Sarah sifted through her closet in search of the perfect summer dress to wear for the reunion—not for the dog families, but rather for Finch’s long-lost extended family. They’d been dating for close to a year now, and each day Sarah felt more and more confident that she had made the right decision by waiting.

Finch loved his work with the whale-watching tour and was even working on a book of photography set to be released by a major publisher in the coming year. Sarah, too, loved working with children, and together she and Finch put together some of the highest-earning fundraisers in the history of the Make A Wish Foundation.

Sarah had once been too afraid to make any wishes for herself, but somehow she’d still managed to catch a falling star. Finch was that star. Eleanor, too. They often visited her grave site together and even brought Lucky to pay his respects on more than one occasion.

Lucky, too, had found love. From the moment he first laid eyes on Finch’s little Corgi, Waddles, the much larger Golden Retriever had been a goner. In turn, the puppy learned the therapy dog trade under Lucky’s careful guidance, and now the two worked as a duo with Sarah on days they got to visit the children at the hospital. Other days they rode on Finch’s sight-seeing boat, never growing tired of the whales and dolphins that came over to say hello.

Once Sarah and Finch were together again they’d worked tirelessly toward cracking the coded clues in Eleanor’s list. And, sure enough, once they’d figured out that the numbers included partial social security numbers and a mix of local zip codes, they’d been able to begin locating the stolen babies.

Of course, many of the babies were now retirees themselves, having lived their entire lives not knowing anything was amiss. Some refused to believe the news, but others committed themselves to finding their missing kin.

And Finch insisted on funding every single search himself.

Even if they’d never been related by blood, it was his great-aunt and great-grandmother who had caused this mess in the first place—and as part of repenting for their sins, he wanted to ensure he “set things right” just as Eleanor had requested from the beginning.

Today he’d at last be meeting his own missing family, and Sarah would be by his side the entire time. The best part was that they had used Reel Life to seek out his relatives, meaning his biggest failure also became the impetus for his biggest success.

Finch and Sarah would be meeting with forty-odd relations at the Dorma Valley vineyard that day. Sarah questioned why he’d want to start a new chapter in his life where they had ended their own incomplete love story just over a year ago, but he’d just shrugged and said it was one of the only places with enough space for everyone.

Settling at last on a bright yellow, retro-inspired A-line party dress and navy blue flats, Sarah pulled her hair into a bun and rushed outside to meet Finch whose car idled in her driveway. Even though he knew she always needed extra time to get ready, he never failed to show up at least five minutes early.

Some things never changed, and for that, she was quite thankful.

“Hi, honey,” she said, leaning through the open window to kiss Finch on the cheek before settling Lucky in the back with Waddles.

“Are you ready for today?” she asked as she took her seat and buckled in.

Finch took a deep breath. His hands shook on the wheel as he reversed out of her driveway. “As I’ll ever be,” he answered.

They chatted idly on their way to the vineyard, but mostly Sarah left Finch to his thoughts. This would be a huge day for him. It could change everything, but she also knew that the strong man she loved could handle whatever life hurtled his way.

Although they arrived early, the parking lot was already overflowing with a mix of SUVs, cars, and trucks sporting license plates from at least six different states.

Yes, today was going to be huge.

Finch opened her door for her and then took her hand in his, leading her gently across the gravel lot and toward the same trellised area where she’d broken both their hearts not all that long ago.

When they turned the corner, they were greeted by a roaring crowd. Everyone held a framed photo, waving them high in the air as they cheered. The dogs went crazy, running back and forth, weaving in and out of the crowd and sucking in all the delectable new smells.

“What’s all this?” Sarah asked with a confused smile spreading across her face.

“Sarah, this is my family,” he answered, gesturing toward the sea of smiling faces. “And, well, I was hoping you’d help me complete an otherwise perfect picture.”

She breathed in a slow, shaky breath, glancing again toward the framed photos held by each found relative of Finch’s. Only then did she realize that none of the photos held a complete picture on its own.

A murmur rippled through the crowd as the people began to reorganize themselves, pushing their pictures together to form one giant image. She strained as it came into focus, then gasped when she recognized Finch.

On one knee, holding…

She spun around so fast she almost lost her balance, but there was Finch kneeling before her in real life, too, with one hand on his heart and the other steadying her at the waist.

He let out a sharp whistle, and Lucky trotted over carrying a small basket with a velvet box inside. “Thank you, Lucky,” he said, taking the box and holding it open before Sarah. A beautiful antique, square-cut amethyst sparkled amidst a background of white silk.

“It was my great-aunt Eleanor’s,” he said with one of his world-stopping smiles. “Sarah, would you—?”

“Yes!” she shouted, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.

“Would you let me finish?” he said with a laugh, eliciting similar chuckles from the crowd of his family gathered close by.

She laughed, sobbed, and then nodded.

“I’ve searched far and wide to locate my missing family, but it’s still not complete. Not without you. Sarah, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife? I promise to love you until—”

Sarah didn’t need to hear anymore. She tackled Finch to the ground and showered him with kisses. Lucky and Waddles joined in with tails wagging and tongues licking.

And that was when Sarah knew that everything was exactly as it should be. Only one question remained…

How’d she get so lucky?