Chapter 9 - The Rose Garden in Maine
Six months later, summer arrived in New England with warm ocean breezes and blooming coastal wildflowers.
The historic coastal estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, sat high on a rocky bluff overlooking the deep blue waters of the Atlantic.
The grand lawn was alive with the sweet scent of blooming white roses, sea salt, and fresh cedar mulch.
Noah stood on the wooden veranda overlooking the beach, wearing a relaxed white linen shirt and khaki trousers, watching Sophie build a magnificent sandcastle at the water's edge.
Sophie was laughing, running through the gentle foam with a golden retriever puppy they had adopted three months earlier, her dark curls bouncing in the summer sun.
Claire walked out through the French doors, carrying a tray with two glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade.
She wore a simple, flowing yellow sundress, her bare feet padding softly across the warm cedar planks.
"A penny for your thoughts, Mr. Carter?" Claire smiled, handing him a glass and leaning back against his chest.
Noah wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin affectionately on her shoulder, inhaling the beloved scent of jasmine and sunshine.
"I was thinking about eight dollars," Noah confessed softly.
Claire turned in his embrace, raising an eyebrow with curious tenderness. "Eight dollars?"
"Three days before your wedding," Noah explained, a gentle smile curving his lips. "I was standing in a grocery store in Revere, eight dollars short of buying chicken and apples for Sophie. I had to put the food back while the cashier pretended not to see me."
Claire reached up, her fingers tracing the jawline of the man she loved with all her soul.
"And now?" she asked.
"And now, we just funded sixty-two college scholarships for warehouse workers' children across New England," Noah said, looking out at the endless horizon. "And my daughter is eating strawberries whenever she wants."
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"You built that reality, Noah," Claire murmured, kissing his lips softly. "Not me. You had the brilliance and the heart inside you the whole time. I just opened the door."
"You didn't just open a door, Claire," Noah whispered against her skin. "You showed me that love isn't about surviving. It's about soaring."
