He had looked at my children and seen baggage.

I looked at them and saw everything I owned.

That was the difference between us, in the end, and it was the whole difference, and it was why he lost.\n\nAnd for the first time in two days, I laughed — a real laugh, surprised out of me, warm and whole.

“Absolutely,” I said.

“Every single one you want.”

Chapter 18 — Walking Out of a Trap

We walked out together into the daylight in our formal clothes, and behind us, in the hall, the guests slowly began to gather their things and leave what was no longer a wedding.