18. Epilogue

Epilogue

Hermie

Liz helped me carry the fancy china dishes into the kitchen after dinner, alongside Adam and Hunter, who carried in forks and spoons, both beaming at me as they loaded them into the dishwasher.

“Thank you very much,” I told them before they rushed out of the kitchen and back into the dining room where Jolly and Dirk were helping them put together small Lego sets.

The gifts we gave them were meager, but they didn’t seem to care. Having attention from everyone at the ranch was a gift I could tell they loved, based on their big smiles and plentiful giggles.

“They’re so sweet. How did you come to have them?” I didn’t think my question was out of line, but I was a stranger to her. I hoped I didn’t offend her.

“About six months ago, Thomas and I found out I can’t have kids because my ovaries aren’t producing eggs at a reliable rate, and the ones they do produce aren’t viable. I mean, we waited until I was forty to try to start a family, so what did we expect?

“We went round and round about what to do. Should we find a surrogate? What about getting donor eggs and trying IVF? Would that work? What about adopting? My parents adopted my little brother when he was six, and it wasn’t easy in the beginning, but my mother told me having Lucas come into their lives when I was getting ready to graduate high school was a blessing.”

It was easy to see the love in Liz’s eyes as she spoke of her family. I was thrilled she had that, and I hoped, perhaps, they showed that love to Bare’s brother. I believed all of the Barrett men could use a lot of love.

“That’s nice to hear. How long have the boys been with you and Thomas?”

She glanced at the counter and ran a long pink fingernail along the veining. “We picked them up on the twentieth. We’re not quite sure how to believe this is true, but the first thing that was important to both of us was for them to meet our families. It was Thomas’ idea not to tell Bare in advance. He said Bare always loved a surprise when he was a kid, so we got Mark to come to Spokane and meet them, and then we all flew down here to meet the rest of the family.”

When she glanced up, she had tears in her eyes. “I’m so pleased you and Bare met. He deserves to be happy, Hermie, and I think you fill him with joy.”

Now, it was my turn to tear up. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight. They’d all bent over backwards to make me feel part of their world, and I was grateful.

“Where can hungry men get pie?” We turned to see Bare with Adam on his back, and Thomas with Hunter sitting on his shoulders, holding onto Thomas’ chin. Poor Adam would have cracked his head on the ceiling if Bare had carried the boy the same way.

I went to the fridge to get the chocolate and pumpkin pies as Liz reached for the apple pie on the counter. The leftovers were at the bunkhouse, along with the other pies I made for the hands. I was sure they were probably almost gone already.

I quickly made whipped cream and served the desserts to our guests. Once we finished, Liz and Thomas took the boys upstairs to get them ready for bed. Mark and Bare went out to the SUV they’d driven from the airport and returned with two large bags and some rolls of wrapping paper.

“Baby boy, do we have scissors and tape handy? We need to help Thomas and Liz wrap these gifts for the boys to open in the morning. I thought we could put them under this tree. That’s fine, right?” Bare stared at me with so much love on his face that I grinned back at him and nodded, hurrying off to find scissors and tape on the desk in the kitchen.

“Well, look at how lucky you are, Bare. You got yourself a boy for Christmas.” It was Mark, who was laughing as he said it.

When I returned to the living room, I placed everything on the floor and joined them, hauling everything out of the bags to see toys and clothes—which no kid ever liked. I was sure the boys would love getting presents. I would have at their ages.

I looked at Mark and grinned. “Actually, Mark, I’m the lucky one. I got myself a Daddy for Christmas.”

I finally had a family with the best Daddy in the world.

???

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“A Daddy for Christmas 2: Hermie,” please check out the rest of the stories.

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