Garrett spent the following months honoring his promise by attending every medical appointment and supporting Brooke entirely. He went on late evening food runs and successfully built the nursery crib with supervision from the husband of Marnie. He educated himself on pregnancy symptoms and waited patiently through moments of intense anxiety to ensure he did everything right. Hazel was born on a snowy Thursday in December and arrived three weeks early but completely healthy. Garrett stood proudly in the delivery room and cried as the nurse placed his furious infant daughter in his arms. He noted her small crooked nose exactly matched his own just as Brooke had written on the ultrasound picture. Donna arrived at the hospital the next morning holding a bouquet of white roses. She offered Brooke a sincere apology for her past harsh judgments and expressed a deep desire to make amends. Brooke allowed Donna to stay for a long emotional conversation where Donna listened far more than she spoke. The visit marked a fragile but genuine step forward in repairing their fractured family dynamics just in time for the arrival of Hazel.
Brooke officially opened Marigold in February and named the bustling bakery after the bright flowers that once grew along the fence of her grandmother. The business quickly became a massive success with long lines stretching out the door every single morning. Garrett dedicated his weekends to working at the bakery register and learning how to operate the complex espresso machines. He served customers cheerfully while keeping a sleeping Hazel strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. The couple continued to postpone their formal separation appointments until the scheduled dates eventually lost all meaning. One quiet evening in spring Brooke found Garrett cleaning the bakery kitchen counters while Hazel rested peacefully nearby. Brooke retrieved the wooden box from a shelf above the register and placed it gently between them. She instructed Garrett to turn the old card over and read a new message she had written. The new note was dated March 20 and acknowledged that Garrett had consistently shown up for their family every day. Brooke explained that she was finally ready to find out if they could fix their marriage. Garrett reached across the counter to hold her hand as Hazel quietly kicked her feet wearing the tiny white booties from the box.