by Sarra Cannon
“Hello?” I say as I pick up.
“Hi, Leigh Anne, it’s Hailey over at Amanda’s Bridal,” Hailey says. “I’m just calling to make sure you remembered about your fitting this afternoon? We can always reschedule if you’re busy today.”
“Oh my gosh, I completely forgot,” I say. “I’ll be right over.”
“What was that about?” Knox asks. “Where are you going?”
“Secret wedding dress business,” I say, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as I grab my purse and head for the door.
In all the excitement of the past few weeks since Knox and I placed our official bid on the Monroe Estate, I completely forgot about my dress appointment.
I park in front of the shop and run in, out of breath. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I say.
“It’s no problem,” Amanda says. “This will just be the first fitting appointment of many, I’m sure. If you just head back to the dressing room, Hailey’s got your dress waiting for you. Susannah, our seamstress, should be back there in a minute once you’ve got the dress on.”
“About that,” I say. “There’s going to be a little change.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m standing in front of the mirror wearing the simple white dress I fell in love with that first day in the bridal shop. It’s pure white and silky and I love it even more than I remembered.
“You really do look incredible in this dress,” Amanda says when she steps back to take a peek. “What made you change your mind?”
“I stopped caring what everyone else wanted me to choose,” I say. “From now on, I’m only choosing the things I want.”
I run my hands across the silky fabric and smile.
“Yes, this is definitely the one I want.”
“I’m sorry that we won’t be able to refund your money on the other dress,” Amanda says with a frown. “Since we already made a few of the alterations your mother requested, there are no returns.”
“That’s okay,” I say. “I have another idea for that dress.”
I draw her closer and whisper something in her ear, and Amanda’s eyes grow huge.
“Are you sure?” she asks. “That’s an incredibly generous gift.”
“I’m definitely sure,” I say.
And as I walk back into the dressing room to change out of the dress, I smile as I hear Hailey’s screams of joy. She’s going to look gorgeous when she walks down the aisle in that dress.
I only wish my mother could be there to see it.
Chapter Thirty
“Are you ready?” Penny asks.
“I’m ready,” I say, taking a deep breath and looking in the mirror one last time.
My hair is down and wavy, a lily clipped in on one side. The dress I chose is perfect, and I can hardly believe the day has come when I finally get to walk down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams.
“They aren’t coming?” Jenna asks, tears in her eyes.
I shake my head.
My parents have never forgiven me for what I said to them that night at their house last fall. I tried several times over the months following that night to reach out to my mother and explain to her why I needed to say what I did, but she refuses to talk to me about it.
She tells me I am cruel and selfish, and although it breaks my heart, I’m beginning to understand that they may never be able to be truly happy for me.
And this is a day of happiness.
There is no room for sorrow or judgment. There is only room for unconditional love.
“I’m so sorry,” she says.
I take her hand and give her a smile. “It’s okay,” I say. “You guys are my real family.”
And I mean that with all my heart.
Family is a very complicated word. It’s usually tied to blood and expectation and heritage. Sometimes, it can be an anchor that holds us to life and keeps us grounded. But other times, in some families, it can be a noose around our necks.
To me, family is a group of people who love and support you no matter what. A family is something you build with the people who matter most. The people who see you for who you are and love you for that above all else.
I have found my family here in Fairhope with my closest friends and with Knox. And I’m ready to start that life with him here today.
I walk toward the dock, watching the setting sun paint its familiar shades of pink and orange and gold across the canvas of trees that line the lake. I clutch the simple bouquet of white tulips in my hands and smile at Knox as he waits for me at the edge of the water.
True to himself, he is wearing jeans and a pair of boots with his tux jacket and a crisp white shirt. No tie. Uncle Rob is next to him in a wheelchair as best man, tears shining in his eyes.
On the bride’s side, Penny stands wearing a light pink dress that stretches over a growing baby bump. A boy this time, due to be born at the end of the summer.
Beside her, Mason stands in front of a microphone with his guitar. He sings “I Will” by The Beatles as I walk down a makeshift aisle.
There are not many chairs set up on the grass, but we are surrounded by those who love us most. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
When I reach the wooden dock, Penny kisses my cheek and takes my bouquet.
“You look beautiful,” she says. “I love you, Leigh Anne. I’m so happy for you.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper.
I turn toward Knox and realize that I am turning toward my future. It no longer matters what has happened in our past. Today, we get a fresh start.
Under a canopy of trees, their new leaves fresh and green and full, we clasp hands and promise to love and honor each other for the rest of our days, until death do us part.
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
“Hey, Mom, watch this,” my daughter Ellie shouts as she grabs hold of the old rope at the edge of the woods and swings out over the lake. She lets go in a rush of giggles and squeals as she drops into the cool summer lake.
When her head pops out of the water, she’s all smiles and freckles. She just turned seven and is missing one of her front teeth. Her hair is blonde and wavy like mine, but she has her father’s eyes.
“Did you see me?”
“I did,” I say. “You got some great air on that one.”
“I can do it, too,” Liam shouts. He’s only five, but he’s just as brave as his sister.
“Go for it, buddy,” Knox calls as he walks down from the house, a couple of tall glasses of lemonade in his hands. He sits next to me on the dock, and we dip our feet in the water and watch our children play.
“Are you sure you’re ready for another one?” Knox teases.
“Ready or not,” I say, rubbing my growing belly.
“We should hire someone to help out so you can take some time off this time,” he says.
Our restoration business is flourishing. Ever since we got the job to restore the Monroe estate all those years ago, we’ve had more work than we could handle. I worked straight through with the birth of our first two children, but I think Knox is right. Slowing down for a while might be a good idea.
“Rachel,” Ellie shouts. She swims over to the ladder and pulls herself out of the water. “Mom, they’re here.”
I shield my eyes against the bright summer sun and see Penny, Mason, and their three children walking down the hill to join us. Preston and Jenna aren’t far behind, and Jenna’s belly is just about as big as mine these days. This will be their first child. They spent years traveling the world before finally settling back here in Fairhope. Preston’s father retired a year ago, leaving Preston in charge of the family business. Something he wasn’t sure he wanted until the time came and he realized he wanted it more than anything.
Knox helps me stand up and we greet our friends with kisses and hugs as the kids run off to play on the swing set.
Colton steps onto the back porch with a tray full of food. “Knox, you want to grab the rest?” he asks. “Jo’s just about fi
nished in there. You guys are going to die over these ribs.”
“Sure thing,” Knox says. He kisses my cheek before he runs up to the house to help bring out the rest of the food.
He emerges a minute later with Jo at his side. She’s wearing her six-month-old baby boy, Robert, in a carrier on her back, and I laugh as he drools all over her shirt.
“You haven’t missed a beat, have you?” I ask.
“Never a dull moment,” she says. “Besides, he likes watching me cook. I think he does, anyway.”
“Of course he does, baby,” Colton says, giving her a kiss and then planting one on his son’s head. “Just like his grandpa Rob.”
Jo’s father passed away eight years ago today, and we get together every year to celebrate his life. This year, it feels different somehow. Happier now that baby Robert has come into our lives.
We let the kids play a while longer as the eight of us gather around the large table behind the house. We take hands and send up a prayer of thanks. For our children. For each other. For Rob and all that he brought into our lives.
We give thanks for the family we’ve become.
And just as we’ve done countless times over the years, the eight of us sit down together and share our lives. We are not all bound by blood, but we are bound together by a friendship that has meant more to us than words could ever express.
Under the table, I take Knox’s hand and place it on my belly. He waits for a moment and when the baby kicks, he breaks out in a smile.
“That never gets old,” he says.
“No, it doesn’t,” I say, kissing my husband and squeezing his hand. My heart is full, and I am truly happy.
I look around at my friends and say a silent prayer of my own.
I send up thanks for the day I came home to Fairhope all those years ago, alone and afraid, broken and exhausted. I thought my life was ending when I turned down the road that led back into a town I’d been so desperate to run away from. I never could have dreamed that road would lead me here to this moment.
But now, as I listen to the laughter of our children and closest friends, and as I feel my child move inside me, I know that this is exactly where I was always meant to be.
I am home.
I hope you enjoyed the final book in the Fairhope series. I have truly fallen in love with these characters over the years, and it is so difficult to say goodbye. Please take a moment to sign up for my mailing list to be notified when I release more books in the future. Also, I’d appreciate it if you would leave a review for this book and others in the Fairhope series.
It means a lot to me!
And if you’d like to start another series of mine, please take a look at my other free books.
Thanks again for going on this journey with me.
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Complete Book List
Books marked with an * are currently free
The Shadow Demons Saga Beautiful Demons Box Set, Books 1-3*
Beautiful Demons*
Inner Demons*
Bitter Demons*
Shadow Demons
Rival Demons
Demons Forever
Emerald Darkness
Forgotten Darkness
A Demon's Wrath
After Midnight
Sacrifice Me Season One Box Set
Episode 1: The Demon*
Episode 2: The Dream
Episode 3: The Darkness
Episode 4: The Dying
Episode 5: The Devil
Episode 6: The Doorway
Eternal Sorrows Death's Awakening
Sorrow's Gift
Fairhope The Trouble With Goodbye*
The Moment We Began
A Season For Hope
The Fear of Letting Go
A Life With No Regrets
The Trouble With I Do