His Other Life

Epilogue

Two months later

The sun streaked golden green through the foliage in Memorial Park as Isla strolled toward her family’s spot the day of her move back to Bellingham.

Her life was once again in boxes, but this time she was on her way to something, not away, and on the whole, the process hadn’t been as painful as she’d thought it would be. Mom had helped sort through Jonah’s belongings to decide what Isla should keep and donate, Rowan had dismantled furniture and was waiting in the moving truck at the park entrance to drive her, and Mav had overseen the process from his seat on the couch with Ulysses purring in his lap. On the Bellingham side, Katelyn would have food ready for everyone when they arrived, and she’d assured Isla the whole Gallagher family was excited to once again have her in their midst.

The grass around the plaque was green and lush, welcoming Isla as she sat down. She pulled a tuft off its edge and wiped off the inscription, the embossed letters translating her loved ones’ names into her skin. She’d been back only once before since everything had unfolded, but that time she hadn’t been able to formulate into words what she wanted to say, so this time she’d taken a leaf from Mav’s book and written a letter. With only birdsong accompanying her, she pulled the note out of her pocket, and started to read.

“‘ Dear Jonah. It’s time to move on .’” Her hand dropped to her knee as the sentiment reverberated through her, but then she forged on. “‘ For a long time, I didn’t think this day would come. I thought your death was my fault and that I should be punished, so I hid myself away from the world and retreated to a place where your memory was the only life-giving source. I could see no meaning in my job or my friends or anything else that had previously sustained me, and I was convinced I was, and deserved to be, alone .

“‘ Now I know better. I know we’re all connected, and that meaning can be found wherever you look for it. If you don’t believe me, ask my new grandfather, who set out to right a wrong in his life and ended up setting in motion events that led to me righting mine. Or ask Gemma for that matter. We’re still in touch, and your daughter, Josie, will come to know you through both of us. Funny how things work out. I’m so sorry you didn’t get to meet her .’”

Isla paused and tilted her face skyward. She and Gemma had texted regularly since Isla had confronted her, and Isla had put together a photo album and a box containing a few of Jonah’s things for Josie, but they hadn’t yet met in person again. Isla told herself it was because she’d been busy planning her move, but the truth was she still didn’t know if the unorthodox friendship was sensible. Even though there were days when she missed talking to her friend, and she longed to watch Josie babble through her make-believe with traits so reminiscent of the man Isla had once loved, something still held her back from bridging that final gap that would invite the two more solidly into her life.

A light breeze ruffled the note in her hand and swept her hair into her face. She tucked it behind her ear and continued reading.

“‘ I’d like to imagine that if you’d had the chance, you would have apologized to me for what you did and found ways to make amends. Your actions were dishonorable and beneath you, and I wish more than anything that you’d made a better choice. That said, I’m not interested in living a bitter life, so the last thing I want to say is, I forgive you. Your judgment lapsed, and ultimately, that’s what caused the accident. Knowing this doesn’t make it less tragic, and it doesn’t make me miss what we had before any less, but it’s eased the burden of blame I thought I had to carry enough to let me live again. Maybe I’ll even live for both of us. Love, Isla. ’”

“Oh, and say hi to Nana for me,” she said as she folded the paper up. “Although something tells me she’s been watching this unfold the whole time.”

As the trees whispered their assent, Isla stood and brushed off her cropped jeans. There was probably more she could say, but if she allowed that to keep her here, to keep her from getting back in that moving truck, then the lessons she’d learned would have been in vain.

She backed away a step, then another.

“Goodbye,” she whispered. “Wish me luck.”

Three hours later, Rowan and Isla pulled to a stop outside the small townhome she’d rented in Bellingham with Katelyn as her proxy. Mom had volunteered to drive Mav in her car even though she was busy orchestrating her own move to Arizona in a few days. They’d decided that would be a more comfortable ride for him than the moving truck.

“I’m really doing this, huh?” Isla mumbled to herself.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” Rowan’s reassuring voice matched her tone.

The front door of the house opened, and one of Isla’s nephews stuck his head out. “They’re here,” he shouted into the house.

“Until you go back tomorrow,” Isla said to Rowan, scratching at a new mosquito bite on her arm. Her in-laws would soon spill out into the driveway, so if she was going to ask the question that had been on her mind this past week, she had to do it now. “What do you think Mav would say if I asked him to move here? Is he set on staying in Port Townsend?”

Rowan’s eyebrows drew up. “You’d want him to?”

Isla nodded. “I’m kind of attached to the old guy now.”

“He only moved there because of you, you know. I think if you ask him, you’ll make his day. Do it when they get here. It would be another thing to celebrate.”

“And you?” Isla searched Rowan’s face. “Would you come with him?”

They’d spent more time together over the past two months, caring for Mav, planning this move, enjoying spring on the Olympic Peninsula, and while it was too soon to say for sure, there were times when Isla watched him across a room, and he turned as if he’d felt it. Times when her stomach flipped when he said her name.

Jonah’s dad stepped outside, waving to them. “Hello there!”

Isla returned the greeting through the window, getting ready to open the door.

“I would,” Rowan said, and the cadence of his voice made Isla pause with her hand on the door handle. Their eyes met, his glinting with promise in the afternoon light.

Isla’s lips tugged into a smile. “Good,” she said. Then she got out of the truck.

It was a happy reunion, and with everyone pitching in, they unloaded the truck in no time, leaving plenty for catching up. Nancy and Mav arrived at the tail-end of the truck being emptied, and as soon as Isla saw them, she pulled Mav aside.

“You want me to move here?” Mav asked in response to her query. “To be near you?”

Isla took his hand. “If you’re up for it.”

Mav’s chin began to tremble. “Nothing would bring me greater joy,” he said. Then he pulled her into a tight hug.

“I take it we’re moving again?” Rowan had joined them while they embraced, and now he clasped Mav’s shoulder in a friendly squeeze.

“It would seem that way.” There was no mistaking the gloss in Mav’s blue eyes. He let out a little laugh. “I believe I’m getting sappy in my old age.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t tell,” Rowan said, exchanging an arch look with Isla.

Isla had forgotten what a raucous bunch Jonah’s family could be, but it was exactly what she needed to kick off this new phase of her life. Furniture was assembled, the grill fired up, and many superlatives expressed as to how happy they were to have her back.

“Why do you have those on your face?” Ben, Katelyn’s eight-year-old, asked Mav while they were eating.

“Do you like them?” Mav asked.

“A lot.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Katelyn warned. “No tattoos until you’re a grown-up.”

“You’re not scared of him?” Rowan asked Ben.

“Ha! No. He looks cool. Old, but cool.”

“Oh, Ben.” Katelyn pursed her lips.

Mav put a hand up. “It’s quite all right. I am old.” He turned to Ben. “But to answer your question, I have them to remember. Each one marks a place or person or event that made me who I am. Does that make sense?”

The eight-year-old squirmed in his seat. “I guess. Would you forget if they weren’t there?”

Mav stared at him, something pensive sweeping across his face. “No,” he said with a small chuckle. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t. What really matters tends to get etched beyond skin depth. Good point, son. Let’s say I have them to look cool then.” He winked.

“Okay.” Ben tugged at his dad’s shirt. “Dad, can we do s’mores now?”

“That’s a great idea,” Isla said, sensing Mav could use a break from the attention. “Rowan, why don’t you get that going?”

“Will do.” He rounded up the kids and headed outside.

The other adults followed, and when only Mav and Isla remained inside, she paused as she was clearing paper plates off the table and pointed to the tattoo on Mav’s neck.

“I don’t think I ever asked you. Did you get that hummingbird because of Nana?”

“I did.”

“I think she would have liked it.”

Mav looked at her a long moment. “Thank you,” he said. “That means more than you know.”

Isla dumped the trash in the garbage, then she held her hand out to him. “Come on. Let’s go have some sweets.”

The May evening had cooled off, but as they all sat huddled around the newly fanned flames in the round grill, the chill was kept at bay not only by the fire but also with sweaters around their shoulders, full stomachs, and lively conversation. Isla listened more than she spoke, content to be included, to be part of something bigger beyond her small inner world once more. These people had also lost Jonah, and they’d moved on by leaning on each other. There was strength in that togetherness. No longer would she run away from those connections and perceive them as threats. Never again.

Isla watched Jonah’s mom’s face as she allowed her grandson to feed her a puffed-up marshmallow; saw how her eyes crinkled with laughter as the white goop stuck to her nose. She watched Jonah’s dad help Katelyn pull her jacket onto her shoulders when it slipped down; heard the low murmur of thanks drift through the air. And suddenly the question she’d kept at bay these past two months was no longer a question. Of course Josie was to be part of this family. The Gallaghers had made new room for Isla despite everything that had happened, and despite the fact that her legal claim to them was no more, so who was she to keep them from their blood? From Jonah’s daughter?

Rowan brushed her arm. “You seem far away. What’s up?”

She looked down at the tingling spot where he’d touched her then met his gaze. “I just realized there’s something I need to do,” she said in a hushed voice.

“Oh?”

She stood. “I’ll tell you later. Save my seat?”

“Always.”

The word held that same promise as his look had in the car earlier, and that made her brave, so as she rounded his chair, she let her hand skim across his back. There would be time for them soon, but first she had to call Gemma. Now that the decision had been made, she couldn’t wait another minute.

Isla hurried through the empty house to the front step, where she sat down and clicked open a video call with shaking fingers. Gemma answered on the second ring, but the video was blurry.

“Hold on, I’m putting Josie in her PJs,” she said. “One second… Almost there… Phew.” Two flushed faces came into view. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Isla smiled.

“What’s going on? Aren’t you moving today?”

“I am, but…” Isla cradled the screen in both hands. “I needed to tell you—I want you and Josie to meet Jonah’s family. I want to try. All cards on the table. The wife, the mistress, the tragic death, the child. A new beginning. Maybe that’s what we all need. I’m tired of living in the past.”

“Duck,” Josie said, holding up a yellow rubber ducky.

“I like your duck,” Isla said.

“Holy cow,” Gemma said. “That was unexpected.”

“I’m sorry it’s taken me this long.”

“Are you sure?” Gemma asked.

“I’m sure-sure.”

“Bird,” Josie said, leaning closer to the camera while pulling at her nightgown.

Isla squinted. Was that…?

“Baby, can you let Mommy talk?” Gemma said to Josie. Then to Isla, “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

“No worries. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you. So much.” Gemma’s video feed bounced as Josie climbed into her lap. “I’m… I don’t know what else to say.”

“Maybe we can talk tomorrow. Make plans?”

“I’d like that.”

Josie was rubbing her eyes.

“Aw, she’s so tired,” Isla said. “And I love her nightgown.” She moved her phone closer, so she could better see the hummingbird print on the front. “Your mom has good taste, Josie. Did you get that for my benefit?” she asked Gemma.

“You’d think.” Gemma brought a stuffed animal into the picture that Josie immediately hugged close. “But this is actually the only piece of clothing she’s inherited from me.”

“I love that.” Seeing the bird settled it for Isla once and for all. This was meant to be. She’d made the right call.

“Yeah, it has quite a story too. According to my mom, we showed up at the shelter when we left my dad with only the clothes on our backs and her guitar, but the nice social worker lady assigned to us gave us a duffel bag full of stuff and told me this T-shirt was special and would protect me. And it did, so I kept it. Works as a nightgown too.” Gemma smiled and poked a finger into Josie’s chest, making her laugh.

The light was fading fast, the clouds on the horizon now more purple than orange, and around Isla a deep stillness settled in.

“Okay, baby, should we say goodnight?” Gemma ruffled her daughter’s hair.

“Night-night,” Josie said.

Isla blew her a kiss as Gemma called out, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The screen went dark, but Isla kept staring at it, an odd stirring billowing inside her—little sparks lighting up the obscured corners of her mind like fireflies, one here, one there, tempting her to follow. A social worker with a hummingbird shirt…

No, it couldn’t be, could it?

Just then, a rapid flutter caught Isla’s eye in the light spilling out from the upstairs window where later that night she’d settle in to sleep.

The bird was there one moment.

And then it was gone.

* * *

If you were hooked by Isla’s story, you will love Her Secret Life , an emotional and gripping page-turner about how the people closest to us can have the most heartbreaking secrets...

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