Page 85 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"I know," Roxanne whispered. "I was there, Alex. I know. And I'm so sorry."

The silence that followed was heavy with decades of loss and pain. Juno's fingers intertwined tightly with his, and when he looked at her, he saw not anger, but a reflection of his own grief for what might have been.

"I forgive you," Juno said quietly, looking at Roxanne. The simple words held such power, such grace, that Alex felt his own anger begin to dissolve.

"I do too, Mom," he said after a moment. Hadn't she given him second chances, he reminded himself. And third and fourth chances? Didn't she deserve as much and so much more? He held the letters against his chest. "Thank you for having the courage to give these to us today. I need you and Dad in my life, maybe more now than ever before, now that I have Lena."

Roxanne covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Her husband rose and pulled her to her feet, then wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into his comfort.

Alex rose, too, and circled the table, wrapping his arms around them both, then he felt Juno behind him, circling one arm around his waist, and one around his mother's shoulders. "Group hug," came Roxanne's muffled voice out of the middle of the huddle.

"My elephant family," he thought he heard Juno whisper. Maybe he was mistaken? He'd have to ask her to explain when they were alone again.

Standing with his arms around the people he loved, Alex was overcome by a sense of peace. The past couldn't be undone, but it no longer had the power to define their future. They had all made mistakes, had all failed one another in some way. And yet here they were, finding their way back to each other.

The sound of tires on gravel outside broke the moment. They looked up, startled.

"Could Melissa be back already?" Juno asked, moving to the window. Alex joined her, surprised to see Melissa's rental car pulling up.

A few moments later, the front door of his apartment flew open, and Lena burst in, her face alight with excitement. "Daddy! Guess what? Mommy says I get to live with you forever now! Well, not forever-forever, but like, all the time except when she visits!"

Behind her, Melissa followed more slowly, a bittersweet smile on her face as she watched her daughter's enthusiasm.

"Is that okay?" Lena asked, suddenly uncertain as she looked between the adults. "Mom says it's because you can take better care of me, and she has to travel a lot, and—"

"It's more than okay," Alex assured her, kneeling to her level. "It's wonderful news."

Lena beamed, then turned to include everyone in her joy. "Mom's still gonna visit lots, and maybe someday I can go see her in Paris if she still lives there when I'm old enough. And she says we can talk on the phone every day if I want!"

Alex glanced at Melissa, who stood awkwardly in the doorway. "You're welcome to come in," he offered.

Melissa hesitated, then stepped inside. "Lena wanted to come back and tell everyone the news herself. She was hoping her grandma would still be here." She looked uncertainly at Dwight. "Hi. I'm Melissa. Lena's mother."

"Oh, Melissa, this is my husband, Dwight," Roxanne said, quickly wiping away the last traces of tears. "I'm so glad we got to hear the news from you, Lena-bug," she said to Lena as she opened her arms for a hug.

Alex's father shook Melissa's hand. "Good to meet you, Melissa. Your daughter means the world to us. Thank you for sharing her with us."

Alex felt humbled by his father's kind words toward the woman who had, only days before, been threatening to take Lena away from them.

Then Juno stepped close to Melissa and asked, "Would you like to come in for some coffee and cookies? We still haven't indulged in Lena's snickerdoodles, and I know she'd love for you to try them."

To Alex's surprise, Melissa agreed, and let Juno link arms with her and lead her into the kitchen. With all six of them gathered in the small space, it felt full, but not crowded. He watched as Lena proudly carried her cookie platter around the room, uniting the most important people in her life. Melissa caught his eye over Lena's head, a silent understanding passing between them. They would make this work, for Lena's sake.

He took it all in: his parents with their adoring expressions following Lena's every move, Melissa, almost shy, discovering that she didn't need to impress anyone, and Juno. His beloved, beautiful, second-chance-romance love-of-his-life Juniper Bernice Thomas… soon to be Juniper Bernice Frampton, if he had his way about it.

This was his family now. Unconventional, imperfect, still healing from old wounds. But a family nonetheless.

33

Juno

Junosteppedoutofthe shop next door to her coffee bar and shook out her arms to release the tension in her shoulders. It was a mess in there, and right now, it was hard for her to see how things were going to come together over the next month. Alex had assured her that the project would take no longer than three weeks, but today, all she could see was the demolition that came before the reconstruction.

"Trust me," Alex had murmured against her ear as he pressed her up against the wall and then kissed her into submission. "I know what I'm doing." He'd taken her to the back of the new space and showed her the carefully draped sign that they were going to hang on the front of the building in the morning: "Juno's Coffee Bar & Bakery." The gold lettering gleamed against the deep espresso brown background and she'd smiled with delight at the sight of it. The addition would nearly double the size of her shop, and by the time they were finished, large windows would run the length of both storefronts, flooding the interior with natural light.

She'd pushed him away. "Don't you have to pick up Lena from school?" she'd asked him, her racing pulse making her breathless. "And I have to get back to work, you big lug."

Her community had shown upen forcefor her, not just with the fundraiser, which had raised an extravagant amount of money, thanks to an anonymous donor who'd paid for J&J's retaining fee. But she was certain that her fellow townies were also making a point to come in more often, to spend more money with each visit, and to leave bigger tips in the tip jar for her hardworking staff.

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