Page 45 of A Winter's Miracle

When Violet felt she’d stayed long enough, she and Larry walked back into the front yard and pushed the FOR SALE sign into the grass. They high-fived after that, laughing. “Let’s get rid of this old place,” Violet joked.

She knew she had a huge task ahead of her. Dean’s room was filled with memories, just waiting for someone to go through. But after a year, so much turmoil, and newly prescribed medication, Violet felt ready for anything. It was the beginning of a new journey.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Anna had been engaged to Dean for fewer than twenty-four hours. Being the dreamer she was, Anna had planned an entire wedding during that time—all the way down to the fine details, the hors d’oeuvres, the place settings, and the song they would dance to. These fantasies, incredibly, would remain in Anna’s mind forever. That was the marvelous nature of memories. And if she ever married again, she would opt for different plans, different details. The initial ones would always belong to her and Dean.

Smith had been gone for nearly a month. The days had stretched out strangely, becoming a rhythm of baby needs, writing tasks, and helping Greta and her mother around the house. Emails with Smith had punctuated her days, coming almost nightly, usually at around one or two. Having an email correspondence like this reminded her of Jane Austen romances. It gave new meaning to their initial conversation a month ago, in which they’d said they wanted to take things “slow.” “I’ll show you slow,” they seemed to say.

But today was Julia’s wedding to Charlie. And a part of Anna—the romantic part—ached for Smith to return to Nantucket and be her date. She knew it was complicated back in Pennsylvania. Smith was up to his ears in logistics, adopting his brother. But she needed him here.

Anna woke up early to a squeaking, smiling baby. Adam was three months old, with a plump belly and dark dimples. Her love for him overflowed.

Anna got Adam ready for the morning and walked him downtown to Violet’s new apartment, which she rented from an older islander couple who usually rented it out to tourists for ridiculously high rates. Lucky for Violet, the couple wanted a long-term renter they could trust (for a lower rate), and the Copperfields were more than willing to advocate for her. Essentially, she was one of them.

Violet opened the door as Anna approached, hurrying to lift Adam from his stroller and smother him with kisses.

“Thank you for babysitting this morning,” Anna said, smiling.

“Of course! I’m always happy to. Just remember, I have to be up at the venue by eleven thirty. The life of a wedding planner is exciting!” Violet said, wheeling the stroller deeper into her brightly lit apartment. Already, she had a “baby area” set up in the corner of her living room, where she’d stocked plenty of modern baby books. “Knowledge is power,” she’d said several times, which both irritated Anna and made her laugh. Violet’s love was powerful. And she was grateful for it.

“His little suit is just down here.” Anna squatted to retrieve the adorable suit and tiny black shoes. “I don’t know if he’ll like the shoes. He’s never worn any before. But Mom and I couldn’t resist buying them.”

Violet hung up the suit and clasped her hands. “Have a wonderful morning. Adam and I will see you later.”

Before Anna left Violet’s apartment, she hesitated, her hand lingering on the doorknob. Via email, Smith had expressed his tremendous affection for Violet—even saying that he’d begun to think of her as family. “It’s easy for someone like me to latch onto family,” he’d explained. “Because I never had one before.”

Anna wondered if Violet knew when Smith was coming back. She searched her smile for secrets but found nothing. Her heart sank. Maybe it wasn’t time yet.

The women of The Copperfield House were gathered in the living room. Love songs purred from the Bluetooth speaker, and satin robes were donned, glistening as they rushed from the kitchen and back again to pour more mimosas. Anna took several glances at herself in the mirror in the hall, noting that she’d lost quite a bit of the baby weight. She felt youthful and athletic, probably from carrying Adam around. She’d become stronger than ever.

Aunt Alana turned on a classic French song, dancing with her eyes closed, shimmying her hips. “Follow my lead, ladies!” she ordered.

Heaving with laughter, Scarlet, Anna, Ivy, Laura, and Julia tried to imitate Alana, whose ex-supermodel tendencies outrivaled their moves. Greta was far too sensible to even try. She just shook her head and sipped her mimosa, her eyes on Alana—the daughter she’d never fully understood.

Not long afterward, Rachel, Anna’s little sister, came downstairs, yawning. She still attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and was fresh-faced and innocent in her satin robe. She wrapped her arms around their mother and said, “You’re the prettiest bride in the world.” And Julia knelt her head upon Rachel’s and thanked her. Anna’s heart ached, knowing that her relationship with Julia was far different from Rachel’s.

She wondered what another child would be like. How could anyone else come between her and Adam? It boggled her mind that her love for Adam could ever be doubled. But that was what motherhood was.

True to form, Grandma Greta made sure everyone ate enough for lunch. “I won’t have any of you forgetting to eat,” she said, bringing out salads, sandwiches, and ravioli platters. “Hungry brides don’t exist in the Copperfield family.” She dropped onto the couch between Julia and Ella and wrapped her wrinkled hand around Julia’s as Aunt Alana hurried to join them. Anna made sure to take a photograph of them all together—three Copperfield girls in their forties and their mother, the proudest Copperfield of all.

Anna was lucky enough to ride with her mother up to the venue, where she met with Violet to take over Adam's responsibilities. Violet was already in “wedding planner mode,” with a microscopic microphone extending to her mouth. No curl on her head was out of place, and she wore the perfect lavender dress—one that bore a resemblance to Jennifer Lopez’s when she played a fictional wedding planner.

Violet seemed to float with importance. Just as soon as Adam was back in Anna’s arms, Violet clacked off, speaking into her microphone.

“She already has four weddings lined up for this autumn,” Julia muttered as they headed toward the back of the venue to get ready. “The woman is fantastic at marketing herself. I should take a page out of her book for the publishing house.” Julia smiled and took Adam’s foot in her hand. “This suit is really something, isn’t it? He looks like a mini James Bond.”

Anna laughed and checked in his diaper bag to find the shoes, which they immediately tried on him when they reached the back room. Adam kicked and squabbled, not accustomed to having thick, heavy things on his feet.

“I understand, little guy,” Julia joked, showing off her stilettos, which she’d chosen for the ceremony. “Fashion is pain.”

“He can get away with anything,” Scarlet said. “It’s not fair.”

As a favor to his mother and grandmother, Adam slept peacefully in his carrier over the next few hours. Hairstylists and makeup technicians arrived to beautify the Copperfield women, bringing with them a wave of gossip. They learned about a jilted bride from last weekend, a mother-of-the-groom who’d hated the bride so much that she’d refused to sit for the ceremony, a flower girl who’d gotten a nosebleed midway down the aisle.

“What about you?” one of the makeup technicians demanded. “Any drama here?”

Julia sputtered with laughter. “He’s my high school sweetheart. We both married other people, and we’re coming back together again.”

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