Page 72 of Chasing Sunsets

“Missed you,” the three-year-old said.

“I missed you too.” He stood with her in his arms.

Sadie couldn’t take her eyes off the child.

“Amelia, this is Sadie.”

The little girl waved, then her attention returned to Zack. She captured his face in her hands and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Sadie’s heart missed a beat. She swallowed hard, tears threatening to overwhelm her.

Zack adjusted Amelia in his left arm. He put his right around Sadie and kissed her temple. “You all right, baby?”

She bobbed her head.

A couple hurried from the house. With black hair and an austere expression on his face, the man towered over a plump blonde.

“Sadie, this is Jane and Tom, Amelia’s parents,” Zack said.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Sadie nodded to Tom before she locked gazes with Jane. Suddenly, Jane rushed forward and engulfed Sadie in a hug. At the sound of the woman’s sobs, Sadie let her emotions overtake her. They held on to one another as they wept.

Two strangers forever linked.

In another selfless act, Zack had donated Dylan’s organs. The day Sadie opened the letter from Amelia’s parents and read the first paragraph, she’d packed a bag and drove to Cally’s place. In her grief, Zack donating Dylan’s organs only provided another reason for her to be angry at him.

Zack responded to the letter and kept in touch with them through the organ donor organization. They had rules in place where the two families were allowed to anonymously correspond by letter for a year before they could meet in person, and both parties had to be willing. So five weeks ago, Zack met Amelia, Jane, and Tom. Sadie hadn’t been quite ready to join him.

“I knew if Amelia ... received a heart,” the other woman whispered between sobs, “it meant someone ... would lose their child. I can’t express ... my sorrow for what you’ve gone through. ... I can’t imagine anything worse.”

Sadie hugged her tighter while giving thanks to God, the doctors, Dylan, and Zack for saving Amelia’s life.

Eventually, after the woman looked deep into her eyes and squeezed her shoulders, they let go of one another.

Amelia, still in Zack’s arms, giggled as she made his collar stand up.

“Zack’s been telling me how special Amelia is, and I had to come see for myself.”

“We’re glad you did. Please, come inside. It’s cold out here.” Jane led the way to the house and everyone trailed her. The beautiful old home had hardwood floors and a huge entranceway showcased a spiral staircase.

Zack put Amelia on her feet, and she gripped his hand to tug him toward the stairs. “Let’s play in my room.”

“Go on up,” Jane encouraged them. “Tom and I are finishing dinner.”

Amelia toddled to the stairs and held on to the rail as she started up. She glanced back to make sure they were following her. In the precious room decorated in pink and unicorns, Sadie recognized a familiar picture on the nightstand.

Her vision blurred as she walked over and picked it up. It was a picture they’d taken of Dylan at the zoo the first time they’d brought him. On the frame was writtenAngels Exist.

She spun around and smiled at Zack.

He came over and wrapped his arms around her. “Jane asked for a photo of him.”

Through a haze of heartache and hope, she buried her face in his shirt. “Thank you for bringing me. It’s painful in a good way, a healing way.”

“I feel the same every time I visit.”

~

After supper, whilestill at the dinner table, Amelia dozed in Zack’s lap.

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