From behind, I enfold Emily into me and nuzzle the spot behind her ear. “You were there, in spirit.”
“Is it pathetic that I didn’t actually think that Olivia would die?”
“No.” But she did. “We don’t have to do this today.”
“Yes,” she answers. “I do.”
Emily zips open the bag and pulls out the box containing Olivia’s ashes. Olivia didn’t choose the casket and she admitted it’s because of the encounter that freaked out Emily. Olivia’s last request was this: for Emily to release her ashes into the wind.
The box trembles in Emily’s hand and I slide my fingers underneath hers to help support it. “Olivia told me that if this was too much for you, it was okay. She didn’t want you to do anything that pushed you too far.”
Emily sucks in a breath. “She told me that. But I want to do this. For her and for me.”
She opens the box and inside is a plastic bag. Crude, I know, but Olivia asked that she be separated and left specific instructions of what was to be done with her remains. This box belongs to me and Emily. She asked me to be here with Emily when Emily released them.
Me and Emily alone.
A flash of white in the box catches my attention. “What’s that?”
Emily retrieves an envelope and her eyes meet mine when we spot Olivia’s handwriting. I take the box from Emily and nod for her to open it. She does and reads aloud:
“Emily and Oz,
Someday you’ll tell your children a love story about yourselves. Maybe you’ll be together, maybe you’ll end up with someone else; regardless, what you’ve experienced is love. I know love when I see it. It’s how I look at Cyrus. It’s how Eli looks at Emily and Meg. It’s what you two share whenever you look at each other.
Yes, Emily, Honeysuckle Ridge is a site used by the club and Eli did use it when he was trying to figure out how to handle his situation with the police, but that’s not why I wanted you to find the place. I never wanted you to hurt with the truth. I wanted the truth to set both of you free.
You both have grown up feeling as if you weren’t properly loved by those who should have loved you the most. People make mistakes. They make wrong choices at the worst moments. Never at any time were you not loved.
Know this. Cherish this. Love one another and be courageous enough to live your life and love more. Don’t let fear trap you. You’re both too young for that.
Honeysuckle Ridge is where Cyrus asked me to marry him. It’s where Eli took Meg and told her that he was in love with her. This place has a rich history of love. That’s the secret I wanted you to discover, Emily. This family is full of love and our love story contains you. Without it, we’re missing a vital part of our soul.
Oz and Emily—love one another and if you need to part ways because you discover you belong with someone else, that’s okay, too. Remember that you loved each other once and it’s okay to just be friends.
Love the other people in your lives as if this was your last day because you never know if it is. I have loved you both. Your entire lives.
Forever,
Olivia”
We’re silent. I read over the letter again, drinking in her every word. There’s a mixture of sadness and joy coursing in my blood and it causes me to tug Emily closer. She leans her head against mine and it’s like we’re holding each other up.
Olivia loved us. We loved her. She’s right. We never know how many days we have left.
Emily folds the letter with special care and offers it to me. I take it and watch as the girl I love carries out Olivia’s final wish.
Unzipping the plastic bag, Emily stands at the edge of the cliff and slowly releases Olivia’s ashes into the air. “You said the truth sets you free and now you finally are.”
Emily glances over at me and smiles softly. Olivia was right—the truth did set Emily and me free and through that, we found each other.