Epilogue

Christmas Morning, one year laters

Maddie glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was only 4:30 a.m., but she was wide awake. Upstairs in the east wing, her mom slept in one of the guestrooms, while a few doors down the hall from her, in the Uriah Small suite, David and Lois did the same. Before breakfast, they would all gather in the reading room to open Christmas gifts, but that was still a few hours away.

However, it wasn’t the anticipation of opening presents that made her sleepless. It was something far better.

“Merry Christmas,” Tony whispered, his voice low and gravelly. “Can’t sleep?”

She couldn’t see her husband in the darkness of the bedroom, but she didn’t need to see him to know that he slept on his back, one arm flung over his head. Not after six months as his wife.

She turned onto her side and laid her head on his shoulder. “No, I can’t sleep.”

“Were you like this as a kid? Can I expect this every Christmas morning?”

“Yes. I’m always the first one awake.”

“Hmm. I’ve always been the one who slept in.”

“That’ll never do.” She laughed softly. “Besides, I’m surprised you could sleep at all after David’s big news. Can you believe he’s put together that group to invest in the resort in such a short amount of time? Another lift. A snowmaking machine. Some condos. I knew he liked it here in Cloud Mountain, but I didn’t know how much.”

“Yeah.” There was a smile in his voice now. “I’ll bet the news has already traveled from one end of town to the other. This is going to mean lots of new jobs.”

“You know…” she lifted her head to kiss him on the cheek “…maybe we’ll have so many guests staying at the lodge that we’ll have to think about moving into a house of our own.”

“That would be great. Maybe next year or the one after. Things won’t change overnight.”

She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “I was thinking…it might be a good idea to look for a house before…before the baby comes.”

“Before the—” Tony sat up and switched on the bedside lamp.

Her head now on the pillow, she squinted at him in the sudden glare of light. “Merry Christmas, Daddy.”

“We’re having a baby?” He drew her up and into his arms. “We’re having a baby?”

“Uh-huh.”

“When?”

“August.”

Tony kissed her then, with all the sweetness, all the tenderness she had come to expect from his kisses.

Who could have thought her life would be so different today than it was when she arrived at this lodge one year ago, her heart wounded and unable to trust? Wishing for love but not daring to dream.

God thought it. That’s who.

She smiled as she nestled into Tony’s embrace and pondered the miracle of love.

Thank You, Jesus. And happy birthday.

 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Trust is an issue for Maddie. How does her level of trust in those around her build throughout the story? How does prayer help her? How has it helped you in similar situations?
2. Tony worked steadily for years, trusting that doing so would help him achieve his dream. What parallels do you see here to the story of Jacob? How did God deliver more than Tony had expected? How has this happened in your life?
3. During the difficult years of her marriage, Maddie had to find and create a supportive circle outside her marriage. What role did David and his wife fill for her? What role did her church fill? Where do you see the members of the Cloud Mountain community fitting in?
4. In the wake of his parents’ death, Tony also acquired a supportive group of friends. How does his compare to Maddie’s? Does the Sullivan family seem to need a similar group of friends? Why or why not? Who in your life provides the emotional support you need?
5. Ultimately, Maddie realized she needed to reprioritize work, faith and personal relationships in her life and create a new way of approaching life day to day. How do you think this will help her going forward? What difficulties do you see for her in the future? How will her relationship with Tony help or hinder her prioritizing?