Jackson
"My dad's retiring," Grace stated over dinner one night in late June. "Judy is taking over, and she's preaching for the first time in front of the church this Sunday. Will you come down with me?"
"Of course."
That was a given. When something was important to Grace, it was important to me. We hadn't been back to Chester in months, and I'd be lying if I said returning wasn't hard for me. That town stood for a lot of demons to me but showing up with Grace's hand in mine made it a bit easier to swallow down.
Loretta came with us because even though she wasn't looking forward to seeing Samuel, she loved her daughter enough to get past her discomfort.
We arrived at the church Sunday morning, and I could see Loretta's nerves as we walked up the steps. I placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "You good?"
She nodded. "Just taking small breaths."
Samuel was standing at the door greeting people, and when we walked up, I watched his eyes dance across Loretta's figure.
"Hi," he spoke.
Loretta stood tall. "Hello, Samuel."
"You look...stunning." He was a bit shocked and overtaken by Loretta's beauty-which seemed odd to me-all the Harris women were beautiful.
She gave him a small smile and shrugged her left shoulder. "Of course, I do." Then, she walked inside.
"Hi, Dad," Grace said, moving over to her father and kissing him on the cheek.
"Hey, Buttercup. You doing okay?" he asked her.
She wrapped her arm around mine and grinned ear to ear. "Better than okay."
We walked into the church and sat in a pew. I couldn't think of the last time I'd been inside a church, let alone watching a person preach, but it was a big moment for Judy. I didn't believe in church, but I did believe in family.
So, I sat, and I listened.
Judy preached about the power of forgiveness. She spoke on how life sometimes came with its twists and turns, yet at the end of the day, you were always promised a reset button come morning.
She stood there confident, as if all she was ever meant to do was preach sermons. She found her passion, and it was powerful to watch her live it out loud.
After the service, she came over to Grace and me, and I swore I never saw a person look happier. "How was I?" she asked.
Grace pulled her sister into a tight hug. "It was perfect. Every second was absolutely perfect."
"She's right. You were made for this," I commented. Judy smiled and thanked me.
"Oh! Have you been by your old place yet? I'd love to know your thoughts," Judy commented. I raised an eyebrow, and she turned to Grace. "You didn't tell him?"
"I thought it would be best to show him," Grace replied.
"Show me what?"
The two girls grinned ear to ear and gave me those doe eyes. "You'll see," they said in unison.
We headed over toward the place I once called home, and I was stunned when I saw Dad's house, the shop, and the cabin were completely gone. Instead, there were trails going through the land. There were beautiful flowers throughout the space, and a small playground where children were playing, making a ton of noise.
"You turned it into a park?" I asked, somewhat stunned.
"Yeah, and we named it after someone close to you," Grace commented, pointing at a sign. I looked in the direction. Tucker's Park. "I figured there are enough dogs running through the area that they could use a place to come play. So we made a few paths to the open land in the way back. Come on, let us show you."
We walked down one of the paths to the open land where both Tucker and my mother were buried. Their burials were guarded with a gate, and there was a sign that read, In Loving Memory.
Owners were walking their dogs and playing fetch with them, and I could feel the happiness running through the area. It was beyond amazing.
My heart soared as I looked past the memorial to a building in the background. It was new to me, but I knew exactly what it was when I saw it.
"You built my mother's art studio?" I asked, my voice cracking as I read the sign over the door. It was created with Dad's auto shop sign, but it now read, Hannah's Paint Shop.
Grace's hand landed on my arm. "Is it okay?" she asked concerned. "I just thought..."
I cut her off as my lips fell to hers.
In a way, it was as if my mother was alive that day.
"We teach art classes there," Judy remarked. "The kids love it. Sometimes we sit outside and paint the sunsets at night."
"That's amazing," I stated, still stunned. "That's beyond amazing."
"If you're ever in town and want to teach a class, we'd love to have you." Judy smiled and nudged her sister in the arm. "Grace, how about you go show him the studio? It's closed right now, so you two can look around in peace."
"Of course, come on." She took my hand in hers, and we headed to the art studio, and we walked inside.
It was beautiful. Against the walls were some of Ma's artwork that I hadn't even seen. "Where did you get this stuff?" I asked.
"We found it in your father's basement, and he told us we could use it. I thought it would be a nice touch. I also studied some of her earlier work and figured charcoal drawings might be great for the younger kids. And in the back room, we have an open canvas each Saturday night where people can toss paint around like crazy. They call it the Jackson Pollock room, but I prefer calling it Jackson Emery, obviously." She went on and on about the space, and the way it excited me made my heart soar. As she was speaking fast, she caught herself and then slowed down her words. She frowned a bit. "Is this all okay? I just thought-"
I cut her off again with a kiss.
"Marry me," I whispered as my lips lay against hers.
She gently laughed, thinking I was joking at first, then she pulled back a little and looked me in the eyes. She slightly tilted her head. "Marry you?"
"Yes. Marry me, Gracelyn Mae."
Her fingers landed against my chest. She bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly. "Okay," she whispered, grazing her lips over mine. "I'll marry you."
