Two years later…
Dogs barking and car doors closing are pretty common sounds around the Gamble-Reilly house these days, but the pitch of Penny’s bark tells me what I need to know.
“Daddy’s home!”
Ari hops in excitement, which is awkward since my daughter is currently tucked into a baby backpack, with her hands fisted in my hair. It’s been a good way for me to work around the property while keeping my hands free, but Arizona Gamble-Reilly is six months old now, and she’s getting heavy.
I turn off the hose I’d been using to spray down the windows of the long, low building that now houses Pampered Pets Grooming and drop it in the grass. Then, as I walk by the smaller, fenced-in building that’s our kennel, I tell the three large-breed dogs to quiet down. The teenager who volunteers to spend time with them before and after school will be here any time, and they’ll get a lot of love and attention. And walks, since their socialization is going great. It won’t be long before they’re ready to find forever homes.
Ari squeals, digging her toes into my back so she can bounce harder, and the sound of Hayden’s laughter drifts across the yard. Nothing makes me happier than the sounds of joy from my husband and daughter mingling together.
He’s holding Penny in his arms while she licks his jaw in greeting. While she remains unsure about the tiny human and fostering dogs, Penny’s accepted Hayden spending three days per week away in Boston in exchange for four days at home. She always manages to be the first to welcome him home, though.
Ari lets go of my hair so she can clap her hands when she spots her daddy in the shade of the house. It’s been painstakingly restored to its original glory on the outside, and totally renovated and modernized on the inside. The interior was meant to be an ongoing process, but when we found out Ari was on the way, we temporarily moved in with Colleen and paid a ridiculous amount to fast track the work.
When we reach the porch, Hayden sets Penny down and walks down the steps to meet me.
“Welcome home, husband.”
“I missed you, wife,” he says—as he does every time he returns home, even if he only went to the market—and kisses me until Ari reaches around my head and starts grabbing at his cheek to get his attention.
Laughing, I turn so Hayden can unbuckle our daughter from the backpack and lift her out. Ari laughs when Hayden kisses her face because she loves the way his beard tickles.
I sit on the steps, scratching under Penny’s chin when she joins me.
A perfect evening, I think as I watch Ari wrap her arms around Hayden’s neck. My husband is home, everybody I love is happy, and together, we’ve built a beautiful life.
As for the feud, there is finally peace in Sumac Falls. When the reality of a shared grandchild sank in, Gin and Colleen got together and swapped apologies. According to the two women, they buried their old beef—buried it deep and then buried the shovel. Somehow, during that meeting, they’d also talked about what the grandchild would call each of them. Rather than one being Grandma and the other being Nana, they’ve taken the first two letters of each of their names and come up with GiGi and CoCo. Maybe it’s silly, but it works for our family, and our mothers laughing together when they told us was one of the best feelings ever.
“I’m not sure what it means,” Hayden says, sitting on the step next to me with Ari on his lap, “but I asked her how daycare went while I was away, and she laughed. It was a little bit of a cheeky laugh, though.”
“Yesterday, our daughter tried to instigate a nap rebellion and her room ended up having a very cranky afternoon.”
“So she didn’t try to instigate a rebellion. She succeeded.”
“You probably shouldn’t sound so proud of that.”
He laughs, and Ari laughs with him. “It’s the Reilly in her, you know. There’s a reputation to live up to.”
I bump my shoulder against his. “Just wait until she’s a teenager. People will be talking about that Gamble-Reilly girl.”
Hayden puts his hand over his heart, wincing. “Will you still love me when our daughter has turned all my hair gray?”
“Of course I will. You’ll look very distinguished, as men do. The question is, will you still love me when my hair is all gray?”
“Nothing could ever make me stop loving you.” He puts his arm around me and kisses my forehead. “It’s so good to be home.”
