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All day the two of us had belonged to each other in the places where nobody checks. Under the table, inside a box, in a shop with the door pulled shut. In January the marks would come out of hiding. The door would be the first thing, not the last.

Jake reached over and took my mug and set his and mine down on the table in front of us.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He leaned in and kissed me slow, and I savored the feeling and the lingering chocolate. Next to us, the tree threw its small colored lights up across the ceiling. Two mugs cooling on the table. The house was ours again, cozy in the holiday glow. Across the yard, a door was waiting for us to put our mark on it.

Epilogue

Christmas Day - One Year Later

Jake

The borscht was gone. The pierogi were gone. The turkey my mom brought had been decimated. As we got into dessert, the kitchen had become the warmest kind of disaster with so much activity around the island.

The house had filled with friends and family starting around ten.

Mom had cornered Nico by the stove for most of the day. Every time I checked in on him, they were talking about something different. Eventually, his mother got in on it too as the conversation moved between recipes, differences between winters in St. Petersburg, Boston, and Tampa.

My father had barely moved from where he sat at the dining room table. He’d been there since before dinner. People think he’s closed off. He isn’t. Dad’s a man who won’t spend a word he doesn’t have to, and he’d spent the afternoon watching groups of people come together into one big family. He looked satisfied as he sat there, got involved in a few conversations, and took it all in.

The whole day made us happy, too. Early in the year we discovered that we liked having friends over. And while Nico was a little nervous about hosting so many people at once, it didn’t stop us from hosting a Christmas celebration. We checked in with each other through the day, and it was all genuine smiles.

My parents joined us for a second Christmas. Nico’s came up from Florida. Nadya and Felix were part of the group too, along with Tommy, Sarah, and Henry.

People left in groups, with as many leftovers as they wanted.

My mom and dad were the first because they had a couple of hours to drive. Nico was next to me as we said goodbyes and we got hugs and handshakes.

“This was beautiful,” Mom said, making a broad gesture with her hand. “You’ve made an amazing home here. And next time, I’m really going to try to not talk your ear off.” She gave Nico an extra hug.

“It’s fine.” Nico gave her a warm smile and pulled me close. “I’m getting used to sharing stories since this one won’t tell me about his past if I don’t share too.” He gently elbowed me in the ribs.

I kissed his cheek. “It’s true.”

“It’s good to see you so happy, son.” Dad’s words tugged on my heart in the best way. He leaned in closer. “Thank you for having Mom in so many places. It’s really…” Dad stopped, hesitating. “I love seeing her in your work. She’d be proud. And so am I.”

I wasn’t surprised that he’d spotted our joint mark on the serving pieces or on the things we made for the kitchen. I nodded and couldn’t resist giving him a hug. To my surprise, he returned it and clapped me on the back.

“I love you, son.”

I knew that. But it lit me up to hear him say it.

“Love you too.” I moved back, and Nico took my hand with a squeeze.

“We’ll see you soon, Jacob.” Mom kissed my cheek, and then they were out the door.

Nico’s parents said goodnight next, and we finalized our plans for brunch tomorrow. They were staying at a hotel because they didn’t want to be a bother and take up space here. I said nothing, even though the conversation was reminiscent of one I’d had with Nico last year.

“Thanks for hosting,” Felix said as they left right behind Nico’s mom and dad.

“Maybe next year, we can do it.” That was a surprise coming from Nadya. She’d often remarked on how she’d like to have people over but felt like neither she nor Felix had space.

Felix shot her a poorly concealed look of surprise.

“I said maybe.” She gave Felix a kiss on the cheek, and I had the feeling there was a lot more there.