Cassandra began to cry. “You taught me that being needed is not the same as being present. Luke and Violet taught me that promises mean nothing unless you come back.

I came back, Cassandra. I will keep coming back for the rest of my life.” He opened the box. “Will you marry me?”

Cassandra looked at the man who had once walked away, the father who had returned, and the imperfect partner who had spent a year proving that love was not a single dramatic choice.

It was a thousand ordinary choices made every day.

“Yes.”

Luke cheered. Violet lowered the elephant. “I knew Mama would say yes.”