Page 122 of Making It Up

I bend and lift her into my arms and start down the hall. “I’m sure we’ll come up with something,” I tell her. “Turns out we’re pretty good at making it up as we go along.”

EPILOGUE

MIA

“Oh, hang on, there’s one more.”

Everyone looks up from their side conversations and gathering up used wrapping paper to where my dad is standing in the doorway. He’s holding a flat box wrapped in shiny gold paper with a huge red bow.

“Says it’s from you to Mia,” he tells David.

I look at David sitting next to me on the couch.

“Oh, yeah. Almost forgot.” He glances at me. “Just a little something.”

He already got me a beautiful soft cardigan, a pair of “sensible” boots, and a two-person tent since his is really only for one. Though we can certainly sleep close enough that it didn’t seem to matter the one time we took it out in the fall.

My dad brings the package over. It’s very light. Everyone in the room has stopped what they're doing and is watching me unwrap this last Christmas present.

As I tear the paper off my heart once again expands, and I feel like crying. I’ve felt like this all day. Just because we’re all here like this together. Just because I’m so happy.

We’ve celebrated four birthdays, Halloween, and Thanksgiving as one big, happy family. But Christmas is my favorite, and being here with our families all blended together, as if we’ve been doing this forever, is amazing.

I unwrap a flat cardboard box and lift the lid. Inside are a few typed pages.

I lift my puzzled gaze to David’s.

“I wrote a new chapter,” he tells me.

My eyes widen and I slap the box lid back on the box.

David has been writing in the fanfiction world. He’s actually quite good. And very dirty.

It’s been fun sharing that part of my life with him, not just having him as my biggest fan, but also reading what he comes up with.

But this is obviously not the time.

He chuckles and leans in, lifting the lid again.

“I want you to read this one right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me.”

I do, of course, so I pull out the two pages and start reading. Just not out loud. Just in case.

It only takes me three paragraphs to figure out what’s going on.

My hand flies up to cover my mouth, and I look at him with wide eyes.

He slides to the floor next to me. Just like described in the scene.

Shockingly, however, my father strides over and hands David a black velvet ring box.

They exchange a smile, then David turns to me and opens the box.

I assume the ring is gorgeous, but I can’t look away from David’s face. He looks madly in love and incredibly happy. God, I hope I get to see that look on his face for the rest of our lives.