Later that evening, when Maddie and Rex were alone in the maternity room except for Liliana, who was sleeping peacefully in Maddie’s arms, Rex handed her an envelope.
“A little thanks for giving me our family,” he said.
Inside the envelope was the card she’d seen in his sock drawer: On the front were the stick figures of the boy and the girl, their hearts connected. Inside he had written:I love you so damn much.
Maddie was speechless.
“I was going to give you the card at Christmas with your bracelet, but I was afraid you’d think I was moving too fast.”
They laughed.
“And there’s more,” he added as he handed her his phone.
She glanced at it and saw a photo of a room filled with lovely baby furniture. Then she realized the room was her bedroom at the cottage.
“If you hate any of it,” Rex said, “I’ll send it back. I ordered it all online Friday night; Kevin and Dave went to Hyannis yesterday and picked it up. Oh, yeah, and the dresserhas clothes in it for Lily, and there’s a stash of diapers and other stuff in the bathroom, because I didn’t know where else to tell them to put everything. Taylor helped me figure out what you and Lily would need.”
“Stop talking,” Maddie said. “And kiss me.”
And so he did.
Then he said, “One more thing …”
She playfully rolled her eyes.
“Remember the ‘investor’ I mentioned who was interested in helping out with the bookshop?”
Maddie had no idea what he next had up his sleeve.
“It’s time for full disclosure: The investor was me. So now you know I’ve always got your back, if you turn away from me or not.”
So, Maddie thought, Annie Sutton was definitely not on the horizon.
“And can you stand another thing?” he asked.
She laughed again. “Try me.”
He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small box. “I hope I didn’t misread you, but the other night, when you said you were ready …” He opened the box, and Maddie simply whispered, “Yes.”
In her mother’s arms, baby Liliana made tiny little noises that sounded as if she agreed.
Later that night, Maddie suggested that Rex move into Grandma’s cottage with them at least for the summer. Lucy was back and could manage the Inn; maybe Francine could run the Lord James until Labor Day. Rex would then have plenty of time to finish recuperating, and, even better, to spend the summer with his new family.
Rex agreed—then he broached an idea for Rafe and Stephen to use his cabin for the season, so they’d all have roomto breathe. Come September, they’d figure how to make things work moving forward. Meanwhile, they’d be happy just being happy.
The little family finally left the hospital Monday morning. When they got to the cottage, Grandma and Joe greeted them, having already arrived safely from Amherst along with Rafe and Stephen, who followed them in case Joe missed the exit off the Mass. Pike. To welcome Liliana, the three men and Grandma had hung pink(!) balloons around the door-frames at the cottage and the bookshop.
“We decided everyone should know that my sister is here,” Rafe announced.
By then, Maddie figured pretty much every islander knew.
Best of all, when Maddie, Rex, and their beautiful daughter went inside, Grandma presented them with a large parcel wrapped in pink tissue paper.
“For my great-granddaughter,” she said, and Maddie was pleased that Grandma had her genealogy right.
Inside the pink paper was a breathtakingly stunning handwoven basket of thick hickory strips—a basket that was big enough to cradle Lily for many months. The thick lining was soft, and the intricate, hand-tooled dots formed outlines of butterflies to which Grandma had added tiny drops of pink and blue and green nontoxic paint.
Maddie cried, her tears of joy feeling nonstop these days.
