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Garrett hugs her to him now, “I know, honey. I wish I could take away the hurt for you.”
“It’s okay,” she says nuzzling into his chest, “I don’t really ever want the hurt to fade because I don’t want her to fade away.”
He squeezes her tight against him, “She won’t. You ladies will always keep her memory alive.”
Emily nods and feels a rush of gratitude for this man. He has always understood that her sisters would be a priority in her life. He’s never fully understood their connection, but he’s never questioned it either. She is sure he has suspicion and his own theories about what happened after that first time he met her when Callie brought him along to be the muscle all those years ago, but he’s never pushed her for details. Two years passed between that first night and the next time their paths crossed. The only thing he ever asked upon seeing her again was, “Are you safe?”
Over the years, she shared little things with him from time to time, but he never expected her to. He allows to hold her secrets and for that she will be eternally grateful. She leans back to look at him now, eyes sparkling down at his wife and the expectant mother of his daughter.
He asks, “Are you going to tell them what we decided this weekend?”
Emily smiles up at him so brightly, “I am and I know they are going to be so excited.”
They embrace again and all in her world feels as though everything is falling into place exactly as it should. She is living her life with this wonderful man, free of fear. She has her sisters whenever she needs them. And in just two short months they will all get to meet sweet, baby Willow Nessa.
Sam reaches up into her mess of hair piled on top of her head and pulls out a fresh paintbrush she had stashed up there. She swipes the brush through a dark green and adds a little more depth to her happy little trees. Standing back now to admire the work, Sam smiles to herself. On the canvas before her is a watercolor version of the home she is about to visit for the weekend. She even included the wall of siding that is a slightly brighter white after being repaired thanks to the lovely car crash right through it. Hanging from the giant oak tree in the front yard is a single swing, the very swing they all took turns in and whispered secrets from. In this painting, a lone figure sits in the swing with her back to the artist. She is wearing a long flowing skirt and her long black hair blows in the breeze. The painting is titled, simply, “Willow”. Sam cannot wait to give it to Raven tomorrow.
It is a different kind of painting than she is becoming known for in the art scene. Her usually bright, bold strokes painted in an impressionist style sell well, but they just wouldn’t suit their Willow. This painting is delicate and powerful, so very feminine, and the most cherished piece Sam has ever created. It truly captures the peace and calm that Willow carried with her everywhere she went. It is an ode to one of Sam’s greatest muses and she is honestly so very proud of herself for creating it.
Sam had thought painting it would be too painful, but it has actually been one of the most cathartic acts in her life. It has brought her tremendous joy and light. She is almost sad it is finished.
Leaving her few finishing touches to dry overnight, Sam wanders from her art studio which is actually the tiny bedroom in her tiny new apartment. When she left her bright shiny corporate marketing firm, it only took one round of bills to nearly decimate her savings and make it perfectly clear she was going to need to downsize. Not many unemployed, starving artists lived in historic brownstones in trendy downtown neighborhoods unless they had massive trust funds, which Sam did not. She was terrified of how she would feel with her new budget apartment in a notoriously sketchy neighborhood, but it turns out she loves it.
Simplicity was always her favorite thing in the world. Somehow, though, in her time climbing the career ladder because that’s what she thought she was supposed to do to prove herself worthy, she forgot that. Now that she was forced back into it by choosing the bohemian life, she feels more like herself than she has since pre-him. She has eaten a lot of ramen and sleeps on a futon in the living room/kitchen/dining room, but she would never go back to the way it was before for anything in the world. It was cold and sterile. This is vibrant, maybe a little quirky, and so very fulfilling.
She has come to realize she will never be the kind of person who craves fancy things and a corporate pension. Chasing those things is absolutely soul-sucking to her. She thrives in living creatively and she will be forever grateful to Willow for kicking her ass into remembering that.
Honestly, she could afford more now that her work is being talked about and her paintings are selling, but she bought a car instead. She still doesn’t drive around the city as she really does love to walk the busy sidewalks day to day, but she has logged a lot of hours visiting her sisters. That’s the only splurge she desires in her life and they are so worth it.
Sam picks up her phone now and selects their group chat. She types out a short message with her expectant departure time and a quick “can’t wait to see you”. She then blasts some Jack Johnson through the speakers and dances her way through packing her canvas bag for the weekend. She talks to Willow the whole time. Sam can’t see her and she can’t hear a response, but she knows Willow is listening.
She knows Willow is proud.
Callie puts the finishing touches on what she is calling a quaint, rustic cake. Baking is not her thing, but she’s trying. As she hides the confection away in the back of the fridge, a surprise for tomorrow, Raven walks in with her arms full of flowers. Raven’s face shines bright and full of love. She spends most of her mornings in the trees. She can feel her sister there and needs Willow’s energy to refuel her batteries.
The lovers kiss in greeting and Callie helps Raven deposit her flowers in a water-filled pitcher.
“Thanks, love,” Raven trills.
Callie smiles in response, “Em and Sam both text. They’ll be here early tomorrow.”
Raven claps her hands with giddy joy, “Yay! I’m so excited!”
Watching Raven so full of excitement warms Callie inside and out. She moves to her love’s side and wraps her arms around Raven’s waist. She kisses her nose and hugs her close. These moments are more valuable to them than gold. They were hard-earned.
That first morning, waking up to Willow’s letter had torn their worlds apart. Willow had no idea how deeply her absence would be felt every single day. Raven cried herself to sleep while Callie held her every night for weeks. They were all too brokenhearted themselves to know how to help her. Callie had just been patient with her and given her whatever time she needed, knowing that no one can tell you how to grieve.
Callie, herself, went through quite a spiral. She called and quit her job on the spot. She wandered aimlessly through her days, not sure what she would ever do that could bring her joy like Willow had. How do you ever recover from the kind of loss they were all enduring? What could ever feel right with her no longer here?
Then one morning Callie woke to an empty bed and noise coming from the kitchen. Raven had woken with the sun and had already been hard at work for hours. Callie found her slaving away over bags of herbs and pots of who knows what boiling away on the stovetop. When Callie asked what was going on, Raven took her hand and led her to the living room fireplace.
Sitting atop the mantle in an old, weathered frame were Callie and Raven’s final instructions from Willow. Raven left Callie’s side to return to her work and let Callie stare at the letter until she, too, felt Willow nudging her onto dreams she didn’t even know she had.
Raven started her own online business selling all her witchy concoctions and giving guidance to others on her same path. She named it Ozark Mountain Magic Co. and quickly grew a following of like-minded individuals that saw her as the magical genius she is. Callie used all her savings and part of her trust fund to purchase a storefront in town. She started her own counseling service and funneled the money it earned into a sort of underground railroad system for abuse victims trying to escape their abusers.
They both took their pain and rose from the ashes.
Raven gifted Sam and Emily their pages of Willow’s letter as well. They had all had a good cry and vowed to make her proud. And, oh, they have.
