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writingcold · 1 year

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Hi. Welcome to Chapter 25. We are nearly there. I will be posting the Epilogue around noon, CST today.

If you are just joining us, you can find the Master List to the series here

@lvnterninthenight, @gardensgatedaisy and @whitesuitjake, thank you. Just thank you.

This is a work of fiction, and is totally mine. Please do not take it for your own personal use. I’ve put in hours of research, hours upon hours of writing, re-writing, screaming, yelling and vomiting over this epic of a story. But it is mine.

Content warning: 18+ only story. Violence. Angst.

Word count: approx. 6800

Chapter Twenty Five: Safety and Endings - Cora POV

The ragtag family wearily stepped onto the platform in Arbor Vitae nearly seven days after their flight from Iron Mountain. Instead of taking the passenger train that would have had them to their destination in less than a day, they had meandered across the landscape of the Upper Peninsula, down through the state line of Wisconsin and nearly touched the Minnesota border before taking the milk train back to the east. The goods route stopped every eight to twelve miles to gather materials or distribute them in a long drawn process that had left the family exhausted.

Unlike Cora’s previous trip, Dotty and Lucas were unaware of their presence and were not there in town to welcome them. Instead, the careworn family would walk the nearly seven miles to the north to reunite quietly with their family. Cora caught sight of wary eyes as they walked through the snippet of town. She was sure they looked rough. Instead of concerning herself with the suspicious gazes, she turned her attention to Georgie. The boy did not complain a single peep, despite nearly dragging behind Sam’s heels. The man held his hand, keeping an eye on the youngest member of the clan.

Following the trail north, Sam seemed to know the route to take and the others just followed in kind. The late July sun was unforgiving as the day progressed. Cora’s heart ached. She wondered if her mother would comment on the ultimate failure that pulsed at her daughter’s fringes. Their current state was questionable at best. It was not supposed to be them walking this dusty, hot path, jobless, homeless. The boys should be in school, not nearly dropping from exhaustion. She should be working in the mercantile shop and general store - not the Tiger, not the bank. She had stretched her wings for fifteen months only to have them clipped at the worst of moments. Jacob had given her the support to fly, and his forced absence only depleted the family all the more.

“The boys need a rest,” Molly grumbled as she wiped at her brow.

“I’m good Mrs. Molly,” Georgie piped up, his voice a trill across the hot breeze.

“You’re as stubborn as your sister, kid,” she said back with a sharp look.

“I’ll take that as a good thing,” the child said back with a thick strain of sass. “My sisters are strong.”

Daniel set the three bags he carried down before helping Molly to sit. Sam nearly dropped where he stood. He looked painfully young as he yanked his hat off and pushed back the thick hair from his face. Georgie had developed quite the fondness and decided to plunk down beside his friend. Sam flopped back in the grass and the young boy mirrored him. Cora wondered if he would ever recover from losing Susannah. The violence of the moment would be devastating enough, but as events unfolded, the time to heal had been sprinted across and ignored.

Cora sat next to Molly, their hands entwined without her even realizing it. The once boisterous woman had been replaced with an ill-ease and quietness. She wondered if Molly could shift, grow into the life that was before her. A glance to Daniel betrayed her thoughts, though it would seem he also was sharing her concerns. She remained crisp at times, but it was like the stuffing had been taken out, leaving behind a shadow of the friend she had known.

She could not ignore her constant hollow sense that Jacob’s absence had left behind. It was as if half her breath filled her body, half her blood nourished her flesh. And yet, she pushed herself on. Put one foot in front of the other. Showed no slowness, or hesitation as Samuel and Daniel led them on. She could not, however, hide her search every stop the slow train made - every eight to twelve miles in hopes that Jacob had caught up to them. Walking in a foreign land, though it was not too different from Kingsford, he surely could appear at the bend of each corner, or be waiting atop the swell of a hill.

It took the rest of the morning to walk the remainder of the way to the Baroski farm. Cora felt her insides clench as they walked up the hill towards a tall, white painted wood clad house. A thin woman appeared on the porch, an infant in her arms. Another woman stepped off the stairs, her arm in the air in a wave. Her heart skipped at the sight.

“Junebug!” Georgie squealed, tearing off before the group in a sprint.

Jon, followed by Matthew, took off like shots towards their sister. Cora heard her mother let out a soft sound of relief. Drawing closer, she felt her chest swell as the boys swamped their sister. In Dorothy’s arms, a beautiful baby girl curled her chubby, pink fingers through wisps of her hair. The child’s starling blue eyes were just like Junie’s had once been - full of joy and the love that surrounded her. Cora introduced Rosemary to the woman as she moved towards them.

Dotty grinned as she moved closer to Rosemary. “This is Cora Rose,” she said as the baby bounced against her. “Best little girl ever.”

Rosemary’s eyes were liquid as she looked upon her daughters. She whispered a coo of disbelief at the beauty before her. The child fit right into her arms, her bright eyes instantly studying the face that was close. Cora felt a snap break free in her chest as Junie moved for her, her arms out to grasp hold of her. She could feel her body trembling against her sister.

Dotty was quick to assign corners and areas so as to keep the peace among all the dynamic personalities. Sam and the boys holed up with Lucas in the bunkhouse. Cora squeezed in with Junie and Cora Rose. Daniel and Molly took the front bedroom until such a time a place could be procured for the newlyweds. Rosemary was assigned her own space next to Dot’s room. The first night was wild with tired tempers and the family looking to just stop. Cora was caught off guard by Danny as she walked between the bunk house and the main house. He sat on the porch, his face drawn with weariness. He grinned sheepishly as she approached.

“How is Molly?” she asked as she sat down in the chair next to him.

He shrugged. “Exhausted, like the rest of us.”

Cora pulled her arms tight around her middle. She breathed into the moment. “I’m worried about her,” she admitted, her voice quiet.

“I am, too,” he returned. “I’m worried about us all.”

Her brows pinched. He grinned in her direction but remained quiet for a stretch. Daniel had always been a presence, a spirit that seemed to support everyone he was near. Though they had spoken on occasion, it was never beyond pleasantries. However, within those lines of conversation, Daniel instilled a silent structure that the whole family had built itself upon.

“At least for the time being, we are here,” she sighed. “A little work and a comfortable home seems to be right for now.”

He raised his brows. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here. Molly needs…”

“Not to be on a farm,” Cora remarked with a nod.

A tide of laughter spilled out of his mouth that warmed the air between them. Cora grinned. His sound was infectious and she realized she needed to absorb some of his sudden lightness. She loved her friend with all of her heart, but the idea of asking the woman to help milk the cows, feed the chickens, or muck out stalls would bring a fury the likes of hellfire would surely be jealous of.

“I will be watching the papers, Cora,” he said, his tone turning serious. “I think for now, we need to rest. I’ll take Sam and see about purchasing a truck to make going to town easier for you all.”

“Will you stay in town?” she asked as her hands swiped away a mosquito. “I don't think it would be best if you are too far removed.”

“Oh, I don’t think we’ll go far,” he answered. “I think out here will be good for Sam, though. I appreciate how your brothers have taken to looking after him. It’s good.”

“Georgie has been something, hasn’t he?” she remarked, a soft grin pulling at her mouth.

Daniel shifted, his dark eyes growing troubled. “You know that we are essentially dead, Cora. That has been our price in all of this. We have chosen for our fathers to walk away. To strip them of their sons.”

She sat back against the chair, folding her arms across her chest against the sudden chill under her skin. “It cannot be for always, Daniel, but for now that you remove yourselves, correct?”

“Susannah and Sam used to say that about the Lantern,” a look of stark grief passed through his features that made her breath catch. “She was so ready to be done with that life. She was ready to be a wife and be settled. Sam would tell her that it was just for now, not always. She needed to just endure a little longer.”

She watched as he leaned over his legs, his hands swiping across his eyes before he stood with a soft sound from his throat. “I guess we are the ones who must endure now. Start new. Perhaps when we are old men, we will be smarter than our fathers and be able to hold on to our families.”

Cora frowned as he leaned forward against the rail. “Jacob said your fathers had no choice when approached by Diamante’s men.”

“There’s always a choice,” he grumbled. “There’s always some kind of choice, even in the bleakest of moments. My father could not see a way around it. Mr. Kiszka wanted to gather us all and disappear that moment where they knew there was supposedly no other choice. My father’s choice was because of my mother’s fragility. Life on the road would not have been gentle. Why Mr. Kiszka chose to remain at his partner’s side in light of this, was his own decision.”

“Loyalty?” she asked, her voice meek.

He snorted, but turned back to look at her. “He is much like his sons in that manner, I suppose. I am sorry that the likelihood of you meeting Jacob’s family is thin.”

“I just need for him to come home,” she whispered to keep from expelling the bottled emotions that were threatening like a soda eruption.

“Oh, he’ll get here,” Daniel grinned as he reached out to touch her hand. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

The warmth of his gaze flooded her as he moved towards the screen door. She listened to his soft interaction with his wife before he entered the house leaving her alone. Cora watched the horizon, projecting all of herself to evening like a beacon for her love to return.

Routine had settled in quickly. Mornings found everyone in the barn with a task to complete. By midmorning, Lucas and Sam had the boys under their wings on some project while the women would be in the garden. Afternoons were about getting evening meals ready while the men took care of the end of day barn work. The need to remain close outweighed the need for space, so the men were putting up a small cottage for Daniel and Molly on the edge of the yard that Dotty could then pass on to Lucas when time for a family arose. The blush that crossed Junie’s cheeks at the notion had left little in the way of who could provide that family.

Daniel had found news rags that had blurbs about the upset in Kingsford that outlined what supposedly had happened. Sam scoffed over every other word that framed the Kiszkas to be murdering scum that were presumed dead having disappeared from the city, away from the clutches of the U.S. Marshals and Sheriffs Porter and Moore. After the bloody aftermath that revealed an abandoned speakeasy and crooked ties to the bank, the family had run like the dogs they truly were. A few days after the sensational splash, there was a small article with words from Doctor Boone that stated he had attempted to treat the twin brothers, but neither survived. Cora’s body had jolted from the porch as Sam had read the words as if they were comical. Despite knowing that this was part of the ruse did not lessen the blow that the existence of her Jacob was questioned.

The nights had begun to stretch longer, the air turning cooler as August rolled through. The sky was violent with lightning as Cora stood side by side with Junie, cleaning the dishes from the evening meal. Junie had changed. Her entity was quieter, more protective of herself. Her eyes would stray to her daughter in times where she could not discern panic from joy, whether she needed to run or hold her ground. Cora felt her heart break a little more at the way Junie was always looking around her, seeking validation to allow herself to laugh, to talk, to participate in the family around her.

“It was supposed to be you,” she whispered as she stacked the plates and bowls after she dried them. “Harold had talked with Mother about you first. Pastor Butterman directed that man to our family. Said that you, Cora, were strong of body and meek of spirit. A good choice for a man such as he.”

Cora had known. Archer had proclaimed it that day in the bank, but she had known even before then. Butterman’s slip on the wedding day had never sat well. Cora’s stomach churned as she tried and failed to bring words to her lips. There was nothing that could be uttered to soothe the moment.

“I heard that failing every day while I was in that house,” Junie continued. “It was my fault I was not you. How dare I not have the body to take him and give him what he needed. How dare I not just take it and be fine. It was a nightmare from the moment I woke up to the moment I woke up. There was no respite.”

Cora felt a touch, featherlight on her hand in the dishwater. Looking down, Junie had slid her hand into her own. Looking into her sister’s face was like looking into the eyes of a stranger that held some glimmer of familiarity, but not enough to let her heart know that she knew this person. Her sister was no longer the girl that shivered in the heat. Nor was she the frail spirited slip of a girl that would gasp and giggle and turn beet red as they read amorous poetry on the backside of the barn that they knew they should not be reading. This was a woman who knew hardness. Viciousness. She had survived. She had been reborn into this being that Cora was going to have to learn and discover how to prove once more to Junie that she could be a sister.

“He said that I wouldn’t remember what happened, not with what he drugged me up with. But he lied. I remember each and every face that I was forced to take. That includes the bastard minister who wanted Harold to have you. His was another voice that I was and would never be as good as you.”

Cora’s stomach clenched in pain. Her brain knew it was bad. Her spirit had whispered that Junie survived unmentionable horror. She felt the prickle of anger and tears and sorrow behind her eyes. But the absolute depth of the depravity that had etched into her sister’s skin was raised like fresh scars that had been lit aflame. Feeling the rigidness next to her, she knew she could not betray her sister’s strength by showing her that her older sister was weak in the moment. Swallowing hard, she shored herself up.

“I wanted to hate the lot of you. I wanted to curse Mama for placing me in that situation. For her to be so ignorant and so stringent in her own convictions that she would offer me up like a lamb to slaughter just to continue her assumption that she could retake her own dream; her comfort.” Junie fell quiet for a while, letting go of Cora’s hand and reaching for the drying towel once more. “I wanted to break her, Sister, for not being patient enough to just let you run your course to see us through the mire that she had sowed. I saw it was happening without me - that you were guiding our family out of that pit that Kilbourne kept us in. You did it. You created a new foundation and Jacob was going to be your future and you had love. I will never understand why she chose that you could love and I could not have that, not ever.”

Cora tasted blood in her mouth, realizing that she had bit into her cheek. These were words that she also recognized to be her own. Those thoughts that were hard and even more blazened in her mind. Unlike Junie, she had seen the regret in their mother’s eyes over the choices that she had made. Unlike Junie, she had seen and heard the heartache that their mother thought she hid from the children in those long moments at night when the woman was ruminating on her failings.

“As a mother, I will never allow myself to be in that situation, Cora,” Junie whispered, her tone resolute. “I understand her better now. I cannot forgive her for placing me in that environment, but I understand her reasoning. I can only see it for what it was - desperation. Knowing that, I will never allow myself to have to choose between children. I will always stand before the fire first and take whatever comes. I just wish she would’ve been strong enough to do that herself.”

The beginning of September found Cora growing in despair. The cottage was complete and Molly was nesting the best she could with three rooms and a scratch of a kitchen. She joked that it didn’t matter since her feet were always under Dorothy’s table anyway - who really needed a real kitchen. The men were busy with the harvest, while the women were putting up jars of beans, tomatoes, and whatever preserves they needed for the winter. Cora escaped the heat of the kitchen to the edge of the barn, hiding away so that she didn’t bother anyone with her tears and woe. Happiness was taking root all around her. She did not need to sully the sentiment.

Her eyes focused on the edge of the woods, how they skirted the field with a breadth of tall grass and wildflowers that splashed a bit of color to the otherwise green landscape. It reminded her of the little noll that Jacob said was his refuge. She imagined it was what the ground would have looked like if she was looking upwards on the bluff to his vantage point. Her skin missed his touch. Her mouth longed for his kiss. She prayed, cursed, begged and toiled in her thoughts to bring him back to her safely. She could only imagine the state of his being if he could not reach her in the present.

She roused out of her melancholy at the sound of her name. Turning, she saw Dotty on the porch waving at her. Wiping at her inflamed cheeks, she did the best she could to clean her face up before she started back towards the house. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Georgie running out to the back field where the others were harvesting corn. The boy’s feet were racing like he was on a mission from above. Curious, her own tread increased in speed. Through the kitchen for a drink of water, she found Dot, Rosemary and Junie waiting on the front porch for everyone. She made a silly face at her niece who instantly wanted to be cuddled by her. The way the baby fit so snuggly against her side brought a smile to her as she slowly danced around to entertain her.

“Must be important to bring everyone in,” Cora stated before she pecked a kiss on Cora Rose’s cheek.

“A letter,” Dotty said with a smile.

Cora froze, her eyes instantly on the woman’s hands. “Jacob?”

Her eyes softened as she shook her head. “It’s Joshua.”

The men were slow to arrive, but the air shifted when Dot explained the reason for calling them in. She cleared her throat after they asked for her to read it to the collective.

“My dearest family,” she started, her tone strong…

We’re in some town that I do not remember the name, but we are safe.

Cora blew out a breath of relief, starling Cora Rose. Smiling into the baby’s face, she was quick to soothe, despite the tears that were shining in her eyes.

I must keep this brief, but know that our thoughts and hearts are with you. We continue to ensure that our path will not bring harm to what is most precious. Once all is safe and our ties fully severed here, we will return to you.

“Oh,” Dotty said, holding out something to her. “Cora.”

Rolling her lips between her teeth, she handed Cora Rose off to reach for the thick card. It was a postcard with a finch on it. She felt Junie’s fingers against her elbow, tugging her to follow.�� The others were silent as she forced her feet to shuffle behind her sister. The screen door snapped shut as Junie led her into the kitchen. A delicate touch brought her to sit at the stout table.

“I’ll let you be,” Junie whispered.

Cora’s eyes took in the card with the little yellow finch on it. Her fingers trembled as she traced it. Turning the card over, she sobbed at the sight of his handwriting. It was two words. Three words that she needed and he had delivered at her most low.

All my love.

It was enough. It was enough to carry her. The hours stretched to days that shuffled into months. The winter was not as brutal in terms of storms, but the iciness was harsher; the snow was crisp and unrelenting. Cora watched as the family mended wounds and shared bonds that needed repair for some time. Samuel seemed to grow stronger under the mentorship of Georgie. His heart appeared to lighten with the few moments of daylight that began to be added to the days after the turn of the new year. 1928. It was hard to not be reflective. Her father had been gone for nearly five years. The occasion had plunged her family from dark times to a starving era that she could only hope to never happen again. But, also in that same era’s breath, a flicker of flame, of heat and love and acceptance and… Jacob.

The whirlwind that she could never have imagined happening spun around her a web of emotions and life that she had only read about in stories. Friendships turning into family bonds had extended her breadth to the near point of bursting. She scarce knew what to call this in-between time where everything felt like it was on hold for normal to return. Life on pause despite moving forward. Despite moving through days and weeks and months without him. Without her Jacob. In the end, Cora knew it was not life. It was like she was some form of automaton - functioning but not quite feeling the world around her. Every morning, and every evening, she would touch the postcards that he had held in an attempt to tether her to him. Ground herself through an artifact that he had possessed for moments before sending on to her. It was all pathetic. Of that she was certain. As the winter lingered on, she took solace in books, family and the thought that Jacob would once again be hers.

Chapter Twenty Five Pt. 2: Jacob

Somehow Jake had stumbled through the turmoil; through the dark; through the shooting between the marshals and the Cresci men and made it back to the hospital. He had lost count how many times he had fallen to the pavement and how many times he had to pause. Tears mingled with the blood on his face. His heart felt like it was pumping sludge as his grief stabbed in his chest. But he crawled through the door of the hospital, yanking himself across the floor as the remnants of his strength oozed from the wounds that riddled his body.

He awoke in the morgue. The chill had invaded his bones and made his skin feel like ice. It took moments to realize that he was not among the cadavers, but he was most definitely in the morgue. Josh welcomed him with a sardonic laugh and explanation that Doctor Boone had hidden them quite well. They just needed to accept the damn cold and not complain. The nurses brought hot water bottles to keep their legs warm, along with extra blankets, but little else.

Cora and the family were safe. He could picture her, Rosemary, and the brothers reuniting with Junie. He could scarcely think of how old her child would be, but to see the look on Cora’s face upon meeting her niece was easy to picture. He imagined her all full of light and love and awe. His heart hurt in her absence, but was full of all that she was and all that she held for him in the future.

Day three of convalescing, and Josh was talking about how they should take the time to sell everything off and fully cut ties to the UP. Jake felt warm around his edges, but instead listened as his twin planned, jotting notes and asking questions. Somehow, his eyes began to grow heavy and his stomach sickened. Like a slow, roiling flame, swallowing his toes, across his feet, and up his legs, he knew it was a storm that was capturing his body. His brain began to feel fuzzy as Josh continued mapping out a path. He could feel his cheeks begin to blaze as he slipped down into his mattress.

Nearly 43 hours he had been out cold. His eyes fought to stay closed. For some reason, he could see Susannah, her lovely eyes full of a fading smile. In his mind, she was telling him to hug Samuel close for her, and to watch over Molly, and give all her love to Cora. She cooed about family and babies and a forever love. He felt like a wrung out cloth as she disappeared from his dreams.

“Josh,” he had mustered, fighting to focus on anything that was not moving in his vision. His tongue felt like it was stuffed as he tried to call out again for his twin.

To his surprise, Josh stood at his bedside, his dark eyes tracing over Jacob’s features before turning away and calling for the nurse.

“You scared the hell out of me, Jake,” Josh ground out as he returned to the side of the bed. “Doc had to go back into your arm. There were a few fragments that he hadn’t seen and they got infected something fierce.”

“What the fuck did he pump me up with,” he managed as he tried to move his head to look at the new thick bandage on his left arm, wincing as he moved.

“That would be the morphine. You were in some pretty distinct pain,” Josh remarked as he slid back into his bed. “Alright, since you’re mostly back from the dead, perhaps we should try this map out again…”

What needed to happen would take months. All his emotions lay bare in his throat as the idea of being away from Cora struck. He did not want months. He was barely surviving the minutes apart. The weight of the drugs in his body amplified everything, making it impossible to hide his feelings. Josh was quick to comfort, standing at his side with words of warmth and support. Instead of receiving the offering from his brother, he closed his eyes and drifted on his tide of woe.

The brothers had utilized the refuge of the morgue for three weeks. Doc Boone finally said that Jake could travel, however, produced the daily newspaper with the twins splashed across the front.

“It feels weird that we’re officially dead,” Josh remarked after he read the article out loud. “Fitting that we’re in here, then, yeah?”

Jake groaned as he buried his face in his pillow. Marcus appeared the evening before they were to leave. The man looked grizzled, but put together in a tidy suit and tie. He played the part of top dog well. He brought them the keys to a car, a few suits each and a satchel full of cash - a parting gift from Sastrato Torello, to ensure they had comfort in their new lives away from the family.

Marcus, ever the presence, had realized their need for a legitimate path to continue on, had approached the boss regarding a way to cut ties with the Kiszka and Wagner sons. Torello lent his support as long as Marcus took over operations on the UP, with a subtle shift, moving operations to the Mountain Lodge in Iron Mountain to resume distribution. Kingsford had gotten too heated, too close for business at hand. He smoothed issues with Papa Diamond and covered for his former future son-in-law. A return of peace, and a chance to start life anew. However, Jake had wondered if the enforcer’s main goal was to provide for Cora. The fatherly instinct that the man presented towards her was admirable. Perhaps his aid was more to see to it that Cora led a life out of the shadows, with a man who could be at her side - always.

“Jacob,” Marcus said, capturing his attention with a gruff tone. “Cora’s going to be a beautiful bride. Give her reason to smile and shine. It’s what she does best.”

The twins had watched the man leave without a goodbye. Jacob could not help but wonder if perhaps they would ever see Marcus again. They left early the next morning, and the question of Marcus was left behind. They had to leave their past in Kingsford, and only look forward.

Working through a network of brokers and contacts and lawyers, they steadily sold off their holdings so as not to flood the market and ruin their profits. All monies were funneled through a lawyer into a trust that would support their families for a long, long while - no matter what happened. The last of Joshua’s market shares was finally sold off in March of 1928, while the final stretches of farms and residences were completed in May. All the while, Josh would send letters, with Jake enclosing picture postcards for Cora to hold on to. He did not trust himself to sit and write anything to Cora, himself. To put pen to paper seemed to suggest that it was going to be all the longer of an absence from her side which felt more like a permanence of absence.

June. Too many days had separated Jacob from his Cora. He knew it. He knew it was time for the distance to be closed. He allowed his heart to race ahead, stretching across the roads they flew over. The lush greens of farms and primordial old growth of oaks, maples and pines blended with fractured earth and dotted lakes and ponds sped through his vision. Each mile he drew closer a piece of pain drifted away from his flesh. Passing through the town of Arbor Vitae, Josh laughed as the sudden burst of speed sent them north blatantly showed his brother’s need. Though they had not been to visit Aunt Dotty since they were boys, Jake seemed to remember each stitch of road to gain him to his future.

Up the drive, he pulled to slow stop. His eyes traced across the front porch in search of the familiar faces he desperately needed to behold. Josh wiped at his face before patting Jake’s arm.

“Made it,” Josh said with a big smile. “You ready?”

Dotty was stepping out onto the porch just as they got out of the car. She let out a whoop as she stepped down, welcoming them with open arms and affection.

“Where is she?” Jake asked before anyone else emerged from the house.

Dotty’s slow, knowing grin made him blush. She pointed back towards the barn and he found that his body would not wait any longer. He didn’t bother to hide the urgency of his steps. Josh’s belly laugh echoed behind him as more and more family swelled out of the house. He moved around the broad side of the barn, his eyes searching. Behind the building, there was a little dip in the ground, leading to a small meadow before the ground met the treeline. He stopped at the crest. His breath froze in his chest. Cora stood in the tall grass, her hands being held onto by a toddler who babbled and giggled and cooed as her auntie aided her walking. Cora was echoing every sound back to the precious one. The beauty that lay before him was more than his body could handle. Overwhelmed, he stood for a long time, watching. The sun caught in the loose strands of her thick hair, casting a wispy aurora all around her. Cora’s twinkle of laughter made his heart swell.

She lifted the small child up into her arms, giggling about what a sleepy girl she held. Cora turned to walk up the hill towards him but stopped. Her face warmed with surprise. His feet moved him forward, down the hill and straight to her. His hands reaching, landing around her to capture and pull her close. Without hesitation, he moved into her with a yearning kiss. The heat of her mouth, the softness of her lips, the smell of her hair and skin filled his senses to capacity. His thoughts began to melt into nothing but her until… Tiny hands started to strike the side of his head with sharp babble.

“Cora Rose!” she laughed, stepping back to rescue him from her niece’s fury.

He felt his heart explode as he held firm to Cora, not allowing her far. He held his hand up for the baby to touch. “She’s beautiful. When can we have one?”

The flush of pink across her cheeks sent shockwaves through his body. She leaned into him, keeping her face close to his, all the while her eyes were on the baby. Cora was a beautiful woman, but in the moment, she became more - she had been his fabric, but somehow with the distance, she had become his armor, his shelter. Future. The word struck him as he brushed a kiss against her hair. Future. Everything and all of it in between.

“You have to marry me first,” she sighed as Cora Rose reached out to touch his hand, playfully patting and swatting at it before shying away.

“What if I can get a preacher here within the hour?” he asked, touching the little girl’s thick hair.

A soft laugh mingled with dewy eyes as she looked upon him. He kissed her once more. This time, the baby lulled at her side as if it was the most natural of things. The kiss was slow, deliberate, but tender as if seeking comfort for all the wounds and scratches that being apart had inflicted on them both.

To be returned to the family was a blessing beyond measure. Days had been turned into a fluster of activity while evenings were spent around Dotty’s table and porch, colored in laughter and tears. Letters from their parents were shared, stories of growing up were regaled. In the midst of it all, Jacob knew that there was healing between them all. Sam had become a teacher and mentor to Jon, sure that the young man would be an engineer the likes no one had seen thus far. His youngest sibling had found his smile again, albeit slower, and not as wide. But he was becoming the man he was meant to be.

Aunt Dorothy and Rosemary had convinced them to give them two weeks to plan the wedding, and to transform Cora into a bride. Jacob could scarcely wait, but Josh was quick to point out that housing would be needed for the future Mr. and Mrs. Bara. At the sound of the name, Cora frowned, her eyes darkened.

“We agreed,” Josh reassured. “We all agreed - the moment we left Kingsford. Taking our Grandmother’s name was safer. The fact that Daniel has chosen to also be a Bara, gives us the brother we knew we always had.”

It was a thin point. One that Jake refused to allow to mar the pending day. The excitement he felt increased exponentially with each passing moment, very unlike the previous experience with Bea. It was hard not to compare. It shaded his world a bit differently at the realization of how different he viewed the nuptials. With Bea, he knew it was a strangled attempt to escape. Cora. Cora was something else. There was no struggle. There was no question or doubt or hesitation. One look at her and the path out of any form of darkness, any form of strife, was clear.

The day of the wedding had arrived. A beautiful, mid-June Friday afternoon that held a perfect windswept sky and a warmth that soaked into the skin and stirred the spirit. Jake stood with Joshua at his side while Samuel sat at the organ. Daniel smiled from next to him, his soft baritone voice shyly bringing lyrics that spoke of love and truth to the small chapel. Georgie sprinted from the back of the chapel, his face all aglow of what was to come. Jake let out a surprised gasp of breath as the boy wrapped his arms around his center.

“You didn’t forget the rings did you?” Jake teased, holding the boy close.

“No,” Georgie said, looking up at him. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

Josh ruffled the boy's hair as he pulled his small body away to be closer to him. “I think you were supposed to walk real slow like, Mr. George,” he remarked with a mock glare.

Jacob’s eyes snapped to the back of the chapel as Sam started the processional. It was to be as simple as could be. Junie stood on the opposite side of the altar, no flowers, no fuss at all, waiting for her sister with a soft smile. The air stilled as he tried to exhale. Cora stood at the back of the center aisle, waiting to walk in on her mother’s arm. Her dress was lovely - all lace and airy around her body. Her hair was unconventional. A choice made by her and twisted around by Molly in a loose braid that sat over her shoulder, allowing its soft waves to fall against her face, and without a veil, instead replaced with the tiny white flowers that seemed to be everywhere on Dottie’s farm. Breathtaking seemed to be too harsh a word for her presence.

He felt moved beyond reason as she walked towards him. His entire focus was her and her alone. Even as he took her hand to bring to his side, he was unable to look anywhere but upon her grace. The ceremony was a blur, but each touch, each breath shared stretched to eternity. His tongue felt as if he were struck dumb the entire time, he was so thankful that he only needed to repeat what was spoken to him. She reached to wipe at the tears that sat unaccounted for on his face with a warm smile and mirrored emotions. When he reached for his wife for the first time, he promised himself to never let her go. No prolonged absences. No trips without her. No distance between. His path was pretty clear - and it resided all within a farmgirl who took a chance to work in town for a family of bootleggers. Touching the delicate wildflowers in her hair, he did not hide the tremble of joy that crossed his face, nor the love in his chest.

*sigh* The Epilogue will be up noon today. See you in a bit.

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