“We’renottalking about what you’ll be getting up to on your honeymoon, thank you very much,” Wes says from where he’s sitting on the floor, propped up against the chair Joss is occupying.
“Where is your Gran?” Joss asks. “I thought she’d be here.”
“She’s staying with my parents, but she’ll be at the wedding. So you can meet her then, if not before. She’s excited to take in all the sights while she’s here.”
We arrived in the States a few days ago, flying into San Francisco so I could meet with my publishing team forWith Love, From Skye. It felt monumental to have Gran with me while I signed my contracts and to meet the people who will be helping me bring her and Grandad’s story to life.
I just wish he were here to see it happen. That he were here for this whole trip. I hate that he and Gran never had the chance to come visit Mum and Dad and see the distillery they helped build. But Gran’s doing it now. We closed the Thistle & Tartan for a few weeks so we could all come out for Christmas and the wedding—we all needed a little step back, a little space.
Like she can sense the direction of my thoughts, Avi presses her lips to the side of my throat, which bobs as I try to rein in my emotions. Even after two months, it’s still as raw as it was the day he passed. One day he was with us—laughing in the kitchen, sitting in the garden with Nox, eating dinner as a family—and the next he wasn’t. Gran says it wasn’t that his heart gave out on him while he was sleeping but that it had been waiting for the moment it was so full of love it couldn’t fit any more. I like to believe that’s true.
“We were sorry to hear about Angus,” Breck says, and the room feels quiet and solemn now. “I’m glad we got to meet him at your wedding. I think I learned more about what I want my marriage to look like in those two weeks than I had in my entire life up to that point.” He looks at Rory, and her turquoise eyes soften and go misty.
I clear my throat and try to keep my own from filling with tears. “Yeah, he had a lot of wisdom for me over the years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.” I glance around to find everyone watching me, and it leaves me feeling too exposed, vulnerable. “Speaking of marriage… y’all ready for the big day?”
I catch Rory’s gaze and silently plead with her to take the conversation in a safer direction.
“Yes!” she says excitedly, taking the hint. “Everything is done and ready. I didn’t want to be racing around the whole week leading up while you guys are here. I want to enjoy my time while I’ve got you all in one place.” It’s unlikely we’ll be together again like this for a while. That’s the only thing I wish could be different, that we didn’t all live on different continents. “And you’re sure you and Avi don’t mind staying here with Willow while we go on our honeymoon?”
I bark a laugh. “A little too late to ask that, isn’t it? What the hell else would you do with her if we said no?” She knows I won’t be saying no.
“Fine, okay, I was just asking.” She shoves at my arm from where she’s perched on the loveseat next to Breck.
“I mean, we could have stayed here with her,” Wes pipes in.
“You have your first anniversary to celebrate. Your cake is in my freezer by the way, if you want it…” Rory says.
“You’ve been carting that cake around from freezer to freezer for a year? Rory, seriously?”
“What? It’s tradition!” she states.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mumbles under his breath… but not quiet enough.
“Swear jar!” Willow’s shout comes from the other room and he groans.
“I owe her another twenty already, don’t I?” He turns to look at Joss and she just shakes her head.
“You’re ridiculous,” she sighs out.
“You love me,” he counters.
“I do.” She presses a kiss to his lips.
“You know,” Rory says, pulling all our attention to her, “if someone had told me last year that we’d all be married by the end of this one, I would’ve said they were crazy. But look at us now… happier than ever.”
And she’s right. I am happier than I’ve ever been. And I can see that’s true for her and her brother as well.
“It’s been a bit of an adventure, hasn’t it?” I ask, taking everyone in. “But what an incredible gift that we all found love along the way.”
Avonlea – Eighteen Months Later
“Mum!” Lennox comes running through the door to the kitchen, a frantic look in his eyes and a wide smile plastered to his face. “It’s here! Where’s Dad?”
His gaze flies around the kitchen, as if this is the most common place for him to be.
“Calm down, lad.” Aileen stands from where she was sitting at the desk—Angus’s old desk… My desk now. “What’s here?”
He holds out the package that was tucked under his arm and, though she takes it, she falters a step to sit back in her chair, her other hand covering her heart. It can only be one thing.
