RESIDENCE OF BILL AND MOLLY CABOT

2837 NETHERLAND AVENUE

SPUYTEN DUYVILE, RIVERDALE, THE BRONX


True, though Alex was the last of the aristocratic Manhattan Cabots, there still remained the Cabots of Riverdale. The head of this family was her father's younger brother, Bill. When he and his wife, Molly, heard that their niece needed a place to side her wedding present for her wife-to-be, they volunteered their house. They even arranged to collect the present, too. No need for Olivia to accidentally find it before the big day.

This favor, amongst others, was one of the many reasons why Alex was very close with her family in Riverdale.

But what had Alex becoming suddenly giddy at the diner was Molly sending her a text, asking her to come over. She even told Alex to bring they kids. It sounded like she had something up her sleeve.

So she accepted the invitation very quickly.


Upon their arrival to the house, Alex could see Molly already coming to meet them in the driveway. She was very beautiful, and another lifetime ago, she'd been a professional model. Now she was a housewife with a successful online children's boutique. Molly was always doing something, but her one of her favorite things to do was be with her family, Alex included.

She knew all about her niece's recent peril, so when she saw to it that her guests were comfortable, she asked her a very important question.

"How are you, really?"

"Relieved. The whole mess is over, which means that Olivia and I can truly focus on our family."

Molly opened her mouth to respond, but instead perked up even more when she heard a side door on the other side of the house open. She quickly got to her feet.

"That'll be your uncle. I'll go get him before he wakes the baby."

Bill Cabot was a family man, and Alex had many fond childhood memories of him. She preferred them because she also knew that he was a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. He was a formidable opponent for anyone. The rest of the family swore up and down that Alex had inherited her uncle flair for courtroom ferocity. All the same, she adored the man.

"Uncle Bill!" Alex chirped, standing to receive him. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Right back at you, Alex." they hugged. "I was about to text you to tell you that I have the present now, but it looks like Molly beat me to the punch with inviting you over."

"That sums it up."

Nearby, Molly stooped down so she was level with Noah.

She reached out and tickled his cheek. "Do you want to come see the things I made?"

Noah nodded and got to his feet. "Yes!"

"Okay, buddy. Go give mommy a hug, and we'll go over to auntie's workshop."

Noah hugged the other adults around the knees and then left the room hand-in-hand with Molly, chattering away. Her workshop was a wonderland to him.

Bill broke Alex's train of thought. "Could I hold Serena for a minute, please?"

Alex needed to text Olivia, and put the baby sling on, so she didn't think twice about the reprieve. "Sure. Here you go."

Bill took Serena with such ease that she didn't even stir. He loved kids, but especially babies because none of his grandchildren were this little anymore. Serena was a bright spot in his day.

When Alex completed her tasks, and had taken Serena back, Bill helped her to sit down on the rug before the fireplace.

"I have what you came for." he said.

From a nearby shelf, he handed Alex a small square felt box, just big enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

She opened it to reveal a fine silver oval-shaped locket on a silver chain. The face of the locket bore an engraving of a dove, and inside was a copy of Olivia's favorite photograph of her mother. This locket was a way for Serena to be there with Olivia on her special day.

"This turned out so beautifully. She's going to love it." Alex replaced the necklace in its box and handed it back to Bill. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're very welcome, and I'm glad you like it because we did this, too."

He showed her a locket identical to Olivia's, but for a star on the front and a picture of Alex's parents, Travis and Anna, on the inside.

"Oh, wow. Thank you…"

Alex's heart tightened with emotion—the photo in the locket had been taken on her parents' wedding day, both of them looking very young and so happy. This picture brought as much comfort to her as the one of Serena would bring to Olivia.

It all unclogged a torrent of emotions that she didn't know what to do with.

Alex began to cry, and when Molly got wind of what was happening, she comforted her while Bill took Noah and Serena to another par of the house. They moved very quickly. Both of the older adults had expected this reaction, so Molly wrapped Alex in a blanket and gave her tissues to clean herself up with. Having raised five children into adulthood, Molly knew all about caring for others. She also knew that Alex had always thought of her as a second mom.

That role was what Alex had needed right now.

After a few minutes of leaving Alex to settle herself, Molly returned with a tray bearing a steaming kettle, fun mugs, and the fixings for marshmallows with hot chocolate. It was that kind of day.

"It's perfectly alright to cry." she set the tray on a nearby coffee table and they prepared their drinks. "You miss your parents, but Travis and Anna are smiling down on you from Heaven right now. They were always proud of you."

"Thanks, Moll. That means a lot."

The duo clinked mugs and drank.

"I know you always like to have something sweet after a good cry, so I thought ahead."

"Thanks again, and I'm sorry that I keep getting so emotional."

"There's nothing to apologize for—you've been through a hell of a lot lately, and everything you're feeling is very normal."

Alex put her drink mug aside. "I have to keep reminding myself of that…"

"Nothing wrong there. By the way, the necklaces aren't all that Bill and I have for you today."

This information gave Alex quite a turn because she couldn't imagine what else was left. "Really?"

"Really."

Molly hauled over an antique traveling trunk. Alex hadn't seen it for years, and she still knew exactly who it had belonged to.

"This was my mom's…"

Molly nodded. "That's right."

"Why…? How…?"

"These are things we helped your mother collect before she passed. None of us knew that you had survived the injuries that had sent you away, of course, but your sweet mother always chose to believe that you had, even if you couldn't come back to us at all." Molly touched the top of the trunk. "One of Anna's last wishes was that we give this to you when you were preparing for your wedding."

"Here we are…"

"Here we are, indeed. Why don't you open the trunk now?"

Alex did, and at the very top, she found an envelope addressed to her in her mother's handwriting.

"It's been such a long time since I've seen anything written by my mother." she picked the envelope up. "Do you know what the letter says, Molly?"

She shook her head. "I don't, no."

"I-I want to read it out loud." Alex decided.

"Okay." Molly put her mug down, too. "I'm all ears."

Alex opened the envelope, unfurled the letter, and began to read it.

Dearest Alexandra,

I miss you so much. I don't even have the words to say it all.

Everything in this trunk are belongings that I would like for you to have as you prepare to be married. There are also some things that I know your father would have wanted you to have. You are our only child, and you deserve to have momentos to share with your new family. Some of these items will even come in useful down the road. I want for you to be happy and secure—that's all any parent wants for their child.

If your father was still here, would also be writing a letter to you, but he's in our hearts now. He always will be. You are our greatest joy and out greatest love. Nothing will ever change that. Your father was always proud of you, and I am, too. We will always love you forever, Alexandra. Never forget.

When it comes to your future family, my hope is that you spend the rest of your life with your soulmate. I hope you love them with all your heart, cherish them with all your soul, and enjoy their companionship for the rest of your days together. I know what that kind of love is because that's what your father was to me—my soulmate. I also hope that you have as many children as your heart desires, and that they all have their own happy endings. This family needs that. May all your troubles be little ones.

I love you, Alexandra Caroline.

I miss you.

I hope you have the best life.

I love you.

Never forget.

All of my love and affection,

Mother

Alex felt the tears rising all over again, but she kept them back. She'd cry later. At home.

Both of her parents had passed away from cancer. Alex had been there when her father had died, but not for her mother, because she'd been away in Witness Protection. The only comfort she'd had about her parents' deaths was knowing that neither of them had been in pain, and that they had been surrounded by family. At least she'd had that.

The one thing she'd always wondered, especially after officially being declared an adult orphan, was how proud her parents had been of her. Now she finally knew.

Now she could move on.

Alex heaved a heavy sigh and set the letter beside the tea tray.

Molly spoke tentatively to her. "Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but how are you? That was a lot."

"I'll always love my parents because we were so close, and because they made me, but…"

"You finally feel at peace?" Molly guessed.

Alex nodded. "I do. Is that bad?"

"Of course."

Molly gave her a quick hug. "Then let's look through the rest of the trunk."

Anna Cabot had been very thoughtful in compiling the items in the trunk. Alex had already inherited some other family heirlooms after her permanent return from Witness Protection, but these things were knew to her. She liked that.

Together with Molly, they found Alex's parents' Bibles, photo albums from her parents' and grandparents' weddings, her mother's wedding veil and her favorite pieces of jewelry, her father's pocket watch, quilts from her childhood home, many more old photo albums and diaries completed by her parents, the matching carriage clocks they'd kept in their offices, and even Alex's own infant christening gown that had been passed down through the family for generations. Her heart tightened with emotion all over again at the sight of all the treasures before her.

Molly held out a home safety deposit box and a key to her. "These are the last things in the trunk."

Curious, Alex took them and opened the box. The first thing she pulled out was a manila envelope with her name on it. She gave a cry of surprise when she saw what was inside.

Molly jumped. "What?"

"Look!"

Things that looked like saving bonds and nest eggs, lots of cash, property deeds, and even a personal check had fallen into her lap.

"Woah." Alex looked at the check and the other items. "This is all enough to put the kids though college, enough to help out Sophia and Harper, and still enough to take care of Olivia and I for the rest of our lives. I knew my parents had money, but I never knew that they'd had been this much. It looks like my mom left me everything."

"She sure did." Molly agreed. "What's left?"

Alex retrieved what turned out to be a ring box. Of course there was a ring inside, but she didn't know what to expect. Definitely not her mother's wedding ring.

But…

Here it was.

The band was gold, with tiny diamonds set into it, and the center of the band hosted a yellow citrine gem, encircled by a ring of even more tiny diamonds. It was like someone had captured a ray of light.

Alex showed Molly the ring. "I've always admired this ring, but I thought mom had been buried with it. It's a little smaller than I remember."

"We had it resized to fit Olivia. Her fingers are smaller than Anna's were, apparently."

"But how do you know what Olivia's ring size is? I would've remembered telling you that."

Molly winked at her. "Sophia talks."

Alex laughed. "She does, but I'm going to have to thank her for this."

"Good call."

They worked together to put all of Alex's things back in the trunk and close it up again.

When they were done, Molly rose and pulled Alex to her feet. "How do you feel now?"

"Much, much better." Alex gave her aunt a grin. "I'm so glad we came here today."

"Our door is always open, but..."

Molly's words faltered as suddenly registered how still the rest of the house was. They were the only ones in the room, but they weren't the only ones home.

"It's too quiet."

"That's never a good sign at our house." Alex joked. "Let's go find out what Bill and the kids have gotten up to."

They were all asleep on the couch in the den, having fallen asleep while browsing through picture books together. The scene was too cute for words. Alex quickly snapped a picture before moving back to the living room with Molly.

They sat together at the window to watch the snow fall as they turned to talk of Christmas, weddings, and other things.