Christmas With My Ex (Stuck For the Holidays)

Epilogue

Christmas / Let your heart be light. Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The Last Dollar Saloon

100 E. Colorado Avenue, Telluride

2:34 pm

The Last Dollar Saloon is exactly the same as it was a year ago—warm, dimly lit, with garland strung up over the bar and a Christmas tree in the corner twinkling with soft white lights.

The air smells like pine and whiskey, and there’s a subtle hum of Christmas carols playing in the background. Outside, the snow is falling steadily, blanketing Telluride in a soft white coat, just like it did last Christmas.

Except this time, everything’s different. Better.

I glance across the table where Rives sits, laughing at something Bobby just said. Her cheeks are flushed, her hair falling loose around her shoulders, and she’s wearing that smile—the one that brightens my day every day. The one that tells me she’s happy. Really happy.

I still can’t believe how far we’ve come since last year. After we confirmed what I’d suspected—what my heart had already known—it was Rives who insisted we sit Bobby down and tell him everything.

It wasn’t easy. Telling him that Sammy, the son he’s raised as his own, was actually our biological child. It was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had. But Bobby was a bigger man than I think I could have been. He listened, he took it in, and he understood.

He let us do the blood test, though we all knew what the result would be. And when it came back, confirming what we already suspected, Bobby just nodded and said, “Sammy’s my son. Always will be. But if you want to be in his life, more than you already are, I’m okay with that.”

We’d promised him then and there: Sammy was and always would be his son. His and Helena’s. Nothing would change that, and we wouldn’t do anything to disrupt the life Sammy already had.

It’s been almost a year since that conversation, and so far, we’ve kept our promise. Sammy still doesn’t know. He’s five now—too young to understand something this big.

Bobby said he’d tell him when the time was right, and we’ve left it up to him. For now, Rives and I are still “Auntie Rives-Like- Leaves” and “Uncle Nicholas,” and that’s enough for us. We love being in his life and watching him grow. Both of us realize this is the best Christmas gift, to be able to be in his life.

But sitting here, with our families all together, it feels… right. It feels like this was how it was always supposed to be.

I glance over at Nicky, who’s busy making faces at Sammy, both of them giggling like maniacs. They’ve grown so close over the past year—like brothers more than cousins—and watching them together fills me with a warmth I can’t quite explain.

Rives catches my eye, her smile softening as she looks at me, and I feel that familiar flutter in my chest. God, I love her.

A year ago, I thought we were done for good, that our messy breakup had left too many scars to heal. But now, here we are—about to start a new chapter.

Rives is three months pregnant, and the idea of expanding our family, of giving Nicky and Sammy a little brother or sister, makes my heart swell in ways I didn’t think possible.

Life isn’t perfect. But damn, it’s close.

“Ready?” Bobby’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I nod, feeling the weight of the small velvet box in my pocket. I’d planned this moment for months, waiting for the right time, and now it’s finally here.

“Boys,” I say, glancing at Nicky and Sammy, who are still caught up in their giggle-fest. “You two ready to help me with our special top-secret mission?”

They both stop, their eyes widening with excitement. “Yeah!” they shout in unison, bouncing in their seats.

Rives gives me a curious look. “What are you up to?”

I stand up, pulling the box from my pocket as my heart pounds in my chest. “You’ll see.”

She watches me, confusion flickering across her face as I drop to one knee in front of her.

“Nicholas...” Her voice is a whisper, and her eyes are wide, filled with a mix of shock and emotion.

I open the box, revealing the ring I’ve been carrying with me for the past few days, waiting for this exact moment.

“Rives,” I begin, my voice steady but thick with emotion. “This past year has been more than I could have ever imagined. You gave me a second chance, and I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret it. I love you more than anything, and I want you by my side, always. Will you marry me?”

For a moment, everything is still. Then her hand flies to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

“Yes,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Yes, of course I will.”

The boys cheer, their little hands clapping, and Bobby’s grin stretches wide across his face. I slip the ring onto Rives’ finger, my heart racing as I stand up and pull her into my arms. She’s laughing, crying, and kissing me all at once, and it’s the best damn moment of my life.

“Merry Christmas, Rives,” I murmur against her lips.

She pulls back, her eyes shining with love and happiness. “Merry Christmas, Nicholas.”