“I don’t know where she’s gone,” she said finally. “But she came by yesterday to drop off some children’s books she’d borrowed. She seemed… lost. Said she needed some space to think and was going to see the only family she had left.” Ms Patel replaced her glasses. “That’s all I know, Mr Anderson. I hope you find her, for those little girls’ sake if nothing else.”
Liam nodded, aspark of hope flickering to life in his chest. It wasn’t much, but it was something to grab hold of.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
As he turned to leave, Ms Patel called after him, “And Mr Anderson? If you do find her, don’t waste your second chance. People like Sunny don’t come along often in this life.”
“Believe me,” Liam replied, “I know.”
***
Greenwood Cemetery spread across rolling hills dotted with mature oaks and maples that cast dappled shadows across the rows of headstones. Liam drove slowly through the winding paths, trying to remember what Sunny had said about her stepfather’s final resting place.
Something about a view of the small pond, near a bench where she would sometimes sit and talk to him.
Parking near the cemetery office, Liam began walking the rows, scanning the names on each stone. Thompson. She’d kept her stepfather’s name, the only real family connection she’d ever had.
The spring air carried the scent of newly cut grass and early blooming flowers. Birds called from the trees, their cheerful songs at odds with the solemn setting and the heaviness in Liam’s heart.
It was then that he saw her. A woman with golden-brown hair standing before a headstone, her slender figure familiar even from a distance. His heart leapt into his throat, pounding so hard he could feel it in his temples.
“Sunny,” he breathed, his feet already moving fast, eating up the distance between them.
She turned at his approach, and Liam’s steps faltered, stumbled.
Not Sunny.
The woman wasolder, her hair a shade darker, her eyes a warm brown instead of Sunny’s clear blue.
“I’m sorry,” Liam managed, embarrassment washing over him. “I thought you were someone else.”
The woman studied his face, something in his expression apparently touching her. “You look like you’ve lost someone recently,” she said gently.
Liam swallowed hard. “I thought… I hoped she might be here.”
The woman looked confused.
“A loved one?” she asked, compassion softening her features.
“Yes,” Liam answered without hesitation. “The woman I love.”
The woman I love.The simplicity of it, the truth of it, settled in his bones.
“I hope you find her,” the stranger said sincerely, but still confused. “The cemetery office might be able to help you locate what you’re looking for, if that helps.”
Liam thanked her and turned toward the small stone building that housed the cemetery administration. Ten minutes later, armed with directions to Robert Thompson’s grave, he made his way to a quiet corner of the grounds overlooking a small, serene pond.
The headstone was modest but well-maintained, fresh flowers suggesting a recent visit. Liam’s pulse quickened. Had Sunny been here? Today?
But as he scanned the area, there was no sign of her. No car parked nearby that might be hers, no figure walking the paths in the distance.
Disappointment crashed over him, so intense it left him physically weakened. He sank onto the bench facing the headstone, head in his hands.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, Mr Thompson,” Liam said quietly after a long moment. “But I’m in love with your daughter. And I’ve made a terrible mess of things.”
The gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead, the only response to his confession.
“She’s the most remarkable woman I’ve ever known, besides my late wife. She loves with her whole heart. She deserves someone who isn’t afraid to do the same.” Liam looked up at the headstone, imagining the man who had chosen to love Sunny when others had walked away. “I promise you, if I find her — when I find her — I’ll spend the rest of my life being worthy of her love, like you were.”
