Paolo smiled, and there was something in his eyes that made Emily's chest tight. “Yes. I am. And that is why I can leave. Because I know I can come back anytime I want, and my wife will be here, and nothing will have changed between us.” He paused. “Soon, Maggie will return to Captiva, but a piece of her heart will be in Massachusetts, on this farm. Family is not about proximity, Emily. It is about connection. About knowing that no matter where you go, there is someone who holds a piece of you.”
Emily thought about the kidney inside her. Paolo's kidney. A piece of him, literally keeping her alive.
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything. Not just the kidney. For being kind. For treating me like I belonged here before I felt like I did.”
“You belonged in this family the moment you were born. Don’t ever question that.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Take care of them while I'm gone. Especially Maggie. She is strong, but the Andover house, it will be hard for her. She will need people who understand.”
“I'll try.”
“That is all any of us can do.”
He walked back toward the house, and Emily watched him go.
She stayed in the orchard until the light faded, thinking about family and connection and the strange paths that had brought her here. For most of her life, she had been alone, uncertain, carrying the secret of her existence like a weight around her neck.
Now she had a sister who laughed without judgment. A stepmother who made room. A grandmother who had driven many miles to hold babies and wasn't afraid to cry in front of everyone.
And somewhere inside her, a piece of Paolo, beating steadily, keeping her alive.
When she finally walked back to the house, the windows wereglowing with warm light and she could hear laughter spilling out into the night.
She climbed the porch steps and opened the door.
She went home.
CHAPTER 20
The plan had come together the night before, around the kitchen table at Beth's farmhouse.
“I hate that I can't be there,” Beth said, Charlotte fussing in her arms while Gabriel walked Alexander in slow circles around the room. “My whole childhood is there. I should be with you all to say goodbye.”
“You just had twins,” Maggie said. “You're not going anywhere.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts. Your body needs to heal. The babies need you here.”
Beth's eyes welled with tears, the hormonal kind that had been ambushing her at random intervals since the delivery. “It's not fair. Everyone else gets to be there. Everyone else gets to go through their old rooms and find their stuff and…”
“What if you came with us anyway?” Lauren said.
Everyone looked at her.
“Not physically,” she clarified, holding up her phone. “FaceTime. We can video call you when we're going through the house. Walk you through every room, show you everything wefind. It won't be the same as being there, but at least you'd be part of it.”
“That's actually not a terrible idea,” Sarah said.
“Don't sound so surprised,” Lauren responded
“I'm always surprised when you have good ideas.”
“And I'm always surprised when you're not annoying, and yet here we are.”
Beth laughed through her tears. “You two are ridiculous.”
“We're your sisters. It's our job to be ridiculous.”
Maggie reached across the table and took Beth's hand. “Lauren's right. We'll call you every step of the way. You won't miss anything, I promise.”
