Epilogue
Gathering The Fragments
Maliyah
The cool wind off Boston Harbor whipped my hair across my face as we made our way around Pleasure Bay. Lucas ran ahead, stopping every few feet to examine something—a shell, a rock, a piece of something questionable that I made him toss back.
"Mom, look!" He pointed at a far-away sailboat cutting through the choppy water. "Think I could learn to sail?"
"Maybe," I called back, tucking my hair behind my ears for the hundredth time. "Ask Reed because I’m much happier on solid ground."
Reed walked beside me, hands in his jacket pockets, looking relaxed despite the wind. Seven months of this—of us—and I still found myself stealing glances at him, still felt that flutter when he smiled at me.
In the months since he'd whispered "I love you" that night, we’d been building something real and lasting. Together. He had proven over and over that he wasn't going anywhere.
"Mama, I'm cold!" Zoe announced, materializing at my side and grabbing my hand.
"We're almost there, honey." I promised. The walk around Pleasure Bay brought us full circle—back to our starting point.
Ahead of us, on the beach, Felicity sat on a blanket with Caden.
While she’d insisted on coming, she’d wanted to stay put, claiming she needed to rest. Fair enough—I expected her to be exhausted by now.
Macy was lying out alongside them on her own blanket—at thirteen, she was starting to assert a bit of independence.
"Reed, can we get ice cream after?" Zoe tugged on his jacket.
"You just said you were cold, Zo! You sure you want ice cream?"
"Ice cream won’t make me any colder—it will just make it even!"
He laughed, ruffling her hair. "Well, that makes perfect sense. Guess I can't argue with your logic."
The water stretched out before us, gray-blue under gathering clouds. Something about this place—the permanence of it. The way it had weathered storms and time. It felt right for today, though I couldn't say why.
"Lucas, stay in sight!" I called as he scrambled up a rocky outcropping.
"Okay, Mom!"
Reed's hand found mine, warm from his coat pockets. I squeezed back, leaning into him slightly as we walked.
Harbor House was thriving. We'd expanded our programming, added two new counselors, and the DV self-defense classes Reed had started were now running at five different shelters across the city on a continual basis.
Last month, one of our residents had used what she'd learned to escape a dangerous situation.
She'd come back to thank Reed personally, and I'd watched him fight tears as she'd hugged him.
Reed kissed my temple as Zoe tugged at his other hand. "You ready for next week?" he asked.
"The hearing?" I breathed out a laugh. "Not even a little."
But I was. We both were.
We were meeting with legislators to share our experience—not just mine, but the systemic failures Reed had seen for years. It felt strange, stepping into that kind of spotlight. But if telling our story meant one woman got help faster, or one violent man lost his loophole—then it was worth it.
And Reed, as always, would be right beside me.
As we came around the bend, the wind whipped my hair into a frenzy.
As we approached where Felicity and her family were waiting on the beach, I began to pull my hair into a ponytail, trying to get it off my face.
I started talking about my ideas for the shelter’s program expansion.
"I was thinking about if I should do a run through in front of a few people first, or not.
What do you think?" I finished putting my hair up and glanced over at Reed, expecting a response.
He wasn't there. I turned, words dying on my lips. Reed was on one knee behind me on the path, a small box in his hands. Lucas and Zoe had stopped running ahead and were standing beside him, wide-eyed. My heart stopped.
"Reed—"
"Maliyah Davenport," he said, his voice carrying over the wind.
"You are the strongest, most incredible woman I've ever known.
You've shown me what real courage looks like.
What it means to heal and grow and choose love even when it's scary.
" His eyes were bright, focused entirely on my face.
"I want to spend the rest of my life proving I'm worthy of the trust you've given me.
I want to be here for every high and low, every victory and challenge.
I want to be your partner, your best friend, your forever. "
He opened the first box, revealing a ring that caught the light—simple, elegant, perfect.
"Will you marry me?"
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Could only stare at this man kneeling before me, offering everything.
"Yes," I finally managed, the word coming out rough. "Yes, of course yes."
He stood, sliding the ring onto my finger with shaking hands, then pulled me into a kiss that tasted like salt air and promises and home.
"Hey!" Zoe's voice broke through. "Us too!"
Reed pulled back, laughing and crying at the same time as Zoe tried to smoosh in between us to get in on the hug. "I actually have something for you both." He turned to Lucas first, getting down on his haunches. He pulled out two boxes from his jacket pocket.
"Lucas, I know things haven’t always been perfect.
But I hope in time you’ll come to see me as someone important in your life.
I hope you’ll let me teach you things and support you and be there when you need me.
" He pulled out a wrist watch. "Remember when I taught you to tell time on a real clock? "
Lucas nodded, eyes wide.
“I’ve been saving this for the right moment.
This watch is special.” He flipped it over, revealing the polished silver back where an inscription caught the sunlight.
Lucas leaned in, his dark eyes widening as he traced his finger over the engraved words I couldn't quite make out from where I stood.
His bottom lip trembled for just a moment before he launched himself forward, throwing his skinny arms around Reed's neck with such force that Reed had to steady himself with one hand against the sandy path.
Lucas pulled back, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
He cradled the watch in his palms like it was made of spun glass, turning it over to read the inscription again.
The silver gleamed against his brown skin as he traced the second hand's journey around the face with his index finger.
"Can you put it on me?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Reed nodded, taking the watch with steady hands and fastening the leather band around Lucas's slender wrist, adjusting it carefully until it sat just right.
Lucas looked at Reed, his small fingers still tracing the watch face.
He shifted his weight from one sneaker to the other, the worn rubber soles grinding against the sandy path.
"Since you and mom are getting married," he started, voice cracking slightly, "would it be okay if I called you Rad?
" His question hung in the salt-tinged air between them, fragile as sea foam.
Lucas's shoulders hunched forward as he dropped his gaze to his shoes, the frayed laces trailing in the sand.
"Is that dumb?" he added in a whisper so faint it nearly dissolved in the wind coming off the harbor.
"Why Rad, kid?"
Lucas scuffed his sneaker against the sand, eyes darting between the watch and Reed's face.
"I don't know if I'm ready to call you dad yet," he said, voice cracking slightly as his fingers twisted the leather watchband.
"But I was thinking... Reed plus Dad equals Rad.
" A tentative smile flickered across his face, hopeful and vulnerable. "You know?"
Reed's face crumpled. "I would be honored."
They hugged, hard and tight, and I had to press my hand to my mouth to keep from sobbing.
Reed turned to Zoe, who was practically vibrating with anticipation. "And you, my little butterfly."
He opened the last box, revealing a delicate charm bracelet with three charms attached to it.
"This bracelet has three charms to start. A butterfly, because you taught me that beautiful things can fly. This little police shield has my badge number engraved in tiny little numbers, it’s here so you'll always know I'm protecting you.
And the last charm has birthstones—one for you, one for Lucas, one for your mom, and one for me. Because we're a family now."
Zoe's eyes were huge. "Really?"
"Really. And I promise, for every important moment in your life, we'll add a new charm—all of them. Because I'm going to be there for all of it, if you'll have me."
She launched herself at him, nearly knocking him over, and Lucas joined in, and then I was there too, all of us wrapped together on the windy trail while the harbor waves crashed below.
"We should probably head back," I said eventually, wiping my eyes. "I’m sure Felicity is exhausted and ready to head home."
We made our way over to their blankets. Lucas was examining his watch while Zoe was holding her bracelet up to catch the light. As we walked, Reed's arm was around my shoulders, and I kept staring down at my ring as it glinted in the sun that had finally broken through the clouds.
As we approached, I could see Felicity standing now, Caden beside her, both looking toward us with odd expressions.
"Felicity!" I called, waving my left hand. "Look! We're engaged!"
She smiled, but there was something strained about it. "That's wonderful! Really, I'm so happy for you."
"Are you okay?" I asked as we got closer. "You look—"
"My water broke." She said it calmly, like she was commenting on the weather. "About five minutes ago. We should probably get to the hospital."
The world tilted. "Your water—oh my God, why didn't you come get me?!"
"You were having a moment." She winced slightly. "I wasn't going to interrupt Reed proposing. Besides, contractions are still pretty far apart."
"How far apart?"
"About eight minutes." Another contraction hit, and Felicity gripped Caden's arm. "Okay, maybe seven. We really should go."
"Right. Hospital. Now." I looked at Reed, who was already pulling out his phone.
"I'll drive you," he said. "My car's closest."
We rushed to the parking lot in a chaotic blur—Lucas and Zoe asking a hundred questions, Felicity breathing through contractions, Caden gathering their things, Macy hovering anxiously nearby.
As we loaded everyone into vehicles, Felicity caught my hand. "I'm really happy for you," she said quietly. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."
"You better have that baby today! I want to share this day with my nephew for all time," I managed, and she laughed through a contraction.
"I’ll make sure he knows to come quickly—after we get to the hospital first though."
Reed appeared at my elbow. "Ready?"
For a split second, I thought back to the morning Felicity told me she was pregnant...not only pregnant, but with a boy! Her hands had shaken, both of us laughing and crying as our worlds tilted and filled with light. That spark of hope she’d given me then felt a lot like this moment now.
I looked at Reed—my fiancé! A fiancé who was now calmly organizing a rush to the hospital for my sister, who'd somehow become the center of our chaotic, beautiful life.
"Ready," I said, and meant it.
For whatever came next, we were ready. Together.