up a bank account in Saoirse’s name.
“Do they still have you working all hours?”
“Unfortunately but I’m getting better at finding balance.
” I glance up at Luke, who squeezes my hand.
A lot better. The hours at Stewarts were as tough as they were at MacFarlane and I was giving it my all, but I was no longer bending over backward just to keep myself in the game.
I didn’t want to. I had no desire to stay dramatically late in the office if I didn’t have to.
No desire to give up my weekends or keep my phone on all night.
Not when Luke was at home waiting for me.
Not when we had so much time to catch up on.
“And Luke, how’s the… ah, crap.”
Louise sighs as Saoirse stirs, blinking sleepily awake. I clap my hands as Tomasz takes her out of the stroller.
“Give her to me,” I say, holding my arms out.
Louise shakes her head. “Abby—”
“I didn’t wake her, so I get to hold her.”
“I give you an hour before you’re fed up,” she warns but doesn’t say anything more as I coo at her daughter.
“You know me,” I say, bouncing her. “We play on the phone. Yes, we do.”
She blinks at me, confused but pliant with a “let’s see where this goes” expression.
“Do you have everything?” Louise asks, eyeing the crowd. “We better go if we want to get back before Christmas is over.”
“It’s grand, Louise.”
“The roads are a nightmare,” she says as Tomasz takes our luggage cart. “When you’re the one driving, you can set the schedule.”
I continue to sing nonsense words at Saoirse as we follow them back out into the cold.
“You’re good with her,” Luke says, slipping an arm around my waist. “What?” He laughs when I give him a look.
“Don’t go getting any ideas.”
He smiles. “I’m not.”
“Good.” But I look down at her in my arms and feel a tug at my heart.
What I have with Luke still feels new. Sometimes it’s like we’re still getting to know each other.
Our thoughts, our moods, where we want to eat, what we like to do.
Luckily, I find the more I learn, the more I like.
I was just teasing him before. I don’t have the answers.
But for once that’s okay. It’s enough now just to be with him.
To take each day as it comes and not have my life scheduled out in advance.
Enough now to just spend the holiday with him and my family and one or two emails.
Maybe three.
“When you’re older, we’ll get your ears pierced,” I whisper to my niece as she reaches up to grab a loose curl. “And you’ll tell me all the secrets you don’t want to tell your mom. And I’ll give you your first sip of—”
“Okay,” Louise says, turning to take her from me. “You can hold her at home.”
“I was only messing!”
“I lived with you when you were a teenager, Abby. No, you weren’t.”
Luke tugs the back of my coat, pulling me to him as Louise settles Saoirse in her baby chair.
“You cheered up,” I say.
“I did. I remembered that I loved you.”
“Well, that’s good timing. Even with all the family arguments to come?”
“Even with that.”
“Even if you have to sleep on your parents’ couch?”
“I’ve slept on the couch before, remember? At least this time I won’t have to hear you snore.”
“I don’t—”
“Hey, lovebirds,” Louise says, shutting the trunk. “Hurry up.”
“I love you too,” I say, ignoring her. “And I don’t snore.”
“We’re driving away now,” Louise calls as she gets into the passenger seat.
Luke draws me close, brushing the snow from my hair before kissing my temple.
“Welcome back, Abby,” he murmurs into my ear, and hand in hand we head toward the car, head toward home.