TEN YEARS LATER 

JUSTIN 

You get all kinds of thoughts when everyone goes to bed. I sat in front of the Christmas Tree thinking about my life with Brian and all our family, friends, and others. I think it’s just that we are all going to be together this year. With college and life in general we’re not always together at the same time. Gus and Jacob take trips together on their school breaks, and we still see them, but they’re out in the world, having fun before they become adults. Jenny is starting college but will be living on campus, so we are losing her to school soon too. When everyone started going to bed I went up to my studio Brian built at the house and started to paint while I thought about our lives.

I used to wonder what life would have been like if Brian and I had learned to talk to each other sooner. I now believe that it just wasn't our time. I spent so much time trying to be a grown up to fit in Brian’s life that I forgot who I was. Spending twelve years apart gave us time to be ready for everything that we now have. Would I want to go back and change the way we parted? Definitely. The question is whether we could have made it if we had stayed together then, I can't honestly say that we would have.

As each year has gone by, Brian and I have watched the children start becoming people who we can be proud of. Gus is in college and it was hard to let him go so far from us, but he wants this and we want it for him. He got accepted to Harvard Law School, which made Brian and I very proud of him. Brian loves that Gus wanted to work in family law, even though it surprised us. Gus told us that he wanted to help keep families together. I think Brad played a large part in Gus’s decision. Gus still paints, but unlike me it's how he deals with stress. He told me he likes to create but never wanted to make a career out of it. I told him that it's his life to live.

Jacob took off to Johns Hopkins for college to study medicine. He told us he wanted to be the person who saves lives. He kept in contact with our doctor and knew this was his calling. He still loves football but didn't want to make a career of it. Drew was disappointed because Gus and Jacob would have made it in football. 

Jenny lived with us until this year. She enrolled in PIFA, she wants to become an artist like me. She has the talent to achieve success. Michael is practically vibrating with excitement, Jenny is doing what no one in his family did, going to college. Jenny is incredibly smart but wants to bring beauty to the world.

Beatrix and Charlotte couldn't be any more different if they tried. I think a lot of it comes from looking so much alike. They seem to have inherited everything from Brian but their height. Beatrix is the out-going one and wants everyone to be her friend, she’s hardly ever serious about anything. Charlotte is shy and takes a while to warm to people, but once she does she loves them with her whole heart. I told Brian it’s like watching us grow up. Brian told me that as long as they are happy, that’s all he ever wanted for his children.

Lucas is always in a hurry to do things but I think it’s because he wants to be with his brothers. Poor Lucas ends up with doing what the girls want all the time. Brian tries to spend time with him when the girls get to be too much, but I think he loves that Lucas wants to sit with him when he works at home. Lucas always wants to tell Brian what’s wrong with his campaigns. Brian smiles and tells me at least Kinnetik will have a future with Lucas.

Molly finally agreed to marry Brad, it only took three kids. Molly kept coming up with excuses for not getting married but Brad figured she would run out one day. When she finally did he ran off with her and their three boys to the nearest church. 

Mom and Tucker were surrounded by kids and Tucker told me that he didn’t ever regret not having his own. He liked that he and Mom were free to do what they wanted and that all the grandchildren filled the desire to parent for him.

Emmett and Drew had one more child, a little girl three years after Theo was born. Emmett wanted to name her after his favorite aunt but went with Lucy instead of Lulu. She has Emmett’s smile and can kick a ball like Drew. Theo is a thinker, he told Brian that Emmett’s flame needed him to keep from burning down buildings. Theo and Lucas are best friends and Emmett and I couldn’t be more thrilled with it.      

Michael and I worked on the comic and it’s doing well. Michael wanted to have the hero drawn to look like Ben, but I told him it should be him. Our idea was that the hero didn’t start out as one but through time and experience learned what was important. Jenny has been helping with it because I get busy with shows and Kinnetik. I think Michael loves that she wants to do this with him. When Ben and Michael got married he asked Jenny if she wanted to live with him. She told him that she liked having four dads but wanted to stay where she was. Michael told her as long as she was happy, he could live with it.

Ted and Blake never had children but they really like their lives the way they are. Blake told me that he felt that his patients needed him to be there and not running off because of children. Ted told me that he never really wanted any and would have only had them if Blake had wanted them.

Mel got five years but only served three. She ended up with the smallest sentence. Russo got ten and the Hobbs’ all got seven. Chris ended up trying to kill another prisoner and got life. Brian and I don’t talk to Mel because Brian can’t forgive her for anything that she did. I don’t because I don’t see the point in listening to her try to justify her reasons. She stayed in Pittsburgh and lives with a new girlfriend. Jenny visits but she told Michael and I that Mel isn’t the mother she remembers. Mel didn’t allow for any contact with Jenny while she was in prison and I know it hurt Jenny. Maybe someday she’ll forgive Mel for it, but that’s Jenny’s decision.

Lindsay managed to keep the job at Big Q for a year. She quit when they told her that cashier was the only job she could somewhat do. She met a rich older woman and took off with her. Gus gets invited to things with them but after the first outing decided that he would rather they just send cards to each other. We see her at my shows and she always likes to criticize my work in front of Brian. Brian told her that when she managed to create a painting that sold then he was all ears. Thomas told me that Lindsay tried to get him to be her agent but he told her that he liked having a good reputation and her work could ruin it. Her girlfriend hosted a show for Lindsay but the reviews implied that only someone in love could believe Lindsay should continue. Lindsay insisted that she stopped because she wanted to devote her time to her relationship. 

Daphne married Thomas in an over the top wedding but Emmett told her to pull out the inner Queen and have her day. Thomas told me that he was willing to do whatever his Queen wanted. I told him that he needed to pull out the Y gene when the wedding started running into the high double digits. Thomas smirked and told me to get painting and that should cover it.

I lay my brush down and stare at the painting. Michael was right, he will be forever young and beautiful.

“Are you coming to bed, it’s late and you know the kids will have us up as soon as the sun peeks out.” Brian asks me looking at what I painted.

“I think after ten Christmases I know that.” I tell him.

“It always amazed me the way you see me when you draw me.” He tells me kissing me.

“It’s the way you look to me.” I tell him.

“We should at least get one round in, before it’s too late.” He tells me smirking and holding out his hand.

“Maybe it’s already too late, I think I hear the girls running.” I tell him as the little feet comes running by.

“Like I told you, it’s never too late.” My husband tells me with a kiss.