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“I don’t know,” Bethany said honestly. “But I can’t go that many decades without seeing him again.” Bethany gazed at her daughter thoughtfully, then added, “How did you get so smart, Aria?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I just mean, how did you know to follow your heart at such a young age? Why did it take me nearly fifty years to figure out what you figured out at twenty-four?”
“Mom, I haven’t figured anything out,” Aria assured her. Yet even as she said it, images of Cole and the sea cottage flashed through her mind, and she smiled and cuddled up next to her mother.
Very quietly, her mother added, “Getting to know you better the past few weeks has been the greatest gift of my life, you know.”
Aria could hardly breathe. Blinking back tears, she whispered, “I can’t believe I went twenty-four years not knowing you at all.”
* * *
Aria and Bethany remained in Savannah, getting to know Judah in a brand-new way for the next few days. They walked Savannah, ate at fancy restaurants, laughed uproariously, and eventually abandoned their hotel to stay at Judah’s beautiful home, which had been built in the 1800s and was filled with character and “Savannah ghosts.”
Aria felt as though she was allowed a front-row seat to watch her parents fall back in love again. Never had she seen her mother laugh so deliciously. Never had she witnessed such an easy conversation. Never had she eaten so well.
When Cole announced that he planned to sail back down to Savannah to pick Aria up, Aria urged him not to. “It’s okay! It’s too far, and I can just drive back or take the bus.” But Cole said he was only a couple of hours away. “You can either come with me or not, but I couldn’t wait to see you.”
Aria’s heart doubled in size. When she announced Cole’s arrival to Judah and Bethany, they decided to come with her to the docks to see her off. Judah even carried her suitcase, looking proud and happy and strong in ways Aria had always wished Kenny was.
Cole’s sailboat appeared on the horizon, surging toward them with the immensity of the Atlantic Ocean behind it. Cole was on the edge of the boat, his strong arms drawing himself through the heavy southern winds and the pummeling waves. On the dock, Aria took a deep breath, sizzling with expectation for the trip back. It would be nights filled with moonlight, stars sparkling in the sky above, and Cole’s strong arms around her, guiding her home.
