Epilogue
Colin
Two years later
If that damn dog doesn't stop barking . . . Goddammit, Lizzie, you said you'd handle him! I open the door carefully and prepare myself for the coming attack. After only a second, a large, black, furry creature tries to leap on me, his tongue ready to lick me, my clothes, and everything else that he can reach. I slam the door, leaving him inside and me outside my house. I'm hungry and I've been on my feet since five-thirty in the morning.
"Lizzie!" I roar helplessly, "I'd really love to come inside!"
"Sorry," my favorite voice in the whole world yells from the other side. Okay, one of my three favorite voices. "I was sure I locked him in Viv's room."
The door opens and in front of me stands my beloved wife, who couldn't refuse our daughter and adopted a dog from the animal shelter.
Yes, our girl gave up the dream of becoming an astronaut. Now she wants to be a veterinarian, and any future veterinarian needs a pet, or that's what her mom told me.
"Remind me why we didn't get a hamster?" I stick a wet kiss to her lips, counting the seconds until she shoves me and tells me there are things left for the bedroom.
"You're hungry," she mumbles into the kiss.
"Where's Viv?" Since she hasn’t stopped me, the girl is not around.
"With my parents, they wanted to spoil her."
They always want to spoil her, but I suppose tonight more than usual. After all, tomorrow morning she goes to second grade, and the excitement is in full swing.
"Does that mean we have time?" I lower my head in a silent prayer for the answer I want. Dinner can wait if it means I'll get a chance to drag my wife to bed for a few minutes.
As if a few minutes would satisfy us.
If either of us thought the situation would calm down after a few months, they were wrong. When it comes to our sex life, we are still in our honeymoon period and it doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. Thank God for Vivian, she's the main reason we get dressed and leave the bedroom.
"They're on their way home," my darlin’ wife smashes my hope for some sex.
"Wonderful," I growl as I take my wallet, phone and keys out of my pocket and put them on the table at the entrance.
"Mr. Young," she grabs the collar of my shirt and pulls me in her direction, "do you want to file a complaint with management?"
"I want to have sex with my wife. What are the chances management will agree to that?" I don't have high hopes on the matter.
"When your children fall asleep, you'll get what you want." She pulls at my shirt and kisses me again. I'm about to push my tongue into her mouth, when a cry from our bedroom shatters my plans to pieces.
"Someone's hungry." I get on the job right away, walking down the hallway with Elizabeth following me.
"He wasn't himself today," her voice is filled with worry. "I hope he doesn't develop anything, because my mom doesn't like watching him when he's sick, and if I miss another lesson, I'll be in trouble."
"I'll stay home if it comes to that," I reassure her, approaching the cradle and picking up my two-month-old black haired baby. We didn't think it would happen so soon. When we applied for adoption, we thought it would take months or years before we got the call. We even went to Vegas and got married officially, just to show the adoption agency our marriage certificate in the hopes of avoiding problems in the future. We never dreamed the phone would ring so fast.
"Elliott Young," I turn to the baby in a serious voice, "are you misbehaving?"
"You’ll scare him," she laughs as the baby stops crying and stares at me for a second.
"He knows I'm kidding."
Elliott starts crying again. He doesn't seem to be in a mood for joking. He probably wants to eat, and he won't wait patiently for his bottle. Lizzie goes to the kitchen to prepare food for him while I sit down on the sofa and cradle him.
"I have something to show you," she says as she hands me the bottle a minute later, "on my phone."
I lean back and let the little one eat, while Liz uploads the pictures on her phone.
"Look," she turns the screen over to me.
"You made this?" My eyes jump from the picture to Elizabeth and back to the small screen, on which is a two-story cake shaped in sugar dough.
"In class. Nice, right?"
"Nice?" I snort, "A chocolate cake with candy on top is nice. Babe, this cake is crazy."
"It's okay." My wife shrugs her shoulder and puts the phone back in her pocket.
"Did you hear from that pastry shop on Drum Street?"
"They liked what I showed them and asked me to come back next week for a trial run." She blushes.
"You're sure you want to work for them, 'cause my offer is still valid."
"Yes, Colin," she gives me the same answer she has been giving me for a month, "I'm sure I don't want to start my own business. I'd rather be their employee and learn more."
"As long as you're happy, I'm happy." I look down at the baby in my arms. "And you're pleased too, aren't you?"
The doorbell rings and Elizabeth gets up to open it for Viv and her parents, with whom I have an…interesting relationship. Liz's mom is pretty much crazy about me, which make Liz's father grumble more, but he keeps his mouth shut and says nothing, 'cause after what he did, no one wants to hear it.
Vivian comes running into the living room waving a twinkling pencil case that almost blinds me.
"What did you get?" I pretend I have no idea
"A pencil case with pictures of dogs on it," she climbs up on the couch beside me, "look how cute they are."
"Your dog almost ate me when I got home." I raise an eyebrow with amusement.
"Bobby doesn't eat people, Dad." She rolls her eyes, just like her mom.
"He was 'bout to eat me, I tell you." I take the empty bottle out of Elliott's mouth and turn him over my shoulder to burp him.
"Can I?" Viv asks permission to help in a particularly sweet voice.
"Gently." I nod and let her pat gently on Elliot's back until we both hear clearly a belch over my shoulder.
"That was a huge one!" she bursts out laughing.
"Definitely," I agree with her. "Have you had dinner?"
"Yes, with Granny and Grandpa." She slides of the sofa onto the rug and leaps to her feet.
"Don't let Bobby out," I call after her as she runs into her room.
"Hello, Colin." My mom-in-law's hearty voice comes from behind me. I stand slowly and smile at her and the man standing beside her, his face blank. At least we are no longer enemies.
"Colin," he greets me formally.
"Frank," I shake my head, "how are you?"
"We're well," Darlene updates me. "How's my grandson?"
"Liz says he wasn't well today. I hope the night will be easier." I really hope he'll sleep well, as he knows how to do. Elizabeth told me that Vivian was a particularly alert baby, and the nights with her were hard. After overcoming another wave of guilt, I was glad Elliott is completely different.
"We're going home, call if you need anything." Darlene smiles at me warmly.
"Sure will." I turn to the crib in the living room and place sleepy Elliott into it.
"Dinner is ready," Lizzie calls from the kitchen. "You're invited to the table."
My parents in law exit our house, leaving me and my beautiful wife alone in the kitchen. I approach her as she's standing with her back to me, wrapping my arms around her waist.
"Hey," she whispers, I swear I can hear her smile.
"Hey." I kiss the back of her neck.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"I love you," I whisper in her ear, "do you know that?"
"I think you told me a few times this morning," she giggles. I told her, and if I'm not mistaken I also wrote that in a message this afternoon.
"Who knew life could be so good?" I kiss her neck again.
"You work too hard." She takes the opportunity to protest again about the long hours I spend outside the house.
"I know, but I come home on time every evening, do I not?"
I know how much she hates me being late so I make an effort to get home as early as I can. Especially now that our family has grown. I take Viv to school every morning, Elizabeth is the one who picks her up, and we make our dreams come true, one after the other.
"It's pretty crazy, don't you think?" she sighs, my lips chilling her skin. "Do you remember where we were a year ago?"
"In the back yard," I whisper, "at our pretend wedding."
Elizabeth thought I had gone crazy when she came home to the wedding I arranged for us, to which only Vivian was invited. Well, maybe it wasn't a real wedding, because there was no pastor, just us and the rings I kept for years. Either way I put the ring on her finger and made her cry.
"It was the most perfect wedding in the world." She pushes her back into me.
"I agree," I embrace her further, "when the bride is perfect, the wedding can't be anything else."
"The groom was okay too," she teases.
"That groom will do anything for you."
"I know." She leans her head back on my chest where she can feel my heart going wild. "I love you, Colin."
"I love you too, Elizabeth Young." I kiss her red hair, close my eyes and thank God for the wonderful forgiveness he graced her with, and for the family I got back. "I love you, and I'm here. For good.