Epilogue
ONE YEAR AND SOME DAYS LATER
Sophie
“Sometimes, good things fall apart, so better things can fall together.”
I fluff the skirt of my yellow sundress and slide my feet into my brown leather sandals. I give myself one last once over in the mirror, apply my guava lip balm, and toss my hair over my shoulder. It’s Ellie’s surprise seventieth birthday party today, and I am so excited.
I jog down the steps of my husband’s childhood home that I now share with him, to join my little family waiting in the foyer. I already knew I was going to stay when Liam told me he loved me. I knew I was going to stay the second I found the photograph. I wanted a sign and there it was, right there in Leah’s box of photographs. It made perfect sense to me at that moment why things with James didn’t work out. I was meant to find my way back to Liam. It sounds corny but I believe Leah was looking down and helping us find each other.
Liam and I got married just six months after I moved to Cape May on a rainy Saturday in October. What can I say? When you know, you know. I was worried about the rain because we were having a beach wedding but just before I walked down the aisle, the clouds parted, and a rainbow appeared overhead. Leah…I’m sure of it.
Lucy was our flower girl, and she wore a pale pink halter dress with rosettes on the top and a tulle skirt. I wore a simple lace V-neck gown that dropped low in the back. Liam wore a tan suit with a white shirt and an open collar. Claire stood by my side joined by Ellie. Liam had Doc as his best man because he said Doc never stopped believing in Liam’s ability to forgive himself. Danny, Jack, and Miles joined him.
Of course, my family came. Simon was elated and to this day won’t stop talking about how he knew who Liam was “the whole time.” Liam’s parents flew up from Florida and stayed in the house with us. I loved getting to know them. I fully believe seeing Liam heal and fall in love helped to heal them too.
When I reached the huppah, finally standing at Liam’s side, I glanced over at his mom, and she was crying. She blew us a kiss and mouthed “thank you” to me. She told me later she was thanking me for saving her son. I don’t think I saved him; I think we saved each other. Our wedding was a beautiful day that I will remember forever but our life? Our life is magic.
“Mama!” Lucy shrieks when she sees me. She tries to wiggle out of Liam’s arms. She is almost two and a half and is becoming a little spitfire. I take her from Liam, and she puts her hands on my face. “Mama, you look pretty.” She strokes my face. Turns out, I did get to be someone’s mama after all.
Ellie is still our neighborhood grandma. She and Robert are enjoying retirement together and traveling all over the place. When they’re home though, they’re babysitting Lucy for us so we can work. Shortly after I told Liam I was staying, we went to Ellie’s house where we shared the news with everyone else. I asked Robert if he would be willing to sell his office space to me and he said yes. He still saw patients part-time for the last six months, but now he’s fully retired. I’m trying to convince Claire to move down here and work with me. I think I’m getting closer.
Today is a beautiful August day. It’s hot but there is a cool morning breeze that is bringing with it the salty smell of the ocean. We’re gathering at a breakfast place downtown that Liam and I bought out for the morning, and Robert will convince her to go out for breakfast for her birthday. We get there early to make sure everything is set up, there are balloon arches and a photo-op area. There is a buffet and a mimosa bar, and everything is decorated in yellow, cream, and champagne colors. It looks beautiful. We’re expecting all the Perry Street neighbors, Ellie’s church friends and book club and my family even made the trip. As our guests arrive and mingle, I get a text that says they just parked.
“Everybody, they’re almost here! Find a hiding spot,” I shout. Everyone finds a less than obvious spot to stand or crouch down and the room becomes hushed.
The moment Ellie walks in, the room erupts in chaos as everyone yells, “Surprise!”
Ellie shrieks and her eyes search the room for Liam and me. When she finds us, she points and says, “You got me good!” We laugh and walk over to hug her and Robert. She gives us a big squeeze.
“You have to give Ellie her gift now,” Liam nudges me, hoisting Lucy up higher in his arms. As it turns out, Liam and I have been keeping a secret from everyone . I found out earlier this summer that I am pregnant. It was the shock of my life and the last thing I expected but as it turns out, sometimes things really do work out for a reason. I was meant to become a mama… with Liam. Today, I am thirteen weeks along—further than I have ever made it—and we are so excited to share the news.
“What! No gifts,” Ellie swats him. “This party is my gift.”
I reach into my handbag and pull out a small gold box with a cream-colored ribbon and hand it to her. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll want this one,” I grin.
Ellie gasps as she opens the box to find a square black and white ultrasound photo. The ultrasound tech typed on the photo, “Hi Grandma!” and we just knew we had to save it for Ellie’s birthday present. “You? You’re pregnant?” she asks, and I see her eyes fill with tears immediately.
My eyes prick with tears as well and then we hug, rocking back and forth. I pull apart from her, sniffle, and wipe my eyes. “That was the hardest secret to keep,” I exhale.
Liam chimes in, “We know you already act like a grandma to Lucy, but we’d love it if you would officially be grandma to her and this little girl too.” He is beaming.
“Girl?” Ellie shrieks, covering her mouth.
I nod through my tears and wipe my eyes.
“We’re going to call her Leah Eleanor.” Liam wraps his arms around all of us in a triple hug and I know we’re making a scene now.
“Now that’s something to celebrate!” Ellie shouts, pulling away from us. “Everyone! Forget my birthday, Sophie is pregnant!”
The room erupts into cheers and congratulations, and I think I have never been happier.
* * *
I’ve learned a lot in the last year. I’ve learned that you can love someone hard and have them never love you back the way you love them. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to pick yourself up and carry on even when it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. I’ve learned to trust the timing of my life and to believe in fate. Things can fall to pieces, but sometimes you have to let them fall apart so better things can fall together. The tides may change but one morning you will wake up and just know it’s going to be a good day, without having prayed for it the night before. That’s worth waiting for, even if it takes thirty years to find it.