Opening my eyes, I took a few more steps, and then I saw them – a patch of beautiful red flowers, blooming tall above the surrounding weeds, thriving in spite of their environment. Like me. Like Charly eventually had. Like Lily would.
I plucked one of the stems and headed back to the car. Holt was standing at the edge of the field. I smiled. I should have known. He was giving me my space, but staying nearby, reminding me he was there and would never leave me.
“What’s that?” he asked when I came to a stop in front of him, resting his good arm around my waist.
“A reminder,” I answered. When he raised his eyebrow in question, I explained, “A reminder of yesterday - the dreams I used to have, the experiences that have reshaped them, and the promise that tomorrow comes anyway.” I slid my arms up around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. “And I gotta tell you, Mr. Andrews, tomorrow is looking pretty damn fine from where I’m standing.”
“From here, too, sweetheart. I can’t wait to spend all of them with you.”
43
Maddy
5 months later
“Where’s Lily?” I looked around for my niece. I’d just come home from tutoring at Mary’s after school clinic.
“She’s with Grandma Fran and Grandpa Vic. They went out to celebrate the end of the year.”
“Oh, I wanted to hear about how her last day of school went.” I felt oddly disappointed. Coming home to Holt and Lily was the best part of my day. Well, one of them. Waking up in Holt’s arms every morning was also tops.
It was hard to believe that three months ago the three of us moved into our own house. We had spent the months before letting Lily get to know both of us. We knew the worst thing we could do was to abruptly pull her away from the people she loved and trusted. She thought of Vic and Francine Barnes as her grandparents and Misty as another aunt. We weren’t willing to take that away from her. Misty and I would never be friends, but we managed to get along well enough for Lily’s sake.
We’d searched for a house in Lily’s school zone so that would remain consistent for her as well. The first house we walked in, we knew was it. It had almost everything we were looking for: a bright gourmet kitchen, large family rooms, plenty of bedrooms, a very private master bedroom, and a huge yard that Buddy loved. It even had a white picket fence. The only thing it was missing that Lily really wanted was a stable, not that Holt and I were sorry. Holt promised her we’d look into riding lessons over the summer.
Holt guided me to the couch. “We’ll pick her up tomorrow. Maybe this will make up for it. Sit. I have something for you, sweetheart.”
“You do?” I sing-songed as I curled up next to him on the couch.
Holt had spoiled me in all kinds of ways to make up for all the little things that I missed growing up, a huge family Thanksgiving, going overboard decorating for Christmas, big Easter baskets; even little things like having breakfast cooked for me when I woke up. Or moments like this when he surprised me out of the blue with a gift.
He placed a black velvet box in my hands. I looked at him in surprise. “What is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
As soon as I flipped the lid up, my hand flew to my mouth, and I almost dropped the box. Nestled on a bed of black velvet was a gold locket, almost identical to the one I’d lost the night of the fire.
“Holt, it’s beautiful!” With shaky fingers, I removed the piece of jewelry from the box and released the catch that held it closed. What I saw inside would have brought me to my knees if I hadn’t already been sitting.
“Wh…how…is that my mom? And Charly?” Each side held a picture of one of them.
Holt nodded. “While we were investigating the fire, I also asked Dave if he would try to find out anything he could about your mom. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow he was able to dig up a few pictures of her. I think he was able to find some people who knew her.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I was simply stunned.
“Here, let’s put it on.” He lifted the locket from the box, hooked it around my neck, and smoothed my hair over the chain.
I captured his hands and kissed each of his palms before pulling his head down to mine. “Thank you,” I whispered after I thanked him with a sweet kiss.
He held up a finger. “I have something else.” He reached behind him and pulled out a flat square package wrapped in gold foil paper.
I tore the paper to reveal a brand new Little Golden Book copy of Bambi. Now, tears started to flow. This man had not only given me my future, he was, in his own way, giving me back my past.
“I get why you loved this book, sweetheart. But I think you focused too much on the beginning of it, where Bambi lost his mother and felt so alone.” He held my hands that were holding the book and rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs. “I’m giving you this book to have again, only this time, I want you to focus on the end where Bambi’s life is full of friends who love and care about him. You have the same, Maddy. I know it’s been a hard journey, but you are loved by a lot of people, sweetheart. And nobody loves you more than I do. You’re my life.”
I was crying for real now. “It’s perfect. I love it, and I love you.”
He brushed the tears from my cheeks. “In that case, I have one more thing.”
I couldn’t imagine what else he could possibly surprise me with. He reached behind the couch once more and withdrew another flat square box, only this one was bigger and thicker. It was wrapped in glossy white paper and decorated in purple ribbon.
“Holt,” I sniffled. “This is just too much.”
He placed the box on my lap. “Never. Now open it.” He sounded nervous.
I slid a plain white box from the paper and lifted the lid. Underneath was more tissue paper, which when folded back, revealed another book. This one had a pale pink cover with an embossed darker pink ribbon entwined around the title, “Princess Madelyn.”
I looked up in amazement as I pulled the book from the box. He gently took the book from my hands. “I’d like to read a story to you.” He pulled me on his lap and opened the book. Once again, I gasped as I saw real photos on the title page. I immediately recognized a picture of my dad, Charly, and a pregnant woman who looked a lot like me.
Running a finger lightly over their images, I exclaimed, “Oh, my God! That’s…that’s my family.”
Holt nodded. “The picture in the locket wasn’t the only picture Dave found. Now sit back and listen.” I rested my head against his chest.
“Once upon a time, a king and queen and an older princess awaited the birth of a new baby princess.”
He turned the page, and there was picture of me as a little girl. “Finally, a beautiful baby girl named Madelyn Grace was born. But the queen died, and the family grew very sad. The King and Princess Charlotte tried their best, but one day a wicked sorcerer turned the King into a toad, and he wasn’t able to help his family anymore, so one day he hopped off and was never heard from again.”
I couldn’t contain the giggle looking at the illustration of a frog that somehow had contained some of my father’s features. I loved how after the first page, the rest of the pages had been illustrated with matching pastel watercolor pictures that looked like me and Charly.
“The two princesses had to leave their castle to live in a small cottage with their grandmother, but soon she, too, died. A dark cloud hung over the town.
“One day, an evil troll came to town and tricked the princesses. Princess Charlotte was able to run away, but Princess Madelyn was thrown into a dark dungeon. Every day she hoped and prayed that someone would set her free.
“Finally, the day came when her fairy godmother found her and brought a wizard, and they were able to break the spell that held the princess captive.
“Meanwhile, in another kingdom, lived a very handsome Prince named Holten. He’d been living under a spell that made him very sad.”
I snickered and poked him in the ribs at the way he emphasized the
word ‘very.’
He tickled me back. “Shh. You know it’s true. Now listen to the rest of the story.”
I resumed my position.
“But then one day, he met Princess Madelyn, and she was able to break the curse. Prince Holten had never been happier, and he fell in love with the princess.”
He stopped reading, so I nuzzled Holt’s neck near his ear. “That’s a wonderful story, baby. How does it end?”
He turned his head sideways and kissed me. “Let’s find out.” He turned to the next page.
I sat bolt upright when I saw the drawing of the prince kneeling before the princess.
Holt’s deep voice continued, “Prince Holten loved Princess Madelyn so much, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.”
I looked up from the book. Holt was gazing back at me, the love in his eyes so strong I could feel it. “Madelyn Stone, you came into my life when I was least expecting it. You challenged and pushed me, but mostly you showed me a kind of love I didn’t understand until you. You give and give and give, never thinking about the cost to you. You’ve been that way your whole life and I hate that it’s cost you so dearly. But I’m selfish, and I’m going to ask one more thing of you. I want it all, Madelyn. I want the entire fairytale with you. I don’t know the rest of the story after this, but I know I want it to always read Holt and Maddy. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes,” I cried as I flung my arms around his neck. “A million times, ‘yes.’”
I kissed him with all the love I had. Breathing hard, he finally pulled back.
“Maybe you should turn the page, then.”
Excitedly, I followed his instruction. The page opened to show a picture of a jewelry box, designed so that the lid popped up as the page unfolded. A diamond ring was tied with a ribbon to the box.
Holt untied the ribbon and took the ring. “I believe this belongs to you.”
He slid a beautiful solitaire diamond on my left ring finger. “You’ve had quite a story so far, Maddy. A tragedy, an adventure, and a love story all woven together. Now you deserve your fairytale ending.”
I stared first at my sparkling ring, then at him. And like the picture in the book, I wrapped my arms around my prince’s neck. “It’s so much better than that, Holt. It’s real. But it still ends with a happily ever after as long as I have you.”
Epilogue
Holt
5 years later
A ‘woof’ and the scamper of claws on the hardwood floors alerted me that Maddy was home. The one-year-old Black lab pup, Delilah, was the first to reach the door. Buddy followed at a more dignified pace. I heard Maddy greet each dog. Before she could get any further in the foyer, the joyful cry of ‘Mommy’ echoed in the entranceway.
“How’s my big boy?” she exclaimed. I didn’t need to see her to know she had swept our almost three-year-old son Matthew up in her arms in a huge hug. “Where’s Daddy?” she asked.
“He in da wiving woom,” he answered. “He made a big mess.”
Maddy laughed. “Oh, he did, huh? Well, let’s go find him.”
I heard her heels click as they headed toward us. My heart still raced every time she entered a room. I stood from the table where I had papers and books spread everywhere, the mess Matthew had referred to.
“Hi, baby,” she greeted. “How’s the research going?”
“It’s going,” I answered, pulling her in for a kiss, making Matthew grin.
“Me, too, Daddy,” he demanded, pointing to his cheek. I took him from his mom and delivered the requested kiss with a big smack before setting him down.
Maddy sank down on the cushy couch with a groan. I sat at the other end and lifted her feet onto my lap. I plucked her shoes off and rubbed the balls of her feet.
“Mmm,” she groaned. “Oh, that feels so good,” she praised as she closed her eyes and rubbed her swollen belly.
I smiled as she caressed our growing baby, due in about three months. We didn’t know if it was a boy or girl; Maddy didn’t want to find out, saying there weren’t enough special surprises in life, and she didn’t want to spoil this one.
“How did it go today?” I asked, moving my hands up to rub her calves.
“Long, but good,” she sighed. “Productive. I think we got a couple more companies on board, and several were interested in making contributions to New Tomorrows. I’m really excited about it.”
I crawled up the couch until my arms were braced on either side of her shoulders. I leaned down and kissed her. “I’m so fucking proud of you, baby! What you’re doing is amazing and life changing.”
She beamed at me. “Thank you.”
After we moved into our new house five years ago, Maddy quit her job at McCloskey, Barnes, and Wilson. I had wanted to argue for her to stay since she really was an excellent assistant to me. But when she outlined what she wanted to do instead, I was one hundred percent behind her. She wanted to go to college and earn a degree in business administration with a minor in counseling, with the long-term goal of establishing a program to assist newly released prison inmates to give them the same kind of opportunity she had.
“Not everyone is blessed to have people like you and the McCloskeys to believe in them and give them a new beginning. I want to be that for someone, Holt. I know how hard it is, but also how possible it is to change your life with the right support.”
And my girl had done exactly that. Two years ago, she used her new skills to set up New Tomorrows. She worked closely with Mary, learning from her how to make inroads into the local business community. She applied for grants and worked closely with the local prisons and law enforcement to find candidates they believed would truly benefit from her program. She and Mary created a tutoring program to help those who needed academic help as well as office and computer skills; Sara worked with her in providing low cost professional clothing; and John McCloskey and I offered free legal advice when needed once they were released and officially part of the program. I helped Maddy with all legal aspects of the company itself, and I loved that we were partners in more than just our marriage.
Maddy had set up a rigorous application process; her program wasn’t meant to be a handout, but a hand up. Applicants had to be willing to work hard and were subject to random drug tests. So far, out of sixty-four candidates, only three had been kicked out of the program, and after a local news interview, word spread about the success of her program.
She was constantly meeting with local businesses to establish a work release programs, but others across the state were starting to reach out and making contact with her, interested in her program due to its high success rate. She’d actually had to hire some help to keep up with the traveling since she thought it was more important she was home every evening with her family. She was able to conduct most of the business from the office space we’d created for her in our house so she could stay at home with Lily and Matthew whenever possible. My mom pitched in and babysat whenever Maddy needed to be present somewhere else, like candidate interviews or when she was asked to speak at business forums, like today.
Now, with a second baby coming, she decided she needed to begin training a new assistant. Nothing would ever be more important to Maddy than family, so when New Tomorrows began to take up more time, she knew she was going to have to turn over some of the responsibilities.
Maddy now officially had no criminal record. John McCloskey filed an appeal based on a Virginia code section for a writ of innocence based on new evidence since Charly’s letter was allowed as testimony. Maddy’s conviction was overturned and struck from her record. It didn’t give her back the six years of her life, but typical of her, she focused on the positive and moved on.
The front door opened and slammed. “Auntie, what’s for dinner? I’m starving!” Lily came sliding into the room dressed in her riding clothes.
“Shower first,” Maddy reminded her, sitting up with my help. “Then you can help me in the kitchen. How were lessons today? Di
d you remember to thank Mrs. Carson for the ride?”
“Great, and yes, I did. They got a new mare and she’s absolutely beautiful! I got to ride her today and practice jumping.” Lily still loved horses. She and her best friend Lauren took riding lessons together after school twice a week.
There had been a few growing pains when we became a family after Maddy officially gained custody of Lily. We carefully established new routines and ground rules, but Lily was a sweet girl and rarely challenged us. Although we retained the title of ‘aunt and uncle,’ I didn’t think of her as any less than I would if I were her father. Matthew even called her ‘Sissy.’ Someday, when she was older, we’d tell her more of her mother’s background, but we always kept any conversations about Charly positive. My family had no problems embracing her as part of their own, and we’d been sure to keep the Barnes involved in her life, since to her, they were like grandparents and an aunt. Lily had thrived with all the extra attention, despite missing her mother.
“Mooommmy,” a little high pitched voice called from upstairs. “I neeeed you! I’s on the potty!”
At the same time, the phone rang and the puppy whined to go out.
“Duty calls,” I smiled and kissed my wife and helped to pull her up off the couch. “I’ll get the pup and the boy. Let the answering machine get the phone.”
She threw her head back and laughed and hugged me tight. “Always something, isn’t there, Mr. Andrews?”
“Beautiful chaos, Mrs. Andrews,” I answered, rubbing her nose with mine. “It’s perfect, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I kissed her sweetly, kissed her belly, and went to take care of my promises while she went into the kitchen to get dinner started.
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