“You loved me gave me more love than a life knew what to do,” I said. So I gave it away. **
**Benjamin gently squeezed my fingers. **
**Several months later, Edward called before dawn. **
**—I think it's time, Isobel. **
**When I arrived, Benjamin lay alone in bed with Edward sitting next to him. **
**A single red keychain was next to the window. **
**I sat on the other side and opened the book we had been reading together. **
**My voice was shaking too much to continue. **
**Edward took over quietly. **
**When emotion stole her voice, Wren continued to read instead. **
**As dawn approaches, Benjamin slowly opened his eyes. **
**Looked first at Edward. **
**Edward bowed nearby. **
**—I'm here, Dad. **
**Benjamin then turned to me. **
**His hand moved faintly on the blanket. **
**I spread mine and held it. **
**—You still tremble,” he whispered. **
**—Just a little. **
**Looked into the rising morning light. **
**—Yes. **
**—Did I come home? **
**I pressed his hand gently against my cheek. **
**—You came, Benjamin. **
**His eyes perched on mine. **
**—Belle. **
**A peaceful smile crossed his face. **
**Then his fingers slowly relaxed inside my hand. **
**Benjamin left this world just as the first rays of the morning sun reached it. **
**I kissed his hand one last time. **
“You kept your promise,” I whispered. It just took longer than we thought. **
**At the funeral, I remained silent near the back until Edward approached. **
“Please sit with me,” he said. You belong there. **
**I still did not speak. **
**Placed a red carnation next to Benjamin's photograph. **
“My mother gave her a life after the war,” he said. Isobel bore the love he had before. **
**Weeks later, Edward and Wren met me under the willow once again. **
**Edward handed me the familiar blue box. **
**Inside rested the silver ring next to a new photograph of Benjamin and I under the tree. **
**Then I divided the red carnations into three. **
**One was Edward's. **
**One to Wren. **
**And one stayed with me. **
**For the first time in sixty-two years, I didn't leave the flowers behind and go alone. **
**I had spent most of my life believing that Benjamin had never found his way home. **
**In the end, he came back long enough to leave me something even more precious than I had imagined. **
**He left me a family. **
