She stopped, her eyebrows shooting up.
“Well, you’re Sari’s mom,” he said, “and I’m Sari’s dad. And obviously Shambhala is Sari’s guardian angel.”
Her smile was breathtaking when she heard that. “Oh, I like that,” she said. “What does it all mean though?” She pushed, looking for more from him.
“I don’t know,” he said, “but to me it sounds like a new beginning.”
She stopped and looked up at him, and tears came to her eyes. “You know I’m all for a new beginning,” she whispered. “It seems like I’ve had nothing but endings since I’ve been in Alaska.”
“Not true,” he said, “and, even if it were, it doesn’t matter because I highly suggest that we leave all the bad stuff behind, and the four of us go start all over again somewhere new. I’d like to go back to New Mexico, but, if you want to go somewhere else, I’m totally okay with that too.”
“All right.” She looked up at him. “Is it really that easy?”
“No,” he said. “The thing about easy is it’s not always worth doing. It’s the things that you really want, that you really have to work for, that are worth doing. And this”—he gestured down the hall to his daughter and back down at Daniela—“is something I really want. So you can count on the fact I’ll really work hard to make it happen.”
She slid her arms around his neck and chest. “You’re saying all the right words. It’s just happening so fast.”
He nodded, nuzzling her cheek. “Exactly. It’s happened fast, and, therefore, it’s right. I don’t do this with everybody,” he said. “I know you’re probably thinking of Angel and a one-night stand many moons ago. I was a different man back then. I was on leave. I was drunk. I took what was offered. That was a whole different story than right now.”
She searched his gaze as he leaned over, kissing her again.
“Why do you think it took me so long to come to Alaska and see you?”
She frowned. “I figured you didn’t want to have anything to do with us.”
“No. It’s because I knew how important it could be, and I wanted to make sure I was ready and prepared for the changes this would bring in my life.”
“But you didn’t know this would happen,” she protested.
He gave her that slow dawning smile, and she stared at him in wonder. “I didn’t know for sure, but I wondered, and I’m very happy to say that this is exactly what I had wished for.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she threw her arms around his neck again and whispered, “It’s what I wished for too.”
“In that case, why don’t we find out if wishes can come true?”
Epilogue
It was a new stage of life for him—this sitting around, doing what he wanted, helping out others basically by choice instead of having a regimented lifestyle. When Greyson Morgenstein had been in the military, a Navy SEAL no less, he had been on training missions, more training, more fitness, more missions. And after his accident that ruined his back, damaged his shoulder and took off part of his foot, it had seemed like it was so much the same, and yet so different, because it was therapy, then doctors, more tests, more physical fitness, more of everything, but everything on a schedule.
Since he’d been released, his back was as good as it would get, just needed more strengthening. His shoulder was functional, not pretty, but who said that was even part of his life anymore? He learned to walk with just half the foot, and who knew that would be such a pain? But he was better off than so many of the other guys.
He lifted his coffee mug and stretched. He was out along the back of Geir’s house. They’d been working on building decks on a bunch of the guy’s places. And Greyson really enjoyed the camaraderie of being here, the sense of belonging, and yet without the pressure to do anything.
He was living off his benefits at the moment, while he tried to assess what the hell he wanted to do with his life. The only thing he really couldn’t do would be heavy construction, but not much else held him back.
He’d been a trainer within the military, so management might be something he could do. But he didn’t think he wanted anything to do with that kind of pressure, any more of that stress. He loved animals, had worked briefly with the K9 department in the military, but had wanted a much more personal relationship with the animals than the handlers were allowed to have. He’d seen various animal rescues that interested him, but that wasn’t a way to make money.
When Geir sat down beside him, Greyson said, “It’s a nice deal you’ve got going here.”
Geir nodded slowly. “It is. It was a long time coming. What we’ve got, we’ve built ourselves.”
Greyson didn’t say anything else, just sipped his coffee.
“What do you want for your future?” Geir asked.
Greyson shrugged. “Something different, something more peaceful than the navy and all the missions. Something still helping out, I guess, but without the stress, without the schedule, without the chaos.”
Geir nodded. “You know not too many people would understand that.”
“Well, I sure as hell hope some could.” He shook his head. “I want to stop and smell the roses a little more.”
Geir grinned. “You need a wife for that.”
“Is that what helped you?”
Geir thought about it, then nodded. “A lot of my adjustments came from her being in my life—having that other perspective—plus having the guys at my side as we decided what we wanted to do, moving forward. All of us having physical disabilities made the world look at us differently.” He shook his head. “It makes you reassess.”
“It does, indeed,” Greyson said.
“How do you feel about animals?”
“Love them. I was just thinking it’s too bad I can’t set up a rescue, but
