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James steps closer.

JAMES

I was never able to give my wife her

Christmas gift that year. But I think I

can give her one now. And that’s showing

her that I’m going to be okay. I need to

let her go, so she can be at peace.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” begins playing in the background. Annie and James glance around, confused, then look at each other.

ANNIE

I think that means Kate approves.

JAMES

I think so, too.

Annie and James lean in for a kiss.

Kate peeks around the corner and smiles contentedly, then disappears in a sparkling beam of light.

FADE OUT

Chapter 28

Mariah

One Week Later

I finish sealing the final box in my apartment with tape then stack it next to the others by the door. It feels surreal leaving this all behind, but also completely right. I’ve outgrown everything here and am looking forward to a new start in a new place with an exciting new job. I rented an apartment based on pictures alone, a small bachelor flat with a view of the Hollywood Freeway. It isn’t much, and the traffic will probably keep me up at night, but it’s a start.

“Ready?” Ellie pokes her head through the doorway, her cheeks flushed and skin dewy from helping me pack and cart boxes all day.

I take one last look around my old space, at everything I’m leaving behind, and then look back at my gorgeous girlfriend. Her smile grows as I gaze upon her, her question posing much more meaning than she intended. I give her a little nod. “Yeah. I am.”

We carry the last box down and load it into her Subaru. I jump in with her, having sold my car yesterday. I’d planned on road-tripping down, but Mom and Dad gave me enough money for a plane ticket, a new car, and my first month’s rent. Money can’t buy forgiveness, but it does help. People grow, people change, they learn from their mistakes, and I don’t want to deprive myself of having a family now because of who they were in the past.

Ellie turns on the radio and rolls down the windows, singing along to an old Tom Petty song as she drives us to the shipping company sending everything down for me. I’ll have a few daysof sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag with my bare essentials, but that doesn’t scare me. Beats sleeping in a car.

After sorting everything there, Ellie drives us to our final meal together. Every single second is laced with a strange mix of excitement and sadness. We’d planned to have a fancy dinner together at Cactus Club overlooking English Bay as our last meal, but as soon as we sit down and order our drinks and food, we both realize we aren’t hungry. My stomach is coiled tight and queasy, homesick even though I haven’t left yet. And I have a feeling that it isn’t my apartment, my parents, or Vancouver that is making me feel homesick, but Ellie.

This past week has been heaven. We’d taken turns between her place in Brentwood and mine in Marpole, neither of us with anything to do but spend time together. With both of us between jobs, we’ve been able to spend every waking moment wrapped up in each other. I’ve never felt so whole with someone else, so seen, so safe.

We balanced our time between packing, sharing our favourite spots in Vancouver, snuggling with snacks and movies, and making love as often as we could. Ellie is becoming braver with allowing me to explore her body. She doesn’t usually have an experience like she did the first time, but we’ve kept our rule about never having a goal or a destination. She’s slowly becoming less anxious, learning how to enjoy herself and accept pleasure. For me, I’ve hit new all-time O records in the sack.

After packing our leftovers and ordering a piece of white chocolate cheesecake to share, Ellie takes out her phone and asks our server to snap a picture of us. I scoot closer to her in the booth and wrap an arm around her as she leans her head on my shoulder. I can feel how big Ellie’s smile is, and I can’t help but smile too, even though I like to keep my face mostly neutral in pictures.

Ellie examines the picture after, and gasps. “We look so perfect.”

I press my nose into her cheek. “We always do.”

“Mind if I post this?”