The Secrets Of A Broken Heart – Extended Epilogue

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Ten months to the day after Erin and Sam were married, it was time for another wedding: that of Anna and Michael. Their courtship had gone so well, and they were so happy together that to Erin’s surprise, it didn’t take much convincing for Michael to propose to her. 

“I know I love her, and I know that she loves me,” he’d told his sister one night when he came to visit her. “It’s miraculous, Erin: because of your love and support, I felt like I was safe to court Anna, and because of her love and support, I now feel like a well-rounded person. I owe everything to the two of you. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, dear sister.”

Erin, of course, had burst into tears upon hearing this, and Michael had consoled her lovingly. He proposed to Anna at their home one evening after dinner, and Anna had accepted him without a second’s hesitation. Erin was over the moon with excitement for the couple, and was so happy about the prospect of having Anna as not only a best friend, but also a sister-in-law. 

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Erin and Anna had done much of the planning, but Sam was also a big help. They decided to have a small ceremony at Anna’s farm, but they’d been having big spells of rain recently. 

“How about I make them a little pavilion?” Sam casually asked Erin one evening. “That way, even if it does rain, they don’t have to worry about their wedding being ruined.”

Erin looked at her husband in astonishment. “You could build them a pavilion? Really?”

Sam nodded. “Of course. They’re very easy to build. Do you think they’d like that?” 

Erin leaned over and gave her husband a big hug. “I think they’ll love it! Thank you, Sam!”

In the midst of all of this wedding planning and pavilion making, Sam and Erin had tried to commence a bit of a nightly routine. In the place of Erin’s solo evening walks, they would go on a walk to wherever they felt like together. The walk would allow them to tell the other anything they needed to about the day’s developments or how they were feeling or anything along those lines. This had started to become Erin’s favourite part of the day, and she had a feeling it was Sam’s as well.

However, about a week before the wedding, Erin woke up feeling very unwell. Her stomach was churning, she felt clammy and she couldn’t even make it outside before she was sick right into the chamber pot beneath the bed. Sam woke up immediately.

“Oh darling,” he said sweetly as Erin tried to hide away from him in her illness, “what happened?  Did you eat something bad? Are you all right?”

Erin pulled herself back up onto the bed and lay down next to her husband. “I… I don’t know. I don’t feel right, but I can’t think of anything that could have made me this sick. Maybe I caught something?”

Sam nodded understandingly and then got up out of bed. “Here, I’ll get rid of this, and then I’ll bring you some water and a cold cloth. Would that help?”

Erin nodded pathetically. “Thank you. I’m terribly embarrassed that you have to clean up after me but I… I…”

Suddenly, Erin was overcome by another wave of nausea and she desperately motioned for Sam to give her back the chamber pot. He gave it over quickly, she was sick, and then Sam came to kneel by her side. 

“How about I just get you a new bowl while you hang onto that one for the time being?” Sam asked her. All Erin could do was nod. She felt mortified, but she couldn’t focus on anything other than her illness. It was awful.

Thankfully, within about an hour or two, Erin was feeling all better. She assumed that it was probably just something she ate until it happened again two mornings later, and the next morning after that. At that point, she got a little more worried.

Is there something wrong with me? she wondered as she stood in the kitchen, clinging to the washbasin. Sam was still sleeping peacefully in their bedroom. I think I should make an appointment with Dr. Finch to see if there is anything I should be doing to stop this. Yes, that’s a sound idea.

Erin didn’t want to worry Sam, and so later on that afternoon she simply told him she was going into town to get a few things for the wedding. Instead, she rode out to the doctor’s house and was lucky enough to catch her when she was not busy and she was not out on a call. She explained to her what had been happening, and to her surprise, the doctor smiled at her. 

“Mrs. McKinley,” Dr. Finch said, interlocking her fingers atop her note paper, “when was the last time that you bled, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Erin was very glad that Dry Creek had one of the only female doctors in Colorado, for she would have felt very uncomfortable with a male doctor asking her this. 

“It was a month ago,” she said firmly at first. But then, she thought a bit more. “Oh no, I’m sorry. It must have been about… seven or eight weeks ago. That’s strange.”

Dr. Finch smiled a little wider. “And have you been noticing that your dresses are fitting a little bit tighter?”

Erin’s eyes widened. “How did you know that? Yes! Just this morning, I struggled to-”

And then, it dawned on Erin. She remembered her mother saying that she’d struggled a great deal with feeling ill the way Erin was feeling right now… when she was with child.

“Mrs. McKinley, I do believe what you might be experiencing is what we refer to as ‘morning illness,’ which many women experience when they are pregnant,” the good doctor explained. “That would also be the reason why you have not bled and your clothes are fitting a little more tightly. Might I give a listen?”

She gestured to her wooden stethoscope and Erin gave a hesitant nod. She couldn’t believe it. Dr. Finch got her to lie down on the examination table and gently pressed the stethoscope to her abdomen. She moved it around a little until eventually she stood up fully and smiled down at her.

“It is very faint, but I can hear a heartbeat, Mrs. McKinley. Congratulations.”

Erin was in such disbelief that she hardly said anything else coherent to the doctor. She thanked her, paid and then returned home, all in a daze. She had no idea if she should tell Sam or wait, or how she should go about telling him. But that night Anna came over and the two women were so busy with last-minute preparations for the wedding the next day that Erin didn’t have much time to think about it.

The morning after her visit to the doctors, Erin awoke bursting with joy. She’d now had enough time to process her discovery that she was very excited about the prospect of a child. Sam had mentioned the possibility of perhaps trying to start a family soon, but he’d never pushed the point. She now couldn’t wait to tell him, but first she had to make it through the wedding!

It was a beautiful day for Anna and Michael’s ceremony. There wasn’t a could in the sky, it was warm but now sweltering, and the pavilion that Sam had made looked so handsome in Anna’s backyard. Erin dressed quickly into the cornflower blue dress that she’d made especially for the occasion, and then helped Sam into his suit. It was the same one that he had worn to their wedding, and Erin got misty eyed as she did up his front buttons. She desperately wanted to tell him her news right then, but she didn’t want to take away from her brother’s ceremony. She decided to wait until after. 

Erin and Sam then rode over to Anna’s home. Erin helped Anna get into her wedding dress while Sam helped Michael to dress in his suit. When Anna was all dressed and ready, the two women wept together and held each other. 

“I’m so glad that you’re marrying Michael,” Erin said between sobs. “You’re the kindest woman in the world, Michael is so lucky to have you and I’m so lucky you’re going to be my sister-in-law!”

Anna giggled. “I’m the lucky one, I think!” 

They both laughed, and then before the women knew it, it was time for the ceremony. They’d only invited twelve guests, but when it was time for Anna to walk down the aisle to Michael, it felt like just the right amount of people. Erin walked down the aisle first, looking at Sam the whole time. It reminded her so much of her own wedding day and she couldn’t help but feel like everything had come full circle now. She was so in love with her handsome husband, and now it was her brother’s turn to marry the love of his life.

Anna looked like a vision walking down the aisle, and the ceremony was quick but meaningful. They exchanged their rings, said their vows, and then it came time for the kiss. When their lips met, everyone cheered, but Sam and Erin cheered the loudest. Her brother had finally gotten the happiness he deserved.

After the ceremony, everyone retired to Anna’s home. Erin and Sam acted as hosts, and so for the rest of the afternoon they were rushed off their feet making sure everyone had everything they needed. At one point, however, Jake took Erin aside.

“Let me handle things here for a little while,” he whispered to her. “I think you and Sam deserve a little time to yourselves.”

Erin looked up at him gratefully and then grinned. “Thank you, Jake. You have no idea how much this means to us.”

Jake looked a little confused, but then went ahead and took over the hosting duties. Erin knew that it was time to tell Sam the good news, and so she went and found him.

“Jake is playing host for a few minutes,” Erin told him, taking his hand. “Can we go outside for a moment?”

Sam nodded enthusiastically. Erin led him outside, and once they were out there, she realized there was a perfect place to tell him her news: the pavilion. She led him over there, and when they arrived, Sam looked a little perplexed.

“Why are we over here?” he asked her. “I thought we might sit out on the front porch or something like that.”

Erin didn’t say anything. She took both of Sam’s hands and looked deeply into his eyes. Her heart was absolutely pounding, but she knew she had nothing to be nervous about. He was going to be so excited. 

“Sam,” she said softly, “I have something to tell you. You remember how you’ve been saying for a while that perhaps we should start trying to make our own little family?”

Sam smiled lovingly at her. “Yes, my darling, but only when you are ready. There’s no need to rush into this.”

Erin grinned at him in return and then guided one of his hands to her abdomen. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that. We’ve already started making our family. I’m due in seven months.”

Sam’s face completely changed. As Erin watched, he went from looking gently encouraging, to utterly astounded, to finally, unboundedly joyful.

“You’re with child?!” he asked, smiling so broadly at her. Erin nodded, and then Sam scooped her up into his arms. She started laughing as Sam held her tightly, shouting, “WE’RE HAVING A BABY! WE’RE STARTING A FAMILY!”

After he’d gotten his initial excitement out, Sam looked at Erin with so much love that she thought she would explode.

“Oh Erin,” he said, “I thought you couldn’t make me happier if you tried but… here we are. I love you more than anything in this world. I’m so happy to welcome our child into this world.”

And then, Sam kissed her. It was the most perfect kiss they’d had yet, and when Erin felt his lips against hers, everything was right in the world. She couldn’t have imagined a more perfect man to marry, and she was so excited to see what the future held for them.

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OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, " Faith and Love on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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