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“Matlock?” I asked.
“It reminds me of being a little kid,” she explained. “I remember there was this laundromat that we used to go to. There was a TV in the corner there, and I guess we always went on the same day at the same time, but Matlock was always on. It seemed like it was the only show that TV ever played. So, sometimes, I put it on. It’s a really good show, just cheesy.”
“I like cheesy,” I said.
“Then you are going to love most of my picks,” she said.
Sure enough, I did. We had similar tastes in weird or bad television, along with nostalgic choices of yesteryear. It was so comforting to know that the two of us shared so many similar interests in our entertainment. It would make nights where we cuddled like we were right then on a couch much easier.
After putting on an old cooking show, we watched for a bit, and then a commercial came on. I decided then was probably the best time to approach the subject of what I had realized over eggs that morning. It might not be the most classical time to have the discussion, but it seemed right.
“So,” I said. “I realized something.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Well, I was thinking about how nice it was to have breakfast here. Cooking for you and having it at the little table with Jaz and all.”
“Sure. Though she won’t always be here.”
“I know, but still,” I said. “She’s nice, and funny. I like her being around. She could have breakfast with us whenever.”
“Don’t tell her that,” Danica said. “She might do it.”
“Seriously,” I said. Suddenly, it seemed like what I said had sunk in. She looked at me, her eyes searching mine.
“Whenever, huh?” she said. I nodded.
“I can see us either here or my house or somewhere else. I can see us. Being together. That’s the important part—you and me being together.”
“Really?” Her eyes were wide and her voice breathy. She turned so she was facing me fully. Her eyes searched mine, and I smiled. This was the face that I was going to see every day for the rest of my life. The face that I would grow old with. The face that would be by my side every day forever. I couldn’t have been happier with that if I tried. She was perfect. She was mine.
I nodded.
“Yes, really,” I said. “I can see it. I want it. The two of us, either in my house on the vineyard or here or both. We could do both if you wanted. But us together… your dog might hate my cat, but my cat hates everyone, so I don’t think that will be a bigger deal than anyone else coming in.”
She laughed and reached up for another deep kiss.
“We’re doing this?” she asked.
There was so much hope in her voice. So much excitement, relief, and happiness. It was infectious, even if I wasn’t already feeling all the same things. I smiled while I nodded again.
“We’re doing this,” I said. “We can make it work. I just need to have a sit down with Simon.”
We both laughed and collapsed into each other’s arms once more, our lips pressed against each other tightly. Between each kiss, we stared deeply in each other’s eyes, and when she finally turned so she could curl her back into my chest, her head propped on my arm, I felt a combination of peace and excitement like I had never felt before. The two states of being, one calm, one hectic, coexisted together. It was maddening and illogical and wild.
It was love.
And I was hopelessly, happily, falling into it headfirst, clenching Danica’s hand along the way.
Epilogue
A year ago, I wouldn’t have recognized the life I had now. It was incredible and different and interesting in ways I never would have imagined. So many things had changed, and they were all for the better. Kane had been working at the vineyard during the week and coming to my place for the weekends for a few weeks when we decided that it was time to bite the bullet. I officially moved into Kane’s home with him a few weeks after the baby was born, and Jaz stayed with us there for a short time before moving back to San Francisco.
It was hard seeing my sister go, but she was so happy to have her life back. She never wanted to be a mom, but the situation we had been through together, and how it all turned out, seemed to make us even stronger. Little Jonah was a bright, happy little boy, and Jaz came home often to see him. I felt it was important that he have a close relationship with his biological mother, and we discussed telling him when he got a little older but was still young enough so there was never any confusion.
