Epilogue

Alex

M arch 20 th .

Katharine reached over and adjusted the crystal hanging over the bed. “There,” she said. “Now we’re ready for a baby! Although I was in labor with you for twenty-three hours,” she told Cecilia, smiling happily down at her daughter’s red face.

Cecilia looked like she was going to hit her mom. “Katharine, I think Cecilia needs a break. Can you go to the nurses’ station for a bit? Maybe they’d like to hear about your labor in St. Thomas. They do things differently down there, right?” I asked her, as I firmly steered her out of the room.

It had taken a few years, but I had gotten over my, uh, bad feelings toward Katharine. It turned out that Great-aunt Martha had left her a house and limited income in Connecticut, and the fact that Katharine had blown her entire trust fund without realizing it had curtailed her traveling ways. She had settled down, mostly, and her old “friend” Paolo from New York moved in with her. He was a decent guy and helped to keep her in line, or grounded, as Ceci put it. Whatever worked. Connecticut was a fair distance from Michigan, maybe not quite far enough for my taste, but it was good for Cecilia. Now we all liked to experience Katharine in limited doses, and I tried to appreciate that despite our differences, we both loved Cecilia. I also tried very hard at times not to kill her. She made short visits.

It had felt strange coming back to Blackwell Hospital for the first time since my accident. I had spent some of the worst moments of my life in there, the moments that I could remember, anyway. Now Blackwell was the scene of some of my best memories. Cecilia and I decided to follow Luke and Emily’s example and came downstate for childbirth. Both of their kids had been born at Blackwell Hospital too. Annie had gone to the hospital up north to have Bjarni, but the next three had been born in a kiddie pool in her foyer. But she was fucking nuts.

Cecilia’s face contorted and I grabbed her hand. Man, I always forgot how strong she was.

“I’m never doing this again. Do you hear me? NEVER AGAIN!” She ended up yelling the last part.

“Ok, sweetie, I got it. Never again, no more kids.”

“Alex! You are not the boss of me! If I want to have more kids, I will! You can’t stop me!”

We had gone through the same conversation when she had Claudia, and when she had Stephen. “Ok, we’ll have more kids if you want them, Ceci. There’s no reason to stop at three.”

“How can you talk about having more kids when I’m in so much pain with this one? Alex!” She clenched my hand. “I love you so much! ”

“I love you too. You’re the best, most wonderful woman in the world. You’re doing great. It’s going to be soon.” I couldn’t stand to see her hurting. I tried to be tough for her, but I was about an inch away from a wreck when Cecilia was giving birth. I reminded myself that she was as tough as nails. She finished her B.A. and walked across the stage to get her diploma at about ten months pregnant with Claudia. I had thought about keeping an ambulance on standby in the auditorium parking lot.

Her grip relaxed as the pain passed. “Baby Virginia. I wish Auntie Yoo could have met her.”

Ms. Eubank had become Auntie Yoo to Ceci and me and had been a grandmother to both our kids. She had passed away a year ago. Now there would be a new Virginia for us to love and help us remember her namesake. I kissed Cecilia’s forehead, and wiped back her sweaty curls.

“Do you want some water? Want to try walking for a bit?”

She shook her head no, hard. “How are the kids?”

“They’re good. Jason has them under control.” Mostly. He had just texted me to ask if it was inappropriate to take them for ice cream before noon. He was their most favorite babysitter besides their uncle, under normal circumstances, but they were both pretty excited to meet their new baby sister and it sounded like he was running out of activities. He had less and less time to visit us up north since he was doing so well as a wedding singer and was busy almost every weekend. It helped to have his sister-in-law as a blue-chip wedding planner, recommending him to every couple whose wedding she captained. Yep, Keri and Asshole Andy had worked out. We were all still in a little bit of shock. Jason was still looking for Mr. Right, but Cecilia and Neveah were on it, double time. Neveah had left the coffee business finally and was back in school. Steve had his eye on her to work at Whitaker when she graduated.

I bent and kissed Cecilia again, and smiled at her.

“Did you ever think you’d end up like this? Married, with three kids, and a farm?” she asked me.

“I never thought I’d end up like this. Never, in a million years, never. But I’m the luckiest guy on the planet, Ceci. Because of you.”

Cecilia smiled back at me. Her smile could light up a room. “Alex?” Her hand clenched down on mine again.

“I’m right here, honey.”

“Alex!”

It was time for us to meet our new daughter.