When Hearts Collide

EPILOGUE
It was a beautiful July day. The afternoon sun beat down on the cedar slats of the back garden’s pergola and filtered through the luxurious foliage of silver lace and clematis. Molly relaxed back into the chaise lounge and basked in the heat.

She couldn’t believe how perfect life was now. It had been over a year since she’d first come to this house, a house she now called home. The year had seen so many wonderful changes.

She’d become a wife, a mother, and an aunt, all within a few months. Sometimes, she had to shake her head to realize it wasn’t a fantasy. Never would she have believed life could be this good and that she could love someone as much as she loved Pearce, or that he could return that love. Molly gazed across the lawn to where the loves of her life cavorted.

Pearce had totally recovered. He’d worked hard at his physiotherapy and regained his strength and mobility. His only reminder of the accident was slight pain in his left leg before a rain. Watching his sun-kissed physique as he raced across the grass with such grace and virility sent her pulse spiraling. And Gracie, growing like the proverbial bad weed, had come out of her shell, and chattered non-stop. Even her nightmares were a thing of the past.

The wedding had been small. Her choice. Lani, her sister, and Dave had stood up for them. Molly had worn a mid-calf antique lace creation she’d designed herself. She carried a dozen long stemmed red roses. Gracie’s princess-style dress was trimmed with matching lace. Mrs. Nesbitt had even smiled in the wedding photos.

That had been another surprise—the change in Mrs. Nesbitt. She’d lost her austere demeanor and had taken to visiting often. She’d even been found giggling with Gracie over some shared secret.

Molly remembered finding Katherine sitting in the garden watching Gracie, a discrete Kleenex dabbing her eyes. She’d turned to Molly. “Oh, Molly, I’ve wasted so much time hating Pearce, and missing out on knowing my granddaughter.”

But the biggest shock had come when Mrs. Nesbitt, or Grandma Kate, as she now asked to be called, offered to mind Gracie while she and Pearce went on their honeymoon. And it was just as big a shock that Gracie was delighted to spend time with her new best friend. When Pearce and Molly returned, she talked non-stop for a week about their adventures.

Molly had never been happier. Their love had grown and expanded to heights of contentment and passion she’d never thought possible. As proof, she patted her protruding abdomen. Soon, the baby would make an appearance. Molly refused to be told the sex. It didn’t matter. Gracie had names for either sex.

Mommy, look at me.”

Gracie perched on Pearce’s shoulders, her plump arms spread wide, waving wildly as he swung her in a wide arc.

I’m an airplane!”

Molly’s heart swelled to bursting as she watched father and daughter. She didn’t know which one of them had the bigger grin. Tears of happiness threatened at the corners of her eyes.

The new life growing inside her was evidence of their love. Her pregnancy had been a surprise, and her initial concerns about Pearce’s reaction were quickly quashed. He was ecstatic, as was Gracie. Both excitedly awaited the event.

Molly massaged her swollen belly. She loved Gracie with all her heart, but she could never have imagined how this seed of hers and Pearce’s love could change her life. Nor could she have imagined the maternal feelings that had escalated as the fetus developed inside her.

Gracie climbed onto the lawn chair and cuddled against her. Her eyes were luminous with childhood glee and the contentment of being well-loved and secure. Molly thought of her own unsettled childhood, and it filled her heart to know that she could be a part of giving this child the safe haven that all children deserved.

Gracie stroked Molly’s abdomen. “Baby coming soon, Mommy?”

Yes, love, the baby will be here soon.”

Pearce pulled his recliner next to hers and kissed her gently. His eyes softened, pride glowing in their depths as he laid a hand on her abdomen. “How is junior?”

Doing belly-flops.” Molly laid her hand over his and guided it along her belly. Within seconds, he felt the baby kick and his mouth burst into a boyish grin. Molly gazed tenderly at him. He was such a good father to Gracie and now they would have another child to share their love with. A tear slid down her cheek. She reached up to brush it away, but Pearce’s fingertips were there first, caressing the moisture away.

Are you happy, Molly?”

Her smile and the contentment in her eyes said more than words could. His lips met hers with a tender possession.

Yes, life was good.