Make a Wish (Spark House #3)(104)
It isn’t until the party is over and we’ve said goodbye to all of the guests that I give Peyton her birthday present. His parents and in-laws join us in the sitting room, along with my sisters and their husbands, with Gavin and me on either side of Peyton. Even he hasn’t seen the finished product, or known exactly what it is I’ve put together.
Over the past month, he and I have gone through all of his old photo albums. It wasn’t easy for him, and a lot of the pictures made him emotional, but it was something I think he needed to do. Not only for himself, but for us as a couple. I had the chance to see what his life looked like before I came into it all those years ago. And the jealousy I first felt at how much space a ghost could take up in his heart disappeared, because what I saw was a man with fond memories of someone he loved very much. But I also get to help him make peace with that loss.
Peyton tears through the paper, and her eyes go wide when she sees the box inside with the inscription THE STORY OF PEYTON RHODES in beautiful gold script.
Gavin glances over at me, questions in his eyes. I smile and reach across the back of the couch, squeezing his shoulder in reassurance. Peyton carefully lifts the lid from the box to reveal the thick four-inch, twelve-by-twelve book inside. The same inscription adorns the cover, which is decorated in flowers and glitter and all of Peyton’s favorite things.
Peyton looks up at me. “You made me a storybook?”
“Not just me, but your dad and your grandparents helped. And some of your friends and their parents too.”
“Everyone helped make this?” She flips the cover open and reveals the first page, which is her baby photo. Her little fists curled tight, a pink hat on her head, eyes still puffy and closed, lips parted in sleep.
The next page takes us back in time, to Gavin and Marcie’s first date. His eyes widen, and his gaze darts to mine. There’s a short, handwritten story about that day from Karen. How he picked her up and stood on the front steps, looking nervous, and how he didn’t just bring Marcie flowers, but he brought Karen flowers too.
Each page has a short story attached to the photographs, chronicling Gavin and Marcie’s relationship, their wedding, her pregnancy with Peyton, and there’s even a page dedicated to her loss. It’s decorated with angels and clouds because I wanted Peyton to see all the pieces of her life, but also to see that her mom is always looking out for her, even if from afar.
That’s when I begin to appear in the pages, and many of the photos are taken by me. We see first smiles, first words, rolling over, sitting up, solid foods and messy faces, and her first step. That picture was taken by Gavin’s parents in their backyard. It was Peyton’s first birthday, and it was before guests started to ar rive. Gavin had been on the other side of the yard. He’d been struggling that day and had asked if I could attend the birthday party even though it was supposed to be my day off. Peyton had kept crying for him, but he was in the middle of trying to set something up and hold himself together.
When I’d set her down and held her hands, she’d taken a tentative step and let go of my hand, and then she’d taken another and let go of the other one.
Judith had captured all of those moments, including the one when Gavin’s face had broken into the most glorious smile, and he’d rushed over and scooped her up and covered her face in kisses.
In another family celebration, there’s a picture of me holding Peyton’s hand. She and Gavin are looking at each other with complete adoration, and I’m smiling as I watch that love being realized. It’s a special moment that I’d been part of. We keep flipping pages, chronicling milestones in Peyton’s life until we reach the move back to Colorado Springs and the months since I’ve been back in their lives.
There are pages already decorated waiting for pictures from today, and more empty pages waiting to be filled.
“There’s space for more chapters in your life, and we’ll get to write them together,” I tell her and motion to our family, still sitting around the room. “All of us get to be part of your story.”
“I’m so glad the angels sent you and brought you back.” She throws her arms around my neck, and I wrap mine around her small frame, smiling through my tears of joy.
“Me too, sweetie, me too.”
“Me three,” Gavin whispers.
My heart is so full of love for both of them.
Epilogue
MY FAMILY
PEYTON
TWO YEARS LATER
“Peyton, are you ready to go?” Dad calls out from down the hall.
I check my reflection in the mirror one more time and make sure my dress doesn’t have any lint on it. I don’t feel any older than I did yesterday, but today is my twelfth birthday.
And it’s a big one.
I pat my tummy, hoping to reassure it that there’s no need for the butterflies and that everything is going to be fine.
My gaze catches on the picture of my mom and dad on my dresser. Before Dad had crinkles in the corner of his eyes. In it, my mom was pregnant with me. Her smile is wide and her hand rests protectively on her bump. My dad smiles, but he’s not looking at the camera, he’s looking at my mom. I blow out a breath and accept the pang of sadness that hits me whenever I really stop to look at this photo. I’ll never know what my name sounds like on her lips. Not while I’m alive anyway. But one day, a long time from now, I’ll meet her. For now I have pictures and stories, and a whole life ahead of me.