Moments later, another car pulled up next to the Wilson family manor, with Lucas and Susan’s daughter, Judy, stumbling out of the back, mid-laugh. She turned to her cousins, June and Beth, and the three of them linked arms and walked up, grinning from ear to ear. Amy’s heart swelled with gratitude, joy, and pride over seeing her grandchildren. She couldn’t believe they were finally there, or that she was getting to share her new life with them.
Amy knew the Wilsons were going to love them.
And she already imagined them coming to many more family gatherings like this, making her happiness complete. Her mouth hurt from smiling so much, but she didn’t stop or look away as she stood in the doorway and waited for them.
As soon as they reached her, all three of them pulled her in for a separate hug, and she didn’t want to let them go.
Ever.
It felt strange to get so worked up about a hug she’d gotten millions of times before, but over the past few weeks, Amy had been feeling an overwhelming mixture of joy, gratitude, and regret over everything that had unfolded. With the divorce papers stuffed in a purse thrown on a couch somewhere in the Wilson manor, Amy felt hopeful.
And better than she had in a long, long time.
Her smile made her mouth hurt as she ushered everyone into the house, pausing to introduce them to Grandpa Frank, who sat in an armchair by the couch, reading the paper. He gave them all a bright smile and waved to Grandma Jen, who was coming out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of cookies and a pitcher of iced tea. Without pausing to let Amy finish, she pulled June, Judy, and Beth in for a long hug and gave each of them bright smiles when she pulled away.
Everyone was talking over each other as Kelly’s sisters, Heather, Ashley, and Rebecca, came in from outside with windswept hair and wearing identical happy smiles. After another round of introductions, Amy stepped outside with her children and grandchildren in tow. Frankie, Kelly’s brother and Lily’s uncle, stood over the grill, enthusiastically fanning the flames of the fire.
He tilted his bottle of beer in their direction and made a sweeping hand gesture. “We’re so happy to have you all here. Welcome to Wilson Manor.”
“Let me introduce you to everyone else,” Amy added in a cheerful voice. “Come on. There’s so many people for all of you to meet.”
When Ashley’s husband, Jude, rounded the corner with his son, Jeff, the two of them were carrying a large cooler.Immediately, Lucas went over to help them, and three men grunted and huffed as they set it down on the grass beneath Frankie’s feet. He clapped them all on the back and rummaged around, taking out a few more pieces of marinated lobster, chicken, and steak. After setting them out, Amy ducked inside with Sylvie and her grandchildren. The kitchen was absolute chaos, with Angie, Rebecca’s eldest daughter and the chef at Herring Cove Inn, taking charge and giving out instructions while her white hat hung low over her brow.
Angie’s siblings, Rob and Terry, were in the dining room, setting out plates and cutlery.
They called out to Lucas and Sylvie and their kids on the way past, all of them exchanging pleasantries and a quick smile. Frankie’s wife, Paula, rounded the corner with her two kids, Jonathan and Suzie, each of them carrying a box of desserts. Hastily, Amy stepped forward to help, and they all scrambled to clear a foldable table in the back to set everything else out.
“As you can see, it gets pretty hectic around here,” Amy added without missing a beat. “There’s room here for all of you to stay, and I’ve already checked if it’s okay with Grandpa and Grandma Wilson.”
Someone called out, and Amy twisted to see Heather’s husband, Ed, sticking his head in from outside, a thin sheen of sweat on top of his forehead. He had a colorful apron on and a pair of tongs in his hands, and his son, Luke, who was an exact replica of him, brushed past him, carrying a large, heavy-looking pot. With a grunt, he set it down on the dining room table, earning a disapproving look from his sister, Tammy, who narrowly avoided being mowed over on the way.
“Mom, we need to talk to you.” Sylvie placed a hand on her arm, bringing Amy to a halt in the middle of the empty living room. “It’s really important.”
Amy patted Sylvie’s hand. “Can it wait till I finish showing you around?”
Lucas and Sylvie exchanged a pointed glance before Sylvie withdrew her hand and nodded.
Laughter rose and fell as Amy wandered through the house, giving her children and grandchildren the grand tour of the bottom floor, with its hardwood floors, open-floor kitchen, and a few empty rooms, including Grandma and Grandpa Wilson’s. She stopped at the foot of the winding staircase and gestured to the glittering chandelier overhead, casting tiny particles of light on the floors. Then, a pair of footsteps appeared, and Lily came down the stairs, carrying a set of towels and tablecloths with Ben in tow, carrying a large box.
Both of them paused to greet Lucas and Sylvie with warm and welcoming smiles.
Lily handed a flustered-looking Ruby, Emily’s niece, the towels before pulling her nieces in for a large hug. Jokingly, the three of them complained before they were introduced to Charlotte and Savannah, who were stepping in through the front door, smiling from ear to ear. Ashley’s son, Jeff, followed in their wake, carrying more and more bags of food. His wife, Tay, and their children, Jason and Maria, came in carrying boxes of board games.
Casseroles of food were leaving the kitchen when Ian and Sophia came in. Ian’s wife, Lucy, was sandwiched between their kids, Dana, Kelli, and Dean, and all of them immediately set to work helping. Amy steered her children out of the way and nearly collided with Sophia’s husband, Darren, who was carrying plastic bags full of drinks. He gave her a distracted smile on the way past while his kids, Zac and Zoe, followed close behind.
Grinning from ear to ear, Amy led Lucas and Sylvie to a quiet corner of the living room, where no one else was sitting. As soonas they sat down, Ashley’s grandson, Charlie, threw something across the room, and it crashed into a vase, sending shards of glass in every direction. Terry’s children, Lara and Glen Jr., who wore identical guilty expressions, immediately pointed at one another and talked over each other.
“We wanted to tell you that we talked to Dad,” Lucas said, raising his voice to be heard over the commotion. “Well, it was more like a yelling match, but that wasn’t the intention.”
Some of Amy’s earlier good mood dissipated. “Does this have anything to do with the private detective he accused me of hiring?”
Sylvie pursed her lips. “I was afraid he was going to find out about that. A friend of mine did me a favor, but I’ve already asked him to drop it.”
Amy folded her hands in her lap and glanced between the two of them. “What did you and your father talk about?”
She wasn’t surprised Sylvie couldn’t let go, but she was surprised Lucas was going along with her.
He was usually the calm, collected, and rational one.
