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“I’m sorry I accused both of you. I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m sorry for hitting you when I found out you were with Eden.” Thomas takes another deep breath. “I realize now that you’ve only ever done right for the women in my life. You’ve done nothing but protect them and look out for them, something I’ve failed to do, but I hope to make up that for in the future. I want to thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. It’s clear how much you love each other and I’m grateful that you make her happy.”
I wrap an arm around Eden’s waist, smiling down at her. “She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Thomas shifts again, bashfully casting his eyes down to his shoes. “Eden, I know I’ve caused a lot of harm. I’ve said and done things I’m not proud of. I’m still on my road to recovery, but… I was really hoping to maybe be a part of your life again. I mean, if that’s alright with you. I totally understand if you don’t want me around after what I did, but—”
“Oh, Dad,” she says breathlessly. “Of course I want you around.”
A smile blooms on his face. “You do?”
“Yes. I want Lucas to spend time with both his grandparents. And I’ve really missed you, too. We’re having a family barbecue tonight. Do you feel like joining us?”
Thomas visibly relaxes, the tension in his shoulders melting away. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”
“Come on,” I say to him. “I’ll grab you a lemonade. It’s Mei-Lee’s secret recipe.”
My old friend smiles at me. “That sounds delicious,” he says.
Epilogue
Five Years Later
EDEN
My fingers tingle with excitement. I can’t believe the day has finally come. I’m a few moments away from crossing the stage to grab my degree and shake hands with the department head. Four grueling years of medical school, but it was all worth it.
“Eden Halloway Stride,” the announcer says my name into the microphone.
I hear a smattering of polite applause, but the cheers from the back row draw everyone’s attention. I can hear Taylor whooping, Charlie whistling, Mom laughing, Dad hollering, Mei-Lee clapping, and Hunter and Lucas cheering with glee.
“Is that Annabeth Spencer?” someone in the crowd gasps in awe.
“Holy shit, wait. Is that Hunter Stride?”
I tune out the whispers and concentrate on accepting my degree, waving to my family in the back. When the ceremony ends, I’m quick to slip through the sea of graduation gowns to locate them.
“Mom!” Lucas gasps, running up to me to give me a big hug. He only comes up to my thigh, so I kneel to properly scoop him up and give him a big kiss on the cheek. “Does this mean that you’re a doctor now?”
“Technically yes,” I tell him. “But I still have to go through residency.”
“But you already went to school.”
“Yes, but I need on-the-job experience.”
“Like Dad’s mentor program?”
“Exactly right, sweetie.”
“I’m so proud of you, babe!” Taylor squeals as she gives me a tight hug. “This means all my future medical expenses are waived, right? You’re officially my in for this sort of thing.”
I laugh. “That’s not quite how that works.”
Annabeth is the next to hug me. “Congratulations, sweetie. I can’t believe it. My beautiful daughter is adoctor.”
Dad kisses me on the forehead, chuckling. “I knew you could do it. I never had any doubts.”
“Thanks, everyone.”
I turn to face Hunter next. He has a massive bouquet of red roses for me. He leans down to give me a tender kiss. “Congrats, sweetheart. My wife’s going to go off and save lives. Talk about impressive.”
