Page 117 of The Summer We Mended
Anna stood on the porch of their cozy new home in Vineyard Haven, her hand resting over the round curve of her belly.The early morning light spilled through the trees, warming the worn wooden boards beneath her bare feet.It was December, but she couldn’t get comfortable from all the hot flashes she was having.She was grateful their new home had a covered porch.
The house wasn’t grand, but it was perfect for them—white clapboard with blue shutters.From the porch, Anna could see the path that wound down toward the street and continued gently down the hill into town.If she leaned just far enough, she could spot the water glinting in the distance.
It was still decent weather for the season, and the kids were adamant that they were going to take advantage of it.She smiled as she watched the twins pedal their bikes away from the house, their school bags bouncing behind them in their baskets.“Don’t forget to stop at Grandma’s after school!”she called after them.
“We won’t!”they chorused, their voices ringing out.
Luke’s hand slid around her waist from behind.He kissed her temple and leaned into her, his presence grounding, warm.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly.
Anna rolled her eyes.“I look like a whale.”
“You look like the mother of my children,” he murmured into her hair.“Which is even better.”
They laughed together, his voice vibrating against her back.Six months pregnant with their third child, a little girl, Anna felt exhausted, sore, and ungainly.But in moments like this, none of that mattered.
Luke was home.
After the terror of his disappearance overseas, the long days waiting to hear news, the impossible fear, he was home.And they had carved out a life.Not one they’d planned necessarily, but one they’d built with love.
Luke was officially retired from the military, but he stayed still for a total of five minutes before he was already making plans for what was next for the family.He and Luke had bounced a dozen different business ideas off each other before they settled on one.
Luke and Cody had launched Harbor & Sky Expeditions that fall, blending Luke’s past as a pilot with Cody’s lifelong love of the sea.On calm days, tourists could board Cody’s boat for half-day fishing charters or coastal sightseeing, while Luke offered low-flying scenic tours in his vintage seaplane, skimming over the Vineyard’s beaches and cliffs.Some packages combined both, the sea and sky experience, a favorite for honeymooners and families wanting to see the island from every angle.They kept things simple and local, but their bookings were always full, and word-of-mouth was spreading fast.
Luke called it a way to share what saved him.Cody said it was just fun.Anna knew it was both.They wouldn’t get much business over the winter, but the fall startup had been a way for them to do a dry run of the business and then work on any problems that came up over the winter, before they launched for real in the spring.
They’d even offered to let Uncle Henry come out and tell stories and share his historical knowledge of the island with the tourists.He loved every second of it.Aunt Claudia adored being able to help with any parties that needed to be planned along the way.
Luke and Cody were already taking bookings for the following summer, and both men looked sunburned, healthy, and endlessly satisfied.Every evening, Luke came home smelling like the ocean, and Anna swore it made her heart skip a beat.
Jess, too, was thriving.What started as helping Lily with her pottery studio’s social media turned into something much bigger.With her digital marketing skills and natural eye, she’d built Lily’s brand into a coastal phenomenon.Pieces now shipped all over the world.Encouraged by the success, Jess had opened a small office downtown and was officially launching her own marketing company.She’d even bought a tiny fixer-upper not far from Main Street.
June was still staying with Tom, more quiet than not, still carrying the shadows of her past, but healing, slowly.Max never left her side, and little by little, she was starting to trust the world again.
Lily had changed, too.
The grief hadn’t left her; it was tucked in the corners of her eyes, in the way she sometimes paused over the teapot David had bought her, or when she touched his old books, but she had found a sort of peace.And with Tom, she found comfort.The friendship had turned into something warmer, deeper.Anna had expected it to hurt, had feared it might feel like a betrayal, but it didn’t.Watching them together felt right.Natural.Tom brought Lily coffee every morning, fixed whatever needed fixing, and made her laugh.
Anna was happy he was there.Her mother deserved that kind of soft, steady love again.
The screen door banged open, and Luke stepped back as Cody came through, windblown and grinning.
“Thought I’d find you two out here,” he said.“Boat’s in early.Figured I’d come say hi before grabbing lunch.”
“Come on in,” Anna said, stepping aside.“You’ve got time to eat before you’re off again?”
“I do if someone feeds me,” he teased.
Luke laughed and threw an arm around his shoulder as they walked inside.“We got that one group tomorrow who want to catch a hundred fish and then cry about it if they don’t.Should be fun.”
“Can’t wait,” Cody said, deadpan.
Anna watched them, her heart tugging with affection.Their banter never failed to lift her spirits.They had grown incredibly close with them both being back on the Vineyard.It was nice for them to be able to share their military stories with someone who understood the things they’d been through.
The two of them were in the kitchen, scooping out leftover clam chowder into bowls as they talked and laughed.Anna closed her eyes for a minute and listened without watching.
It was hard to believe that a year ago, she was living on Langley Air Force Base and perfectly content with her life.Yes, she missed her family, but it was a sacrifice a soldier’s wife made.She didn’t think this life would be on the horizon anytime soon.Luke had always talked about retiring after thirty years, not twenty.
