About a month after the wedding, they moved into a proper cottage, one that had space for them plus their baby. He'd wanted to leave the island, but she thought they should stay. It felt like home, and they kept things lowkey. Being away from medical facilities scared him, but she seemed ok with it.

Their daughter, Violet, turned five months old today. He'd snapped a photo of her with her mommy for the baby book. Since they couldn't exactly do the digital thing, they were keeping it traditional to track their memories. He couldn't believe how much she'd grown already. He'd fallen in love with the baby girl with her mother's hair and his eyes the moment the doctor placed her in his arms. Recently, Teresa had taken to scolding him for spoiling her, but he couldn't help himself. Violet was his little girl.

He couldn't believe he had a second chance at a family. As much as he loved Teresa and their little Violet, he couldn't help but think about Angela and Charlotte sometimes. Sometimes, Violet's giggles reminded him of her older sister. The first time he noticed it, he left their cottage and walked to the beach. He cried as he thought of Charlotte and how she would be starting college this year if he hadn't gotten her killed. Would she love her baby sister or think that he'd simply replaced her? That night when he got home, Violet giggled once again when she saw him. He picked his little girl up and held her tight as he pulled Teresa into his side and kissed her on her head.

With the anniversary of their deaths approaching, those thoughts kept him awake at night. It had been years since he visited their graves. He knew it was all symbolic, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was true that they were somewhere watching him. Being awake at night wasn't the worst thing because as soon as Violet started to cry, he shot up out of the bed. He let Teresa rest while he changed their baby girl and rocked her back to sleep. He loved them both so much, but he couldn't forget Angela and Charlotte. He hoped that if they were watching that they weren't angry. He hoped they were at peace.

He slid back into bed next to Teresa. She must have felt the disturbance as she turned over to face him and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

"You know, we should light some candles for them."

"Hmm?"

"I know you don't do religious stuff, but the anniversary is coming up. You can't visit their graves, but you could do something for their memory. I know that's what's keeping you up at night." He blinked rapidly before looking down at his wife. She was looking up at him.

"I...didn't know that you knew I wasn't sleeping. I'm...I'm sorry. It's not what you think."

"You have nothing to apologize for." She propped herself up on her elbows. "Did you think I'd be upset that you were thinking about Angela and Charlotte?"

He tried to swallow, but his throat was very dry. "I wasn't sure. I just never want you to think you and Violet aren't the most important people to me. I love you."

"Honey, part of loving you is knowing your past. It's a part of our story. I don't think that you love us any less when you think of them. They're your family, too. When Violet is older, we will introduce her to her family. You've never neglected them, and you've never neglected us. It's not a contest."

He pulled her down onto his chest and wrapped both of his arms around her. Neither of them spoke another word that night, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he'd ever done to deserve this kind of love.