Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Beau. “I mean, the factory has been running just fine without me for centuries. What’s a few more years?”

“Meri, I’m tired of commuting and not having you in my bed every night. And frankly, staying with your parents is a little uncomfortable. Your mom keeps hounding me about if I know Jesus, and they always stare at me like I’m from another planet.”

“Well, are you?”

He laughed. “You know I’m not.”

He’d tried to explain it once, but it had still boiled down to simply accepting that some things were real, even if we couldn’t prove it with a photo or some sort of scientific evidence. Christmas magic was real and, according to Beau, was something you just felt in your heart.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I promise,” Beau said, taking my gloved hand.

“Says the guy who grew up here. To you, this is all normal.”

“This is your home now. Our home.”

I looked out across the frozen plain. There was nothing for miles and miles in any direction. Beau had spared me the “easy way” to get here because he said it would freak me out initially, so we’d flown to Canada, then to an ice station in Barneo, followed by a helicopter ride. Twenty hours later, here we were.

“Okay. I’m cold. I’m hungry. And obviously you’re not going to let me get out of this.” I pulled the gold key from my pocket. “What now?”

“Just wish to see your new home.”

I shook my head. “This is so silly.”

“Meri…” he growled.

“Fine. I wish to see my new home.” My eyes began to blur and then refocus. My heart went into overdrive, attempting to comprehend what I was seeing.

I looked at Beau. “You have to be forking kidding me. Is that my dream house?”

He grinned. “It’s pretty cool. Right? But check out the rest.” He pointed behind us.

I turned, and my jaw dropped. “Oh. My. Gosh. It’s beautiful…”

SANTA SENIOR

“Thank gosh that’s all over with. Am I right, Rudolph?”

Ruddy bobbed his antlers.

“Well, it was a good thing we were there to help them along because I was beginning to lose hope that those two would finally accept my gift.” It wasn’t every day you sacrificed everything—your job, your purpose, and your magic—all so your only son could get out of his own way and find happiness. But I’d been lucky enough to experience the same deep love, and I wanted my only son to experience it, too. For however long he got.

Yes, I missed my wife every single minute of every day, but I knew our time apart wouldn’t be forever. And I’d made her a promise to make sure Beau found love.

“I think this one should go right here? What do you say, Ruddy?” I took the snow globe of the factory and placed it between the one containing Meri’s hometown and the city where all her friends lived. That way, she’d always feel them close to her.

Rudolph made a little squeak.

“Yes, we’ll give them a break from the snowstorms for a while. But they do come in handy.”

I sighed contentedly, feeling proud of the work I’d done, but it was time to move on and let my son take over my beloved factory. He was ready—a man now. Even if he still needs to learn how to laugh properly. Like a real Santa.

I looked at the wall filled with hundreds of thousands of snow globes. “Where should I go, Ruddy?”

He squeaked and nudged one with his red nose.

“Good choice. Hawaii sounds lovely. The cold here is too much.”

THE END