19. Chapter 19 #2
"However, his father didn’t give up, going so far as to hiring someone to kill Elizabeth.
But O'Brien found out. Together with her parents, he made a plan.
And on a cold March night, he knocked on her door, bags packed, ship docked and waiting for them.
They came here." Bobby clears his throat and someone hands him a bottle of beer.
"Thank you.” He takes a sip and returns to the story.
“Nicholas gave up his status, his wealth, for the love of his life and they travelled all the way to Canada to escape the clutches and reach of his father. They could have gone anywhere in the world. But he had heard of the beautiful autumns in this country and knew Elizabeth loved the fall.”
Kieran lets out a dreamy sigh. He’s hugging a bottle of cider to his chest and blindly reaches for a piece of chocolate from the bar on his thigh.
"They settled right here, the space that would become Wayward Hollow.
As soon as they were allowed to, they got married.
If we stop the story here, it would be the happiest of endings.
O'Brien built their home. He even built the gazebo you can still see standing here today.
" He points at it and collectively, all heads turn toward around.
I blush. The exact same place I made out with Erik at, not even an hour ago. Who knew it had such a significance to Wayward Hollow’s history and such a romantic backstory?
"Wow, I never thought it was so old." Nic mumbles with her mouth full.
"Obviously, it's gained a few coats of paint since then and a repair or two," Bobby chuckles and taps his cane on the ground. "They didn’t know anyone here, didn’t have a dime to their name.
But what they had was each other and a community of people, eager to make this place their new home.
" He points his cane at all of us. "The community that's still a testament to Wayward Hollow today.”
“I’m scared of where this is going,” I confide in Erik. “Am I going to cry by the end of the story?”
“Maybe.”
I pout and try to steal a piece of chocolate from Kieran. At first he holds the bar out of reach, then he seemingly remembers Erik shared marshmallows with him and offers me one piece.
"Ultimately, O'Brien got a job with the railway. It was a tearful goodbye as he left west, without his wife."
My breath gets stuck in my throat. I hate where this story is going.
"He came back six months later," Bobby clears his throat, "after he found out she had died."
"No," Lauren gasps, hands flying to her face to cover her mouth.
My eyes burn with tears. Quickly, I swallow past the knot in my throat.
"Days after he left, Elizabeth injured herself, working in the bakery she occasionally helped out at," he continues, the fire reflecting in his eyes as he directs them to the ground, "and it would be her demise. She developed sepsis, which, ultimately, killed her."
You could hear a pin drop in the silence.
“I hate this story,” Kieran murmurs, softly enough so only I hear it. All I can offer as reply is a nod.
"By the time he returned, Elizabeth was already buried. O'Brien never recovered from his loss."
Nic and Henry exchange hushed words I can't make out, Laurens fingers dig into Caleb’s forearm.
"O'Brien went to his wife's grave every single day and put a flower on it. Rain or shine, he went."
Erik’s arm around me stiffens and when I glance up at him, his jaw is set and he blinks rapidly.
"He never left Wayward Hollow again, vowed to stay close to her until the end.
He spent the rest of his life building the town that was supposed to become their home, only asking for one thing: every year in the fall, there would be a celebration.
A way to honor his wife, who used to love watching the leaves change color so much. "
One hot tear rolls down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away.
"Some people visiting Wayward Hollow have reported hearing a woman's voice at night, crying out for her husband."
"Oh damn, I got goosebumps," Lauren whispers and rubs her arms. Instead of a reply, Caleb zips his jacket around her shoulders and turns so the heat from the fire can reach her.
"So, even a hundred something years later, we come together here in Wayward Hollow and celebrate the fall." He gets up and lets out a heavy sigh. “And Elizabeths life.” He lifts his beer. “To Elizabeth.”
"To Elizabeth." Andrea repeats and lifts her cup toward the fire.
"To Elizabeth," everyone around the campfire mumbles before drinking to her. I don’t have a drink, so I lift the s'more that appeared in my hand instead.
"What a sad story," I mumble to no one in particular and stare into the flames.
Life is so short, and even people who deserve their happy ending aren’t guaranteed one. The realization is so heavy, it makes the one I got for my divorce look like a feather in hindsight. I glance at Erik.
Who am I to deny myself a happy ending?
He's right here. He feels right. And as if he can read my mind, he meets my eyes and everything else in the world ceases to exist. There’s only him and his beautiful green eyes and the fact we’re dating. It’s so surreal.
"Hey guys." Suddenly Nic appears in front of us and destroys our little moment. "We're having a campfire by the lakeshore later. Do you guys want to come?"
Erik’s eyes dart between Nic and me as he waits for me to answer.
"Sure." I nod eagerly. "I'd love to."
"Are you coming too, Erik?" She doesn’t bat an eye at the way we’re sitting here, arms around each other, so close, not a sheet of paper would fit between us.
"I'd love to," he echoes, lips tugging into a smile.
"Great." Nic's face lights up and she skips back over to Henry. Suddenly Kieran's voice appears right next to my ear.
“Psst, Kylie!”
"Kieran." I put my palm over his face, gently pushing him away.
"Do you have any friends you can set me up with?" He pouts and pulls my hand off his face.
"Sorry." I giggle. The poor guy, being the only single person in a friend group must suck. "All of them are married."
"Happily?” I nod. “Damn." He crosses his arms in front of his chest, pouting. "I mean, great. Good for them," he grumbles and turns away from me.
He's ridiculous and I love everything about it.
"You want another marshmallow?" Erik offers me the pack.
"Hell yes." I take one and pop it into my mouth. God, I love this autumn fair. Even more, knowing it was created to honor who sounds like an incredible woman. I wonder what Elizabeth would think of it, knowing her husband continued to honor her all these years.