Chapter 5: The Homecoming That Lasted Forever
A year to the day after Liam walked into the empty nursery, the Voss family hosted a first birthday party for Elijah at the Star Island estate, the same house where Eleanor had stolen him 12 months prior. Liam had remodeled the nursery, painted it blue, filled it with toys, the same stuffed bear that had been Liam’s as a baby sitting on Elijah’s crib, the Chicago Bears onesie he’d bought in the Zurich airport hanging on the wall, framed, a reminder of everything they’d been through. Over 200 guests showed up for the party, from local politicians to A-list celebrities, all of them there to celebrate Elijah’s first birthday, to celebrate the family that had fought to stay together.
Maya gave a speech to the guests, standing on the back patio, Elijah in her arms, talking about what the last year had been like, how they’d gone from the worst night of their lives to the best, how they’d never taken a single day with Elijah for granted. “I spent the first week after we got Elijah back, just sitting and watching him sleep, afraid that if I looked away, he’d disappear again,” Maya said, her voice soft, tears in her eyes. “I never thought we’d get to this day. I never thought we’d have a first birthday party, that we’d get to watch him eat cake, that we’d get to watch him grow up. Every day with him is a gift. Every single day.”
Liam stood up after Maya, taking Elijah from her, holding him up to the crowd, who cheered. He talked about the Elijah James Voss Act, about the 17 families in Florida who’d already used the new law to keep their kids, who’d avoided the same situation they’d been through. “We turned the worst thing that ever happened to us into something good,” Liam said, looking out at the crowd. “We didn’t let Eleanor win. We didn’t let her destroy our family. We built something better. We built a life for Elijah that is full of love, and joy, and everything he deserves. That’s the greatest victory we could have ever asked for.”
After the party, when all the guests had left, Liam and Maya sat on the back patio, watching Elijah sleep in his stroller, the sun setting over Biscayne Bay, the water pink and orange, the same view they’d looked out at on their wedding day, three years prior. Maya leaned her head on Liam’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight, both of them watching their son sleep, everything they’d fought for, everything they’d built, right in front of them.
“Do you ever think about her?” Maya said, after a minute, her voice quiet. “Do you ever think about Eleanor, and what she did?”
Liam nodded, looking out at the water. “Every day,” he said. “But I don’t think about it in anger. I think about it as a reminder. A reminder to never take anything for granted. To never take a single day with you, or with Elijah, for granted. She tried to destroy us, and she made us stronger. She tried to break our family, and she brought us closer together. That’s the thing about people like Eleanor. They think they can break you, but they don’t realize that all they do is make you fight harder. And we fought. We won.”
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Maya smiled, leaning up to kiss him, the sound of Elijah’s soft breathing the only sound between them. The baby monitor in Liam’s pocket crackled, the same monitor that had hummed in the empty nursery a year prior, but this time, it was a good sound. It was the sound of their son, safe, and healthy, and home. The crib wasn’t empty anymore. It was full of blankets, and toys, and a little boy who was loved more than anything in the world. The nightmare was over. Their happy ending was just beginning.
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