Epilogue
Hayden and Brian held hands as they sat in their chairs, watching Livie walk up onto the stage.
Over the last twenty-five years, Hayden had grown so accustomed to the way her hand felt in Brian’s that frequently she didn’t even think about it. But tonight … tonight was a night for not only remembering, but acknowledging the importance of the small things.
Holding Brian’s hand was one of those things.
Livie stood at the microphone at the center of the ballroom. “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to honor my mother and father’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. It’s such a milestone, one that deserves this kind of occasion. I’d like to ask Mom and Dad come up and say a few words, but before that, although most of you know us, I’d like to introduce us. I’m Olivia, their daughter, and …” She waited as Becker joined her. He was slowly leaving that awkward teen stage and beginning to grow into his body. Tall, lanky and in need of a few pounds, his hair wild and in desperate need of a trim, he smiled. “And I’m Becker.”
Livie leaned over and gave him a hug, but with typical teen-boy reaction, he ducked out of it. His fair complexion turned a subtle shade of pink.
Hayden’s hand tightened around Brian’s.
“And the family’s grown. I’d like to introduce my husband, Lou, and our daughter, Kathleen, and our son, Sammy.”
Hayden watched as her family gathered center stage. Lou was a lovely man who’d joined their family six years ago. A pediatrician, Hayden had met him at the hospital, a new doctor in a strange city. She’d brought him home for dinner, and there’d been something immediately there between him and Livie.
Livie had told Hayden then, that he was the first man she’d met who came close to living up to her father. That was when she knew that Livie was going marry Lou.
Three years ago, they’d made her a grandmother for the first time. Little Kathleen was the spitting image of a woman she’d never meet, but would be a part of her life through the many family stories. She held her father’s hand as they walked onto the stage. Lou carried Sammy, who was just a year old now, and quite the hellion. He reminded her a lot of Becker at that age.
There they all stood. Their family … Kathleen’s legacy.
Livie continued, “We wanted to do something to honor Mom and Dad on this very special day. Two people who’ve spent their lives doing for others, not only through their careers in medicine and social work, but through the way they’ve cared for their family. Becker and I are probably the most fortunate kids ever. Our parents loved us and always put us first. And my kids are so blessed to have such a special pair of grandparents. So, please join us in honoring my parents’ twenty-five years of marriage. But more than that, their lifetime of love.”
The crowd clapped.
“Mom and Dad?” Livie called, beckoning them onto the stage.
Brian didn’t let go of Hayden’s hand as they stood and walked up to the microphone.
Hayden let him go first, willing to let him speak for both of them because the tremendous lump in her throat made her wonder if she’d be able to.
She looked out at the crowd. Colleagues, friends. Then back at her kids, her family and the lump only got bigger.
Brian cleared his throat, then squeezed her hand. “Before I turn the mic over to my better half, let me just say…” The crowd laughed and he quickly added, “Not that I’m saying Hayden talks too much …”
The laughter got harder.
“Let me just say, the last twenty-five years have been wonderful, but my journey with Hayden started a long time before that. I was twelve and dressed as a biker, she was eight and a sorry-looking ghost. She knocked on our door and my life was never the same.” He kissed her.
He moved over, and because they were still holding hands, practically dragged her in front of the microphone.
She was silent, not sure she’d find the words she wanted. Glancing at all of them, her family, she remembered that little girl who’d knocked on the Conway door. She’d been so alone. Despite the fact she had parents, she’d been so much an orphan.
“That day I walked down Briar Hill Road and I knocked on Brian’s door, I was coming home, even if I didn’t know it then. That one Halloween, my whole life changed. It was a turning point. Our lives, Brian’s and mine, have been filled with other moments like that, times when something happened and everything changed.”
She leaned closer, their arms touching. Even after all these years, just touching him could give her such comfort. “Some might say that a life is defined by the big moments, ones that alter a person’s direction. I’d say, those are the times that punctuate a life, but don’t truly tell the story. My story with Brian is told in the little things. Like in the water-balloon fights, the roadtrips, teasing each other and later with our children. All those small moments with Livie and Becker, and now with Kathleen and Sammy. Bedtime stories, school plays. All those moments of love. That’s where our life is written, in a lifetime of them with each other, with our children, with our grandchildren and with Brian’s mother, Kathleen. Some of you never met her, and though Brian’s mom has been gone for many years, she’s still alive in our family. We share memories of the amazing woman who gave us so much, taught us not to be afraid and to live every precious moment of our lives out loud—to risk ourselves for what matters. A woman who showed us what matters most is love.”
Hayden stopped, tried to harness the emotions that were welling up inside of her. “I want to thank you all for being a part of our story … a part of our family. Thank you for celebrating this day, celebrating love, with us.”