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“I love you so much,” he murmured after giving her a kiss.
“I love you too,” she told him, so happy that she could share what was in her heart so freely with him and that he returned her feelings.
Epilogue
Phone in hand, Aria settled on the comfortable couch that was set up on the large landing that connected the rooms on the second floor. The fireplace on one wall was blazing, spreading warmth and the smell of burning cedar throughout the space. They were six days out from Christmas—the third without her mom and the first with the Halversons—and seasonal decor filled the large house.
For most of her life, Christmas had always been a special time. Though she and her mom had never been able to afford expensive gifts, they’d always loved the holiday. They had decorated their home with lots of dollar store decorations, and they’d gone to every free Christmas concert they could find and watched all the Christmas movies on TV. There had been nothing elaborate about the traditions they’d created over the years, but they’d found great joy in them.
Her first Christmas alone had come just a week after her mom’s death. She had decorated the apartment at her mom’s request since she’d wanted to enjoy the holiday, even in her weakened state. Which had meant that Aria had spent the first week of her grief surrounded by painful reminders of happier times.
The second Christmas after her mom had died had been a non-event. She hadn’t decorated the apartment she’d shared with the drug addicts, and she’d done her best to just ignore the holiday.
This Christmas, however, she couldn’t ignore the holiday if she wanted to. Thankfully, she didn’t want to.
The holiday was different in Serenity, where snow covered the ground in amounts she’d never seen living in Sacramento. The town was also elaborately decorated. From the stores and businesses to the houses and apartment buildings, twinkling lights and beautiful greenery lined windows and was draped over doorways.
She had attended the church children’s program with Gareth and the other Halversons, and she’d enjoyed it immensely. There had been a night market in the large community center, which had been festive and fun.
A constant longing to have her mom with her to experience it tempered the joy she felt in the season. Aria could so easily imagine the joy on her mom’s face if she’d been able to be there with her. Maybe there would come a time when she’d experience new things without thinking about how her mom might have enjoyed it too, but she wasn’t at that point yet.
Aria stared at the fire for a moment, the flickering flames going in and out of focus. The previous day had marked two years since her mom had passed away. It was hard to believe it had been that long because sometimes it felt like it had just happened a short time ago.
Her phone buzzed with an email notification, and she automatically looked down at her screen. She frowned when she saw it was from the DNA site she’d sent her sample to not long after her mom had passed away. This was the third email alerting her to a message that she’d received on the site in the past week.
It had been strange that after all these months, someone was contacting her. She’d ignored the first couple of messages because the anniversary of her mom’s death was looming, and she just hadn’t been sure she could handle whatever the news might have been. But now, that difficult day was over, and her curiosity grew as she stared at the message.
Was it really possible that she was related to someone out there?
After a moment’s hesitation, Aria tapped on the link to the website. It took her a moment to figure out which password she’d used, then she navigated to the messaging section of the website. Sure enough, there were three messages waiting for her that showed they were from a DNA connection.
She didn’t tap on the first message right away, knowing that once she did, things might change forever. Maybe not significantly if she chose not to respond to the person, but she’d have the knowledge that there was someone out there… family. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.
Shifting her gaze from the screen to the fire again, Aria tried to figure out what to do. Her mom had definitely not wanted her to know anything about her family, but she wouldn’t care now.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Aria looked over to see Gareth approaching her, two mugs in his hands. They’d been out for dinner, and when they’d come back to the house, he’d sent her upstairs to sit by the fire, promising to bring them some hot chocolate.
It had been something they’d started doing once the days had turned chilly. Fall in Serenity had been beautiful, and Aria had loved spending time in the evening with Gareth. They usually sat on one of the couches on the landing outside her bedroom. It gave them a bit more privacy than the living room, especially if Layla was still awake.
Gareth set the mugs on the coffee table, then sat down on the couch next to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and Aria cuddled against him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, making Aria realize she was holding herself tensely.
She blew out a breath and tried to relax before shifting so she could see him better. “I’ve been getting message notifications from the DNA site I submitted my sample to.”
Gareth’s brow furrowed. “What did they say?”
“I haven’t read them.”
Rather than ask why, he just nodded then said, “Do you want to?”
Aria sighed, then leaned her head against Gareth’s shoulder. Gareth tugged her closer to his side, offering her the comfort and support she needed in the moment.
“I do,” she said. “I think.”
“You don’t have to reply even if you read them, right?” he asked.
