The Magic Of Halloween Night

Epilogue

“Paisley, are you almost ready?” I called up the stairs.

“I’m just getting Baxter,” she called back down the stairs, referring to her golden retriever. “Are Tom and Gracie here yet?”

“I can see them walking across the yard. Cass is loading Milo, and he looks like he’s ready to go, but I still need to strap the boys into the van. You and Baxter can just meet us in the drive.”

“Okay.” I heard a crash and then a giggle.

It had been five Halloweens since I’d taken a chance on love and stood under the full moon on Halloween night with a pure heart and strong intention. I’d faced my fear and risked everything to have a chance at living the life my heart desired. I had to admit that letting go of the fear that had shaped my life to that point had not been easy. In fact, truth be told, I’d been flat out terrified. But I’d wanted so badly to have the life I now enjoyed, that I’d offered up that fear, closed my eyes, and took a leap of faith.

I suspect the story about Naomi’s witch, and the magical words that would set me free were hogwash. I supposed I knew even at the time Naomi had shared her magical cure with me that it was my belief in the curse that gave it its power, and if I wanted to be liberated of its impact on my life, I simply needed to set it free. Once I’d made the commitment and married Cass, Gracie had decided to take her own leap of faith and had finally married Tom. She’d moved into Tom’s cabin, leaving the big house for Cass, Paisley, and me. The arrangement really was ideal since we each had our own space, yet we continued to live on the same property. Most evenings, we all still gathered together for a meal around the same table where Gracie and I had eaten when I was a child. The only downside to the arrangement was that Gracie seemed to be forever losing things and then having no idea which house she’d left them in.

“Did you ever find my gray sweater?” Gracie asked as I strapped Hunter and Hayden, the twin boys Cass and I had brought into the world nine months ago, into their car seats. “I know it’s warm today, but I suspect it will be chilly by the time we get back from the pumpkin farm.”

“I found it. It’s on the third-row seat. I was going to sit back there with Paisley and Anna after we pick her up. Cass will drive, and Tom can ride shotgun. You can sit on the middle seat with the boys since it’s easier to get in and out of, but if they get fussy, you and I can switch.”

“It’s a good thing you have a big car,” Gracie chucked as Baxter jumped into the cargo area with Milo.

I smiled. “It’s the perfect car for my perfect family.”

“Did you tell Grandma that we’re going to stop by and bring her a pumpkin?” Paisley asked after climbing into the third-row seat.

“I did, and she’s very excited about seeing all of us,” I answered. Even though Ethel had decided it was time to go into assisted living, and Paisley had moved in full-time with us, we were very diligent about visiting her on a regular basis.

“Did you ask her about the diary she was going to lend you for your article?” she asked.

“I did.” I kissed both my sons on their chubby cheeks and then climbed in next to Paisley. “Dex loved my idea about writing a town history, and I think your grandma’s diary is going to help me really pull things together.” I hugged her. “Your idea was excellent.”

She grinned. “I’m going to be a newspaper columnist like you someday. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help out when I can.”

My heart bled just a bit when I realized that Paisley would be going to college in two years. God, how I’d miss her. But I wanted her to have her heart’s desire, and at this point, being a journalist seemed to be where she was heading. As Cass started the van and pulled out of the drive, I turned and looked back toward the attic window where Alastair sat staring down at us. Little had I known that first night when I’d sat with the cat in that very window after leaving New York and returning to Foxtail Lake, that the life I’d been sure at the time I’d mourn until the end of time, had in fact, only been a placeholder for the life I’d been destined to live all along.

The End