Epilogue
Remy and Avery were married in a quiet ceremony at the courthouse just as soon as he received the proper paperwork to make him legal in the eyes of the system.
Remy didn’t even bother to tell her family that she was getting married.
Lucy, Jesse, Theresa, and Sean were in attendance and provided all the familial love and support the couple needed.
Avery found work at a grocery store during the day and took a few college classes at night. It turned out that he had quite a head for business. He and Remy were able to secure a business loan and opened a quaint bed and breakfast in the Colonial Williamsburg area in Virginia.
Remy and Avery befriended all the ghosts who haunted the area, and Remy loved running her own ghost tours.
The spirits were happy to give a good scare to the guests who were seeking a thrill, and always backed off from those who were a bit too timid.
Remy was like a sister or even a mother figure to the spirits, much the way Fillis had been to all of her adopted children.
She did her best to bring peace to the spirits and helped them to cross over whenever possible.
Those who were still earthbound were more than happy to stand guard over the bed and breakfast during the several times in the year when it was closed to the public, allowing Avery and Remy the chance to travel like they had always dreamed.
They remained in close contact with Lucy, Jesse, Theresa, and Sean, and managed to make friends all over the country and the world as they traveled.
It was important that Theresa and Sean marry as well, so she could live with him on whatever military base where he was stationed.
Sean had begun writing about his struggles with PTSD and planned on writing a book in the hopes of helping other soldiers.
When he eventually retired from active military duty, he wanted to travel around and give talks to soldiers, hoping to break the stigma of the debilitating disease.
Theresa graduated from school and began a career counseling soldiers, specializing in those who suffered with PTSD and those who were victims of sexual assault in the military, both male and female.
After her graduation, Theresa married Sean in an elaborate military ceremony on base paid for by her parents.
Remy was thrilled to finally be able to meet her generous benefactor, Theresa’s father.
She had written him many letters, telling him of her success and how she was putting her college degree to good use.
Remy asked him to dance at the wedding, and he happily agreed.
He was one of the kindest, most charming gentlemen she had ever met.
As for Theresa, it wasn’t easy, but she managed to make it all the way through the wedding ceremony and reception before having sex with her new husband.
It was the first time Lucy had ever seen Jesse cry.
She greeted him at the door when he came home from work one day and wrapped her arms around him.
“Hi, darlin’,” Jesse said, kissing his wife.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” she began.
“Oh, no, should I be worried?” Jesse asked, a twinkle in his eye.
“You know how I have lots of special names for you like darling, my love, my cowboy, Rebel-of-My-Heart…”
Jesse chuckled and said, “I believe that last one’s my favorite.”
Lucy smiled. “I think I have another one for you.”
“’Zat right? And what might that be?”
Softly, she said, “How about…Daddy?”
Jesse stared at her for a moment, processing the information. Then he looked at her plaintively, silently pleading with her to tell him it was true. It had always been his dream to have children, a dream he had thought was lost to him when he had died so young in the war.
Lucy gently stroked his face and said, “You’re gonna be a father, Jesse.”
He glanced down at her stomach, then back up to her face. “Lucy,” he whispered.
She pulled him into her arms and held him close. When she released him, she saw that his eyes were filled with tears.
“Thank you, my darling,” Jesse said, letting his tears spill down his cheeks.
Lucy laughed gently and said, “Well, I had help, you know.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly.
Jesse nodded. “Our baby.”
“Yes,” Lucy said, pulling him into her arms again.
As soon as the ultrasound revealed they were having a daughter, Jesse began referring to the baby as his little Rosebud.
He read lots of parenting books and spoke to Lucy’s belly so much that she swore the child would be born with a Southern accent.
They pored over baby name books together but had trouble coming up with a name that sounded just right for their child.
Then one day, after spending the day shopping with her mother, the answer finally came to Lucy.
“Jesse, I think I know what we should name the baby,” Lucy said as she sat on the couch next to him.
“Yeah?”
“Sarah Fillis.”
Jesse’s eyes opened wide. “Both my mamas!”
“Yes,” Lucy said, putting her arm around him and snuggling up next to him. “I just keep thinking how lucky I am that my family is close by and can be a part of our baby’s life. This way yours can be, too.”
“Yeah…yeah! That’s her name!” he said, smiling and rubbing Lucy’s growing belly.
When Sarah Fillis finally arrived, Jesse pronounced her the second most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.
She had his blue-gray eyes and soft, brown hair.
The hospital was overrun by Westbrooks clamoring to see the new baby, but Jesse and Lucy finally had a moment alone in the hospital at the end of the day.
Lucy held Sarah, who was sleeping in her arms, as Jesse leaned down and pressed his head down to cuddle up next to his wife and daughter. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. When he lifted his head, his eyes were wet.
“Lucy, it’s like you’re makin’ every dream I ever had come true, one by one.”
She smiled up at him, and he kissed her softly.
“I love you, Jesse.”
“I love you, too, darlin’.”