“It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.” Jenna watched him twirling her wedding bands. There were two of them. The silver one was the one that Bud had given her a lifetime ago. The platinum band was from Adam, slipped on her finger during a simple Christmas Day service. When she’d asked him if he minded her keeping Bud’s ring, he’d laughed. “I was actually going to suggest it myself,” he’d said.
And that’s how it was between the two of them. Easy. The days flowed like silk, and the nights like fine wine. Oh, not always, of course. They’d had a blowup or two, most recently when they discussed telling Christopher who his real father was.
“There’s been enough confusion in his life,” Adam had said. “Losing his ‘Uncle Frank,’ gaining a cousin and an aunt, not to mention a stepfather, moving out of the house he’s lived in all his life. Let him hold on to his father, at least for now.”
Eventually, Jenna had agreed. Chris was a happy little boy and seemed to have adjusted to all the changes with great aplomb, but Adam definitely had a point. Besides, there was another change coming that nobody knew about yet except for her. She smiled as she slid a hand over her belly.
“Hungry?” Adam asked, watching her closely.
“Nope. Just happy.” She leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. Maybe this one would be a little girl. Jenna was savoring her private knowledge, waiting until she could see her doctor next week and be sure before she told anyone.
Her eyes slid upward again, and she met Maya’s gaze. Okay, there was one other person who knew her secret. Jenna hadn’t breathed a word, but Maya had guessed, just this morning. Sisters were like that.
Adam followed Jenna’s gaze. “That’s quite a family we’ve got there.”
“Yes,” Jenna agreed. Her heart could have sung with quiet joy. From out of all these random parts, a family had formed and found peace. All the pieces fit together now. Bud, Denny, Lucien, Dominique. Even Frank had his part in making this picture complete.
“Let’s get a photo,” Adam suggested, as if he were reading her mind again.
Jenna tried to wave him away. “No, I look terrible.”
“You look beautiful, and you know it.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on, let me put this new camera to good use. I want to get a shot of you here in front of the water.”
Knowing he would wear her down eventually, Jenna took his hand and stood up. She propped her sunglasses up on her head. Joseph and Christopher came running down the embankment and over the sand with Fritz at their heels, ready to brave the water once more. As she watched them, their flying limbs and smiling faces became the faces and bodies of the boys she had known: Bud, Denny, Adam. Behind her, the ocean roared, and she understood. Life was as timeless as the sea: waves crashed joyfully against the shore, broke into pieces, and were reborn, only to crash again.
Her eyes met Adam’s, and she knew he shared her thoughts. She held out a hand to him, and he took it. Her eyes glowed. “Someday we’re going to tell Chris the truth about all of this.”
“Yes,” Adam said gently.
“Mommy!” Christopher cried, dashing towards her. She dropped Adam’s hand and scooped up her son, feeling a gentle twinge that reminded her she wouldn’t be able to do that much longer. She shifted him to her hip and met his smiling eyes. The sun was shining down, and the ocean waves were crashing behind them.
“Say cheese,” Adam said.
Jenna turned her head. She looked at the camera, but Christopher kept his eyes on her. Both of them were beaming.
Adam snapped the picture. He lowered the camera and smiled. “That was a good one,” he said. “Definitely a keeper.”
The End
Table of Contents
Copyright
To the Reader
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Still Waters
PART ONE: DEATH
Prologue
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
PART TWO: LIFE
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
PART THREE: AFTERLIFE
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Copyright
To the Reader
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Still Waters
PART ONE: DEATH
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
PART TWO: LIFE
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
PART THREE: AFTERLIFE
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue