Page 53 of Redemption
I don’t know how I could possibly deserve this gift. I have no idea how I could be so blessed after everything I’ve done and what I’ve been. But somehow … somehow … life intervened in the most unexpectedly perfect way I could never have imagined.
I tighten my arms around my world.
Nothing could stop me from soaking up all of it and enjoying every moment. How could I do anything else?
After several minutes, my mother pulls back a few inches. “I do not wish to let you go, but I must not keep you standing on the dock all day. You have been traveling for many, many hours. You will want food and drinks and rest. I have everything prepared for you. Everything is ready for you. This is a day I have planned a million times in my mind. Please, come. Let us go up. We must take care of your needs.”
Marco and the two men who helped dock the plane walk toward us with all of our bags in hand. His wide smile threatens to split his face into two halves with its enthusiasm.
His free hand touches my shoulder. “Yes, let us go up and get you settled so you can enjoy the festivities Mother has planned,” he says before his gaze locks on our mother’s shining eyes. “I expect you had a banquet prepared at least.”
“You shall not be disappointed, my son. A feast awaits. I hope I did not go too far. I wanted to go much further, but I held myself back.” She glances at me with her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You must forgive me if it is too much. I have so long waited for this moment. I wanted you to know exactly how much we have missed you and longed for your return. I knew this day would come. I am just so grateful it did not come later. I am so happy it is today and my wait is over.”
“It could never be too much,” Keira says quietly as she strokes a hand across my back. “Lachlan deserves everything you could possibly think of and more.”
In that moment, I can see my mother fall head over heels in love with my wife—something I do repeatedly almost daily.
“You see him for who he truly is,” my mother replies with love beaming from every fiber of her being.
“He is unlike any other man who has ever existed. Thank you so much for this beautiful welcome.”
“It is my honor.” My mother’s gaze lifts to Marco and the men carrying the bags. “Then, we all go. Please, follow me.”
Her hand slides into my free one, and like the dutiful son I never knew I could be, I squeeze it in mine, prepared to follow my mother wherever she leads.
My mother. It’s surreal.
And yet I’m experiencing it.
With each step of her capable but slight frame, I feel more and more like a protective son—a role I’ve never played before. Aurora’s fingers thread through my hair as mine grip my mother’s hand to help her up each stair.
While she seemed so full of energy at the bottom, as we pass each stunning trimmed hedge and massive flower arrangement on the stone walkway, I can feel her energy flagging. Perhaps the excitement of the day? Or perhaps she doesn’t often climb these stairs any longer?
But she doesn’t pause. Step after step, she leads us higher into the most fanciful gardens I’ve ever seen in my life.
“It’s like a fairyland,” I say, my voice hushed, in awe of the bright-colored flowers and artfully shaped verdant foliage surrounding us on every side.
My mother finally slows and meets my gaze. “The world can be many things for many people. Mine is beautiful, because I have decided it should be so.” A peaceful smile slips over her lips, and she shifts her gaze to Aurora and then back to me. “And now, to share it with you and the beautiful family I did not know I would be so blessed to welcome … it is a gift. Truly a gift beyond imagining. Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” I reply with raw and honest emotion roughening my tone.
When we reach the lawn at the top of the walkway, I take in the silk tent, floral arches, tables laden with trays of food, and six-foot-tall ice sculptures, shaped like angels standing as sentinels over the entire affair. As if coming from a distance, the music of a string ensemble lilts over the scene. It’s a regal and dignified lawn party to celebrate a momentous occasion.
And we are the momentous occasion.
“How beautiful,” Keira whispers from behind me. “How elegant.”
My mother bows her head in Keira’s direction. “I hope you don’t mind. It isn’t often I have such a reason to celebrate.” With a twist of her neck, she glances at Marco. “You told them I’d be festive, did you not?”
My brother’s laughing grin stretches his face—yet another expression I’ve never seen while looking in a mirror. “I had to prepare them. I did not know if you would have doves flying or pony rides for Aurora.”
They both chuckle. It’s clear to me that my mother and brother have a very easy relationship, and a pang of something squeezes my heart. It’s not jealousy or envy. I’m … grateful they have that. Perhaps that means my relationship with her will be much the same.
“You didn’t need to do anything. Not a single thing. It would still be the greatest homecoming of my life,” I say as I squeeze her fingers and lift her hand to my lips to kiss. “Thank you so much. Truly, thank you.”
The smile on her face is even more dazzling than the one stretching my brother’s cheeks. She reaches out a hand to him. “Both of my sons,” she says as tears gather along her lids. “My twin boys are home. It is almost more than I can bear. My heart has never been so full. It could burst, and I would die as the happiest woman in the world right here, in this moment. I have everything. Everything.”
Marco grasps her hand, and together, we stand there, speechless and motionless, as our mother stares at us, both with shining eyes and a heart full of joy.
