Redemption(80)

Dan reached into his pocket and produced our wedding bands. I laughed thinking just how backward everything we did truly was. He slid the simple, thin, rose gold band on my finger before handing me his. There was nothing unique about it, and he hadn’t wanted there to be. He simply wanted to ensure the world knew with one glance—he was taken.

He had captured my heart and saved my soul.





Epilogue





Our story didn’t stop at the courthouse. We had dinner with Brett and Annie that night and hovered around their kitchen table. My best friends allowed me to share Joshua with them and gave life to his memory. I showed them the only pictures I still had while holding Alissa in my arms. She smiled up at me as if she knew. That tiny human connected with me on a level she may never understand, but somehow, she knew—without Joshua, she wouldn’t be here.

Watching her run around with her friends as we celebrated her birth five years later, I couldn’t help but think how foolish it would have been to walk away from all of this. Dan and I would never have children, but what we had was far better for us. Annie and Brett were more like siblings than friends, and their kids were amazing. We got to spoil them, take them anywhere we wanted, and send them home. We had family at holidays and special occasions, and we never missed out on anything either Grayson or Alissa were doing. But at the end of the day, I loved life…just as it was.

I used to wonder what life would be like if I hadn’t pulled over at the rest area in Texas so many years ago. But now I was just thankful I got a second chance, a do-over, a mulligan. Mother Nature smiled at me, Karma sent me her favor, and God gave me Dan.



The End