“And you as well.”
Gwen felt the warmth of the noonday sun on her face. She understood Valerie’s struggle. She had been struggling with the same questions herself: Should she have another baby? If so, when? What if she never felt ready? Could she still live a full and happy life?
“So Valerie finally let go of her grief?” Gwen asked.
“I wouldn’t say that exactly. She always carried that grief inside her, but she also recognized that what happened in Alaska had given her a profound appreciation of life, and for the rest of her days, she saw beauty everywhere. Maybe that’s what made her music so inspiring.”
Gwen stood in awe, basking in the comfort of knowing that life was a gift—horrendous at times but also beautiful in its everyday miracles.
She and Eric hadn’t understood that when they’d lost Lily. Gwen had only seen eternal pain. But she understood things better now. Yes, there was pain, but there was also love. A love that would never die.
“Thank you,” she said to Mr.Thornby and stepped forward to hug him again.
She waited for him to get into his car and open his window, and before he drove off, she promised to pay him a visit when Peter arrived.
Gwen returned to her office, closed the door, and called Peter.
“Hey,” he said. “That was incredible.”
“It certainly was. And I just had another conversation with him outside. I’ll tell you about it when you get here.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” he replied.
Gwen sat down at her desk. “I only wish we’d known about all this before you submitted your manuscript. Any chance you could publish an update?”
“I just emailed my editor,” he told her. “We have a call scheduled for later today. I’m going to suggest that we add this new material to the paperback edition, which is scheduled to release early next year. Is it too much to ask for you to hold off on any big announcements or museum displays with the letters and photographs?”
“Not too much to ask at all,” she replied, “considering I wouldn’t even know about this if it weren’t for your book. That’s what brought Mr.Thornby in here today. Can you imagine if he hadn’t shared this with us and one day, after he was gone, someone cleaned out his attic and threw those letters away, not recognizing their value?”
She couldn’t wait to start reading them.
“Archival disaster averted,” Peter said.
Gwen stood up and wandered leisurely in circles around her office. “Do you have a flight booked yet?”
“Yes. I’ll be landing in Halifax at 5:05 p.m. tomorrow. I’ll rent a car and get a room at the Old Orchard Inn again. It was good last time.”
Gwen stopped pacing. “Peter, you don’t have to stay in a hotel. You can stay at my place.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I have a lovely guest room.” She paused. “And I’ve missed you. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I feel the same. But what will Eric say?”
She looked at the framed photograph of her and Eric standing proudly in front of the house they’d restored together. Then she laid her hand on the wedding invitation she had just received from him and Keri. “I think he’ll be happy.”
With a rush of anticipation, Gwen said, “We’ll talk more when you get here. I’ll have a late dinner waiting for you. Do you need directions from the airport?”
“No. I remember everything,” he said, and she smiled at that.
“I remember everything too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She ended the call, flopped onto her chair, and spun herself around in a full circle.
The following evening, Peter walked through her front door, straight into her arms for a hug. He lifted her off the floor and held her like that for a long time.
“It’s so good to see you,” he said, his breath warm at her neck.
