Page 88 of Our Unexpected Beginning
“I never knew this existed.”
“It was supposed to be a graduation present. I had been filling it out without anyone knowing for years. Your brother caught me and added in his two cents. After he died…”
Julia turned to the back of the book where notes and well wishes for the children were left. There, in his smudged left handed writing:
Juju, there’s a reason our windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. The best little sister with the biggest dreams.
Julia hugged the books to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “This means…” It’s finished.
Elaine wrapped her in a tight hug. “Me too kid.” She pulled away and kissed Julia’s forehead. “Go, kiddo. It’s okay not to look back.” The older woman’s hands were warm on her face.
“I love you.” Julia slipped her hand into Graham’s and smiled. “Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER
Julia
Lexi’s house was brimming with laughter and nervous energy as the women gathered the night before Mia and Nolan’s wedding.
“I think we have everything ready for tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. We finally managed to get your fiancé out the door.” Julia teased Melody who flashed her new engagement ring.
She bounded in before everyone showed for the bridal shower and spilled the news to Julia, then the rest of the group. Melody would never want to make the day about her.
“How did you know?” Julia questioned, sitting around the coffee table on the floor of the living room, stuffing last minute wedding favors.
“Waffles.” Melody beamed, entranced by her engagement ring.
“Our brainwaves aren’t connecting correctly today. I require further explanation please.”
“Wes eats the bad waffles I make. I mean, they don’t taste any different than the rest of them. Sometimes the blueberries stick and the waffle pulls apart. Or the edges are too done. Those are the ones he gets first. He loves me when I’m not perfect.”
Tears welled up in Julia’s eyes. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.”
“Everyone’s getting their shit together…”
“Everything is falling into place.” Mia grabbed her hand. “For you too.”
Julia’s eyes brimmed with tears, and a sharp burn flared in her nose as she pressed her palm gently against the underside of her belly, feeling the warmth of life beneath her hand. She inhaled slowly, drawing in a deep breath as if gathering the metaphorical bones that had held her together for so many years. The ache in her chest was not a hollow emptiness; it wasn’t haunted by ghosts or filled with the shadows of grief. Instead, she sensed a shift, a subtle transformation—perhaps even healing. Out of the ashes of the long-buried secrets of her past, Julia realized this was an ending she had never anticipated.
It wasn’t the love of a man that completed her, nor was it his presence that made her whole. Graham’s unwavering faith in her, his strength, and the encouragement he offered allowed her to be unapologetically herself, no matter the circumstances.
“Jules, you’re quiet. Are you going to tell us what’s wrong?” Mia’s voice was gentle, probing the silence that enveloped them.
“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
“That you’ll tell me or that you want to play more twenty questions?” she asked with a hint of playfulness.
“Ever since my brother died, I’ve been waiting,” she confessed, her words weighted with years of unspoken pain.
“For what?” she inquired, her curiosity sincere.
“To be done. Finished,” she admitted, her tone heavy with the burden of the past.
“Cookie dough. Like cookie dough?” Melody interjected, teasing with a light-hearted TV reference, attempting to weave a thread of levity into their somber conversation.
