Part 10: Forever and Always
That evening, after the guests had gone home, the leftover cake was packed away, and the backyard was quiet under a blanket of brilliant summer stars, I tucked Lily into bed.
The room was cool, lit only by a soft star-projector casting gentle constellations across the ceiling. Lily clutched Barnaby in one hand and her smooth wishing rock in the other, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“Mommy?” she whispered softly.
“Yes, bug?” I murmured, brushing a lock of dark hair away from her forehead.
“Are we ever moving?”
I smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her warm cheek.
“Never,” I whispered, looking around the room at the books, the drawings, the purple horse, and the bright constellation lights dancing across the walls. “We are right where we belong, forever and always.”
May you like
Lily smiled, her eyes fluttering shut as a look of total, unburdened peace settled over her face.
I turned off the lamp, closed her bedroom door halfway, and walked down the hallway to my own room, knowing with absolute certainty that the storm had finally passed, leaving nothing behind us but clear skies and a lifetime of tomorrows.
