As she looked at them, she thought of him, the life they had shared, the world they had built, the children they had loved, who had stepped out into the world on their own, stumbled, and then righted themselves again. They were all strong, good, loving people. Some more than others, some were easier to understand, or easier to love. But she loved all of them. And as she again passed the table where the photographs were, she stopped to look at all of them … William … Joachim and Lizzie … they were still there in her heart too. They always would be. And then there was one of her, in her mother’s arms … brand-new … newborn … seventy-five years ago tomorrow.
Remarkable. It was amazing how fast it all went, how the moments flew … the good with the bad, the weak, the strong, the tragedies, the victories, the wins and the losses.
She heard a soft knock on the door of her room then. It was Max with his two little sisters.
“We were looking for you,” he said excitedly.
“I’m so glad you’ve come.” Sarah smiled at him, as she walked toward him, looking proud and tall and strong. She pulled him quickly into her arms and gave him a big hug, and then kissed both of his sisters.
“Happy Birthday!” they said, and as she looked up, she saw Julian in the doorway, and Consuelo … and Lukas and Isabelle, Phillip and Yvonne, and Xavier … and if she closed her eyes, she could still see William. She could feel him there with her as he had always been, at her side, in her heart, every moment.
“Happy Birthday!” they all shouted in unison, and she smiled at them, unable to believe that seventy-five precious years had passed so quickly.
a cognizant original v5 release october 06 2010
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Copyright © 1992 by Danielle Steel
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eISBN: 978-0-307-56654-6
June 1993
v3.0
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32