Savannah stood crying beside Nyla, their arms wrapped around each other. His vision blurred, and he made his way through the crowd that parted till he was standing in front of Savvy.
Wren clung to him.
“Savvy, you came,” he said, sniffling.
She nodded and wiped at her cheeks with her fingertips. “On a whim, I asked Nyla to pull into your grandparents’ place. They weren’t home. But I found Wren hanging out in the truck in the barn.”
“It’s a good hiding spot,” Wren said, “but I was getting really hungry.”
He’d been fairly sure his grandparents’ place had been searched at the outset—all the spots Wren was familiar with had been looked into. He wondered if the sound of strangers had scared her, though, and she’d burrowed under a blanket in the truck, quiet and still.
His tears turned into laughter. He had a million questions to ask the little girl, but for now, he couldn’t take his eyes off Savannah. “Thank you,” he said. “Truly, you have no idea how grateful I am.”
Her chin wobbled. “When Nyla told me Wren had gone missing, I was so conflicted. I didn’t even know if you’d want me here.”
“It took some persuading,” Nyla said, “but I got her in the car.”
Pain flashed in Savannah’s eyes. “Levi, I’m so sorry.”
Nyla stepped away, linking her arm through their mother’s. “Let’s give them a little space, okay?”
“Wait.” He shifted Wren to his other hip. “Savvy, I need to tell you something.”
“I need to tell you a lot of somethings,” Wren said, stretching her hands wide. “Starting with I wuv you both.”
He was done for. Another wave of tears crested. He held out his arm, and Savannah closed the distance between them.
“Levi, I’m so sorry for what I said to you in the hotel. You poured your heart out, and I was so cruel.” She stared up at him. “Will you forgive me?”
“Absolutely.” His eyes drifted toward her lips. “I love you, Savannah Morgan. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“I love you too,” Savvy whispered.
Wren clasped her hands under her chin. “You should kiss.”
“She’s right,” Savvy said.
“What a clever kid,” he said, leaning down and brushing a tender kiss across Savannah’s lips.
“Yay!” Wren cheered.
Laughter rippled through the crowd as the people of Opportunity celebrated a lost little girl who’d maybe, just maybe, found her forever family.
Epilogue
Two years later
Savannah waved until the school bus had pulled out of the church parking lot and turned onto the highway, disappearing around the bend. As she watched it go, the circle of moms that had gathered to see the kids off to camp erupted into a flurry of high fives and excited chatter about their long-awaited girls’ weekend. Blinking back tears, she turned away and walked back to her car, gripping the key chain holding the photo of her with Levi and Wren. Their sweet girl. So brave going to church camp near Anchorage for a whole week. Savannah had never been that brave when she was six years old. She kept her chin low as she passed the trio of moms, a few stray tears sliding down her cheeks.
Slipping in behind the wheel, Savannah sighed as she closed the door. She had been so emotional lately, more so than usual. But then, why wouldn’t she be? Just this morning, she had taken a test that she knew would change her life.
Levi’s too. She couldn’t wait to tell him. He was going to be over the moon.
The drive home was a blur, and eerily quiet without Wren in the back seat, chatting away. Savannah slowed at the entrance to her parents’ neighborhood. She couldn’t wait to tell them, her sisters and Wyatt that her pregnancy test had come back positive. They were going to have a baby. She was still in shock, her mind racing with all the implications of this new development. But amid her anxiety, there was an unmistakable joy too. The joy of new life and new possibilities. She had to reconnect with Levi first. Then they’d decide how and when to announce their incredible news.
As she pulled into the driveway, Savannah spotted Levi on the front porch of his A-frame, waiting for her. She had called him before leaving to drop Wren off at the church and to let him know that she needed him to meet her at the house. Now that he owned the store and had hired an incredible manager, he didn’t feel quite so compelled to spend every minute there. His father had retired a year ago, and Jasper had decided retail wasn’t his life’s calling. Instead, he’d gone back to college to earn his teaching degree.
Savannah parked and got out of the car, walking slowly toward Levi, who had a huge smile on his face. As she got closer to him, he opened his arms wide, and she climbed the steps and walked into his familiar embrace. It felt like coming home after a long journey. Like everything was exactly as it should be in that moment in time. As he held her, Savannah could feel both happiness and gratitude washing over them both. They hadn’t planned to start a family quite this soon. What a sweet surprise for a pair of newlyweds.
They stood there for what felt like forever, until finally Levi pulled away slightly and looked into Savannah’s eyes with love and adoration. “Mrs. Carter, are we going to have a baby?”
“We sure are, Mr. Carter.” She pressed up on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly. “How did you know?”
“Someone saw you buying a pregnancy test at the store and sent me a text.” He winked and offered her his arm. “Let’s go inside and enjoy a peaceful kid-free home while we can.”
For once she didn’t mind that good news had traveled quickly. In a gesture reminiscent of their very memorable fake date at the Fairview two summers ago, she tucked her fingers into the crook of his elbow and followed him through the front door.
Some wise folks in their lives had counseled them not to rush into anything. And sometimes, she wondered if they’d worked a little too hard at disregarding that advice. Because the last two years had not been easy. She’d moved back to Opportunity less than a week after she’d left. Mr. Schubert hired her for the art teacher position, after apologizing profusely for enabling Candace’s schemes. He’d probably never admit it, but he’d given her the highly coveted role of advising the students who designed the yearbook, a gesture she was certain was one made out of guilt. Not that his decision bothered her one bit. She loved teaching and advising, and the yearbook had been stunning. Then Levi had proposed the following spring, and they’d eloped in Hawaii last Christmas during her school break. She’d put her feet on Honolulu’s sugary sand after all.
Sadly, Wren’s mom had not been able to conquer her addiction. After her arrest and lengthy prison sentence, her parental rights were terminated. Wren became eligible for adoption after her father had passed away almost a year ago. Levi and Savannah had walked a hard road with the spunky little girl, helping her work through her grief. They’d spent countless hours in therapy, attended hearings and signed what seemed like more than a hundred pieces of paper, until Wren’s formal adoption had been finalized six months ago.
“Wren is going to flip out,” Levi said, pushing aside a small mountain of stuffed animals she’d discarded on the couch before she’d left that morning. He sat down on the cushions and patted the space beside him. Savannah nestled in beside her sweet husband and rested her head on his shoulder. “Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?”
He hesitated, then twined his fingers through hers. “I’m hoping for a healthy baby. You?”
“Healthy, yes.” She squeezed his strong, calloused hand. “I’d love for Wren to have a sister because Hayley and Juliet have brought so much joy to my life. But I see how much fun you and Jasper have together, and I appreciate how Wyatt has looked out for me over the years, and I don’t know... Brothers are amazing too.”
She trailed off as Levi’s eyes darkened. “Brothers, huh? As in, plural?”
