Epilogue

Evenie: A Year and a Half Later

“How are you feeling today, Evenie?” Dr. Stewart asked me.

We were in our final family session since starting family therapy a year ago.

I smiled. “Blessed and highly favored.”

That was the God’s honest truth. The last year had been nothing short of an abundance of blessings. My grandmother always said that after tragedy comes triumph. That wasn’t to say that I hadn’t had my share of ups and downs, because I did. But the good outweighed the bad, and that was more than enough reason to celebrate and be happy.

I had life and my health. My gunshot wound healed with no problems or lasting effects. I was back at work and thriving with my clients. In fact, I’d recently been awarded the designer of the year with Curated Realm . It came with a full two-page write-up in a prominent home magazine. The feature brought me several new clients, a few of them being celebrities.

“How are you feeling today, Summer?” Dr. Stewart asked with a smile.

“I feel good. I’m not having nightmares anymore.”

After the fiasco of Iona, Summer suffered from nightmares almost nightly for three months. The only way she got a decent night’s sleep was to sleep with Tyrion and me. There were times where she would sit and stare at the wall because she’d fallen back into the familiar headspace. There were moments where she was so angry because she was tired but afraid to sleep because she didn’t want to have another nightmare.

For the longest time, she couldn’t go around Tyrion’s mother without crying. She said all she could hear and see when she looked at her was the gunshot and the blood. My mother-in-law felt terrible about it. She carried a lot of guilt because she hadn’t been watching Summer every second while they were in the pharmacy. I finally had to sit her down and tell her, just like I told her son, that it wasn’t her fault. She was taking care of something she needed for her health. No one would have expected things to take that big of a left turn.

Since working with Dr. Stewart, Summer had been able to process and talk about her feelings in healthy ways. When she didn’t want to talk to us, she felt comfortable telling her therapist, and that was all we could ask for.

“What about you, Tyrion?” Dr. Stewart asked.

“You know, Doc. I’ve never been better. These three give me a run for my money, but it’s always worth it.”

Dr. Stewart giggled as she fingered the chubby cheek belonging to my son, Tywin. He sat in his father’s lap, chewing on his bib.

I’d found out I was pregnant not long after everything calmed down. Now that was a shocker. I went for a routine checkup, and boom! Baby. While it hadn’t been in the plans to have a kid so soon, my son was a welcomed addition.

Baby boy was five months old and a joy to have. The little butterball looked just like his father. It was like I had nothing to do with his conception. I just birthed him. Tyrion and Summer were head over heels in love with him. Baby girl loved to help care for her little brother. He was the first person she greeted when she came home from school. Once she was done with her homework, she basically kicked us to the curb to play with him.

They watched movies together. She danced with him. He loved when she made silly faces and spoke to him. All that could be seen were his gums. I loved their relationship. Tywin and Nina’s son Jaison were fascinated with each other. They were only a couple months apart, just like Summer Rose and Jersey, and we already knew they were going to be the best of friends.

If we weren’t getting close to forty, she and I would have tried to get pregnant one more time. We said two was enough, however. We both had our pair, so we didn’t need anything else.

“I’m so happy to see you all thriving after such traumatic events,” Dr. Stewart said. “It’s been an honor to serve you all the last year and a half. I feel more than confident in releasing you into the world on your own. Just know that if you ever need me, I’m only a phone call away. We can schedule a session and get you right back on track.”

“You’ve been amazing, Dr. Stewart,” I said. “I don’t know how we would have made it without you. You are truly doing God’s work.”

She placed a hand over her heart. “That makes me happy to hear. That’s my reason for what I do… using my gift to serve God’s people. At this point, we feel like family.”

“Does that mean this session is free?” Tyrion jested.

I playfully smacked his arm. “Baby!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Seriously, Dr. Stewart, you’ve been a blessing. I almost wished I’d started therapy after Evenie’s disappearance. Maybe we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“Well, I can’t say that for certain. I would have done my best to help you in any way I could have.”

We sat talking to her for about an hour or so before our final session came to an end. When we walked out the door, I felt a sense of renewal… restoration… confidence. As Tyrion strapped our son into the back seat, I waited outside the car for him. He looked back at me in confusion.

“Something wrong?” he asked, closing the door.

I smiled and shook my head as I slipped my arms around his waist.

“No, everything is perfect.” I stood on my toes and kissed his lips.

He grinned. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

“For being the man that I’ve loved since I was sixteen years old. My soul tethered itself to you over twenty years ago, and I still can’t get over the fact that you’re mine.”

If he were a few shades lighter, I knew I’d be able to see him blush. Even with his darker complexion, the boyish grin gave it away.

“You know what saying shit like that does to me,” he said, pulling me closer to him.

I smirked. “I do. That’s why when the kids go to bed tonight, I’m all yours.”

“All mine?”

“All yours . Forever and always. ’Til death do us part.”

“I love the sound of that. Just promise me one thing?”

“Anything?”

“Can we not test the death do us part again anytime soon? I’ve had enough of that.”

I giggled and playfully slapped his chest. “The first one was on me. The second one was on you. We’re definitely not trying for a third.”

We shared a laugh. It felt good to be in a place where we could joke about our experience now. Most people didn’t get that far. We were lucky that the love we shared stood the tests of time. There was nowhere I’d rather be. No man I’d rather be married to. No life I’d rather be living than the one I was living now.

What was for me had always been for me.

Nothing could change that.

The End