Wyatt

Not more than ten minutes after Lily left with her bags, Wyatt heard the doorbell ring. He was downstairs, playing in the basement with Maggie. His eyes widened and he smiled.

Did Lily forget something here? He wondered. Maybe I'll get to see her again.

Since the moment she'd walked out his front door, his heart had been aching. It had only been about ten minutes, but he legitimately missed her. His house felt empty now that she was gone.

“I'll be right back, okay?” he asked Maggie, who was too focused on her coloring book to even look up.

“Okay,” she said, still coloring away.

Wyatt stood up from the floor and jogged upstairs. He went straight to the front door and pulled it open.

“Hey, hey,” he said, before even looking to see who was on the other side. “Did you miss us that much?”

Once the door was open, he was greeted by someone, but it was most certainly not Lily like he had been hoping. Standing in the doorway was Mildred. Her gray hair was tied back into a pony tail and her glass were sitting at the very tip of her nose. It looked like a soft breeze could have blown them straight off.

“You know what? I actually did miss you guys,” Mildred said.

“Oh, hey, Mildred,” Wyatt said, embarrassed. “Sorry. I guess I thought you were someone else.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she said, with a wink.

“No, no,” he said. “It's not like that. Here, let me get your bags.”

“Thank you, dear,” Mildred said, as she slipped her duffel bag from her shoulder and passed it to Wyatt. He was surprised by how heavy it was.

“Looks like you came back from vacation with your bags more full than when you left,” he said, laughing.

“Well, you know, I had to pick up some souvenirs for everybody,” Mildred replied. “I've got a few fun things in there for Maggie that I think she'll like.”

“I know she'll like whatever you got her.” Wyatt carried the bag in through the doorway and set it on the floor. “She likes any kind of gift.”

“Where is Maggie, anyway?” Mildred asked. “I can't wait to see her. I know I've only been gone for ten days, but it has felt like months.”

“Maggie is playing downstairs,” he said. “You should go surprise her. I'm sure she'll be super excited to see you.”

“I'll do that,” Mildred said, setting her other suitcases inside the door. She looked around the front room and drew in a long breath. “You know, as nice as it was to spend some time on the beach and relax, it sure does feel good to be home.”

Wyatt smiled. “Well we're glad to have you back.”

“No troubles while I was gone?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, none at all. Things went pretty smoothly.”

“So Lily did okay?” Mildred asked. “I was a little nervous about it, just because I'm so used to Maggie being in my care. I felt like an over-anxious mom going out of town and leaving their kid for the first time or something. It was kind of a strange feeling, to be honest.”

“No, Lily did really well,” Wyatt said. “You know how much Maggie adores her, though. All she wanted to do was spend every waking moment with Lily. They did a lot of fun things during the week. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with how it went.”

“Does this mean I can take more vacations?” Mildred said, with a smirk that told Wyatt she was joking.

“I know you're just kidding, but seriously, you deserve more than one vacation every five years, Mildred,” Wyatt said. “And speaking of vacation, I wanted to talk to you about something really quickly.”

Mildred's eyebrows rose, causing the wrinkles on her forehead to show. “What is it?”

“Would you have any interest in taking weekends off?” he asked.

Mildred looked a bit confused by the question. “I suppose if you wanted me to, then I could.”

“It's not that I want you to, I'm just wondering if it's something you'd be interested in,” he said. “I spoke with Lily while you were gone and she said that she'd be up for working here on weekends if you ever wanted a little down time.”

“You know, that actually doesn't sound too bad,” she said. “I'm not sure what I'd do with myself, though.”

“Mildred, you have twice as many friends as I do,” Wyatt said with a laugh. “I'm sure you'd figure out something fun to do. Only do this if you want to, though. I don't want you to feel like you have to. If you'd rather just stay working here seven days a week, that's totally fine.”

She shook her head. “No, I honestly think having a couple of days off each week would do me some good. It might even keep the last few black hairs on my head from turning gray.”

Wyatt chuckled. “Well I already know that Lily is on board with the idea. So if you're giving me the go-ahead, I'll talk with her and see when she can start doing that. I expect it will be as soon as this next weekend.”

“That sounds great,” Mildred said. “Thank for thinking of me. It means a lot.”

“Of course,” Wyatt said. “Tell you what. I'll take your bags up to your room, if you want to run down and greet Maggie. I won't keep you any longer.”

“You don't need to lug my bags up those stairs,” she said. “That's a really nice gesture, though.”

“It's no problem at all.” Wyatt lifted the duffel bag onto his shoulder and grabbed the other two suitcases. It was a lot of weight he was now carrying. “I'll come down in a little while. I might try to catch a nap now that you're here and can take care of Maggie, though. I didn't get much sleep last night.”

“Very good,” Mildred said. “I've got Maggie, so you go and rest. We'll see you when we see you.”

“Thanks, Mildred.” Wyatt turned and headed upstairs. By the time he got to the top floor, his legs were burning.

Looks like I won't need a workout today, thanks to Mildred and her hundred pound suitcases, he thought, making his way down the hallway toward her room. When he got there, he pushed open the door with his butt and set everything down in the center of the floor. Then he headed back to his bedroom, which was on the opposite end of the hallway.

He took a seat on the edge of his bed and let out a long sigh. Now it had been officially twenty minutes since Lily had left and the emptiness in his heart seemed even bigger than before. Even though Mildred was home, it was still very different in the house.

Wyatt glanced toward his dresser, focusing his eyes onto the picture of his family at the beach.

Everything's different, though, he thought. It seems as though today is never even close to the same as yesterday. The only exception, was when Lily was here. This whole past week felt like a vacation from my emotions.

He hadn't really thought about it until right then, but he realized that for the entire ten days that Lily was in his home, his heart hadn't ached. He had definitely thought about Caroline, but for whatever reason, the knot in his stomach had disappeared. He knew that it had something to do with Lily. It was only logical.

She's my medicine, he thought. Lily is a damn miracle. I've spent countless hours at the therapist and nothing has made me feel even close to as good as I did while Lily was living under my roof. What is it about her? How is she able to put my heart at ease?

Wyatt laid back onto his bed, keeping his legs dangling over the edge. He stared up at the ceiling and thought about his life. He thought about everything. He remembered the events that led up to meeting Caroline. The way she smiled at him that first time they met was enough for him to fall in love in just one second.

I'll never forget that smile, he thought.

Then his memory moved forward. Images of their wedding and how happy she was. He thought about their honeymoon in Costa Rica. It was like the perfect dream. Three weeks spent on the beach. Both of them had hoped it would never end and that they could just live there forever.

Forever of course never came and they ended up going home. Both of them wanted kids, which was where Lily eventually came into the picture.

Caroline sure did love Lily, he thought. She thought Lily was the greatest and sweetest girl to ever walk the planet. She was right, too. I'm starting to see it now. It's clear as day. Lily is one of the best things to ever happen to Maggie and me.

Right then, it occurred to Wyatt that maybe his attraction to Lily wasn't the worst thing in the world. If there was any woman that Caroline would have approved of, it would have definitely been Lily. That was one thing he could be certain of.

“What would you say right now?” Wyatt lifted his head and gazed toward the picture of Caroline on the dresser. “What would you have me do, Caroline?”

His mind whirled with thoughts of Caroline and Lily. His heart belonged to Caroline and he knew that. Even so, he suddenly realized that maybe there was a tiny sliver left that could belong to someone else. A small piece of his broken heart that could be passed to another woman, giving her the chance to revive it with her love.

It's not like I'll ever meet any other girl who I could even consider an option, he thought. No matter what woman I meet, I'll always wonder what Caroline would think of her. Lily is the exception, though. Caroline knew Lily better than anybody. Not only that, she loved her like a sister or a best friend.

“Maybe it's not so wrong after all,” he whispered, as he sat up in the bed. “Maybe I'm not crazy to have feelings for Lily.”

Suddenly, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. For the first time in the past week and a half, he didn't feel guilty for being attracted to Lily. It was as though he had been liberated from the guilt, now free to express himself. It was a strange sensation and one that he had to assume Caroline had something to do with somehow.

Is this her way of telling me that it's okay to go for Lily? He asked himself. Did Caroline take the guilt away, or have I just talked myself out of it?

He stood up from the bed and walked toward the picture. He lifted it from the dresser and gazed at it for a moment. He felt like he was at a crossroad. On one side, was a road that led to the past. It was filled with love for Caroline and the pain of losing her. On the other side, was the road to the future. It was empty, but filled with endless possibilities. For the first time since Caroline had passed away, he knew which road he had to take. He knew that he couldn't spend the rest of his days living in a past that didn't exist any more. He knew that Caroline wouldn't want him to do that.

I've got to move forward, he thought, his eyes focused on his wife's smiling face. I've got to face my life head on, before it passes me by. I'll always love you, though, Caroline. You'll always have a place in my heart. Please know that. You're mine and I'm yours, but I need to remember what it feels like not to hurt any more.

Tears streamed down his face. He set the picture back in its place and then walked to the bathroom. He grabbed a tissue and wiped his cheeks, then began to sob. It wasn't a cry of pain, though. Not this time. Not like usual. His cry was one of relief, as though he'd been carrying the entire world on his back and suddenly didn't have to manage the burden any longer. The tears fell for a good five minutes and when he finally faced the mirror, he saw in his own eyes something he hadn't seen in a long, long time.

Hope.