Renee waved back.
Marcus looked toward her.
“Remember moving day?”
She laughed softly.
“How could I forget?”
He smiled.
“I still remember coming around that corner and seeing the police cruiser.”
Renee nodded.
“I remember seeing you get out of the car.”
She paused.
“And thinking, finally.”
Marcus looked toward her.
“Finally what?”
“Finally, someone is going to listen.”
His expression softened.
Renee looked toward the front yard.
“But you know what I realized later?”
“What?”
“I shouldn’t have needed you to arrive.”
Marcus nodded.
“I know.”
She continued.
“I had everything I needed to prove I belonged here.”
She looked at the front door.
“The deed. The closing papers. My identification.”
Her voice became quiet.
“But none of it mattered until someone believed me.”
Marcus took her hand.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Renee smiled.
“At least we got the porch.”
Marcus laughed.
“Nine years of moving boxes for this porch.”
She leaned back.
“Worth it.”
He looked toward the neighborhood.
“Definitely.”
They sat together as the afternoon sunlight moved across the lawn.
For the first time in years, neither was preparing for another move.
No packing lists.
No temporary housing.
No new assignment waiting to send them across the country.
They were home.
Chapter 20: The Woman Who Belonged All Along
That evening, the neighborhood gathered for a barbecue near the community clubhouse.
Families brought food.
Children played on the grass.
And residents stood in small groups discussing ordinary things.
School schedules.
Gardening.
Summer vacations.
