Chapter 10
A year to the day after Melissa’s wedding, we stood on the beach behind our house, the sun setting over the ocean, painting the sky pink and orange and gold.
It was a small party, just family and close friends.
My dad was there, grilling burgers, wearing a silly apron that said WORLD’S BEST GRANDPA.
Melissa was there, laughing as she chased Ethan around the sand, both of them covered in ice cream.
Uncle Ray and his wife were there, sitting in beach chairs, watching the waves.
Arthur and his son were there, playing frisbee with Lila and Marcus.
Sophie stood next to me, her blue hair clip in her hair, wearing a new dress she’d picked out herself, her hand in mine.
“Can you believe it’s been a year?” she said, soft.
I squeezed her hand.
“No,” I said. “It feels like yesterday we were walking out of that wedding. And it feels like a lifetime ago.”
A lot had changed in a year.
Voss Legacy Group was now one of the most successful companies in the world, with offices in ten countries, thousands of employees, a foundation that had helped over a hundred thousand single parents get back on their feet.
I’d been named one of the most powerful women in the world by three different magazines.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was the girl next to me, her hand warm in mine, confident and happy and brave.
What mattered was Ethan, running toward us now, holding a seashell he’d found, yelling that it was the best one in the whole world.
What mattered was the family around me, the people who loved us, who’d fought for us, who’d stood by us when the world was against us.
Ethan skidded to a stop in front of us, holding out the seashell.
“Look, Mom!” he said, grinning. “It’s perfect. For you.”
I took it from him, turning it over in my hand, smooth and white and whole.
“Thank you, baby,” I said, kissing the top of his head. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
He beamed, then ran off to chase Melissa again.
Sophie leaned her head on my shoulder.
“I used to be scared all the time,” she said, quiet. “Scared Grandma Helen would come back. Scared you’d get hurt. Scared we’d never be safe. But I’m not scared anymore. I know you’ll always protect us. I know we’ll always be together. No matter what.”
I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close.
“I will always protect you,” I said, my voice thick. “Both of you. Forever. Nothing will ever hurt you again. I promise.”
We stood there for a long time, watching the sun set, listening to the sound of the waves, the sound of our family laughing, the sound of a life that was finally, perfectly ours.
My dad walked over, handing me a glass of lemonade.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he said, smiling.
“I was just thinking about how far we’ve come,” I said. “From that tiny apartment, from the wedding, from the trial. From all of it.”
He nodded, looking out at the ocean.
“Helen thought power was money,” he said, soft. “Control. Winning at all costs. But she was wrong. Real power is this. Family. Love. People who will stand by you no matter what. You built that, Clara. All by yourself. I’m so proud of you.”
I felt tears in my eyes.
“Thank you,” I said. “For being here. For helping me. For never giving up on me.”
“Never,” he said, squeezing my shoulder.
Melissa walked over, Ethan on her hip, both of them covered in sand.
“Hey,” she said, smiling. “The cake’s ready. Ethan says we have to sing happy birthday to the family. He says today is our birthday. The day we became a real family.”
I laughed, wiping the tears from my eyes.
“Sounds perfect,” I said.
We walked over to the picnic table, where a big chocolate cake sat, covered in candles, the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OUR FAMILY written in blue frosting.
Everyone gathered around.
Ethan blew out the candles before anyone could start singing, making everyone laugh.
We cut the cake, passing out slices, eating until our stomachs hurt.
Later, when it was dark, we built a bonfire on the beach, sitting around it, roasting marshmallows, telling stories.
Ethan fell asleep on my lap, his head on my chest, his breathing soft and even.
Sophie fell asleep on my other side, her head on my shoulder, her blue hair clip glinting in the firelight.
My dad put a blanket over all three of us, smiling down at us.
Melissa sat on the other side of the fire, talking to Marcus, both of them laughing.
I looked up at the stars, bright and clear above the ocean.
I thought of the card at the wedding.
RESERVED FOR TRASH.
I thought of all the times I’d believed it.
All the times I’d thought I wasn’t good enough, that I didn’t deserve to be loved, that I’d never be anything but the name Helen had called me.
But I’d been wrong.
Trash didn’t build a billion-dollar company.
Trash didn’t raise two brave, kind, amazing kids.
Trash didn’t build a family full of love and second chances and people who would die for each other.
I wasn’t trash.
I was Clara Bennett.
Mother.
Daughter.
Sister.
Friend.
CEO.
A woman who’d fought for everything she had, and won.
A woman who was finally, truly happy.
I kissed the top of Ethan’s head.
I kissed the top of Sophie’s head.
I looked at my family, around the fire, all of them happy, all of them safe, all of them loved.
The waves crashed on the shore.
The fire crackled.
Somewhere, a bird called.
Everything was perfect.
Everything was ours.
May you like
And for the first time in my life, I knew, without a single doubt, that we would be okay.
Forever.
