Legacy of Love

Epilogue

Zoe and Jackson sat on the front porch of the Beaumont house. The summer breeze was filled with the scent of jasmine and a summer storm that hovered just beyond the horizon.

Zoe rocked Mikai on her lap and Jackson sung a lullaby to his twin sister, Mikayla. They were born nine months to the day of Zoe’s thirtieth birthday. And on that night that they were conceived, the legacy was fulfilled and the curse of unfulfilled love was finally broken.

In the background, Zoe’s mother was singing a Billie Holiday number and preparing to go out to dinner with that nice man Mr. Clarke that had been eyeing her for years. They’d been seeing each other for nearly six months now and her mother actually seemed happy.

Zoe had found her father. He lived in Nashville and she and Jackson were making plans to visit. She’d decided against the job in New York and as soon as her babies were old enough she planned to open a small art gallery in town. Jackson was teaching at the University and loved being back home again.

Aunt Fern and Aunt Flo were tending the garden, pulling weeds with Lucas Beniot and Randolph Porter, two men from the church that had been hanging around for a while now. Fern and Flo giggled like schoolgirls as Lucas and Randolph showed them the right way to pull weeds.

Nana lived long enough to see Zoe marry Jackson and hold her great-grandbabies. But she was never far. Her spirit was in all of them. And as soon as Makai and Mikalya were old enough, Zoe would tell them of their rich history and about the power of love that could overcome all obstacles. And she was certain that one day they would both find the love that she’d found with Jackson.

Jackson turned to his wife. “I love you.”

“I know,” she said. “I’ve always known.”