After all, that’s what he offered me at the courthouse. One day at a time. No lies, or at least, no more lies from Jack.
Bryce had his weekly check-ins with the kids, and he actually showed up at the appointed time. Jack stayed out of the way, but gave me a wink over my phone screen as Aspen caught him up on what he was up to.
There was work to do to get settled, and adjustments to be made, but one day at a time, we’d do it. Because no matter what, I knew I had him, and he had me.
FIFTY-SEVEN
JACK
JULY | OHIO
It was a hot summer afternoon,but we were in the shade of the woods. The venue was an easy choice because it reminded me of being home in Cape Breton: evergreen trees and a pine needle forest floor, the quiet ease of a summer forest, and of course, birds.
I waited at the end of the aisle, holding Jace and Harper’s hands.
Mara appeared in her same wedding dress as our first wedding, holding Hazel and Aspen’s hands.
I found a string quartet willing to play “Welcome to the Black Parade” for us, which was cheesy, but meaningful for us.
It was a small crowd, but all our important people. Romelski and his family. A bunch of my old teammates and a handful of new ones. Gabi and Nikki. Mara’s mom and stepdad. My parents and my brother even showed up, and believe it or not, it was really good to see them.
Sydney was invited but politely declined, sending us a gift anyway.
We didn’t bother inviting Bryce.
There was so much to celebrate. Less than a year into our relationship, Mara and I were confident that we could make it, our big little family.
Gabi helped to wrangle the kids with their grandparents while Mara and I faced each other and once again, repeated the words we’d said in the Beverly Hills Courthouse.
But this time, it meant more.
Because this time, I knew love.
Unconditional love.
That concept had once been unthinkable to me.
But as I looked at my wife, our children, and all the people who supported us, I knew I had it in so many ways.
And I could actually feel it.
EPILOGUE
20 YEARS LATER | CATALINA ISLAND
“You have to be quiet, Mara!”Jack hissed. “They’ll never come back if you don’t stop talking. Greenie came close before you started running your mouth.”
“Well, excuse me. I’m just excited for your birthday.”
I was excited for more than Jack’s birthday. Our kids were all coming out to surprise him, and I had hot plans for us to go on a birding excursion. We went birding fairly often, but it was harder to get to Jack’s favorite part of the island.
Our house was closer to town so I could get on a boat and get medical care if needed quickly. We generally spent the summer months on the island, and stuck to our mainland apartment when I went through tougher spells. I liked to paint at the Catalina house, and I was happy to say my skills had come a good long way since I actually had time to spend on it.
But the kids always liked coming out to the island, and we were happy to give them a place to land.
“This is all I want to do,” he said. Jack sat in his favorite chair on our porch on Catalina, wearing his favorite red shirt to attract hummingbirds to his feeder hat. We still didn’t keep pets, just yard pets, mostly because we had a slightly nomadic life. Jack stayed busy with hockey programs, commentary, andoccasional coaching and workshops with current L.A. Princes. I volunteered at the local food bank, working with the local grocery stores to arrange regular donations of on-the-verge foods.
We sat in silence and I sipped my mug of green tea, looking out over the ocean. Despite his grouching, Jack reached for my knee, giving it a squeeze and a rub.
