I use the ladies room and buy the scones, and then instead of walking back out the front doors into the main gravel lot where the biting winter wind is whipping across the open road, I head toward the café's side door.
It opens onto a hallway that leads directly out to the side parking area where I left my car. It's a short, convenient cut-through, and it will get me within twenty feet of my car when I exit.
As I walk down the quiet hallway, a profound, almost overwhelming sense of gratitude washes over me. Sitting across from Willow, watching her genuinely smile for Locke and me, proved that the final broken piece of my family has mended.
Locke and I are strong. My body is healthy, vibrant, and thriving. And in just a few months, we’ll be holding our tiny baby in our arms, surrounded
