I laughed so loudly Winston began barking.
Sophie leaned back in her chair.
“We decided if we get married someday, we'll connect the gardens.”
“Someday?”
“Maybe.”
“No rush.”
“No rush.”
Then she looked toward my front door.
Three years earlier, she had arrived there bleeding in a wedding dress.
Now sunlight touched the same hallway.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Finally she said, “You know what I remember most about that night?”
“What?”
“Not Caroline.”
I waited.
“Not Jake.”
Her voice softened.
“I remember you opening the door.”
My throat tightened.
“Sophie.”
“I thought I had destroyed my life. I thought everyone would blame me. I thought Dad wouldn't come.”
She smiled.
“But you opened the door. And he came.”
Tears filled my eyes.
She reached across the table and took my hand.
“The worst night of my life taught me something.”
“What?”
She looked directly at me.
