At one point, Viktor appeared with his new fiancee, Chen Lian, the boring but well-connected girl Jin's mother had once wanted him to marry.
"Congratulations," Viktor said, shaking Jin's hand.He smiled at Wren."You chose well.Both of you."There was no bitterness in his voice.Just acceptance.He'd moved on, found his own path, and was prospering.
"Thank you," Wren said."I hope you're happy."
"I am.Content, anyway, which is close enough."He glanced at Lian, who was chatting quietly with some merchants."She's good for business, and she's kind.That's more than most people get."
He left, and Wren felt the last piece of that complicated puzzle settle into place.Everyone had found where they belonged.
––––––––
SIX MONTHS LATER
Wren stood in the kitchen of their treehouse and looked at the little plant in her hand.She'd been experimenting with a new seed.Something she'd found in the very bottom of her magical purse, saved for the right moment.
The plant had grown quickly, producing a single flower of Baby's Breath.And in the center of that flower, a message had formed in a delicate script:Baby girl.Healthy.Due in six months.
A magic pregnancy test, and it had the sweetest message.
She heard Jin's footsteps on the platform outside."Wren?You wanted to talk about something?"
She turned, holding the flower.
He looked at it.Looked at her.His eyes widened."Is that...?"
"A baby.A girl.Due in six months."
For a moment he just stood there, processing.Then he crossed the room in three strides, swept her up, and spun her around carefully."We're having a baby," he said, voice full of wonder.
"We're having a baby," she confirmed, laughing.
He set her down gently, immediately looking worried."Are you feeling alright?Do you need to sit?Should you be working so much?"
"Jin.I'm fine.It's early still."She cupped his face."But you should probably warn your mother.She's going to lose her mind."
He laughed."She's going to be impossible!You know that, right?"
"I'm counting on it."
––––––––
ZHAO LIN TOOK THE NEWSexactly as expected.
She burst into tears, hugged Wren so hard she squeaked, then immediately started planning.
"We'll need to decorate the nursery.And baby clothes, can you grow those?Of course you can, you can grow anything.But we'll need proper furniture too, and diapers, and—"
"Mother," Jin said, laughing."We have six months."
"Six months is nothing!There's so much to prepare!"She looked at Wren with fierce joy."A grandbaby.My first granddaughter."
Zhao Wei was more restrained but no less pleased."Congratulations!This is wonderful news."
"The Sky Farm is going to have a new generation," Mei-Lin said, squeezing Wren's hands."This is perfect."
And it was perfect.Wren had started as a lost, frightened woman dropped into an impossible world.Now she was married, expecting, surrounded by family and friends and living in a legendary farm that had changed what people thought was possible.
She'd found strength she never knew she had, dug deep and discovered creativity and courage.This world had given her a chance to start fresh, and she'd taken it and built something extraordinary.
