Chapter 10
A year later.
The cherry tree in the backyard is bigger.
It bloomed pink this spring.
Ethan is eight now.
Second grade.
Top of his class.
Soccer star.
He still wears his cape around the house sometimes.
Says he’s our superhero.
Lena is pregnant.
We’re having a little girl.
Due in three months.
Ethan is so excited he can barely stand it.
He talks to her every night through Lena’s belly.
Tells her he’s going to teach her how to play soccer.
How to build Legos.
How to kill spiders.
How to be brave.
Victoria is still in prison.
We don’t think about her anymore.
She’s a ghost.
A bad dream we woke up from.
My mom comes over every Sunday for dinner.
Brings pie.
Spoils Ethan rotten.
Says she can’t wait to spoil the baby too.
Tonight, we’re sitting on the porch swing again.
Same as our wedding night.
Ethan is between us, asleep, worn out from his soccer game.
Lena’s head is on my shoulder, her hand resting on her belly.
The baby kicks.
She smiles, putting my hand on her stomach so I can feel it too.
“Can you believe it? We’re going to have four of us soon.”
I smile.
“I can. It’s perfect. Everything is perfect.”
I look up at the cherry tree.
The wind blows through the branches.
Soft.
Gentle.
Like a kiss.
I know Sarah is there.
Smiling down at us.
Proud.
Happy.
I think about that terrible wedding day.
The day I thought my life was over.
The day I almost lost my son.
The day everything fell apart.
But it didn’t end there.
Because out of the worst day of my life, I found the best things.
My son, braver than I ever was.
Lena, the love of my life, my best friend, my wife.
A family built on truth.
On love.
On trust.
Not on lies.
Not on fear.
Not on pretending.
I kiss Lena.
Soft.
Then I kiss Ethan’s forehead.
Then I put my hand back on Lena’s belly, feeling our little girl kick again.
Everything we went through.
All the pain.
All the fear.
All the tears.
It was all worth it.
Because it led us here.
To this moment.
To this family.
To forever.
And for the first time in my life, I know.
We are safe.
May you like
We are loved.
We are home.
