One True Loves

Jesse spends a long time outside. He goes through Emma’s envelope of stuff, and finds her letter to him. Emma watches him read and reread it, after which he comes back in. Jesse asks Emma about her “going crazy on the roof” (277) in the letter. Emma rereads the letter to remember, and begins crying. She tells Jesse that she waited on the roof for him with binoculars until Marie convinced her that he was dead. Jesse hugs Emma and muses about how they were both looking out at the same ocean at the same time.

Jesse confesses that, while looking through the contents of the envelope, he realized that the two of them have truly changed. He admits to disliking Emma’s short hair; while he initially hoped she would grow it out again, it dawned on him that she actually likes it the way it is. The Emma he remembers wanted to live in California and travel the world, and hated her parents’ bookstore—this is not who Emma is anymore, and Jesse knows he has to stop pretending, because he, too, is different now.

Jesse opens up about how much he is struggling to readjust to normal life. He finally describes losing his pinkie: He accidentally sliced through it while trying to open an oyster; he hoped it would heal, but it got so infected, he had to cut it off himself. Jesse acknowledges that he has been trying to undo the last few years, but understands now that healing doesn’t work that way. Despite not wanting to feel this way, Jesse does still feel angry at Emma for having moved on. He is angry with everything that has changed in his time away, and knows this signals deeper issues he needs to resolve. He understands what Emma wrote in the letter about needing to let him go: “We loved each other and we lost each other. And now, even though we still love each other, the pieces don’t fit like they used to” (286).

Emma and Jesse embrace and acknowledge that their relationship has run its course. They decide to stay at the cabin for one more day, before going back to their lives and facing reality.

It starts snowing again, and Emma and Jesse head out to make snow angels and throw snowballs at each other. Tired out, they settle in front of a fire together, drinking wine and talking. Emma tells him that the memories of their wedding day still bring her joy, despite how everything turned out. Jesse doesn’t agree, as they remind him of how different the future turned out; the memories are painful, but he promises to call and let Emma know if he ever sees things differently. Emma and Jesse both acknowledge how impactful the other has been in their lives, in pushing each other to pursue their respective dreams. They read to each other from a book they find in the cabin, halfway through which they make love for the last time. Afterward, Jesse reads the rest of the book to Emma, as she falls asleep in his arms.

The next morning, Jesse and Emma head back home. Jesse drives, and Emma doesn’t stop him; she understands that he needs to do things his way. As they drive off, Emma notices their footprints in the snow, creating a parallel pattern before diverging into opposite directions. She reflects on how it mirrors the reality of their situation, which she is finally able to accept.

On the way home, Jesse tells Emma that once his parents have adjusted, he will head back to Santa Monica, where they lived before his disappearance. He promises to keep her updated on how things go. Emma hopes to marry Sam and stay in Acton forever, if Sam will have her back; he has still not called. Jesse reassures her that he will. He drops Emma off at Blair Books, and as they part, they tell each other that they will always love each other. Emma’s heart aches as Jesse drives away, but as she walks into the store, she knows she is walking toward Sam, her family, and her home.

Emma’s parents, Marie, and the twins, are in the bookstore. To her parents’ query about her time in the cabin, Emma simply responds that she missed Sam. She brings up Tina’s resignation as assistant manager, and Marie reveals that she wants the job. Emma is surprised because this would make her Marie’s boss. However, Marie asserts that the job is perfect for her: She cannot handle a full-time job alongside parenting the twins, but needs something to do other from mothering. Although Emma is slightly worried that this arrangement will undermine their relationship as sisters, she also thinks having Marie at the store could be a good thing. She accepts Marie’s request, and their parents are thrilled. Privately, Marie asks Emma what she’s decided, and Emma confesses that Sam has not called her yet. Marie encourages Emma to go find Sam and tell him how she feels, and Emma leaves right away.

Just as Emma gets into her car, Sam pulls into the parking lot; his eyes are bloodshot, and he insists on talking to her. Sam asks Emma to come home. He has spent the last four days heartbroken, and is determined to fight for Emma this time, unlike when he let her go with Jesse 15 years ago. Emma reveals that she was about to find Sam and fight for him herself. She confesses that she spent a few days alone with Jesse in Maine, but Sam insists that they leave it in the past and not talk about it. He is simply elated that Emma still wants to marry him; they kiss, and Emma asks Sam to take her home.

At Emma’s second wedding, she wears a lavender dress: “It is sleek and ornate. It feels like the wedding dress of a woman who has lived a full life before getting married” (324). Though Olive is in attendance and delivers an emotional speech, Marie is the maid of honor this time. Jesse moves to California and sends Emma postcards with short updates on his life; they occasionally text, but never talk on the phone. However, eight months after Emma’s wedding, she gets a call from Jesse. He’s met someone, and finally understands Emma’s perspective on their past. He is grateful for what they once had: “Just because something isn’t meant to last a lifetime doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant to be” (327). They each acknowledge that they are who they are today because they loved each other once upon a time, and they say goodbye.