“Do you remember this one?” she asked, pointing to a picture taken on a rainy day. The three of them were huddled under a tiny awning at the farmer’s market, laughing as the rain poured down, each of them soaked to the bone.
Rose smiled, her eyes reflecting the soft glow of the porch light. “And I’ll be watching you, from wherever I am, on every road you travel.”
The car passed a rusted water tower that once served as a landmark for their childhood games of “who can spot the most cows.” A pair of deer leapt across the road, their silhouettes flickering against the twilight.
“It was the day we decided to adopt the stray cat,” Chloe said, smiling. “We named her ‘Misty’ because she looked like the weather.”
Rose turned the page, revealing a photo taken the year after the accident that had left her with a limp. They were all standing in front of a newly painted fence, the sun casting long shadows. Rose’s smile was a little more tentative, but still there.
The three of them sat in silence, watching the horizon swallow the sun. The car’s engine had been quiet for a while now, but in that stillness, there was a profound sense of togetherness—an unspoken understanding that they were exactly where they needed to be. The drive back was slower, as if the road itself wanted to savor the final moments. Ethan took turns driving, letting Rose rest her eyes while Chloe sang softly—an old lullaby that Rose used to hum when she was a child.