Epilogue
One year later
Zoe stood in the wings of the stage at the convention center, gripping Spence’s hand tightly. She hadn’t been back here since the day Ethan had grabbed her and taken off, and she was afraid standing on this stage would bring back ugly memories. But all she felt was happiness.
“You ready to do this?” Spence whispered.
“I am.” She patted her purse. “I’ve never carried around a check this big. I’ll be glad to hand it off.”
The president of the national organization glanced into the wings and smiled at Zoe and Spence. Then she looked out at the group. “We have a very special presentation tonight. Zoe Melbourne is donating a very large check to NAMI in memory of Ethan Davies. Ms. Melbourne owns Melbourne Solutions and released a home security program last year called the Ethan Davies program. It was named for someone she knew who didn’t get the help he needed for his mental illness. Ms. Melbourne has donated all the profits from this program to various organizations who support the victims of mental illness and their families. Please welcome Zoe and her husband Spencer Flynn.”
The auditorium erupted into cheers as Zoe and Spence walked onto the stage hand in hand. When they reached the president, Zoe opened her bag and handed the woman the check. Leaning toward the microphone, Zoe said, “This check represents six months worth of profits from Melbourne Solutions Ethan Davies program. Spence and I hope that it will finance more understanding of mental illness in our communities and better treatment programs for everyone who suffers from this disease.
“Thanks to your efforts to support the program, it’s doing very, very well. And Melbourne Solutions will continue to donate all the profits from the sales of the Ethan Davies program to organizations like NAMI.”
Spence picked up her hand and kissed her wedding ring. She squeezed his hand and returned the kiss. Then they walked down the stairs and into the crowd, where people hurried over to greet them and thank Zoe for the donation. To tell them how NAMI had helped their families. Finally, after talking to many people and hearing many stories, they slipped out the back door of the banquet hall.
“I’m so proud of you, Zoe,” Spence said, bringing her hand to his mouth for another kiss. “You’re making a real difference with these donations.”
“I hope they make a difference to families and individuals,” she said.
He glanced at her, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “If Ethan were here, and had gotten the help he needed, he would have thanked you, too,” Spence said quietly. “Maybe your donations can stop another Ethan from spiraling down the rabbit hole. They’ve already raised awareness of mental health issues. Helped more families find the resources they need.”
“I hope so,” Zoe murmured. “That’s exactly what I wanted to do.”
“You ready to go home, babe?” Spence asked.
“More than ready,” she said, leaning into him. “I have plans for you tonight.”
“That’s funny, because I have plans for you, too,” Spence said, tightening his arm around her.
Zoe smiled as she nestled into her husband. “I can’t wait.”
* * * * *