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EPILOGUE
Shawna
Six months later…
“... and, finally, Officer Nate Walker is the final new recruit swearing in today,” the chief of police announces as Nate walks to the podium. “Nate comes to us from San Diego, California, where he worked for Cole Security, a company that contracts with the federal government. Prior to that, he spent over a decade serving our country as a Navy SEAL. We’re grateful Nate has decided to join us here in Port Townsend for the next chapter of his career.”
Nate shakes the chief’s hand, then returns to stand in line with the other three new hires being sworn in today. This is just the first step of Nate’s new career. Next, he’ll spend the next few months attending the state police academy, and once he’s done with that, he’ll begin working in Port Townsend.
“Let’s give a warm welcome to our new recruits,” the chief says. Everyone erupts in applause, then gets up to congratulate their loved ones who were sworn in.
Noah, Mom, and I walk over to Nate. “Congratulations, babe,” I say, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Yeah, Nate! Congratulations!” Noah puts his fist out, and Nate fist bumps him.
“Thanks, guys,” Nate says as Mom gives him a hug.
“Are you excited this is finally happening?” Mom asks.
He nods. “Yeah, it’s about time. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”
“Can we go walk on the pier now?” Noah asks me. The swearing-in ceremony was held outside, just a block away from the pier, and Noah’s been asking if we could walk there ever since we arrived.
“It’s up to Nate,” I tell him, and Noah looks up at him with puppy dog eyes.
“Let’s go!” Nate exclaims, and Noah jumps up with excitement.
The four of us walk down the street. Mom walks ahead of us with Noah, and Nate and I walk hand in hand. His move to Washington didn’t happen as quickly as we first thought it would, since it takes months to get hired as a police officer. Nate was even put on the fast-track to being hired since the chief knew him from the work he did to apprehend Jarred, and it still took six months for all his paperwork and background checks to clear. Nate continued to live and work in San Diego, so our relationship remained long distance all this time. His last day with Cole Security was only three days ago, then he spent the next two days driving all the way here. He arrived at our house late last night. He’ll start the academy in a few days, and since it's located in Olympia, he’ll stay there during the weekdays. On the weekends, he’ll come stay with us in Port Townsend. He’s renting a storage unit for all of his stuff until he’s done with the academy and ready to find a place to live.
We follow Mom and Noah onto the pier. It’s a beautiful spring day, and the sun is shining, making the water in the harbor sparkle. Since it’s the first day without rain we’ve had in a while, there are several other people around enjoying the weather, too.
“I’m so glad to finally be here with you,” Nate says, stopping and turning to face me. “I love you, Shawna.”
“I love you, too, Nate.” We kiss briefly, then he puts his arm around my shoulder, and we watch Noah admiring the water.
“He’s doing so good,” Nate says. “His therapist must be amazing.”
“He’s made a lot of progress. It helped a lot when we found out Jarred got a life sentence. He’s no longer afraid of him coming back to get us.”
“He’s a strong kid. And thank fuck that fucker got what he deserved for all the crimes he committed over the years. He belongs behind bars.”
I nod. Like Noah, I was relieved to hear Jarred’s sentence would keep him locked up for the rest of his life. But there’s something else that helped with Noah’s healing progress, and I want Nate to know, so I continue. “You also helped Noah when you moved here. You’re his hero, Nate. He’ll never forget how you saved him that day. He feels safer with you around.”
Nate doesn’t say anything at first, but I can tell he’s choked up. He sniffs, then clears his throat. “I’ll always be here for him. I love him like a son.”
I lean my head on Nate’s shoulder. Looking out at the harbor, I realize life is full of ups and downs, just like the water in front of us. There will be stormy days with rough waves to get through, but also brighter days when it’s smooth and sparkling from the sun. I think the trick is to enjoy the good days and not take them for granted, but also have the strength and courage to get through the stormy ones.
I believe our stormiest days are behind us now. My son is safe and sound, and we’re both recovering from the trauma we went through. I have the most loving and supportive mom, who’s also my business partner. The Cellar continues to thrive, and I’m proud that I’ve kept my father’s legacy running. Now, on top of it all, I have the man of my dreams by my side.
“I love you, Shawna,” Nate whispers, then kisses the top of my head.
“I love you, too.”
THE END
