Epilogue
Party this way! Posterboard signs directed guests to a gazebo in the town park, which was festooned with helium balloons and crepe paper streamers. Chris stood on the top step of the gazebo and waved to Danny Irwin, Carrie Andrews, and Jake and Hannah Gwynn as they arrived, Carrie’s son and daughter in tow. They joined the crowd, which included most of their fellow search and rescue members and all the friends who had made the day possible.
Chris’s mom, April, came to stand beside her. “I’ve got the cake safely stowed in the cooler in the ballfield concession stand,” she said. “I’ll get a couple of guys to help me bring it over here when it’s time.”
“Thanks, Mom.” April wore a sundress in a pink-rose print, another rose tucked into her pinned-up hair. Her eyes were shining, and she looked younger than her fifty years. “It’s so good having you here with us,” Chris said.
“It’s good to be here.”
Danny and Carrie mounted the steps, a large wrapped gift in Danny’s hand. Serena skipped up the steps behind them. “Is that present for me?” she asked. In the months since she had come to live with first Chris, then Chris and Rand, she had blossomed into a smart, sensitive child with a deep affection for animals and a love of learning. She had also experienced a growth spurt, necessitating a whole new wardrobe, including the tie-dyed sundress “with the twirly skirt” that she was wearing now. The three of them were in counseling to deal with the trauma she had endured. Chris was surprised by how much the regular meetings with a therapist had helped her deal with her own struggles with her past.
“That depends,” Danny said. “Who is this party for?”
“It’s for me!” Serena threw her hands into the air.
Danny laughed. “Of course. How could I forget!” He handed over the gift. “Then this is for you.”
“Don’t mind him.” Carrie nudged him. “Happy birthday, Serena.”
“Happy birthday!” those around them chorused.
“Do you want to open your gifts before or after the cake?” Chris asked.
“After.” She grinned. “It makes it more exciting to wait.” She added the package to the pile of gifts on a table in the center of the gazebo, then came over to wrap one arm around Chris and lean against her. “I already got my favorite present.”
“You mean, the bicycle?” Rand joined them.
“No. I mean you and Mom.”
Chris’s heart still struck an extra beat at that word—Mom. It had been a long process through the foster care system to get to this day, but the struggle had been worth it for this precious girl—her daughter.
“And I thought that was the best present we ever received,” Rand said. He kissed Serena’s cheek. She grinned, then caught sight of someone across the yard. “Amber!” she shouted, and ran to catch up with Carrie’s daughter.
“Is the adoption final already?” Hannah asked.
“We have a few more months to wait,” Chris said. “But there haven’t been any setbacks so far.” She held up crossed fingers.
“And no more noise from Edmund Harrison and his followers?” Danny asked.
“Harrison is facing more than a dozen charges,” Jake said. “He’ll go to prison for a long time.”
Bethany bounded up the steps to join them. She had made an attempt to confine her brown curls in a bun, but they were already escaping to form a halo around her face. “My dad wants to know when to fire up the grill,” she said.
“Tell him any time he’s ready,” Chris said.
“I’ll go tell him,” Danny said. “See if he wants some help.”
“He’s already put my brothers to work,” Bethany said. She turned to April. “How are you enjoying your visit to Eagle Mountain, Mrs. Mercer?” she asked.
“Please, call me April. And I’m enjoying it very much. So much I’m thinking of staying. With the Vine uprooted and the Exalted behind bars, it’s safe for me to live near my daughter without fear of drawing the wrong sort of attention to her. And I want to get to know my new granddaughter better.” She looked over to where Serena stood, surrounded by a trio of girls her age.
“We have something else to celebrate today,” Bethany said. She nudged Chris.
Smiling, Chris held out her left hand, sun glinting on the sapphire on the third finger. “We do.”
“Congratulations!” Carrie and Hannah chorused, then leaned in for a closer look at the ring.
“Rand, you finally worked up the nerve to propose?” Jake said.
“I asked her months ago,” Rand said. “It just took her a while to decide to have me.”
Chris blushed. “I wanted to be sure.”
He pulled her close. “You were worth waiting for.”
Bethany sighed. “If I didn’t like you two so much, I’d be jealous. Well, okay, I am a little jealous. But I’m thrilled for you too.”
Chris looked down at the ring on her hand. “Everything okay?” Rand whispered.
She nodded. “It’s just...overwhelming at times. I have so much—friends, my mom, and you and Serena. All things I thought were out of reach for me.”
“I thought they were out of reach for me too,” he said. “I used to think the fine details were what made a difference in life. Those were the things that were small enough for me to control. Now I can appreciate the big things—it doesn’t get much bigger than having a family and raising a child.”
Her eyes met his. The thrill of seeing her love reflected back to her never faded. “We’re going to do this,” she said. “We are.” They kissed, and she was only dimly aware of the cheering around her.