Page 102 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

A laugh rumbles out. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m buying a plane.”

Her eyes widen. “You’re buying a plane?”

“Yes. Finally. I bought it so I could get back to you at a moment’s notice, but maybe the universe knew you were coming. Now we’ll be able to get back to your father if he needs us.”

“Seth,” she says with disbelief, her eyes glassy. “You did that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you, sweetheart.” I lift our joined hands and kiss the back of hers. “How long can you stay?”

“As long as you want me to. My ticket is one way.”

I feel like my heart is going to beat right out of my chest. “Jesus, El.” My voice roughens, still reeling with disbelief. “You’re really here. You’re really ready?”

“With every bit of my heart. I’m hoping this can be the start of our adventures, not a stopover between my old life and our new one.” She lifts the glass jar and wiggles it. “Some people have a bucket list. I have mason jar scrolls.”

“That’s intriguing. What’s on them?”

“A young girl’s wishes. I hear with a little magic they just might come true.”

Fuck, this woman owns me. “Are you calling me magic, sweetheart?”

“No,” she whispers, smiling. “I’m calling us magic.”

“God, I love you.”

As our mouths come together and the plane climbs into the sky, I know it doesn’t matter where we are or what name she’s called. My sweet Ellie will always be where my world begins, where it ends, and everything in between.

Epilogue

Taylor

By midmorning it’s warmed up enough to lure me outside. Chooch, a friendly pup from the local animal shelter that’s spending the day with me, is lounging in the grass while I work on the patio. A flock of rainbow lorikeets burst from a group of eucalyptus trees, their high-pitched screeches drawing our attention. My fingers hover over my keyboard, watching as they fly past.

Chooch puts his head back down as soon as they’re out of sight.

Vibrant wildlife, dogs to love, endless hilly views that bleed into distant water, and a man who treasures my heart as much as I treasure his. It’s hard to believe this is my life now.

Seth’s laptop sits open on the table near mine, a cluster of open tabs left in his wake. He’s been gone for hours, working with his and Rick’s crews at the warehouse, bringing his vision to life. He did the right thing, coming here. I’ve since learned that Seth has other employees who could have taken over in Rick’s absence and done a fine job. But protecting a loyal employee who gave him everything and asked for nothing was important enough to Seth for him to upend his life to ensure Rick could focus on his family.

Seth’s sacrifice was automatic, and I love him even more for it. He may not have let many people into the crevices of his life, but that didn’t keep them from working their way into his heart.

My phone lights up with another video of Barney from my father. It’s the third one this morning. I open it and see Barney running in the backyard, chasing a stick. It turns out Dad needed the nuisance after all. He adopted my furry friend a few days after I left for Australia. It’s surreal living in the coziness of autumn, with foggy mornings that burn off to clear sunny days, when he and Becca are knee-deep in New York’s chilly, wet spring.

It’s like a physical representation of how far I’ve come.

How far my father and I have both come.

It’s been almost a month since I broke down on his kitchen floor and realized just how much I wanted to protect him, and all the while, I was hurting both of us. A good therapist, an understanding partner, the loving-in-his-own-way father who raised me, and the big sister who’s realizing she’s been ignoring wounds of her own have helped me grow in ways I never knew I needed.

I thumb out a text to my father.

Me: Love Barney up for me! I miss you both. Can’t wait to see you next weekend. Love you.

A heart emoji pops up.

So much has changed. When we first arrived in Melbourne, I called my father every day out of habit and worry. But as I’ve been tending to the wounds my mother left behind and learning to step back, my father has been making changes, too. He’s still trying to outrun his disease and tempting fate every chance he gets, but he’s less reckless about it. He’s been more responsible, more patient, and surprisingly more present. He’s also been spending more time with Patsy.

Becca was here visiting last week, and boy did I miss her. Even though we talk all the time, I miss her boundaryless visits, endless energy, quick wit, and the way she makes every problem seem easily conquerable. I even miss the outrageous outfits that are purely Becca. She’s been keeping tabs on Dad, and she said Patsy keeps him in line.