“I know.”

“But it can be a beginning.”

Amelia’s eyes filled. “Thank you.”

Lucy walked down the grass carrying the rings on a cushion. Toby sat beside them, both arms securely stitched, his mismatched eyes — one original, one button — staring proudly at the guests.

When Rebecca reached Matthew beneath the oak, he took her hands. No marble floor reflected them. No skyscraper towered overhead. No one in the crowd cared what Matthew owned.

“I cannot promise you a life without difficulty,” he said. “I can promise there will never again be a truth you have to earn.”