That’s not what a mother does. That’s what a monster does.
The Magnolia Row PD calls when we’re south of Montgomery to let me know she was escorted off the property without incident, but she was upset about some of her things still being in the house. While I’m still on the phone with them, I get a barrage of texts from her. Most of them are about her clothes, shoes, and a computer, but sprinkled in are the expected degradations calling me a brat, ungrateful, horrible child, and even a delightful message saying she wished she’d aborted me.
Rhodes clenches his jaw as I read them to him from the passenger seat and shakes his head, and it’s honestly the only appropriate response. There are no words for how low she’s willing to go.
“You don’t have to worry about her anymore,” he finally says when there’s a break in the phone dings. “Like Patsy told you, you have a tribe. You don’t need anything else. None of the garbage she’s saying has anything to do with you.”
He’s right. Those are her issues, not mine.
“I love you,” I say, holding his hand.
“I love you too.”
I can’t get enough of saying it. No matter how my anxiety spikes or what I’m worrying about, every time he says he loves me, a sense of calm washes over my body and spirit. Everything will be okay as long as I have him by my side.
When we get home, I pack all my mother’s things I can find and leave them in garbage bags by the mailbox. I text her to let her know they’re there, and Rhodes stands on the front porch watching her when she pulls up to make sure she doesn’t get further than the edge of the yard.
Once we’re sure my mother isn’t coming back, we check on the store. Luckily, it doesn’t look like she so much as drove to Bonaventure Antiques, so that’s one less thing to worry about. Rhodes goes online and orders security systems for both the house and the store in case she returns, but we end up not needing them. My mother never comes back to Magnolia Row, and Rhodes and I pick up the pieces of my grandmother’s beautiful life and irreplaceable soul. Slowly, we begin to make a new home for ourselves, and I start to envision the life my nana wanted for me all along.
EPILOGUE
Micah
It’s Christmas in Magnolia Row, which means it’s almost been a year since Rhodes moved here, and I’ve never been happier. He set up an office in the guest room and he and I sleep in my old room. I keep Nana’s room exactly as she left it. I know Rhodes and I would have more space if we moved to the master bedroom, but it doesn’t feel right. Though I’ve almost gotten through my year of firsts without her, I still miss her so much I swear I hear her whisper to me when it’s quiet.
Even so, life has continued to carry me along. I take joy in little things with Rhodes, like watching television together, going for walks, and stopping by the hotel job site to let him show me what’s going on there. We’ve even made a few midnight trips to the old dilapidated house on the river to explore and relive the magical first kiss that set my soul alight and told me yes, he is my forever love.
Sometimes I worry he misses his life in Birmingham, but he assures me he’s excited about our new chapter together. Over the summer, his son had an internship with a big law firm in the city, so he was able to use Rhodes’ condo during that time. He even came to Magnolia Row one Sunday to meet me, and while it was a little strange at first, given he and I are relatively close in age, he was nothing but kind, gracious, and seemed genuinely happy for his dad.
The structural restoration of the hotel was completed in October, so a crew of eight men took the fountain out of my shop and returned it to its original home. We had to take the front doors off the hinges to get it out, but we managed. It shines in the old hotel lobby, and I know Nana looks down and smiles when she sees that a small piece of her is now part of the hotel’s legacy.
The hotel is primed, painted, and decorated in time for Christmas.Southern Livingmagazine even did a story about the full restoration in their November issue, so the place is fully booked for a year before it has even opened its doors.
Wilhelmina Caxton, whom I met a few times after Rhodes moved to Magnolia Row, is not one to miss an opportunity to celebrate herself, so she’s decided to throw a lavish Christmas party in the hotel’s ballroom and invited all her friends from Fairhope as well as everyone who is anyone in Magnolia Row. Rhodes and I were of course invited, a) since he’s the architect and b) since she’s apparently been lusting after him since they met, which she does not even try to hide even when I’m around. I get the feeling she only invited me out of a sense of propriety, but I don’t care. I’m so excited to see the hotel in its full glory I can put up with her for one night. Besides, I have nothing to worry about. Rhodes’ heart is all mine.
For the party, I wear one-strap red dress with huge flowers on the neckline and shoulder. My arms are bare, which is new for me, but Rhodes insists I look ravishing. Patsy helps with my hair, and I must say when I look in my brand-new full-length mirror, I do look beautiful. Most importantly, I look happy.
Rhodes, of course, is the sexiest man in the room in his tux. His hair has a little more gray than it did when we met over a year ago, but it only serves to make him look more of a gentlemen, like he just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel. Every time I look at him, I get goosebumps. I can’t believe he’s mine.
The party is a blast, though thanks to the open bar, most of Magnolia Row is smashed. The entire police force is there offering free safe rides to anyone who isn’t okay to drive. Kendall is there with Pierre, her movie-star-turned-novelist fiancé, and we have a great time dancing. Patsy and Sistine are absent—Patsy couldn’t find a babysitter for her kids, and Sistine would rather die than get dressed up for a formal party—but even though we miss them, we still have a great time.
When we leave the party, instead of turning left to go home, Rhodes turns right and drives towards the old house on the river.
“We can’t go there tonight,” I tell Rhodes. “I’m in this dress. I’ll never be able to climb the fence.”
“I have a surprise for you,” he says.
We pull up to the house, and the gate is open.
“How did you—" I start to ask, but he taps my hand gently.
“I’ll explain when we get there.”
We’re able to drive through the weeds and park right at the foot of the stairs leading to the front door. Moonlight glints off the broken windows at the top of the belvedere, and when Rhodes helps me out of the car, he puts his coat over my shoulders so I won’t be too cold. He holds my hand and helps me navigate the uneven steps, then leads me into the house. It’s pitch black since we didn’t bring any lights, but Rhodes tells me to stand still in the foyer, the exact spot where we had our first kiss, and retrieves a small lantern from behind the staircase and turns it on. He puts it on the floor beside me, then pulls some papers out of the coat pocket that I hadn’t even noticed were there.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“The deed to this house,” he says.
