“I’m here, Tommy. At our house on the hill. You should see the garden. I’ve spent a long time getting it just how I like. You simply must see the height of the sunflowers. Oh, Tommy, you would just die. And–”
“Ethel, baby?” a deep, hoarse voice calls from somewhere inside the cloud. “Is that you?”
It feels like minutes pass, with Ethel confirming that yes, it is her, and the voice asking again where she is. Eventually, a face appears. I expect it to be inside the cloud, but it’s not. A gray mist forms at Ethel’s right side, then shifts into a man about my height wearing a military uniform, with a rugged face that matches the photo.
Ethel leaps from the blanket and jumps toward the mist, becoming mist herself in the process. The two of them become a colorless haze as they kiss passionately and talk over each other, exchangingI love yousand other intimate words I feel uncomfortable listening in on.
I take a step back, giving them privacy. I expect the others to do the same, but the three of them lovingly gaze at the newly reunited couple, never getting enough. Mayor Crane utters some more unfamiliar words and closes the circle, as she calls it, letting Ethel know that even though Ethel’s spirit remains tied to the grounds, Thomas’s spirit is not, and if she ever finds herself in the garden without him, she can simply call his name into the ether, and they’ll find their way to each other.
Ethel and Thomas start to leave, the mist fading with each step they take toward the tree line, but Ethel stops, her form turns corporeal, and she races toward Natalie, throwing her arms around Natalie’s neck and almost knocking her to the ground. Natalie’s expression is nothing short of shocked as she pats Ethel’s back.
When Ethel releases her, she cups Natalie’s face and presses a kiss to her wind-bitten cheek. “You,” Ethel says. “This is all thanks to you.”
“What do you mean?” Natalie asks, puzzled.
Ethel’s gaze lands on Mayor Crane. “To think, there was someone in our very own town who could bring Thomas back to me. I never would’ve known if you hadn’t shown up.” A tear spills down Ethel’s cheek. “Thank you, dear.”
Natalie’s bottom lip trembles as she nods at Ethel, too overcome with emotion to reply.
As Ethel and Thomas leave, hand-in-hand, I pull Natalie into my side and kiss her temple as Ethel’s words play in my head. Natalie really has expanded our world. She’s our link to a community I didn’t want but clearly need. She’s changed everything.
When the mayor and Ezra leave, Natalie can’t seem to wipe the smile from her face as we stroll back to the house. “What is it?”
She shrugs, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I’m just glad it worked out for Ethel. Being able to see Thomas will be such a huge help, especially on her more difficult days.”
“Why did you use your favor on Ethel?” I ask. “Isn’t a favor from the mayor kind of a valuable thing to keep in your pocket?”
She considers this briefly, then shakes her head. “Nah. I don’t need any favors. Besides, how can I deny a broken woman the chance to find the one person who makes her whole again? There’s no favor that could even touch that.”
I crook a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at me. “You’re a fucking miracle, Natalie.”
We grab Natalie’s mother’s urn from where we left it, just inside the living room, and head back outside. I wrap my arm around her, rubbing her arm in an attempt to keep her warm. We reach the wooden bench swing on the edge of the garden, and I pull her into my lap as we sit down. “You still want to do this? We can wait until the weather is warmer,” I offer.
She turns to face me, the brown of her eyes reminding me of rich soil, of flowers that will soon be in bloom, of warm days and cool nights with her body tangled with mine, of a long and blissful future with my beautiful wife.
“No, I want to do it today, but we’ll spread more of her ashes in the spring, then the summer, and the fall. I want her to experience each season in this very spot.” She surveys the garden, then her gaze pans out further, over the entire property. “Near this house and on this land, where my life began again.”
She shifts her body until she’s off my lap and seated beside me. After letting out a deep exhale, she opens the top of the urn and looks at the ground beneath our feet as she starts talking to her mother. She introduces me, and I feel my cheeks heat as I wave awkwardly. I know her mother’s spirit is not here, certainly not beneath the frost-covered grass, but nerves tighten my stomach, regardless. I hope, wherever she is, she approves of me.
Natalie goes on to sing my praises, most of which I don’t agree with, but I remain quiet. This conversation is not for me. If she wishes to describe me as “better than a book boyfriend” for rubbing her feet at the end of a long shift at the bar, then so be it.
Once she’s said all she wants to say, she removes the glove from her hand and reaches inside the urn, pulling out a fistful of ashes and spreading them on the ground in front of us.
We walk back to the house, and I stop her at the side door, stroking along her cheekbone. “I’m not sure I’ll ever deserve you.”
She lifts onto her toes to press a kiss to my lips, and I feel it all the way down my spine. “You know, I feel the same way about you.”
My brow furrows. “That’s ludicrous. I’m the lucky one in this equation.”
She rolls her eyes. “Really? This argument again? Why can’t we just agree that real love, love that sticks, is when both parties feel like they got the better end of the deal?”
I lift her into my arms, and she lets out that adorable little squeak. “Because you’re wrong. I will not budge on this point.”
“Why are you always so stubborn?” she asks playfully, pinching me along my ribs.
“I’ve always been a stubborn asshole, Natalie. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and runs her fingers through my hair. I halt my steps, unable to keep myself from leaning into her touch. Her hands are like magic on my skin, and I never want her to stop touching me. When I open my eyes, she’s looking up at me through her long lashes. Her smile is warm, and her deep brown eyes pull me in, reminding me that there’s nothing in this universe that will make me feel as safe and steady as her. My sweetheart. My Natalie.
Her hand cups my cheek. “You’re not so bad.”
