Epilogue

Graham

One year later

It started snowing one week before Christmas, and everyone was scared it would let up again so that the snow melted before the big day. We were lucky. The snow kept falling in white sheets of swirling flakes, and by the time we wake up on Christmas morning, everything has been transformed into a winter wonderland.

“How do I look?” Sarah asks, coming out of the bathroom. She’s wearing a red and green dress that hits her mid-thigh and shows off her curves, and it’s as corny as it’s beautiful.

“It looks great. You’re my sexy elf.” I pull her close to me. “How about you and I go find a few minutes to make sure you’re wearing your underwear right?”

Sarah laughs. “How are you planning on doing that?”

“I’m going to take them off and put them back on again, just to be sure.”

She kisses me, and it’s a hot kiss, making me hard. But Sarah pulls away.

“We have to get going. We don’t want to be late.”

“It’s right next door,” I say, but I do as Sarah says because being on time is important to her, and she’s important to me.

Sarah pushes against the suit. I’m Santa again this year. We thought it would be poetic for me to dress as Santa. It’s just about our one-year anniversary, and I’m going to be the one to hand out the gifts to the kids, with Sarah as my sexy elf helper. We’re doing Christmas at Britney’s place, and Monica, Larry and Lindsay are joining us, too.

When we arrive, the rest of them are all there. Sarah glances at me with a look that says I-told-you-so, and I shake my head. She was right, of course.

We greet everyone, and the kids go outside to play in the snow. Lindsay gets along perfectly with my nieces and nephew. They know each other from school, apparently. I watch Sarah as she and Britney get the food ready.

They’ve become close friends over the past year. Sarah has been great at helping Britney through her issues with James. Britney has been seeing a therapist, and the kids are getting help, too, but the biggest step was for my sister to file for divorce. The court case, although painful, didn’t drag on. With the domestic violence charge and James’s history with the court, he got a good couple of years in jail with a court order that he was only allowed supervised visits with the children, if they wanted it, once he got out. For now, though, he’s behind bars and unable to come close to Britney to interfere with her healing process.

She looks great, too. Since the divorce, she’s started to really live, and that’s something I wished for her since the day I realized something was wrong.

Sarah is a ray of sunshine in my life. She made everything better by just being herself.

Living with her is just as magical as it was in the cabin. We get along well, and our relationship is better than anything I could ever have imagined. I’m so lucky that Lindsay saw me in this Santa suit a year ago.

The letter she sent me is framed in our living room, along with the couple’s painting we made on our second date at the painting and pottery place.

“Time for presents!” Monica calls, and the four kids run inside and gather around the tree. It’s made up with colorful balls and blinking lights, and there’s a stack of presents waiting to be handed out. I stand next to the tree, and Sarah helps me. We hand out the presents one by one.

When everyone has a gift, I watch the family as they open them. Britney and I grew up with our grandparents, and for a long time after they died, we were alone. We didn’t have any family but each other. When I see Sarah’s family and mine thrown together, I realize how rich I’ve become — rich in family and friends who will always be there for us. And I’m the luckiest man on earth.

“What about Sarah?” Lindsay asks when the presents are all opened. “Why didn’t she get a present from you?”

I look at Sarah, who’s standing to the side, with the same look on her face that I’m feeling.

“Oh, she’s on the naughty list,” I say to Lindsay. Lindsay looks shocked.

“What did she do?” the kids all want to know.

I laugh. “I’m just joking. Sarah has a special present. I wanted to wait until everyone else was ready before giving it to her.”

“We’re ready,” Monica says. Everyone is watching me, and when I look at Sarah, she blushes under the attention.

“What is this?” she asks.

“I love you,” I say. “I spent the past year with you, and it’s not enough. I want eternity with you.”

I kneel, and there are sharp intakes of breath around the room. Sarah claps her hand over her mouth, and her eyes well with tears.

“Marry me,” I say as I produce a velvet box I bought a few months ago.

Sarah nods. “I will,” she says and kneels, grabbing me around the neck.

I nearly lose my balance but manage to catch myself, and I hold onto Sarah, who’s laughing and crying on my shoulder. Finally, when she lets go, I open the box and slide the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly, thanks to Lindsay, who helped me sneak a ring out of the house when we babysat her one night. When she looks at me, I wink at her.

The family gets up, and one by one, we get hugs and kisses from everyone, congratulating us, welcoming the both of us to their respective families.

Finally, it’s time to leave, and I can’t wait to get home. I want to take Sarah to the bedroom and make her mine again. I want to show her exactly what she means to me, and how much I love her. And I’m going to keep showing her what she means to me and how much I love her for the rest of our lives.

***

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