14. Sammie

The day of Elliot and Caspian's wedding, we woke to an August morning bright with sunshine and promise. They'd wanted a simple ceremony at our church and then a quiet dinner with just family and a few close friends for the reception. Atticus and Annie had volunteered to have the reception dinner at their home, since our bride and groom spent too much time at the restaurant as it was.

Neither had wanted any attendants or other traditional elements, other than Chloe as a flower girl. Elliot had picked out a white tulle dress. Chloe loved it so much. I was afraid she might never take it off again.

We gathered in the church. My daughter grinned from ear to ear as she walked down the church aisle, tossing white rose petals from a basket.

Caspian stood at the front near the pulpit with the pastor. He winked at Chloe when she reached the end of the aisle. I motioned for my offspring to join us on the bench. She seemed disappointed her performance had ended so soon but snuggled between Thad and me anyway.

The doors of the church opened, and Elliot entered, wearing a simple mermaid-style gown that showed off her curvaceous figure and muscular arms. A veil made from Italian lace had been tucked into her thick brown hair. Since her mother and father were no longer with us, Elliot had said she didn't want anyone to escort her. In fact, she'd told Finley and me, she preferred to walk herself into this new chapter of her life. "I don't need anyone to give me away. I know exactly where I'm going."

She held a bouquet of white roses in her hands as she walked toward her groom, tears brimming in her eyes.

Caspian smiled at her reassuringly. When she reached him, I stood to take the flowers from her.

As the ceremony progressed, I found myself daydreaming about the future, including the day I would marry Thad Moon. He'd asked me officially under the full moon a week after our ordeal with John had finally come to an end. Now I brushed the diamond solitaire with my thumb to make sure it was real. I still had a hard time believing this was my life. I was going to be a Moon. My daughter would be a Moon.

We'd not heard anything from the Underwood family after John's death. For days afterward, I'd expected them to show up on our doorstep or send a threat of some kind to let me know I would pay for causing their beloved boy's death. But as the weeks passed and I heard nothing, I began to relax.

One day, I'd been sitting out on the front porch with Thad talking over the plans for our house when the sheriff arrived. To my amazement and relief, Winthrop brought good news. John's father and brothers had been arrested and charged for various crimes, including drug trafficking. Apparently, the FBI had been conducting a quiet investigation of the Underwood family for over a year.

"I don't think they'll be bothering you again," Winthrop said. "The authorities are watching their every move. If the trial goes as expected, they're all going to jail for a long time."

Thad had asked about the possibility of the Underwoods hiring someone to hurt me, but the sheriff had reassured us that the Underwoods had no intention of adding anything to their current list of criminal charges.

"You can rest easy," Winthrop had said to me. "Enjoy the rest of your life in peace."

We'd thanked him profusely for all his help. I'd even hugged him. To which he'd responded, "Good and bad deeds eventually catch up with a person. Stella Moon has always conducted her life with integrity and generosity. It was my turn to help her and her family, and it was my honor and privilege. Anyway, seeing you two lovebirds so happy together warms this old boy's heart."

As the sheriff had walked back to the car, Thad had said quietly that Winthrop needed a good woman. I told him I'd add it to my prayer list. Then we'd sat back on the porch swing and kissed. We did a lot of that these days.

Our house was in the middle of the remodel. Jasper and Thad were doing a lot of the work themselves, but a crew had started this past week. If all went as planned, we'd be moving in at Christmastime. Between now and then, we were content to live at the big house with the boys and Elliot.

Elliot and Caspian were excited to move out and into their own house as soon as it was finished. They'd gutted the inside and tackled the remodel with the expectation that it would be complete before Thanksgiving. I'd helped Elliot with picking out furniture and rugs and everything else one could want. I was in heaven.

Somewhere near the end of our project, Elliot had looked over at me and said, "You should do this for a living. You're really good."

I'd been pleased with her compliment, but a job as a decorator seemed far-fetched. However, not long after that, a woman from church asked if she could hire me to help her redecorate her house. I couldn't believe my good fortune. Thad had been excited for me and suggested I put a website and portfolio together. I'd hesitated, not wanting to let him and Stella down. Our wedding offerings had turned out to be really popular. We were booked for one at Christmas and six for next summer. Regardless, there would be plenty of time during the slow season to focus on decorating. So far, I only had the one client but felt hopeful word would get around and more folks would find me.

After the ceremony, we all returned to Atticus and Annie's. The newlyweds had asked for a barbecue on the patio for their wedding dinner. Our sunset was spectacular that night, spreading orange and pink across the sky in broad strokes. After the sun disappeared and we were in that magical hour of twilight, we dined at a long table rented for the occasion. The whole family was in attendance. Arabella, Finley, and Stella's friend Iris rounded out the guest list.

I left Chloe with Thad to go inside and use the restroom. The powder room door was closed, so I went upstairs to the bathroom off the hallway. Before I reached it, the door to the main bedroom opened and Annie appeared. She looked like death, if that was possible for one of the most beautiful women in the world. A shade of green had overtaken her usual rosy complexion. Dark circles under her eyes were visible despite her makeup.

"Annie, are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm not feeling too great. The smells…are just everywhere." She sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I'm pregnant."

"I knew it." She hadn't yet told anyone about the pregnancy, including me, but I could spot the symptoms a mile away. "How far along are you?"

Annie's hand briefly touched her flat belly. "Ten weeks. It's been awful. Were you sick at all?"

"For the first three months, but it gets drastically better. Until the end."

"I'm so tired. All I want to do is go to bed, but then everyone will notice. Anyway, I don't want to take away from Elliot's big day by making it about me."

I clucked sympathetically. "I know food probably sounds terrible, but you'll feel better if you eat."

"I've noticed that. It's super weird." She drew in a deep breath. "What if I'm not ready for this? We didn't really plan it, and I'm supposed to film a movie next month. It's terrible timing."

"It's never completely perfect timing, but then suddenly you won't care because you'll fall so helplessly in love with your baby." I spontaneously hugged her. "I'm so happy for you. Having a child is the best thing that'll ever happen to you, I promise."

"I hope so."

"Is Atticus excited?"

"Very much so. Although he's been obsessively looking up pregnancy complications on the internet. He's driving me a little nutty."

I laughed. "He's protective of you—it's very sweet."

"Seems it runs in the family. These Moon brothers know how to love a woman, don't they?"

"They sure do. Which makes us lucky women." I paused for a moment. "By the way, I wanted to thank you for your support throughout all my stuff. You've been a good friend."

"We're sisters. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you or Chloe."

We hugged again, both of us tearing up. She could blame her hormones, but I had no excuse, other than I was in love.

"What are you doing up here anyway?" Annie asked.

"Bathroom," I said. "The one downstairs was occupied."

"Was it now?"

"Why do you say it that way?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I might not be the only pregnant one. Have you noticed the bride barely touched her champagne or the appetizers earlier?"

My hands flew to my mouth. "Do you think?"

"It's either that or the salmon dip was bad, which I wouldn't know because the smell drove me up here."

I smiled, delighted. "I guess Chloe will have some cousins sooner than later."

We hugged again and then parted ways. I went into the bathroom to use the toilet. When I was finished, I washed my hands at the sink, examining my own complexion. I'd bought a new dress for the wedding, a soft pink silky number that floated around my legs and flattered my fair skin. I held up my hand to look at my engagement ring, admiring the sparkle and the princess cut. I'd have said yes to Thad with or without the ring, but it was pretty and sparkly and made me feel very loved. It also represented the future. I'd never had so much to look forward to.

I bowed my head to say a silent prayer.

Thank you, God, for giving me all of this. I'll try my best to never forget how lucky I am that you sent me here.

I opened my eyes to take another look at myself. Surprisingly, my makeup had stayed put and my hair had retained the waves I'd put in with a flat iron earlier. It was the dry air here, reminding me that I would not miss the humidity of the South, I thought, even though there were certain things that would always be with me. My love for the scent of magnolias and sweet tea and my accent remained. Thad had teased me about saying I was from Philly when it was so obvious my accent was Southern.

Anyway, this is where I lived now. I was a Montana girl. Chloe would grow up here and would most likely not remember anything about our old life. I certainly hoped so.

I went back downstairs. Everyone was about to sit down for dinner. Thad waved me over to our seats. My heart leaped as it usually did at the sight of him, so handsome in his suit and tie.

He held my chair, and I slipped into it. Chloe was already seated on my other side, chattering away to poor Arabella about her kittens.

I mouthed "thank you" to Arabella. She winked at me before returning her attention to my daughter.

"Remind me, what are their names?" Arabella asked.

"Mittens and Stripes," Chloe said.

Not the most original cat names, but Chloe was only four, so it was to be expected.

We ate chicken slathered with Caspian's savory sauce, coleslaw, potato salad, and fat dinner rolls, all washed down with wine, lemonade, or cold beers. There were toasts and happy tears that night as the sky turned a midnight blue, and stars appeared in all their glory. A nearly full moon, with just a sliver cut out of its orb, rose to hover above us, casting magical silvery light.

After cake, Atticus turned up the music on the outdoor speakers, and the bride and groom had their first dance. Soon, we all joined them on the dance floor under the stars.

Chloe, who was up way past her bedtime, danced the hardest of all, her small body radiating joy. This was all I'd ever wanted for her.

When a ballad came on, Thad took me in his arms and held me closely as we swayed to the music. He'd taken off his jacket and tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves. I laid my cheek against his chest, the crisp white shirt cool against my skin. I had long since discarded my high-heeled sandals and changed into flip-flops to be more comfortable. The other women had done the same so that we could enjoy ourselves without worry of spraining an ankle on the stone patio.

"Did you imagine all of this when you first came here?" Thad asked into my ear.

"I couldn't have come up with this in a million years. Your family. This place. Chloe so happy and surrounded by love. And you? Best of all you. No, I couldn't have imagined it."

"There are many, many more happy days to come."

"Until we're sitting on the front porch in our rockers?" I asked.

"We'll be lucky to have that many years together, and I'll still want more."

"Me too." I nestled closer, enjoying his spicy cologne. The scent of Thad. Nothing soothed me quite like it.

"When do you want to get married?" Thad asked.

"Tomorrow?"

He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "I'm serious. We haven't really talked about what you'd like to do. What's your dream wedding? You should have whatever you want."

"Since I've already been married once, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. Unless that's what you'd like?"

"I wouldn't mind eloping, but my mother would never forgive me."

"Nor would Chloe."

"Yeah, and there's something special about getting married in front of all the people you love most in the world."

"As a person who only had my dad, I agree."

"You miss him a lot, don't you?"

"More than I can say. But he's here with me. I can feel him. Especially now that I'm safe. I can feel his relief that I've found you and your family."

"I wish I could have known him," Thad said.

"He would have loved you." Thad reminded me of my gentle, kind father in so many ways.

I had a sudden thought. "Let's get married next month on my father's birthday. It's the nineteenth. He'd have liked that. It'll be a way to honor him."

"Can we put something together in that amount of time?" I asked.

"If it's simple, then yes."

Chloe ran up to us, tugging on Thad's leg. "Daddy, I want to dance too." She'd started calling him Daddy out of the blue one day about two weeks after John's death. At the time, Thad and I had exchanged a look but didn't say anything, simply grateful. Like a lot of the ways my life had fallen into place, I didn't question or analyze it too much. Life had been hard for a long time. I'd assumed it would always be that way. I'd been wrong. So very wrong.

"We can do simple," I said. "Like Caspian and Elliot."

"Whatever you want is what we'll do."

Thad had said this same thing when making decisions about the house remodel. However, if something was important to him, he spoke up. For example, he'd wanted subway tile in the kitchen. His desire for something old-fashioned and simple warmed my heart. I would never have to wonder where this man was or who he was with. He would always return to Chloe and me.

Thad hoisted Chloe up into his arms, and the three of us danced together. Chloe, despite protests, had grown tired. Soon, she grew limp, falling asleep on Thad's chest in the middle of the song.

"I think that means it's time for us to go home," Thad said to me.

I smiled up at him. "I guess it does. Do you mind leaving so early?"

"Going home with you? It's never too early for that."

The three of us slipped away quietly, not wanting to interrupt the fun. Someday, the others would have children of their own, and their evenings would be cut short. Like me, they would never regret having a precious child to love with all their heart.

Family. No matter if a person's born into a good one or finds it later in the scattered and broken pieces, a family provides a safe haven, beacon, and way home.