Page 166 of After Anna

Anna smiled. “This is usually when you tell me that Zephirine Drouhin is one of the few varieties that are both thornlessandfragrant.”

“I was just about to, because I like to hear you pronounce Zephirine Drouhin.”

“With my French accent?”

“Yes. Say it for me.” Maggie was only half-kidding. She was so happy that she’d gotten Anna back, and that her daughter was recovering from her horrific ordeal with intensive therapy, support, and love. Anna had good days and bad, but this was one of the good ones, an Easter Sunday morning. Anna had taken the year off from school, and Maggie had stayed home to support her in her recovery. Fortunately, Anna had been spared a trial because the other co-conspirators had also taken plea deals. Jamie Covington, Samantha Silas, and the other four victims had been restored to their families.

“Zephirine Drouhin,” Anna said, in French.

“Sublime.” Maggie smiled, then heard Noah laughing by the bushes. She looked over to see him gesturing to Caleb, who was rifling behind the forsythia for the plastic eggs they had hidden, filled with M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, and other caffeinated treasures.

“Caleb, keep going!” Noah called out, laughing.

“Here? Or here?” Caleb raced back and forth with his bag.

“There!” Noah pointed beside the bushes. “Look there! There’s more in that direction.”

“Am I getting warmer or colder?” Caleb ran back and forth.

“Warmer!”

“Warmer here?” Caleb scooted to the right. “Or here?”

Maggie looked over at Anna. “How much longer is this going to take?”

Anna chuckled. “Noah hid the eggs too well. I told him he should have made it easier.”

“When has Noah ever made anything easy?”

Anna looked over, her blue eyes shining. “He made everything easy for me. He’s been wonderful to me, and I love him for it.”

“Aw, he loves you, too. We both do.” Maggie patted her daughter’s forearm. She was so lucky that Noah and Anna were close, and that Noah had been completely exonerated. Maggie felt she’d redeemed herself for the past and had even adopted Caleb, so they had become a family. And Anna had fixed her trust so that it paid out later, and as part of the healing process, she’d established The Anna Fund, a charitable foundation to provide victims of sex trafficking with counseling, a safe house, and college tuition.

“Dad, you saidhere,not there!” Caleb giggled.

“No, I saidthere,not here!” Noah laughed.

“Noah?” Maggie called out, with a smile. “Will you guys be done by Christmas?”

“Doubtful!” Noah turned to Maggie, flashing a grin. The man still made Dockers look sexy, and she was more in love with him than ever. He had mellowed, and their marriage was stronger than before. Plus, when they fought, she always won. Because she’d saved his life.

“I found one!” Caleb jumped up and down, holding a yellow plastic egg.

“Great!” Noah ruffled his hair.

“Good job, Caleb!” Anna called to him.

“Only three hundred more to go!” Maggie shouted.

“Maggie, tell me where they are!” Caleb shouted back, with a smile.

“You really want to know?” Maggie shifted up in the chair.

“No!” Caleb took off running around the bush, resuming his egg search.

Maggie eased back in the chair. She wasn’t truly in a hurry. She’d learned not to be so damn busy. She closed her eyes, delighted to feel the warm sun on her face, sitting with her family and surrounded by nature’s beauty.

Maggie realized that life wouldn’t be as much fun if we knew where its treasures were hidden. Sometimes you had to search for them. Sometimes you had to fight for them. And sometimes, they were at your feet.

Either way, they were waiting.

For you.