Home for the Holidays

Epilogue: Christmas One Year Later

Alison

“Hey you two! Get a room!”

Really? He knows the rules. Even if Dominick deliberately pulled me under the mistletoe. Breaking the kiss, I arch an eyebrow at my loudmouth brother, “Happily. Point out the nearest one.”

Dominick laughs when my brother gives me a dumbfounded look.

“Now children,” Sophie says as she approaches, “remember this is a family event.”

I barely stop from rolling my eyes. My aunt is the most inappropriate person I know. She grabs my hand, “Let me see that ring.”

My diamond engagement ring shines on my finger, the princess cut center stone surrounded by a series of smaller sapphires with a series of small diamonds circling the top part of the white gold band. After Sophie oohs and ahhs, she moves to Dominick and pats him on the cheek, “Very well done. We won’t have to ask Andy to help hide your body.”

“Aunt Sophie!”

She cackles as Dominick rolls his eyes. Once done with laughing, she finishes, “I knew you would be good for my Ally.”

Sophie takes my hand and Dominick’s, “I see a bright future for the two of you.” She pauses and gives Dominick the evil eye, “Unless you fuck it up.”

“Sweet Jesus, Aunt Sophie.”

Laughing, she releases our hands and walks away. Stephanie approaches us and whispers, “You said she was a little eccentric, not a total…”

“Loon?” both Dominick and I say together.

“Exactly!” She turns on her brother, “Dominick, what have you gotten us into?”

“As long as you’re wearing something with an elastic waistline, you’ll survive,” Dominick tells his sister with a bright smile on his face.

Shaking my head, I reassure Stephanie, “You’re not seated next to her. You’re between me and Bill. No worries.”

“Don’t tell me I am,” Dominick asks.

“Well, someone has to be,” I tease him.

“Thank God I brought along a change of clothing.”

Laughter bursts out of me at the reminder of the cranberry mishap the year before.

Our mothers enter the dining room with the last of the platters of food and set them down on the table. As they move to stand next to their seats at the long and crowded table, I gesture to Dominick. He places a hand on my lower back and follows me to our seats at the dining room table.

As my mother takes my father’s hand, then holds out her hand and takes Julie’s, I take Dom’s and Stephanie’s. We all lower our heads as Julie speaks, “Dear lord, we thank you for all the blessings that have been bestowed on our family this past year. Not only do we have a wonderful new daughter about to join our family, we also are blessed to join her family for this festive feast. We ask you to bless those less fortunate and pray for those no longer with us. Amen.”

“How did my mother end up with the prayer?” Dominick whispers as the sounds of conversation and dishes being passed fill the room.

“They flipped for it.”

“Flipped what?”

I smack him on the thigh and accept the first bowl in a long series of dishes. I smile as I pause and look around the table. My family, my new family, all together. Praying Sophie’s prediction of a bright future is true, I lean into Dominick and whisper to him, “I love you.”

He dips his head and kisses my nose, then replies, “Love you more.”

“Hey, you two! You’re not even under the mistletoe!”

I arch an eyebrow at my brother, “I don’t need any, I’m engaged!”

As the room erupts into laughter, I pull a smiling Dominick down for a real kiss. Yes, life is beautiful.