Epilogue
Tennyson
“We are out of FiDough.” I shut the freezer door as our two little dogs looked up at me so optimistic, their little tails wagging. “Hold on. Let me see what I can work out.”
I headed into the living room, greeted with enormous smiles from both Greer and Eli. As much as our fur babies had me wrapped around their little toes, it was nothing compared to how much Eli had me wrapped around his little finger, especially since he began to smile every time I came into view.
“Shrimp and Grits want to go to Just One Lick.” I pointed to the two little guys at my feet. “Family outing?”
We’d been back to the cafe one at a time since our son was born, first, me checking on things to put my omega at ease as he recovered from giving birth then we alternated just to keep an eye on it and make sure things were going smoothly, which they were. Jarmin was the absolute best and with the hiring of a few part-timers, the stress of our lack of presence didn’t impact things too much.
“What do you say, little man?” Greer singsonged. “Wanna go see your future? I mean if you want it to be. You can be anything you want and not tied to your daddy’s and my dream.”
My heart melted at all the hidden layers of his conversation with Eli who spent the entire time trying to take his sock off. No wonder there were more footie pajamas than socks in the stores—socks were a losing battle at his age.
“Jarmin and the others will be so excited to see him again.”
Greer agreed and as he changed Eli and got his shoes on, I went to set up the stroller, complete with diaper bag. It still amazed me each and every time we left the house how many things one tiny human needed for a quick walk or trip to the pediatrician.
Shrimp and Grits sat under the place where their leashes were hooked, their little tails a wagging. Greer held our little wonder as I walked back in.
“Ready to go, little man?” I reached for our son, still awed by his existence. “We are going to Papa’s store,” I explained, not that he understood what I was saying.
Greer leashed the dogs as I buckled Eli into the buggy and we began the short walk to the cafe.
“Remember the first time we were here?” Greer randomly stopped, although it was far from random. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen.
“How could I forget? The most important moment of my lifetime happened right here. I met you.” I leaned toward him and kissed his cheek.
“Most important of mine, too. And not because of the café—that’s just a bonus. I knew right then and there you were special. If only I’d realized how special, we could’ve been together instead of wasting time.” He started to walk again, thanks to our little fur balls having needs.
The rest of the short walk to Just One Lick became much quicker paced than planned as the skies darkened, rain rolling in at a decent clip.
“Let’s get you inside.” I opened the door, allowing Greer and the dogs in and following with the stroller, which I parked in the corner. I had Eli out of the seat and into my arms by the time the staff noticed who had come in and surrounded us, all oohing and aahing and a few sets of grabby hands.
Jarmin held our sweet boy while I grabbed FiDough for our less-than-patient pups.
“You spoil them,” Greer sassed, knowing he resembled that remark.
“It’s true.” I wrapped my arm around him. “I owe Grits a lot, you know.”
“He has been great about not asking, to needing to go out every time Eli wakes up.” And he wasn’t wrong about that. When Eli first came home and woke up every two hours to eat, Grits had wanted to spend that time outside. Eli made Grits’ sleep a little off as well. Lately, he had just been waking up, looking over to make sure all was right, and then went back to sleep.
“That is true, but that isn’t where my appreciation began.” The rain fell, the pounding on the roof echoing through the shop. “He was the excuse we needed to chat that first day. He gets all the spoiling.”
“And Grits?” Greer quirked his eyebrow.
“Grits gave us the start of our 100 percent goal of doggie adoptions,” I teased Greer, knowing right well that it was more important to both of us that they had the best forever families possible over a good adoption rate.
Lightning struck nearish by, and the thunder had Eli fussing enough, Greer took him back from his admirers, snuggling him close.
“You are the perfect family.” Jarmin smiled at us as he picked up the dogs’ empty bowls, a sense of longing tinging his voice.
“No, not perfect.” Greer smiled warmly at him. “Just perfect together.” He snuggled in close to me.
I thought about Greer’s words to his friend as they chatted, Eli falling asleep in his papa’s arms.
We weren’t perfect. Who was? I still struggled at finding my place in the professional world now that I had decided to shift from academia to consulting and helping people make their classrooms and workplaces accessible to more students and employees than they once had been. We both still were still finding our place in this world as parents, although I’d say Greer had already mastered that even if he disagreed. He was such an amazing papa. And we both struggled to find the perfect balance between keeping Just One Lick a job and making it our entire life.
But together we were stronger and better than we had ever been alone.
Our hearts overflowed with love for Eli and love for each other—there was nothing greater than that.