Chapter 41
Full Circle
? What My Word Spins Around - Jordan Davis
Griffin
A series of delays kept pushing back the sanctuary’s grand opening, but the sign has finally been hung above the gate next to the dedication bench in the small memorial garden. There’s a massive drape over the whole thing to keep it hidden before the official unveiling ceremony at sunset today.
Wilder uses his teeth to pop the top off his beer and clinks it against mine, then Jaxon’s.
“Proud of you, Griff,” Wilder says. “You had a vision, and you followed through.”
“Couldn’t have done it without either of you.”
Jaxon takes a long pull of his beer, looking over the landscape from the brand new riding arena to the stables and beyond the parking lot to his distillery off in the distance. His business has been up and running for over a year, and it’s thriving.
Our lives have changed so much in the last three years. Our family has grown, our businesses have flourished, and we’ve all found incredible partners to share our life with.
Jessie’s six months old now. She’s sitting up and babbling incoherently right alongside Alice and Annie, and Elsie Rose. Callie, Olivia, and Angie get together every few days for play dates, but I’m convinced it’s just an excuse to talk shit about us behind our backs.
Emmy and Gracie are obsessed with their cousins, while Aiden’s been telling everyone who’ll listen that he’s about to be a big brother.
That’s right, Ruby Lynn Hayes is expecting her first child in the fall.
The media had a field day when she walked on stage to receive an award with her baby bump leading the way.
She’s finally adding another boy to the cousin crew, so Aiden won’t feel so outnumbered anymore.
“How long ‘til everyone arrives?” Jaxon asks.
I check my phone and see a text message from Angie.
Angel: Running late. Your darling daughter had a blowout. Be there in thirty.
Me: Tell her to be nice to her mama and I’ll give her extra bananas.
Angel: The bananas are the problem.
Me: Ok. So whatever has the opposite effect then.
I slide the phone into my back pocket as a truck comes up the drive.
Callie and Olivia arrive together with the kids, followed closely by Mama and Pops.
After that, it’s a steady stream of guests until anyone and everyone who means something to our family is standing just outside the sanctuary gates.
Half of Oak Ridge is here, including Rosie and Archie, and our good friend Ivy and her husband Luca, who live on their own parcel of land near the waterfall.
Catherine Mitchell arrives with her Dad, Phil, who worked on the ranch for years until his son, Ryan, passed.
Callie’s sister, Clio, is here with her daughter Lexi, and she’s standing a few feet ahead of Noah, the owner of Lunar Ink.
An ecstatic Emmy rushes over to Caroline and Shawn as soon as they arrive, and Wilder asks them to join him near the gates.
The last to arrive is my stunning wife and our little girl, wearing matching jean jackets and cowboy boots. My heart gives an involuntary squeeze at the sight before me, overwhelmed by all of the support for this dream I’ve been holding onto for my entire adult life.
Angie and Jessie stand front and center next to Mama and Pops, while Jaxon takes his place beside the gate, ready to pull on the rope that’ll unveil the sign.
I center myself in front of the crowd and clear my throat. I didn’t want to do anything pretentious like hold a microphone. My voice carries well enough on its own.
“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for being here today. This sanctuary has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, my mother, the amazing Evelyn Hayes, taught me that horses have an innate capacity to facilitate emotional and mental healing in humans. They’re also incredibly vulnerable and need to be nurtured and protected.
This sanctuary combines both aspects in one.
So, without further ado, I’d like to welcome you to Angel Ridge Sanctuary. ”
Jaxon tugs on the rope, unveiling the massive sign above the gate.
It’s carved into a large wood plank sourced from the old barn we demolished to build this place.
There are sunflowers around the edge, just like the ones planted further back on the land—but I haven’t taken Angie out there to see them yet. That part is just for us.
Jaxon pats my shoulder and takes his place in the crowd beside Callie. An overwhelming flood of emotions takes hold, and I swipe at my eyes.
I beckon Angie forward and press a kiss to her tear-stained cheek, then to Jessie’s. With them at my side, I find the wherewithal to continue.
“There’s one more thing. Caroline, Shawn. Your daughter, Jessica Louise Hayes, left an indelible mark on the Hayes family that cannot be overstated. She gave us Emmy Lou, and she gave me Angelina and Jessie. Now I dedicate this sanctuary to her memory.”
I unveil the plaque centered on a park bench in the middle of a memorial garden beside the gate. “Without Jess, none of us would be here today.”
Angie glances up at me, chin quivering. “I’m so fucking mad at you,” she whispers. “You could’ve warned me. You know I hate surprises.”
“But you love me.”
“If you say it balances out, I’m gonna kill you.”
I don’t say a word; instead, I pull her to me for a soft kiss.
“Come on in! There are pony rides in the equestrian center, Lick The Spoon is set up outside the stables, and you’re welcome to walk around the trail to watch the horses, or visit the pond to feed the ducks. If you see a fluffy cow wandering around, find Wilder.”
Hand in hand, Angie and I approach Caroline and Shawn sitting on the bench.
“Thank you,” Caroline says, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “You didn’t have to do any of this.”
I give her hand a light squeeze. “She deserves this and so much more for all the light she brought into our lives.”
I take my daughter from Angie’s arms and place her on Caroline’s lap. Angie curls into my side and rests her hand over my heart. “Would you mind watching Jessie for a little while? I need to show Angie something.”
“We’d love to,” Shawn says as Jessie holds his finger in her tiny fist.
“We’ll be back shortly. Feel free to wander around.”
Angelina
Griffin threads our fingers together and leads me back behind the stables, to a long path I hadn’t noticed before.
“This isn’t ominous at all,” I tease him as he leads me further down the winding road.
His deep chuckle reverberates through the open air, but he doesn’t say anything. A short while later, a flash of yellow catches my eye. It grows larger the closer we get until I can make out the shape of sunflowers in the distance. There are hundreds of sunflowers in a field near a small cottage.
My vision turns hazy as she nears the field. “Griffin. What is this?”
“This is our hideaway,” he replies. “It was here when we bought the land, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. When your parents visit, they can either stay at the house with us or have the whole cottage to themselves.”
“And the sunflowers?” I ask
“Just wanted to see that smile,” he says.
Butterflies erupt in my belly, reminding me that I have a surprise of my own I have yet to unveil. I reach into my pocket and pull out the pregnancy test I took this morning. I blamed our lateness on Jessie’s blowout, but the truth is, I was busy with my head in the toilet.
“I have something for you, too, Daddy.” I hold out the stick so he can see the word pregnant written on the screen.
“I knew you had a—oh my god, is that—you’re—”
“Are you gonna finish one of those sentences?”
He shakes his head and lets out a boisterous laugh before he wraps me up in his arms, spinning us in a circle. I swat at his back, nausea churning in my gut. “Oh my god, put me down. You’re gonna make me puke.”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Only every day.”
“Make that twice a day. I love you, Angel.”
“I love you, too.”