Chapter 10
The roses bloomed again the next June.
They were more beautiful than ever, climbing up the stone wall, spilling over the garden path, filling the air with their sweet, heady smell. Claire’s bookstore was thriving, too. She’d expanded the back room, adding more shelves, more armchairs, a small stage for local authors to read their work. The neighborhood kids still came to the playroom every afternoon, their laughter echoing through the house.
Elias moved in that summer.
He brought his old chemistry textbooks, his collection of vintage sci-fi novels, and a big, goofy golden retriever named Watson who loved to sleep on the rose bushes and chase butterflies through the garden. Claire pretended to be annoyed, but she loved him. He was the first living thing in that house that didn’t have an agenda, that didn’t want anything from her except scratches behind the ears and a warm place to sleep.
They got married in the garden, on a warm Saturday in July.
It was a small wedding, just family and close friends. Sarah came, bringing Anna’s favorite white roses to lay on the stone bench. Mr. Reed flew up from Florida, walking Claire down the aisle, his arm steady under hers. Javi was the best man, crying through the whole ceremony. The bookstore girls were the bridesmaids, wearing soft blue dresses that matched the hydrangeas.
Elias wrote his own vows.
“Claire,” he said, his voice thick with tears, “you are the strongest, kindest, bravest person I have ever known. You have been through things that would have broken most people, and you came out the other side more loving, more open, more full of life than anyone I’ve ever met. I promise to love you, to protect you, to make you laugh every single day. I promise to never lie to you, to never hurt you, to always be your safe place. For the rest of my life.”
Claire cried through her own vows.
“Elias,” she said, “my dad always told me the best way to predict the future is to build it yourself. For a long time, I thought my future was stolen from me. I thought I’d never be happy, never be safe, never be loved for who I am. Then you walked into my bookstore, and everything changed. You are my future. You are my safe place. I promise to love you, to grow old with you, to plant roses with you and read books with you and make terrible coffee with you for the rest of my life.”
They kissed as the guests cheered, Watson barking happily at their feet.
That night, after the last guest had left, Claire and Elias walked through the garden, hand in hand. The moon was full, casting a soft silver light over the roses. Watson trotted ahead of them, chasing a moth.
Claire stopped by the stone bench, looking at the white roses Sarah had left there. She thought of Anna, of her short, sad life, of the justice she’d finally gotten. She thought of Margaret, who’d died in prison two months before, alone, her last letter still in Claire’s box. She thought of Daniel, rotting in a cell for the rest of his life, with nothing but his lies to keep him company.
She thought of her dad, of his note, of the future he’d built for her with thirty-five years of quiet, hard work.
Elias squeezed her hand.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Claire smiled, looking up at him.
“I’m thinking,” she said, “that this is exactly what my dad wanted for me. This is the life he worked so hard to give me. Safety. Happiness. Love.”
Elias kissed her forehead.
“He’d be proud of you,” he said.
Claire nodded, tears in her eyes.
“I know,” she said.
They stood there for a long time, holding each other, watching the moon move across the sky. Somewhere in the distance, a clock struck midnight. A new day was beginning. A day full of books and roses and laughter, of bad coffee and good friends, of love that was real, and true, and hers.
Claire took a deep breath, the sweet smell of the roses filling her lungs.
She was home.
May you like
She was safe.
And for the first time in her life, she knew, without a single doubt, that everything was going to be okay.
