Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Lily
The island was buzzing with the kind of joy that couldn’t be contained.
Word had spread fast that Luke had been found.
Injured, yes, but alive. That alone had sent a ripple of relief across Martha’s Vineyard, reaching every corner, every heart that had held its breath for him.
Lily hadn’t seen the community this unified since Anna’s father passed, and even then, grief had stitched them together. Today, it was hope.
Saturday mornings at the studio were sacred.
Lily kept the door propped open, the salty ocean breeze dancing through the air as the familiar smell of clay and kiln-warmed air filled the space.
Sunlight spilled in through the high windows, golden and warm, as if the day itself was joining in the celebration.
Blaze and Nora were already smocked and elbow deep in clay, their excitement practically vibrating through their little bodies.
“We want to make something for Dad!” Blaze declared the moment they walked in. He spoke the words with more confidence than he had in weeks, and Lily’s heart melted.
“Yeah! A surprise,” Nora added, eyes shining.
Lily smiled. “Then let’s make it special. Something he can hold onto, always.”
Anna was there, too, more alive than Lily had seen her since she’d been notified Luke was missing.
She was practically vibrating with happiness.
Her daughter moved between tables with a lightness that had been missing for far too long.
Lily watched her from across the room, her own chest swelling with something like pride.
Or maybe it was just relief. Joy. Both, maybe.
Margot sat perched on a stool near the back, helping two young students roll out slabs for mugs. Tom leaned against the doorframe, his usual quiet presence anchoring them all. He sipped his coffee, watching the kids with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“He’s going to have one heck of a story,” Tom said when Lily passed him a second mug.
“You think he remembers everything that happened?” Lily asked, her voice hushed with wonder.
“He’s alive. That’s enough story for now,” Tom said. “The rest will come in time.”
Blaze and Nora were giggling at the wheels now, clay spinning under their fingers as they shaped an anchor together. Blaze had insisted on carving their initials into it. Nora had made a heart around their initials in the middle.
“Can we glaze them blue? Dad’s favorite color,” Blaze said, cheeks smudged with clay.
“We can glaze them any way you want,” Lily replied. “This is your gift.”
Anna joined them then, crouching down beside Blaze to help smooth the edge of the anchor. Her hair had been pulled back in a messy bun, a streak of clay across her cheek. She looked young. Happy.
“You’re doing such a great job,” she told her son. Then she glanced at Lily. “Luke’s going to love this.”
Lily nodded. She was glad that she was no longer in her depressed funk and that she could give this moment to her daughter, her son-in-law, and her grandkids.
Had she not come out of her grief, the kids wouldn’t even know how to make an anchor or do any of the things to it that they were now doing with their own hands.
That was something to be grateful for.
The rest of the morning passed in a hum of activity.
Kids came in with their parents; friends stopped by to offer hugs and warm wishes.
There were pastries on the front table that someone had dropped off anonymously and a card signed simply: The island is with you.
Lily had to blink back tears when she read it.
At some point, the bell above the door jingled, and Lily turned instinctively to greet whoever had arrived. She expected another neighbor, or maybe one of Anna’s old high school friends who had heard the news and wanted to stop by.
But when she saw him, everything stopped.
Luke stood in the doorway, dressed in fatigues that looked too big on his lean frame. He had a cast on his left arm, his right shoulder bandaged. There were stitches above one brow, and a healing bruise across his jaw. But he was there. Real. Alive.
“Dad?” Blaze’s voice was small, like he was afraid to believe it.
Luke smiled. “Hey, buddy.”
A bowl Blaze had been working on slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor. But no one cared. Blaze ran first, nearly tripping over his own feet, arms outstretched. Luke dropped to one knee with a grimace and caught him, pulling his son close as Nora followed, flinging herself into the hug.
Anna was frozen, hands pressed to her mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. Then she moved.
She crossed the studio in seconds, her arms wrapping around all three of them as tears fell freely down her cheeks. She kissed Luke’s forehead, his jaw, his mouth. She touched his face like she still didn’t believe he was real.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again,” she whispered.
“I promised I’d come home,” Luke said, his voice rough with emotion.
Lily stood there, watching them, tears slipping down her face. Margot was crying, too, and even Tom had tears in his eyes. The entire studio had gone still, every eye on the miracle in front of them.
“I…I don’t understand. How did you…The soldier said that you were in surgery and that they would call us. No one did, no matter how many phone calls I made, but…how are you here?”
“There’s a little lag time between my rescue and the notification,” Luke answered with a chuckle. “More than likely, when you learned I’d been found, I was already released from the hospital and boarding the plane home.”
“But they texted…” Anna started, she shook her head and stopped. “It doesn’t matter. This is the best surprise that I’ve ever gotten. I can’t believe you’re real or that you’re here.”
“Once they released me from the hospital, I got lucky that a flight was leaving within the hour. It all worked out perfectly so I could get home to you guys. I…it’s all I thought about.”
“I want to hear everything when you’re ready,” Anna said. “But for now, I’m just going to hug you every five seconds.”
“Hug away,” he chuckled.
“What a miracle,” Lily said, stepping forward. She reached out to her son-in-law and cupped his good cheek, her hand trembling. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”
He smiled. “It’s good to be home.”
The reunion unraveled slowly, like a song that refused to end. Everyone took turns hugging him, touching his arm, making sure he was really there. He held Nora tight, whispering something into her ear that made her grin through her tears.
Anna never let go of him.
When the kids returned to their projects, Luke watched them with awe. His hand found Anna’s, threading their fingers together.
“They made you a gift,” Anna said, laughing softly through her tears. “You were supposed to be surprised later.”
“I still am,” he said. “More than you know.”
“Look, Dad! Grandma helped us make it!” Nora said excitedly. “It’s not glazed yet, and it still has to go into the fire, but this is it.”
Blaze took his dad’s hand and pulled him closer to where Nora was pointing. “It’s an anchor to show how we kept the shore in sight, and we were all anchored together when you were missing.”
“And it has our initials on it. Look, A for Mommy. L for you. B for Blaze. And N for me! And I put a heart on it, too.”
“This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten. I’ll take it with me everywhere,” Luke said as he pulled the kids into an awkward hug, trying not to bump his arm.
“Grandma taught us a lot while you were gone,” Blaze said.
“I’m glad to see Grandma in the studio again. It looks like you all have been really busy.”
“We have!” Nora exclaimed. “Grandma’s been teaching other kids how to make pottery, and we’ve been her special helpers. She even made something for the local art fair, and we got to help her with it. She said she’s going to change the name of her pottery to Lily, Blaze, and Nora productions.”
Nora was grinning proudly as she rattled off the words. Blaze looked pretty proud of himself, too. Seeing how excited her grandkids were about making the pottery and learning from her felt good. It helped ease the ache in her heart that popped up every now and then.
“Well, I think today should be full of celebration when we’re all done here. What do you say, Lily?” Margot asked.
“I think that’s the best thing you’ve said today,” she replied playfully.
“Well, why don’t I go to the grocery store and get us some food, and I’ll make my famous clam chowder tonight. Do you have any special requests, Luke?” Margot asked.
“Clam chowder seems like the perfect dinner for tonight. Especially if I’m surrounded by my family while eating it.”
“I’ll sneak in some surprises, too,” Margot said with a wink.
She gave a quick wave and was out the door before anyone could say anything else.
Anna stayed attached to Luke. She couldn’t take her eyes off him while Lily went back to finishing up the class.
She could see her daughter looking her husband over carefully, taking stock of his injuries and fussing over him in the best way.
Luke just continued to look back at her adoringly while also keeping an eye on the kiddos.
Lily knew that the two of them probably wanted nothing more than to escape back home and be alone, in each other’s arms. They were being really good sports about remaining at the studio and helping out.
“Why don’t you two head back to the house, and I’ll help your mom out here,” Tom offered.
Anna’s eyes immediately flitted to Lily’s. Lily nodded and made a shooing gesture. “The kids and Tom will help me clean up and then we’ll see you guys in a bit.”
Anna mouthed thank you before they hugged the twins and snuck out the back door and away from everyone else.
Lily let out a slow breath, smiling as she watched them go. Her eyes fell back on Tom, and she shot him a grateful smile. He winked before he knelt down and started helping one of the kids with their wheel.
Lily threw up a silent prayer of gratitude for her son-in-law’s safe return home.
He looked relatively unharmed, and that was something to be even more thankful for.
Part of her was elated he was home, but she was also sad because that meant Anna and the kids would be leaving soon, and she’d be back to being alone at the house.
Lily wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that, but one thing she did know was that it wasn’t as scary as it had been when Anna had first arrived.