“It’s just… tonight. I had the weirdest feeling. Looking at everyone in there, how I’ve spent each New Year with them. And I just thought about the drastic differences. When I was growing up, it was never so loud and happy. More often than not, we had very quiet, sad December thirty-firsts, followed by a similar January first. Not much to it. A lot of times, I spent it just like this— alone, looking out at the stars.”
His heart clenched at her pain. He knew things were better now between Lois and her parents, but every time he was reminded of her childhood, he had a moment of irrational anger flare up inside his chest. He gripped her tighter against him. “I’m sorry, honey. But we’ve done well, haven’t we? I mean, look at everyone in there.”
Clark turned them both around to look inside the warmly lit brownstone, watch as Jimmy refreshed all the adults’ wine glasses and the kids snuck some more candy. Lois grinned widely and spun around in his arms to face him. “We’ve done fantastic, Clark. That’s what I’m saying. This used to be such a hard day for me, and the fact that now we get to have this? It’s incredible. I just think I appreciate it more.”
His smile could have cracked his face if it got any wider. “The same goes for me, you know. I spent a lot of new years wondering about my biological parents and if they missed me, or if this was finally going to be the year I fit in. But I didn’t really have that feeling until I met you. And now look: I’ve got a ton of family. You have no idea what that means to an adopted child.”
His wife’s eyes teared up. “I guess we’re meant to be or something, then.”
“I guess so,” Clark replied, wrinkling his nose with his smile.
