The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,89
“Is that why the boat . . . ?”
“It took me a while to figure out, but this marriage was never temporary, Meg. You’ve been my girl since you walked into my life.”
“I’m glad you figured it out.”
“Me, too.”
Epilogue
A little more than a year later
Meg looked outside at the perfect Sunday unfolding in her front yard. It had been snowing since yesterday, a light pretty snow that just screamed Christmas was coming, and she was tucked inside by the fireplace. A huge Christmas tree filled a corner of the room, while gold and silver decorations adorned the mantel. Meg was planning lessons and sipping some hot chocolate. Molly, her daddy, Uncle Josh, Uncle Kevin, and Aunt Caroline were busy building a snowman.
The football game had been on in the den and would have stayed on if Molly hadn’t come in the room, stood with her hands on her hips, and declared it was time to play in the snow.
No one said no to Molly.
The adoption had become final not long after the new year, and she and Jason had renewed their vows early in the summer at the same vineyard where their wedding had been held. Only this time, there was no need for a big showy wedding.
They’d limited the second ceremony to family and close friends. There were tables filled with picnic foods, wonderful wines, and delicious sweets, and when it was over, the bride and groom went back to their boat for some time alone.
A second honeymoon.
Meg patted her growing belly. “My honeymoon baby.”
“How’s the snowman coming along?” Her mother came in and sat in the chair next to Meg’s and peeked out at the progress.
“I think Josh is trying to run the show, Kevin is the muscle, and Caroline and Jason are calculating the size of each section.”
“They’re arguing?”
Meg smiled. “Pretty much.”
Her mom grinned and sipped her tea. “Just like the good old days. The only difference is you would have been out there getting everyone to play nicely together. Kind of like you’ve done with the family.”
“It’s nice how it all worked out, isn’t it?”
“What’s Molly up to?”
Meg looked and saw her daughter’s bright pink jacket flailing around in the snow. “Making snow angels.”
“I love it.”
Meg thought about her free-spirited daughter, who seemed to be channeling her own angel. Grace’s spirit was alive and well in their girl.
Once the adoption was finalized, Molly’s bad dreams pretty much stopped. Every once in a while, Meg would wake up in the morning and find Molly snuggled up in their big bed close to Jason, and she knew there’d been a bad dream. Daddy was Molly’s protector, and if she had a nightmare, he was the go-to guy.
But she visited less and less, and Meg took pride in the fact that almost two years after losing her parents, Molly was a happy child.
Meg thought about the people who weren’t with them. Her dad always lingered in her memory, but it was Grace who was occupying her thoughts today. She knew her friend had loved playing in the snow and she would have been out there making some strange snow building for the snow people to live in.
Meg missed her and wished she could tell her everything that had happened.
“Penny for your thoughts,” her mom said.
“I wish Grace were here. I wish she could see all this.”
“Honey, she’s always with you. Always.”
Right then, there was a slight chill, and it would have freaked Meg out a little if Jason hadn’t marched into the room, his hair blown by the wind, his nose and cheeks red, and a smile on his face.
“Get your jacket and come outside.”
“Really? It’s cold.”
“I’ll keep you warm. Molly wants to take a family picture.”
“Oh, okay. Of the three of us?”
“Nope—us and our brothers and sister.”
Her mother smiled. “I need to see this. Let me get my coat.”
Within a few minutes they were outside, huddled together around a snowman with a red stocking hat. Molly was moving people around like she had a purpose and finally took a few shots with Meg’s mom’s help before they all froze. After a few minutes they were inside, warming up by the fire.
Caroline pulled out her iPad, and she and Molly downloaded the photos so everyone could see. There was one shot that caught Meg’s attention.
“That one. That picture looks familiar.”
Jason leaned in and then sat back. “Wow, that’s weird. Hang on.”
He left the room and came back with one of the framed pictures he kept on his desk. It