Identity

“I’ve got it. First, I’m going to apologize for being two steps behind.”

“No.” Morgan came back in. “That’s just not true. You stuck with me all along. And if you hadn’t, if you hadn’t let me know so much, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. To string him out. If you hadn’t been behind him, kept him running, he would’ve come here long before this. Long before I was ready.”

“I can wish we’d taken him before you had to be ready. It can wait until morning if you’d rather, but I need statements.”

“Here, Mom.” Morgan laid an ice bag gently against her mother’s temple. “I don’t know how he got in, but when I got home, just before two, he had them in those chairs. Zip ties and duct tape. Gram.” She laid the second on Olivia’s bruised cheek. “I’ll make some tea.”

“Screw tea. Get me a whiskey. A double.” She gripped her daughter’s hand. “Make that two.”

At dawn, just as light sprinkled in the east, Morgan sat outside, drinking wine with Miles. Howl, fetched by Nell, lay sleeping under the table, one paw on her feet.

“They’re finally sleeping. I wish they’d gone to the hospital.”

“No way they’d leave you, or this house. And the EMTs cleared them both.”

“I know. I know. I just…” She tried to shove it aside. “First time I’ve had wine at dawn,” she said instead.

“Long night.”

“That stupid unsafe word wasn’t so stupid after all.”

“I’d have known anyway. You didn’t use any punctuation, no uppercase letters. That’s not how you text.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d notice that. Glad you did. I knew you were coming when you said good night. You never text good night.”

“It’s not a real good one when you’re somewhere else.”

Reaching out, she gripped his hand, and her voice went thick. “That explains that.”

“Try not to cry, okay? I’m worn pretty thin myself. I’m buying Jen the biggest arrangement of flowers ever known to man.” He kissed the hand that gripped his. “You cleaned his clock, champ.”

“I was so mad, Miles. Seeing them like that, helpless, bruised, bleeding. He wasn’t going to do to them what he did to Nina. And I could see he was weak and jittery, and really angry. I just had to listen and talk and gauge. I just had to be a really good bartender.” She lifted her wine, sipped. “Then do what Jen taught me and clean his clock.”

“You beat me to it. That doesn’t seem quite fair.”

“You broke down the door.”

“Yeah. I’ll fix it. I thought I knew how much I loved you before I got that text. I didn’t. My world just dropped away for a minute. Just went out from under me. Don’t do that to me again.”

“That’s definitely not in the plans. He’ll never get out. Later, I’m going to call Sam, tell him. He deserves to know. And Nina’s family. Sam should go tell them in person. Then we don’t have to think about him again.”

“I’m taking the day off. You’re taking the night off.”

“I don’t have anyone to cover the bar.”

“Nell will find someone to cover. That’s her job. Your job right now is to get some sleep, look after your ladies, let them look after you. Mine’s to do all of that and fix that door.”

She felt a little floaty, as if she stood just an inch outside herself.

“You’re rolling over me again.”

“Because you need it. You can roll over me when I need it.”

“That sounds like a reasonable deal. But let’s watch the day come before we go in. Let’s just watch it come. It’s the first day.”

So they did.





Epilogue



Flowers bloomed as if they held as much joy as she did. In her life, Morgan never expected to feel as she felt now. Thrilled, calm, steady, giddy, and absolutely sure all at once.

Her mother did up the hidden zipper under the crystal buttons that stopped just above her waist. Her wedding dress, she thought as she watched both of them in the mirror in the room Drea had designated Bride’s Area Only. Perfect, simply gorgeous with those long, clean lines she’d wanted, and bought—with full approval—at the local bridal shop.

Her mother had that one right on the nose.

With it she wore the teardrop diamond drops Miles had given her for Valentine’s Day, and a single diamond bangle—for something borrowed—from Nell.

She felt beautiful, and realized that was another first in her life. Not pretty, not attractive, not good enough, but just beautiful.

She turned to look at Nell, who supervised everything in her pretty lilac dress with its crystal straps. Jen wore the palest of pink.

She closed her eyes a moment, thought of Nina, who would have loved every second of all of this. Nina’s family sat now, she knew, in the garden in one of the rows of white-skirted chairs. And she’d be forever grateful they’d come, along with Sam and his fiancée.

A full circle, Nina. He’s gone, out of our lives, locked away, and we’ve come full circle. I love you. I’ll never forget you.

Drea rushed in, the mother of the groom lovely in pale plum.

“We’re right on schedule. Olivia, I have to say again, the flowers are spectacular. How about some champagne, everyone? Some champagne and a good, deep breath all around. My boy’s getting married, and my God, Morgan, you are an incredibly beautiful bride.”

“Our kids, Drea.” Audrey took her hands.

“Our kids. Nell, pour the champagne, and let’s have a drink to our kids.”

“One more thing first.” Olivia lifted the crown of flowers, those pale pink peonies woven with lilacs, and set it on Morgan’s head before kissing both her cheeks. “You’re marrying a Jameson, and I couldn’t be more pleased. But you’ll always be a Nash woman.”

“Aren’t we the lucky ones?” Lydia laid a hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “To be a part of another beginning. Drink up,” she ordered. “Then, Drea, let’s go down and let those handsome men escort us to our seats.”

When they left, Morgan picked up her bouquet. Simple and sweet—those peonies and lilacs, some baby’s breath, some trailing and airy greens.

She walked downstairs in the house that had become her home. Heard the music she’d chosen for just this moment.

Jen sent her a wink, then walked out the doors. Nell turned.

“You’re about to knock Miles dead.”

Then Morgan linked arms with her mother, with her grandmother.

“Here we go.”

They walked outside, where Howl sat like a good boy in his collar of flowers, down the aisle formed by the white-skirted seats to where Miles stood, a sprig of lilac in the buttonhole of his black suit.

Behind him, the fountain they’d made together—a frog, of course, standing in a yoga tree position—sent water sparkling in the air.

She saw Nina’s family, Sam, Nick, the Greenwalds, Agents Beck and Morrison, so many people who’d touched her life and helped to form it.

Then she saw only Miles. And he looked at her as if she was everything.

When she reached him, she turned, kissed her grandmother, kissed her mother. “I love you both.”

They stepped back, linked hands. She stepped forward, took Miles’s.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he told her.