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Bonus Epilogue
Serena
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“Are you excited to meet your little brother?” Mimi asks, holding my hand as we walk down the cold hallway of the hospital. Nana and Meemaw flew up from Texas a few days ago when Mom started having contractions and stayed here while she was in labor. Though I begged to stay, Dad had his mother pick me up and stay at her house until it was time to come.
“Yep! I wanna hold him first!” I smile wide. We’ve been preparing his nursery for months. I can’t wait to hold him in the rocking chair I picked out.
Mimi laughs at my eagerness and shoots me a wink. She moved here after Christmas last year. It was cool finding out I had another grandparent. She dresses super fancy and lets me pick out expensive clothes and accessories when she takes me shopping. Mom tells me I shouldn’t go overboard, but Mimi insists. I’m her only grandchild, and she spent years not knowing me—her words, not mine—so who I am to deny a grandma spoiling their granddaughter?
She’s just as excited as I am for the new baby. My parents announced the news at Thanksgiving when everyone came to visit, and that’s when Mimi asked Daddy if it was okay for her to move closer to us. She wasn’t in his life and wanted a second chance. I was happy when he said she could.
Nana and Meemaw still live in Beaumont, but they come to visit a lot. I was excited to show them my new horse, Frankie. He’s a quarter horse, and Noah’s been teaching me how to ride him. When I’m older, I want to learn how to do tricks like Noah does on Donut. Mom saidno way, but Dad saidwe’ll see.
“Hey, sweetie,” Dad greets when he opens the door to Mom’s room. He pulls me in for a hug, then kisses Mimi on the cheek. “He’s asleep, so we gotta stay quiet.”
I tiptoe into the room and narrow my eyes on the little bundle wrapped in a blanket on Mom’s lap. He’s wearing a cute little blue hat, but when I get closer, I realize just how small he is.
“Come here, baby,” Mom whispers, wrapping her arm around me. It’d been Mom and me for so long, and now over a year later, I have a dad and a new brother. It still feels crazy after all this time, but now I can’t imagine life any other way. Moving here has been exciting and new. Mallory and Noah are the big sisters I never had. Dena and Garrett are another set of grandparents to spoil me, especially with Gramma’s baking addiction.
I love it here.
“He looks so squishy,” I say, staring at his pudgy cheeks.
Mom and Dad chuckle as Mimi stands behind me.
“Looks just like your father when he was born,” she says.
“Are you ready to hold him?” Mom asks.
I beam. “Yes!”
Mom hands me a pillow, and then I settle into the chair. Dad carries him over and helps me hold his head. Looking down at him, I smile and brush my finger along his soft skin.
“Well, do we have a name?” Mimi asks.
During a gender reveal party a few months ago, we learned he was a boy, which was already exciting enough, but then they said I got to pick out his name. I took that job very seriously, but there was only one boy name I wanted.
I revealed it to my parents a while ago, but we haven’t shared it with anyone else yet.
“You wanna tell her?” Dad asks.
I smile down at him, hoping he likes it too. “Howie Adam.”
“It’s perfect,” Mimi says with tenderness in her voice. “Howie was a wonderful man.”
While I’m named after Mimi’s mom—Dad’s grandmother, Serena Mae—I wanted Howie to have a name that was special to all of us. And when he’s older, I’ll tell him all about Uncle Howie, who looked over Mom and me when the explosion happened.
After an hour of holding him, he gets fussy and needs to eat. Mimi suggests we come back tomorrow with the rest of the Hollises, so I give them hugs and kisses and say goodbye.
Just as Mimi and I are walking toward the exit, we see Fisher rushing into the emergency room entrance with someone in his arms. He’s the ranch’s new farrier. Mallory told me he’s also Noah’s ex-boyfriend’s dad. He’s been around all summer and is nice but mostly quiet.
“Who’s he carryin’?” I ask Mimi as we follow.
“I think Noah.”
My heart races as I watch Fisher speak to a nurse, and then they bring a stretcher around, and that’s when I see her face.
