Epilogue
Anna
Six months later
Anna stood on the porch of their cozy new home in Vineyard Haven, her hand resting over the round curve of her belly.
The early morning light spilled through the trees, warming the worn wooden boards beneath her bare feet.
It was December, but she couldn’t get comfortable from all the hot flashes she was having.
She was grateful their new home had a covered porch.
The house wasn’t grand, but it was perfect for them—white clapboard with blue shutters. From the porch, Anna could see the path that wound down toward the street and continued gently down the hill into town. If she leaned just far enough, she could spot the water glinting in the distance.
It was still decent weather for the season, and the kids were adamant that they were going to take advantage of it.
She smiled as she watched the twins pedal their bikes away from the house, their school bags bouncing behind them in their baskets.
“Don’t forget to stop at Grandma’s after school! ” she called after them.
“We won’t!” they chorused, their voices ringing out.
Luke’s hand slid around her waist from behind. He kissed her temple and leaned into her, his presence grounding, warm.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly.
Anna rolled her eyes. “I look like a whale.”
“You look like the mother of my children,” he murmured into her hair. “Which is even better.”
They laughed together, his voice vibrating against her back. Six months pregnant with their third child, a little girl, Anna felt exhausted, sore, and ungainly. But in moments like this, none of that mattered.
Luke was home.
After the terror of his disappearance overseas, the long days waiting to hear news, the impossible fear, he was home. And they had carved out a life. Not one they’d planned necessarily, but one they’d built with love.
Luke was officially retired from the military, but he stayed still for a total of five minutes before he was already making plans for what was next for the family. He and Luke had bounced a dozen different business ideas off each other before they settled on one.
Luke and Cody had launched Harbor it was tucked in the corners of her eyes, in the way she sometimes paused over the teapot David had bought her, or when she touched his old books, but she had found a sort of peace.
And with Tom, she found comfort. The friendship had turned into something warmer, deeper.
Anna had expected it to hurt, had feared it might feel like a betrayal, but it didn’t.
Watching them together felt right. Natural.
Tom brought Lily coffee every morning, fixed whatever needed fixing, and made her laugh.
Anna was happy he was there. Her mother deserved that kind of soft, steady love again.
The screen door banged open, and Luke stepped back as Cody came through, windblown and grinning.
“Thought I’d find you two out here,” he said. “Boat’s in early. Figured I’d come say hi before grabbing lunch.”
“Come on in,” Anna said, stepping aside. “You’ve got time to eat before you’re off again?”
“I do if someone feeds me,” he teased.
Luke laughed and threw an arm around his shoulder as they walked inside. “We got that one group tomorrow who want to catch a hundred fish and then cry about it if they don’t. Should be fun.”
“Can’t wait,” Cody said, deadpan.
Anna watched them, her heart tugging with affection. Their banter never failed to lift her spirits. They had grown incredibly close with them both being back on the Vineyard. It was nice for them to be able to share their military stories with someone who understood the things they’d been through.
The two of them were in the kitchen, scooping out leftover clam chowder into bowls as they talked and laughed. Anna closed her eyes for a minute and listened without watching.
It was hard to believe that a year ago, she was living on Langley Air Force Base and perfectly content with her life.
Yes, she missed her family, but it was a sacrifice a soldier’s wife made.
She didn’t think this life would be on the horizon anytime soon.
Luke had always talked about retiring after thirty years, not twenty.
She wasn’t mad that he retired early, that’s for certain. She was grateful that she listened to her gut and came home when he got deployed. If she hadn’t, she didn’t think they’d be where they were right now. This was the life she’d always dreamed of, but she thought it was a decade away.
This house had seen so much joy already, and even more chaos. Mornings were noisy, dinner was a whirlwind, but every moment felt like a gift.
That evening, after dinner and dishes and putting her feet up with a warm cup of tea, Anna wandered into the living room and looked out the large front window.
The sun was sinking low, turning the water in the distance to molten gold.
The world was quieter now, the laughter and shouts of the kids playing fading with the light.
“You ever think you’d be here?” Luke asked, stepping behind her. “Like really here, back living on the Vineyard, in our home, living our best lives?”
Anna shook her head slowly. “No. I used to dream about it, but after everything… it felt impossible.”
Luke nodded, settling beside her. “But here we are.”
“Here we are,” she echoed, reaching out to brush his hand. “It’s so nice to be present for my family and see their wins, you know? Jess is starting another business.”
“She’s a force. I knew she was smart, but watching her build something from scratch… It’s inspiring.”
“She’s amazing,” Anna agreed. “And having her and Maisie here on the island, too, what a blessing.”
“It really is such a blessed life,” Luke said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in closer.
“Mom,” Blaze said as he and Nora came into the living room. “Why are you guys always out here?”
“Soaking up the sunshine through the windows while we can. We have such an amazing view,” Anna said with a laugh. “Why?”
“Well, we were hoping for family movie night to start before our bedtimes,” he teased.
“Is that tonight? Are you sure it’s not a school night?” Anna joked back.
“C’mon, Mom,” Nora said as she put her hand on her hip. “You know what day it is. We’ve only been waiting to watch this movie for months.”
“I have the popcorn ready,” Blaze told them.
“And I made separate popcorn for those of us who don’t like ours floating in butter and salt,” Nora added as she went back inside.
Luke and Anna laughed before they stood and followed their kids inside the house. They were so blessed that Luke was here today, and even more that they were living the life of their dreams surrounded by their family.
Anna couldn’t believe how lucky they were.
The next night, they had a family dinner at Lily’s house. It was a regular occurrence now. The honors were rotated every week, with Margot and Tom also in the mix.
Later, as the stars came out and the porch filled with soft conversation and the clink of mugs and glasses, Anna leaned against Luke. Cody sat nearby with his feet up, strumming a guitar quietly, and laughter rose from the kitchen where Jess and Margot were trading stories.
Lily sat in her chair with Tom beside her, their hands quietly linked.
Anna closed her eyes for a moment, soaking it in. The love, the warmth, the sound of the waves just beyond the trees.
Her father was gone but not lost. He was here, in all of this.
The Vineyard had healed so many broken things. Her mother’s grief. Luke’s wounds. Her own aching fear.
She opened her eyes again and looked toward the shore.
The sea was endless. Constant. Like love.
She took a deep breath and smiled.
They were home.