Pleasure shot through Bailey. He motioned to the discarded sketchbook. “Do you draw too?”
Bailey nodded. “Yes. I heard Mom sketched a lot in the garden.”
“It was her favorite place. I brought something else.” He fished around in his bag and brought out a piece of sketch paper. On it, his image was captured beautifully. He lounged on the chair in the garden. Curls falling over his face. Laughing. Sunlight streaming faint shadows over him. Mom had captured his essence—the joy and love as he looked at her.
“It’s so beautiful,” she choked out, reaching out to touch the image. “When did she draw this?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Summer of ’seventy-eight? We’d spend a lot of time in the garden. She loved to sketch—I always believed she’d become a great artist herself.”
“She loved her job at the gallery,” Dev said. “But she never pursued her own craft.”
“I think she was happy it was just for her,” Bailey said. “I used to catch her sometimes. Sitting alone, sketch pad in her lap, looking off into space with a tiny smile. She looked happy.”
“Yes. That was so like her.”
“What about you, Rafe? Are you still married?”
“Sì. I have two sons, who run the boat business. I met my wife a decade after your mama left. For too long, my heart wasn’t open to try again, but my wife broke me down. She is good. Kind. A wonderful mother.” He smiled and Bailey was struck by his gentleness. “I love her.”
“Mom loved our dad too,” Pris finally said. “I think it’s okay to love two people differently. One may not be better or worse.”
“I can’t help but feel guilty,” Dev said. “I was the reason she didn’t come back. Do you think every time Mom looked at me, she remembered what she gave up?”
Rafe shook his head, his mouth firm. “No. In fact, I think it was the opposite. I think every time she looked at you, she felt pride and a certain peace I couldn’t give her. Your mother wasn’t meant to live here with me. I believe we were sent to each other to learn lessons on how to love without expectations or barriers.” His gaze probed, resting on each of their faces as if searching for their innermost thoughts. “Your mother was a big part of my life. If I hadn’t met her, I wouldn’t have the life I lead now, and it’s one I love and treasure. And she wouldn’t have the three of you. You see, it’s not about regrets or what-ifs. It’s about choosing what’s best at the time, and we both did that. We made each other better. More whole, so we could go back into the world and carve our own path. Do you understand?”
And suddenly, looking into his gentle brown eyes, Bailey understood. Life was so much bigger than the tiny little worlds built around people’s expectations and identities. It wasn’t about taking the wrong road, after all, or being afraid to make mistakes or go after what you want. It was about daily choices to live your life to the fullest, even if they weren’t easy.
Maybe Mom and Rafe were never supposed to be. Maybe they were meant to love each other for a specific time. Because it was the jagged edges and sharp corners that created character—the pain from love and loss—the pleasure from giving in to something you wanted more than anything.
Yes, she’d died before she could see Rafe again. But somehow, Bailey sensed it was meant to happen that way. Maybe the past had to remain there, frozen in time and memory like a perfect, bittersweet taste that lingered forever. Maybe a face-to-face meeting would have changed it all, forcing Rafe to make a decision that could have hurt his own family.
Mom and Rafe had made their own choices.
Now it was time to make hers.
A sense of peace washed over Bailey. She glanced over at her sisters, who looked like they’d reached the same type of conclusion. Pris nodded, and Dev looked as if she’d come to her own revelation. Bailey reached out and took their hands, needing the connection, and there was no hesitation between them.
They all squeezed back in a united front.
Evening had settled in when Rafe finally stood. “I must go. Do you leave tomorrow?”
Bailey nodded. “Would it be okay if we stayed in touch? Is that weird? If you don’t want to—”
“I would like that very much.” He smiled at each of them, raw emotion in his dark eyes. “I know your mama would be so happy right now. To know you are here, in one of her favorite places, together. Here is my cell phone number.”
They exchanged theirs quickly and he walked to the door.
“Thank you for this. For letting me know and spending the time with me. I am here for all of you if you need anything.”
They hugged one last time and then Rafe disappeared.
Bailey stared out into the night. She was full of a mix of pain, elation, sadness, but most of all—joy.
“Well, that was a hell of a finale,” Dev said.
Pris and Bailey laughed. Pris wiped away a tear from her cheek and shook her head. “I’m a mess,” she groaned. “I feel like I watched The Notebook five times in a row!”
Dev winced. “Ugh, I hate that movie.”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Are you even human? Then again, you never understood The Way We Were. Now I know why Mom sobbed uncontrollably. It had a bigger meaning.”
Dev snorted. “I prefer Silver Linings Playbook. Now, that was a love story.”
Bailey and Pris stared at her.
“What? It was direct and to the point.”
“With a mental illness?” Bailey asked.
Dev shrugged. “Whatever. Should we go and get something to eat or are you guys too wiped out?”
“No, let’s grab something at the café quick and finish packing,” Bailey said. “You want to spend some time with Hawke and tell him what happened.”
“Plus, we need some processing time. That was heavy,” Pris said.
“We did it, guys,” Bailey said. “We met R. We got the truth.”
“Yeah,” Pris said. “The outcome wasn’t what I expected, but I’m okay. Actually, more than okay. God, did you see the way he looked? He really loved her.”
They pondered in silence.
Bailey took a deep breath and told the truth. “I love you guys. Can we promise each other we won’t go back to the way things were? I need you.”
Pris put her hand in the circle like they’d do when they were little and had made one another a promise. “I need you too. We need one another. It’s a pact.”
Dev put hers in. “Pact.”
Bailey made the circle complete. “Pact.”