Page 132 of Courage, Dear Heart

As soon as Daisy sees Elliott, she stops her game.“You so pretty. Yes, you are.”

Elliott laughs. “And she’s flirtingwith me again.”

“That parrot fell in love with you before I did.” I kneel down in front of my daughter and pick her up. Kiss her fuzzy head and inhale her baby smell. “Hi, baby.” She’ll be two in another month. If anyone had told me five years ago that this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed them.

I stand in our spacious living room, watching the chaos unfold with so much joy in my chest it almost hurts. Colorful lights twinkling on the Christmas tree we decorated together as Leah watched. The scent of pine mingles with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee. This moment is postcard perfect. A Hallmark movie of my own.

The noise, the warmth, the mess—it’s everything I never dared to dream of having again. How did I get here? Five years ago, I was a widow, barely holding it together, raising a son who hadn’t spoken in over two years, existing day to day but not living. The grief was suffocating, and the idea of finding happiness again was impossible.

But then this beautiful man standing in front of me came into my life and turned it upside down in the best way possible.

My gaze drifts to him now, trying to coach Daisy off the tree. Again. His patience, his kindness, the way he loves me—so completely, so raw and unrestrained—he taught me to live and love again.

I never saw him coming. But he saw me. He didn’t just see me—he saw Jamie, too. He loved us both fiercely, even when I wasn’t ready to accept it. And now, here we are. A family. I blink away tears.

Elliott watches me and mouths. “You okay?”

“I’m perfect.” I smile.

Life can be so very bittersweet, but I’velearned to savor every moment of it. To hold onto the laughter, the chaos, the quiet touches that speak louder than words. I’ve learned that joy can grow in the spaces left behind by sorrow, that love doesn’t erase the past but builds on it.

Elliott leans over and brushes a kiss against my temple. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Heart.”

I laugh, a soft, happy sound that bubbles up from somewhere deep inside. “Merry Christmas, Mr. Heart.” I still can’t believe he took my name, even after all these years.

Jamie sighs dramatically as he watches us. “Tequila needs to go out.” He points to the front door where our Chihuahua rescue dog is doing circles, A.K.A. her potty dance.

“Not it.” I raise my hand. I don’t want to venture into the snow. “I’ll make breakfast and you two can take her out.”

Jamie groans. “But it’s cold.”

Elliott grabs jackets and snow boots from the closet. “That was the deal. You wanted a dog, we got you a dog, and you feed and walk her. Come on, I’ll come with you.”

“Don’t forget the poop bag!”

Another groan from Jamie. He’s eleven going on sixteen. The teenager’s mood is already making an appearance.

Nearly forty minutes later, they’re back. “Hey, that took a while. There’s a towel on the floor for Tequila. Make sure she’s dry.”

Elliott turns to me, holding something inside his coat. He and Jamie exchange a look.

Tequila jumps at Elliott’s feet, droplets of water sprinkling the floor around her.

I wipe my hands on a dish towel. “What happened?”

Elliott opens his coat to reveal a tiny fluffy calico kitten. It can’t be more than four or five weeks old.

“Oh my God.” I rush to them and pick up the kitten. It gives me a weak and hoarse meow. “She’s so cold.”

Jamie kicks his shoes off. “We found her. She was inside a car fender. On top of the tire.”

“We heard the cries and Tequila brought us to her.” Elliott grabs the towel to dry Tequila.

“Can we keep her, Mom, can we?”

I look into the kitten’s face. One eye is yellow and the other blue. “Yes. She’s a Christmas gift. We need to call the vet and get her supplies. She’s so young, she’ll need kitten milk, a litter box, and wet food.”

Elliott scratches his head. Steps outside and brings in a bag. “I kind of already called the vet. Got an appointment for the twenty-sixth. And went to the pet store. Got everything she needs for now.”

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