Maggie found herself in the living room, standing by the window where she had stood so many times before. The street outside was dark and quiet, the neighborhood asleep. Before long, some young couple would move in, would fill these rooms with their own lives, their own hopes, their own sorrows. The house would go on, as houses did, holding whoever needed to be held.
“Mom?” Beth's voice came from behind her.
Maggie turned. Her youngest daughter stood in the doorway, Alexander asleep on her shoulder, looking so much like the little girl who had once lived in this house that Maggie's heart clenched.
“I'm glad you came,” Maggie said. “I know it wasn't easy.”
“It was exactly right.” Beth crossed the room and stood beside her mother, looking out at the same dark street. “I needed to see it one more time. To say goodbye properly.”
“Did you? Say goodbye?”
Beth nodded. “I walked through my old room. Touched thewalls. Found the glow-in-the-dark star that's still stuck to the ceiling.” She laughed softly. “I tried to peel it off when I was sixteen because I thought it was childish. But it wouldn't budge. So I left it.”
“It's still there.”
“I know. I'm glad.” Beth leaned her head against Maggie's shoulder, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby. “Thank you, Mom. For giving us everything we needed to grow with love.”
“Especially the complicated parts?”
“Especially those. They're the ones that taught us the most.”
They stood together in the window, mother and daughter, watching the night settle over the house that had held so much of their lives. In the other room, voices rose and fell, the sounds of a family saying goodbye to one home and preparing to carry each other forward to the next.
Tomorrow, they would finish packing, load boxes and make donations. Tomorrow, the house would begin its transition from theirs to someone else's.
But tonight, it was still theirs. Tonight, it was still home.
CHAPTER 26
The morning came too quickly.
Maggie woke to the sound of a large truck rumbling up the driveway, followed by the slam of doors and voices calling out instructions. She lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling of the room that had been hers for so many years, letting herself feel the weight of what today would bring.
The moving company had arrived.
She found Christopher and Becca already in the kitchen, dressed and moving with the quiet efficiency of parents who had learned to operate on minimal sleep. Eloise sat in her baby bouncer, her right hand in her mouth. Becca packed the diaper bag while Christopher made coffee.
“You're up early,” Christopher said, pouring her a cup without asking.
“The truck woke me.” Maggie accepted the coffee and wrapped her hands around the warm mug. “How are you feeling about today?”
“Ready. And not ready.” He leaned against the counter, his own mug in hand. “It's strange. I've been wanting to get back toFlorida, to start working on the house, to get familiar with my new work environment. But now that it's time to leave...”
“It's hard to say goodbye.”
“Yeah. It is.”
Becca zipped the diaper bag closed and came to stand beside her husband, slipping her hand into his. “We still have family and friends here, so I know we'll be back.”
“Of course you will.”
“How is Paolo handling being abandoned?” Christopher asked with a small smile.
“He's not abandoned. He's managing the inn and pretending he doesn't miss me.” Maggie took a sip of her coffee. “He calls every night and asks what I had for dinner. I think he's worried I'm not eating properly.”
“Are you?”
“I had three egg rolls last night. I think I'm fine.”
