Page 124 of 15 Summers Later

“You’re...you’re here. How are you here?” She couldn’t seem to make the puzzle pieces fit in her head and wondered if she was still dreaming. What else could explain her husband in bed beside her, bearded now and sun-weathered from long hours spent at the dig, but so dearly familiar.

“Madi and your friend Luke Gentry drove up in the middle of the night in a rainstorm to get me.”

“Oh.” The exclamation escaped on a sigh and then she turned to face him. Cullen pulled her into his embrace and she pressed her face into the curve of his neck.

Cullen was her safe space. From the day they met, she had found strength and comfort and peace in his arms. He loved her. Why had she ever believed that his love couldn’t be strong enough to endure if he truly knew all the pieces of her?

“I’m so sorry about the baby. Are you okay?”

She shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. “It hurts,” she admitted on a whisper. “I’m not sure I can bear it.”

She didn’t mean physically. The cramping had stopped sometime in the night. Now she only felt...empty inside.

“I wish I could take this pain for you.”

She didn’t know how to tell him that his presence was easing it, going a long way to helping her not feel so alone.

She couldn’t lose this. Them. She needed him too much. Yes, being completely vulnerable with him, sharing the complete truth about everything, was terrifying. The idea of spending even another night without him was far, far worse.

“I’m sorry about everything,” she said softly. “So sorry. I’m sorry about our baby. I’m sorry for keeping so much from you all this time. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to tell you, that I let fear rule my choices.”

“Oh, Ava. It was never about you not being strong enough. I wondered what I had done or said to make you feel you couldn’t trust me with the truth about all that you went through.”

She had hurt him. That was the core of everything, why he had needed to put distance between them. He had hurt, learning there were parts of her she had never shared with him.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured again.

“Don’t.” He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, his arms tightening around her. “I love you, Ava. No matter what. I can’t bear being without you. These weeks have been hell. Can’t we simply move forward from here?”

She listened to his heartbeat, strong and comforting. “Yes. Oh please, Cullen. I love you.”

He tucked her head against his shoulder and they stayed that way for a long time.

While the pain of loss was still there and probably always would be, on the fringes of her subconscious, Ava caught a tiny sliver of bright hope, like a rare and precious mountain bluebird flitting across an alpine meadow.

36

With the weight of the past lifted, we face the future unburdened, ready to embrace the limitless possibilities that await two sisters who refused to be defined by the chains that once bound them.

—Ghost Lakeby Ava Howell Brooks

Madison

When she awoke, sun was streaming through the lacy curtains of the guest room. Mo, who had slept on the floor beside her, now stood by the guest room bed, nudging her hand and urging her to wake up so she could let him outside into the yard.

Madi was so tired, she wanted to stay here all day, but knew she couldn’t. She had things to do at the animal rescue and her own dogs needed care.

The house was quiet. Nicki had left for work, she saw by the empty coffee mug in the kitchen sink.

She let Mo outside and was trying to figure out how to sneak into her bedroom to get Mabel when the door opened and Ava walked out behind the smaller dog.

They gazed at each other, then Mabel broke the silence by trotting over to Madi, whose hand was still on the door.

She opened it for her and Mabel scampered out to find her buddy, Mo.

“Hi,” Madi said, then fell silent, not knowing what else to say.

“Hi.”

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