EPILOGUE

Six weeks later:

He smiled at the beauty in the blue, silky dress. Her eyes caught the light from a lamp somewhere in the room, and sparkled as deep and pure as the sky. Her hair was as red as a sunset, and her skin creamy and smooth as a flower’s petal.

She reached out to hug him, and he felt as if he belonged to her, that he was part of her. Her arms slipped behind his body as she came in close to kiss his cheek. He could sense the smile of her kiss as her full lips pressed against his skin.

Soon she began humming and he immediately recognized the tune and the joy of her radiant smile as she gazed at him. Her voice soothed him. He was a mere boy the first time he’d met her, that much he remembered, but even then, she seemed ageless, as if she were young and old all at once.

“How do you know that song?” Reese asked Avery as they made their way up to the front desk at Bell House. Hearing that particular song coming from Avery shocked him beyond what he’d thought possible.

“It was one of my mom’s favorites,” she said. “She loved Céline Dion, and it was Mom’s favorite of her songs. She would sing it to me all the time. Mom had a lovely, enchanting voice. I haven’t thought of it in a long time, but for some reason that song popped into my head this morning and I’ve been humming ever since.”

He could barely contain all the love that ran through him right now. He truly felt overwhelmed.

“It’s the song you sang to me in my dreams,” he told her as intense emotion gripped his throat, and moistened his eyes. He did his best to control his feelings, but the entire day had been emotional for both of them. “It’s like I knew this day would come. That we would be standing here together as you hummed that song. That our lives, your life, would forever change.”

She took his hand in hers. “And here we are, because you loved me.”

“Always have and always will,” he told her. “Now let’s do this. Let’s go meet your mama.”

Her lovely mouth formed a perfect smile. “How do I look?”

“You look beautiful,” he told her once again. She must have asked him that question ten times, and each time he’d given her the same answer, which always made her smile. He knew how much she wanted this first meeting to go well.

Avery had bought a building in town, right off the main street. She’d been busy setting up the storefront on the first floor for her new family law practice, while she fixed up the two bedroom apartment on the second floor as a temporary residence while she fought Chuck and her dad to get her mom’s land back. She hoped to one day bring her mom home to live with her, and had prepared one of the bedrooms for that moment. Still, Avery knew that was probably wishful thinking on her part.

They walked behind Janice as she escorted them through the halls at Bell House, looking for Pamela Templeton’s private room. Her doctor had warned Avery not to expect too much, that these things took time. Her mom had been sedated for twenty years and according to her new doctor, “It has taken a heavy toll.”

What mental illness her mom had been diagnosed with to put her in this institution in the first place was still being investigated, but for now, she would slowly be weaned off most of her medication to see which ones, if any, were required.

Reese and his family were still grappling with what to do with the mother-load of natural gas under their land, and Avery, her dad, and Chuck were in the depths of litigation. The one good thing in all of this was the fact that Avery was able to get control of her mom’s health and well-being despite what Chuck Starr had threatened. It seemed the courts were on Avery’s side, so Chuck and her dad had no choice but to back down . . . at least for now.

“It’s just down here,” Janice said, a warm smile stretching across her lips. “Ever since Pamela’s new doctor changed her meds, she’s been a lot more lucid. She’s actually been looking forward to this visit.”

Ironically, Janice seemed to be Avery’s new best friend, calling with updates on Pamela’s improvements almost on a daily basis. Funny how a little thing like an indictment for Pamela’s previous doctor, who just happened to be the head of Bell House, could disrupt an entire institution and everyone in it. Suddenly, there was a complete overhaul of all procedures, doctors and staff and nothing was quite the same. Even the landscaping surrounding the stately mansion now flourished, with blooming flowers and lush green lawns. The patients, who’d been hidden away, now walked the grounds and the hallways. If Reese wasn’t mistaken, he even heard laughter echoing through the long hallway.

Janice stopped in front of an open door, and Avery clenched Reese’s hand as if her life depended on holding on.

“You’ve got this,” he whispered as Avery took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

Janice disappeared into the room. “Pamela, your daughter is here to see you.”

Reese escorted Avery inside the large room, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Pamela, a redhead just like her daughter, stared up from a straight-backed chair next to a small table in front of the window. Her blue eyes were bright and clear as she stared up without expression. At once Reese could see the distinct resemblance in the two women who both seemed to be unable to move, both frozen in place, each waiting for a sign from the other.

Pamela wore a light blue dress, almost the exact color of Avery’s dress. Her hair was piled high on her head, her delicate face devoid of makeup except for the soft pink lipstick that outlined her full lips.

Reese waited, as Janice quietly slipped out of the room.

“It’s me, Mama. Avery. Your little girl,” Avery said, walking over, then crouching down to her mom’s level.

For a few more seconds Pamela remained motionless, then her eyes welled up, and she reached over and ran a finger along Avery’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to leave you in that movie theater,” she said, her voice low and fragile. “Can you ever forgive me?”

His heart broke for these two women who had been kept apart for the last twenty years. Uncontrollable tears streamed down his face.

“Oh Mama, I’ve never been angry with you,” Avery cajoled, as she took her mom’s hand in hers. “Not once. Not ever. I’ve missed you so much.”

Reese could hear the emotion in Avery’s voice as she and her mom hugged and cried and laughed all at the same time. It was a moment he would never forget as his own raw emotion poured out of him. He couldn’t help thinking back to the loss of his dad, and the ache he still felt for him.

As he watched these two remarkable women rock and soothe each other, he thought of his own remarkable mom, and how happy he was they’d finally come to terms. After all, no matter what transpired between them, he still loved her with all his heart.

After several minutes of hugs and tears, Pamela finally said in a clear, crisp voice, “My sweet darling girl, I’ve been in this place long enough. Can you please take me home now?”

Avery stood, wiped the tears from her cheeks, grinned and said, “Yes, Mama. Let’s go home.”

Her mom seemed to hesitate.

“The first step is always the hardest,” Avery whispered, gently tugging on her mom’s hand.

Pamela’s eyes watered again. “And after that?”

“The world is yours.”

“The whole world, my darling?”

“The whole world, Mama.”

Then Avery turned to Reese. “Mama, this is Reese Cooper, the man I love. Reese, this is my mother, Pamela Temp . . . no, this is Pamela Harding.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pamela Harding,” Reese said, holding out his hand.

She grabbed hold of his hand, and at once Reese felt as though she wasn’t about to let go any time soon. “Believe me, Reese, the pleasure is all mine,” she said, and the three of them walked out of Pamela’s room, together.

TO WRITE A REVIEW OF THIS BOOK, PLEASE CLICK HERE.