Chapter 10 - The Best Decision of My Life
Two months later, in July 2026, we took our annual family vacation to Table Rock Lake, just an hour south of Springfield.
We had rented a beautiful, private timber-frame cabin sitting high on a bluff overlooking the deep blue waters of the lake. It was quiet, peaceful, and entirely isolated from the noise of the city.
It was our final evening at the cabin.
The sun was setting behind the Ozark mountains, painting the sky in breathtaking strokes of violet, orange, and molten gold. A cool summer breeze rippled across the water below.
I sat on a wooden rocking chair on the expansive back deck, wrapped in a light cotton shawl, holding a warm cup of chamomile tea.
In the yard below the deck, Thomas was teaching six-year-old Leo how to cast a small, plastic practice fishing lure onto the grass.
"Okay, buddy," Thomas’s deep voice drifted up to the deck. "Keep your thumb on the button... bring it back slow... and release!"
Leo swung his small fishing rod with all his strength. The plastic fish zipped through the air and landed with a soft plop right in the center of a hula hoop they had set up on the lawn.
"I DID IT! DADDY, I HIT THE TARGET!" Leo screamed, jumping up and down on the grass, throwing his arms in the air like a champion.
"Bullseye, captain!" Thomas laughed, sweeping Leo up into a big bear hug and spinning him around until both of them fell laughing onto the soft green grass.
I watched them from the deck, a peaceful, contented smile resting on my face.
After a few minutes, Thomas dusted off his jeans, kissed Leo’s forehead, and sent him inside the cabin to watch his favorite animated movie.
Thomas walked up the wooden stairs of the deck, his brow slightly beaded with sweat, his eyes bright and warm. He pulled up a second rocking chair right next to mine, sat down, and took my hand into his broad, warm grip.
"He’s getting so fast," Thomas smiled, looking out over the glowing lake. "I can barely keep up with him."
"He gets that from you," I teased gently, resting my head against Thomas’s shoulder.
We sat in comfortable, profound silence for a long time, watching the sky shift from orange to deep indigo, as the first stars began to twinkle in the vast Missouri sky.
"Dana?" Thomas spoke softly.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about that night at the reunion?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.
I thought about it for a second.
I thought about the broken glass on the hotel floor. I thought about Melissa’s pale face. I thought about Ryan Mercer standing near the dessert table, telling me with that arrogant, foolish smile that leaving me was the best decision of his life.
I looked at the diamond band on my left hand.
I looked through the sliding glass door of the cabin, where my healthy, happy six-year-old son was sitting on the rug, laughing at a cartoon.
And I looked into the loving hazel eyes of the man who had stood by my side, protected my heart, and built a real home with me.
I smiled, tightening my fingers around Thomas’s hand.
"Ryan was right about one thing," I said softly, my voice filled with an absolute, unshakeable peace.
Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What’s that?"
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"He said leaving me was the best decision of his life," I murmured, leaning up to press a soft, loving kiss against my husband's lips. "He just didn't realize... it was the best decision of my life, too."
Thomas laughed—a deep, joyful sound that echoed out over the peaceful waters of the lake—and pulled me close into his arms as the night settled over us, beautiful, safe, and completely whole.
