I gave Aaron one last look and then glanced over at my handsome husband. His eyes were already on me. Those same butterflies started flapping in my belly when he winked at me. For another moment, I stood there admiring how his dark brown locks were now much shorter than they’d been in the spring of 1974, and instead of brown they were grey. But he still had a head full of beautiful tresses, the wrinkle lines around his eyes more apparent, but I much preferred the distinguished look they gave him over the boyish, youthful appeal of our younger years. Truth be told, I’d enjoyed every stage of life with this man.

“When are you going to tell us the rest of your story?” Destiny questioned as soon as I entered the conference room with the rest of the women.

Grinning, I took Annalise from Destiny’s arms, admiring her wheat-colored skin against the red curls of her hair and brown eyes. She got her hair color from her father, Tyler. I pressed a kiss to Annalise’s nose, causing her to pull back and give me a funny look. I laughed at her expression, so much like her mother, before turning back to the rest of the women.

“Later.” I glanced around. “I’m so proud to be finally building this place,” I sighed out loud.

“We’re even more proud to be building it with you,” Patience added. “I can’t wait to start with the literacy classes here. We’ve already got around fifty books donated. I expect we’ll have much more by the time we open. As our resident librarian, literacy teacher, and grant writer, I am ecstatic for those doors to finally open,” Patience stated excitedly.

It thrilled me to hear her excitement. I’d spent years wanting to open a location like this. A place to aid women, young and older, who were down on their luck, lost, and had nowhere to turn. After years of planning it finally came about, and thanks to the dynamic, intelligent, and competent women each one of my sons had married, I now had a team to help me bring it all together. This would be a family affair. The Williamsport Women’s Shelter was the name we were going with for now.

“We really could’ve used a place like this on the mountain,” I stated out loud.

“The mountain?” Michelle questioned, curious.

I smiled, still bouncing a giggling Annalise on my hip. “It’s how I refer to home.”

Michelle nodded. “Appalachia, right?”

I tilted my head. “More specifically, eastern Kentucky, Beattyville.”

“Do you ever miss it?” Destiny asked.

Twisting my lips, I considered the question. “Honestly? Sometimes. Not often, but at times. Despite all of its problems, and trust me, there are many problems, there is a certain beauty about Appalachia. The natural rivers, streams, mountaintop views. Unfortunately, all that gets lost in the crushing poverty. We had our problems when I was a kid, but now with the opioid epidemic … I wouldn’t wish that life on my worst enemy.”