as if I was clinging to the water edge of a lifeboat, holding onto a single rope.
My resolve only faltered once, and that was when Emily and Nick came to see me.
The instant I saw the smile on Emily’s face and the way Nick looked at her, I knew the two had found the path that led to each other.
“What’s up with you two?” I’d asked, although I could clearly see they were in love. “I thought you were going to wait four months before you got together again.”
“Not happening,” Nick answered for them both.
“So I see.” It was hard for me not to say I told her everything would work out.
We sat inside because of the weather. The autumn rains had arrived and lasted a good week before the air turned cool and crisp. Already the trees on the property had turned, and the leaves glowed with tinges of orange, yellow, and brown. Just the other day, I’d spent a full afternoon with my rake in hand, with Rover racing crazily across the lawn. Autumn was my favorite time of year, and more than anything I looked forward to sharing those crisp mornings with Mark.
Emily and Nick took a seat, and I noticed they held hands.
“Em and I have decided we want to be married,” Nick announced.
I clasped my hands together, so pleased it was all I could do not to leap to my feet and embrace them both. “Congratulations.”
“If possible, we’d like to be married at the inn,” Emily said. “Neither one of us wants a large wedding. What’s important is that we’re together.”
My eyes watered with happy tears. “Looks like you’re going to get your house after all.”
Nick raised Emily’s hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “We plan to fill those bedrooms by adopting foster kids.”
“What a wonderful idea.”
“I knew almost from the first that Em was the one,” Nick said, turning to look at her with such adoration that I felt my breath hitch. No one needed to spell it out. The way Nick looked at Emily with such love and tenderness twisted my stomach. It was the way Mark looked at me just before he’d left for the Middle East, as if I were his everything and he couldn’t imagine life without me. In the same way Mark completed me, Nick completed Emily and she him.
I was happy for them both. Reaching out, I spontaneously hugged Emily.
She hugged me back. “I didn’t believe any of this was possible. It really is like a dream come true.”
Nick’s arm was around Emily. “You can see why we would like to be married at the inn.”
“You believe what I told you about the inn now, don’t you?”
Emily’s smile was answer enough. “I’m a convert.”
“I am, too,” Nick added.
“Holding the wedding here would be perfect.” Together we’d check the books and come up with a date that worked for us both. “What can I do to help?” I asked.
Emily’s face was filled with joy. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered. After all, I’ve already planned two other weddings.” She laughed. “I never thought I’d be grateful for being jilted twice, but I am. With all my connections, I’ll be able to arrange everything in a matter of hours.”
“You know what they say about the third time around,” Nick joked.
It did my heart good to see these two this happy. The inn had worked its wonder yet again. Paul’s promise to me had been fulfilled over and over. I had to believe that promise included me and Mark.
—
After Emily and Nick left I remained sitting, and rays of sunlight broke through the steel-gray skies just before the sun sank behind the Olympic mountain range. Rover strolled over and joined me. “I knew they were meant to be together,” I gloated. My wish was that one day our children would play together and be friends. I knew Emily and Nick wanted a family, and so did Mark and I.
I heard a car door close in the distance. My guests had gone and I wasn’t expecting anyone else until the following day. Standing, I walked around the corner of the porch and came to a shocked standstill.
Mark stood in the middle of the driveway, a duffel bag at his feet.
Mark. Alive. Vital. Healthy.
It took a full minute for my breath to find its way back into my lungs. When I could breathe again, I flew down the steps and threw myself into his embrace. Wordlessly, he grabbed hold of me,