Rachel
An hour later, I’m knocking on Sophie’s door, still depleted from the day’s emotions. Karan’s hand is wrapped around mine.
My heart is utterly broken, but a warm inkling of love and hope sparks within to nurture what grows from the ashes.
I don’t think I was ready for my boys to leave.
Buttheywere ready. And that’s what matters.
Sophie opens the door with a bittersweet smile.
“Oh, come here,” she sings, pulling me inside her home by the arm before she wraps me in a tight hug.
“You’re next,” I whisper to her, cry-laughing.
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. In my head, Gwen’s still a baby.”
She pulls away, and I look towards her kitchen, where the rest of tonight’s company sits on stools around the island counter. Will, Océane, Avery, Logan, and even Tania and Nolan are all here.
No kids tonight. Or rather, no teenagers. Gwen, Heather, and Julian headed to Avery and Logan’s place to hang out with Avery’s son Nathan and give us adults some space. The last thing Karan and I needed tonight was a reminder that our friends still have their kids with them.
The gang greets us, and Tania offers us a plate of scrumptious-looking pastries as Logan plays bartender and mixes us a drink.
“I could never say no to those,” I tell Tania as I grab one of her sinful croissant cube delicacies.
“You’re not the only one,” Nolan says with a laugh. “We’re thinking of opening a sixth location. From what our market studies have told us, Val-d’Or would be a good place.”
“Ooh, you should,” Karan agrees while grabbing his own croissant cube.
Over the last decade, Tania’s café bakeries took off in the province, and they now have a total of five locations. I can’t say I’m surprised. Every time I see Tania and Nolan and they bring their delicacies, I probably gain about five pounds.
I lose myself in casual conversation with my dearest friends and family. The entire time, Karan doesn’t leave my side. Tomorrow, there’s a good chance we’ll wake up with sore hearts, but we still have each other. And we have the knowledge that we did our very best to send our boys off into the world equipped with what they need to thrive.
Eventually, we settle down to eat. Sophie prepared a delicious caramelized onion Flammekueche—or rather, she prepared two, with the help of Océane, who, by all means, seems to be having one of her really good days.
Logan and Karan sit next to each other and talk shop, like they always do. Shortly after Karan started his own studio, Logan joined him, so they probably spend the most time together out of all of us.
I take the opportunity to chat up with Avery, who’s sitting in front of me.
“So, how does it feel to work in an actual office again?”
Avery chuckles, then swallows her bite of food. “You know, it’s actually refreshing. My colleagues are some of the best people I know, so it makes it easier that I’m not nervous to be around them.”
She winks and lowers her voice. “Plus, all psychotherapists are a little bit weird and messed up. That’s why we do what we do.”
A few years ago, Avery got the devastating news that her father had died. By then, it had been nearly a decade since they’d last spoken. She had hoped they would one day reconnect, but he had his own demons to deal with, and Avery prioritized her own mental health—and that of her son.
Finding out he had died without her being able to reconnect with him sent her to a dark place for a long time. We were all there for her, none more than Logan. But when she eventually climbed out of that hole, she’d decided she had to change her career.
“It’s weird, but despite my anxiety, it doesn’t make me feel anxious to talk to my clients,” she continues.
“Not even a little bit?” I ask.
“Well, okay, a bit. And I was definitely more anxious with the first few real appointments I took.” She takes a sip of her drink, a sweet, pink thing that matches her demeanor. “But helping other people through their fucked up family shit gives me an actual purpose. It helps me cope to know that I can help people in a way that I wish someone could have helped me, you know?”
Logan takes a beat from his conversation with Karan and gazes over at the love of his life, making sure she’s okay, before shifting his focus back to Karan.
“Shouldn’t we wait after dessert?” I hear Will say from across the table.
