by Bryce Oakley
"Mom! Dad! You made it!" Emilia exclaimed, surprised by how excited she was to see them. For as much as she complained about their wild and free lifestyle, they were still her parents, after all.
"We wouldn't miss it!" Mom said, looking around with an approving smile.
"We're so proud of you girls," Dad said as Frankie leaped into their arms with similar exclamations of disbelief and excitement.
"Cody wouldn't take anything but yes for an answer," Mom added, giving Cody a light pat on the shoulder.
Emilia looked at Cody with disbelief, shocked that she'd even know how to get in touch with them. She mentally shelved that question to figure out later.
"Are you in town for a few days?" Emilia asked, looking from Mom to Dad.
"Yeah, they're, uh, staying with us for the week," Cody said, rubbing the back of her neck and hiding a smile.
Emilia tried her best to maintain a completely blank expression, nodding. "Great," she squeaked, picturing them all in the two bedroom apartment she rented with Cody, which resulted in resounding laughter.
She was still a terrible liar.
Cody's mother, Julia, appeared from out of nowhere and wrapped them both in a group hug. "I'm so proud of you," she said, giving Emilia a quick kiss on the cheek.
Julia had become one of her closest friends over the past year. She was an endless font of enthusiasm and wisdom, and it was always a treat to see her in person instead of just talking on the phone.
"I didn't know if you'd be able to make it," Cody said, looking pleased.
"Well, I did walk out on a kid with a dislocated hip. Hate dislocations. Way trickier than you'd think. Especially hips. You have to be real careful of the testes in those cases, you know. One wrong move, and suddenly the balls are in the way as you're popping that joint back in," she said, gesturing as though she was performing the procedure.
Cody turned bright red. “Really, Julia?”
Emilia grinned, and introduced Julia to her parents. They all shook hands as Julia and Mom immediately dove into a compliment war about each other's clothing and hair and children.
Cody rolled her eyes and Emilia resisted the urge to snort, but Frankie looked delighted to be getting some of the positive attention out of it.
Emilia excused herself and continued welcoming people, making sure everyone had drinks or snacks or had met other people they didn't know. All of the typical hostess duties.
After about thirty minutes, Emilia took the microphone. Frankie was typically the public speaker, but she had a little surprise up her sleeve that made it hard to resist taking over for the night.
"Thank you so much for being here tonight. This new side of Between the Covers has been a year in the making, and Frankie and I have so many people to thank for helping us get here. Our parents flew all the way from," Emilia held the microphone down, turning to them to ask.
"Auckland," Mom called out.
"They flew all the way from New Zealand to be here tonight, and I don't know if Frankie and I would even be in this bookshop if we didn't inherit our family’s love of books and reading and self-reliance. I'd also like to thank Henry for creating such an iconic bakeshop that we could blend with our store. We owe so much success to Henry's perfected recipes that have provided such a strong foundation for this union. Thank you for trusting us with your legacy."
"I'd especially like to thank our employees for their relentless enthusiasm for this renovation, and of course, all of their help. They are truly the backbone of this entire business. I'd also like to thank our bakery manager specifically for her relentless optimism and drive to see this thing through. Cody, you are truly the best.”
Emilia found Cody’s face in the crowd and gave her a quick wink. "On that note, Frankie and I do have one unveiling, if you'll indulge our dramatic side," she said, turning to the kid's corner.
Frankie pulled the covering off of the brand-new sign that they'd had made the week before. In bright blocky letters above the kid's section, it read: Katie's Corner.
"Katie was an exceptional little girl whose life ended too soon. We're dedicating our children's corner to her memory in hopes that her positive light may shine on all of our young readers,” Emilia said, catching Cody's eye again.
Her mother had an arm around her, and she was apparently trying not to cry, blinking while looking up towards the ceiling. She finally looked to Emilia and mouthed the words “Thank you.”
"But more than that, we're working with Katie's parents to start a foundation in Katie's name, to supply school libraries with new and used books, so that no child ever runs out of books to read. We'll have a fundraiser for that in the Spring, so watch for those invites. Thank you all for being here. Tonight's our holiday gift to you. We hope you like the new space. Have a great night!"
Emilia was quickly swallowed up in a crowd of people wanting her attention. Nico pushed through the crowd to show her that Johanna Kissler had posted on social media about the new space, saying she couldn't wait to get back for "a reading (and the best cupcakes!)”
Emilia felt pretty damn proud of that. At least they'd have a bit more space when she returned.
Emilia found Cody a few minutes later standing under the new sign, staring up at it. She stood beside Cody and took her hand, asking, "Do you like it?"
"I love it," Cody said, squeezing her hand. "This is such an incredible gift and an amazing way to honor her memory. I can't wait to get to work on the foundation."
"Oh, in your free time?" Emilia teased.
"Who needs free time?" Cody said with a grin. Between her upcoming paramedic role and still overseeing the bakery, she'd definitely keep busy.
“I don’t know how our relationship will work with two workaholics, my dear,” Emilia teased, squeezing Cody’s hand again.
Cody shook her head, rolling her eyes.
"You remember those books we found at the Godfrey house?" Emilia said, grinning.
Cody nodded, looking slightly confused. "The ones that fetched a boatload at auction, yeah," she said.
"I used part of it for the renovation, but saved half of the money from the sale of them to start the foundation, so that we already have a good little starting point. $90,000 isn't too bad for a morning's work, don't you think?" Emilia was tearing up now, talking about it.
Cody pressed her lips together, tears welling in her eyes, too. “Not too shabby at all. You’re amazing. I love you so much. Merry Christmas,” she said, hugging Emilia tightly.
“And I love you,” Emilia said. “And Christmas.” She added while rolling her eyes, raising on her tip-toes to kiss Cody.
"I have one more Christmas surprise," Cody said against her lips.
"Really? Because it's already been a pretty surprising night," Emilia said and then noticed that a circle of onlookers was slowly surrounding them. Frankie was at the front, holding a camera.
Butterflies stretched and swarmed in her stomach. She gave Cody a questioning look as she pulled out of Emilia’s arms, holding onto her hands.
"Emilia Marin, you are an incredible woman. You are thoughtful," Cody gestured to the Katie's Corner sign, "And caring and you push me to be a better person. Every day I spend with you is the best day of my life. I'll never stop loving and cherishing you," she said, getting down on one knee.
The world around them fell away, and it was just the two of them. Just her and the woman who had been the most amazing thing to ever happen to her. She was such a different woman because of Cody, and a better one, in her opinion. She took risks, she stepped out of her comfort zone, and she was finally living a full and happy life away from the shop.
She had everything she had always thought she didn't deserve or was too busy to find.
It hadn't always been easy, and it wouldn't necessarily be easy from there on out, but there were no more walls, no barrier between them. They were a team, facing the world together.
THE END
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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my sister, the Emilia to my Frankie, for being the best cheerleader and proofreader, and to my wife for having so much patience and enthusiasm for me during this process. I’d also like to especially thank my dogs for their continued foot cuddles while I write and my cat for her close supervision of (read: lying on top of) the keyboard.
About the Author
Bryce grew up in the mountains of Colorado with a taste for adventure and a head full of clouds. She never grew out of either.
She lives in Denver with her partner, two adorable rescue dogs, and a very opinionated cat.
Also by Bryce Oakley
Undone
Bewilder
Most Wonderful