When she settles, no longer heaving, I ask, 揅an I go look now??
She slumps against the floor, shooing me away with her hand. 揔nock yourself out.?
I walk over to where she left the stick. My heart jolts, speeding up at the positive test.
揝alem??I only get a groan in reply. 揧ou抮e pregnant.?
Her eyes widen. 揘o, I抦 not. Don抰 lie.?She starts to cry. 揇on抰 lie. Not about this.?
I crouch down in front of her, cupping her cheek in my hand. 揑抦 not lying, Sunshine. We抮e going to have another baby.?
She sobs, and I sit down on the floor beside her, gathering her into my arms and just holding her, because that抯 what she needs
揜ight there,?the doctor points to the screen at a tiny little blip that doesn抰 even look like anything yet. 揟hat抯 your baby.?
Salem抯 hand hovers over her mouth, her eyes glued to the black and white image displayed on the screen.
I pick up her other hand, kissing her knuckles.
揟hat抯 our baby, Sunshine. Look at them.?
I think to myself that this is how things should抳e happened with Seda, but life had other plans for us. We needed to be apart to grow into the people we抳e become. Our love is stronger for the trials we抳e endured, and both of us knows how precious life is, how important it is to cherish every moment. At the end of the day, it isn抰 the expensive things, or the big things you remember. It抯 the people you love and the simple moments梔ancing in the kitchen together, sitting down and having a meal together, just existing.
Life is not an infinite source梚t抯 finite, and the best thing we could all learn, is to treat it as such, because each breath in our lungs is a precious gift we shouldn抰 waste.
CHAPTER 54
SALEM
It抯 beneath the treehouse, the entire structure covered in the peonies Thayer has lovingly grown for me, and a bouquet of them in my hands, just two months after finding out we抮e having our second baby, that we抮e having our official wedding ceremony in front of our loved ones.
Ironically, it was this same day a year ago that I returned to Hawthorne Mills, and now I never plan to leave this small town. We didn抰 plan for it to work out that way. Thayer just wanted to finally have a real ceremony, and to make good on our promise to Seda that she could be the flower girl.
The backyard is covered in peonies and white twinkle lights. It looks like something out of a dream.
I walk down our makeshift aisle on my own.
I don抰 need someone to give me away. I抦 not an object to be given to another. I抦 my own person and I chose to be Thayer抯 partner, his equal, a long time ago.
My bare feet brush over the grass mixed with the petals Seda scattered. She stands at Thayer抯 side, smiling like a sweet little fool. Her blonde hair is curled in ringlets, hanging down her back, with a floral headband sitting like a crown on top of her head.
She抯 so beautiful and so grown up.
I haven抰 even made it to Thayer and I抦 already going to cry.
The people we have here with us are an eclectic mix. Thayer抯 parents and brother, my sister and her family, Caleb, Cynthia and Thelma, Lauren and her husband Anthony, Hannah and Susanne from my cupcake shop, and even Jen that owns the shop in town and who has become a good friend. At the end with Thayer and Seda sits Binx and Winnie. Binx looks dapper with a bowtie and Winnie is sporting a tutu, both made by Thayer.
I finally reach the end, stopping beside my husband.
There抯 no officiant since our marriage is already official, this is just the icing on the cake, I guess.
Thayer抯 eyes crinkle at the corners. There抯 more gray at his temples now than a year ago, but I love it. I love him.
We抮e going to be exchanging our own vows today, new rings as well, since before we just got whatever we could in Vegas and it was nothing special or meaningful.
Thayer looks down, at the small swell of my belly pushing against the white satin of my slip dress. You can barely tell I抦 pregnant yet, but soon enough my belly will pop. We抳e decided not to find out the gender. We thought it would be more special to wait until the birth. The anticipation might kill me, but I know it抣l be worth it.
Thayer clears his throat. 揑抣l go first.?He takes each of my hands in his. 揥hen you came into my life almost eight years ago, I should抳e known from the get go that you were going to shake up my life. With your blonde hair, long legs, and beautiful smile you were the most gorgeous thing I抎 ever seen but also the most confounding. It drove me crazy when I realized you were running so early in the mornings and the way you抎 sit on your roof nearly gave me a heart attack.?I laugh, shaking my head. I think I worried everybody but myself with my love of sitting on the roof. 揑 fell for you slowly, accidentally, and suddenly you became my whole world. Our journey to this moment wasn抰 a straight line. We抳e had a lot of ups and downs, but they抳e made us who we are, and I love you, I love us, and I love the life we抳e built together despite everything stacked between us.?
I pull one of my hands from his, wiping beneath my eyes. 揧ou made me cry.?
Chuckles sound around us and Thayer smiles down at me.
I give myself a moment to catch my breath before I start.
揟hayer, Thayer, Thayer,?I cluck my tongue. 揇o you remember the first thing you ever said to me??He smiles, knowing where I抦 going with this. He certainly didn抰 smile at me that day. Oh, no, all this man did for the longest time was glare and grunt at me like some prehistoric caveman. 揧ou said, and I quote, 慪ou抮e trespassing.挃 I make my voice deeper when I say it, ringing out laughs from everyone. 揂nd now you抮e marrying that trespasser in the exact spot you were that day. How about that??His smile grows bigger. 揧ou said it best when you said our path wasn抰 linear. There抯 been a lot of trials and tribulations thrown our way, but somehow, we抳e come out stronger in the end. Thank you for letting me love you. Thank you for choosing me. I love you. Today. Tomorrow. All my days.?
I sound like such a sap, but I抦 pregnant so I抦 allowed to be.
Cupping my cheeks, he leans forward and brushes his nose against mine, our lips a breath apart. 揑 love you, too, Sunshine.?
His lips meet mine, kissing me with a promise.
When we break apart, Lauren passes me his new ring and Laith hands Thayer mine.
I slip the thick black band onto his finger. The inside is gold, so he抣l always have the sun close to his heart.
He takes my left hand, smiling as he slips the ring in place. It抯 gold with suns carved into it all the way around. It抯 perfect and I love that we had similar thoughts with our choices.
He kisses me again, his hand on my stomach.
A year ago, I was still angry at him.
A year ago, I was terrified to face him.
A year ago, I never could抳e imagined us standing in this spot.
But a lot can happen in twelve months. That抯 three-hundred and sixty-five days of change.
Each one leading you a step closer to your destination, whatever that might be.
I thought our story was over when I left town seven years ago, but sometimes what you think is the end, is only the beginning.
EPILOGUE
SALEM
Thayer抯 head presses against mine, tears coating his cheeks. Our baby isn抰 even here yet and he抯 already having trouble keeping it together.
揧ou can do it, Sunshine. You抮e almost there. We抮e going to meet our baby.?
I feel like I抳e waited forever to meet this little one and grow our family.
Seda抯 going to be a big sister and Forrest is going to be a big brother again.