Chapter Twenty - Seven: A New Beginning

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A New Beginning

The winter deepened, wrapping Dalton in white silence. But inside the Lawson home, life stirred in gentle, steady ways.

Ellie had begun her new manuscript, typing late into the night while Jack sanded old wood in the garage, preparing to build her a bookshelf from scratch.

One morning, she woke earlier than usual, feeling different. Not ill. Not tired. Just… shifted.

She walked into the bathroom and took a test. And when the result appeared, small and pink and undeniable, she sat on the edge of the tub and laughed through her tears.

Jack found her there a few minutes later.

"What's going on?"

She held up the test.

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he knelt in front of her and put both hands on her stomach, resting his forehead gently against her.

"Really?" he whispered.

She nodded, eyes shining. "Really."

They didn't talk much after that—just held each other in the quiet glow of morning. But the house felt different now. Fuller. Like time had opened its arms wider to let a new story in.

That week, Jack started work on a cradle. He didn't tell anyone, just quietly carved the wood during the evenings, humming old folk songs as he worked. Ellie photographed the process—the sawdust in his hair, the concentration on his face, the small smile he wore every time he touched the wood.

Spring began to tease the trees again. Buds on the branches. Birds returning.

Ellie sent off her new manuscript to her publisher, this one titled: The Long Look.

She dedicated it to Jack. And to the life they were building, piece by piece.

On a clear April afternoon, they sat under the old oak tree again, this time with Jack's hand resting protectively over her growing belly.

"You ever think we'd end up here?" she asked.

Jack chuckled. "I didn't even think I'd end up loving again."

She leaned against him. "Turns out we're better builders than we thought."

And so the story continued—not finished, but unfolding.

With roots deep and love steady, Jack and Ellie faced the next chapter together.

A new beginning.

And beyond it, a lifetime.