Page 28 of More Than We Know

“That’s fair. Love comes in so many different forms, though, and I’m starting to realize that it doesn’t always have to fit into neat little boxes society puts us into. There’s not always one right way to do things.”

“Ugh, okay, I get it. Don’t get all sappy on me,” he says, but he leans to the side and bumps me with his shoulder in a show of reconciliation.

When we head back out to the living room area, Quentin is sitting on the couch alone. His head snaps up as we come into view, his eyes wide with worry.

“I’m getting a snack. Sorry for yelling or whatever,” Ethan says over his shoulder, already on his way to the kitchen.

Quentin stares at me and asks in a hushed tone, “So I take it that went alright?”

“As well as it could, I think. Where’s Kat?”

“She left. Said she’d give us some family time for the rest of the weekend but asked us to update her about how things went with Ethan.”

“Gotcha. Well, he said, quote, ‘This is fucking weird’ once I explained, but I don’t think he’s too upset by it or anything.”

“Good,” Quentin says, right as Ethan makes his way back into the living room with an ice cream bar in hand.

I send Kat a quick text to let her know everything is alright, and I can practically feel her relief from over the phone. We make plans for her to come over again mid-week for dinner. We can introduce them in time, but for now, we’ll settle into this new normal and see where things take us.

The rest of the day passes with Ethan telling us stories about his classes and his new friends, and we go out to dinner before spending the night playing games together.

Life has changed rapidly over the last few months, but spending time with Ethan brings back a sense of comfort and familiarity.

It might be difficult to know where the next few months—or years—may take us, but I know in my heart that I’ll have the people I love most at my side no matter what, in all the seasons of life.

And honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

EPILOGUE

QUENTIN

The smell of roasted turkey and freshly baked pies permeates the house, and my stomach rumbles as I survey the steaming dishes sitting on the countertop. It's Thanksgiving, and our home is alive with the sound of laughter and conversation.

I stand at the kitchen counter, setting out the last of the plates, when I hear low laughter coming from behind me. I turn just in time to see Kat lean in and press a soft kiss to Sarah's lips. Sarah's eyes flutter closed, her hand reaching up to cup Kat's cheek, and the sight of them together fills me with a profound sense of contentment and love.

“Ugh, it was weird enough watching you two kiss, and now there'sanotherone of you?” Ethan's voice cuts through the moment, and Sarah laughs, pulling away from Kat with a grin.

“Aren’t you supposed to be setting the table?” Sarah asks.

Ethan rolls his eyes, but the half-smile he’s trying to hide tells me he's not really bothered. It's been a journey getting to this point. When Ethan first walked in on us that day, I thought our world might come crashing down. But Sarah had handled it with calmness and honesty, and Ethan listened and tried to understand.

And now, months later, here we are. Our family, a little different than last year, but whole and happy. It's more than I ever could have hoped for.

Xander wanders into the kitchen, following the sound of laughter. “What's going on in here?” he asks, looking between the four of us.

Sarah smiles, wrapping an arm around Kat's waist. “Just Ethan getting grossed out by affection. Nothing new,” she teases.

“Aaaand, I’m out,” Xander says, turning on a heel and leaving the same way he came.

We laugh again as Ethan follows close behind his brother.

Our family dynamic has always been one where we tease each other in harmless ways, and once we knew the boys were comfortable with Kat (and that she was comfortable with them), she slowly joined in on the fun.

We make our way into the dining room with hands full of food before laying out the array of dishes and taking our seats around the table. Immediately, the boys dig in, and the rest of us do too. It’s been a long day of cooking, and I’m more than ready to enjoy this meal with the people I love most in this world.

The meal is filled with laughter as we share stories. Kat fits into our family seamlessly, and even though it’s a little unconventional, it’s perfect for us. She has started the process of moving in, a little bit at a time, and this home is slowly becoming hers as well.

After we finish our meal and deal with the chaos of cleaning up, Kat grabs her camera from its bag in the living room. “Alright, everyone, time for a family photo,” she announces.

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