“Hey, did Kevin finally leave Flagstaff?” Archer put his arm around her as he pulled her closer. “Or do I need to go give him some encouragement?”
“He left me a message last week that he was going back to St. Louis. He gave me a long plea on how much he needed me. I’m glad I had the chance to say all the things I wanted to that night at dinner. I know he didn’t believe that I didn’t still love him, but I wanted him to know how much his indifference hurt during my treatment. By the time dinner ended, I was ready for him to disappear back into my past.” She laid her head on Archer’s shoulder. “He wasn’t there for me. Not when I was at my lowest. Why should I be there for him when I’m at my best?”
“Well said.” Archer kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad I don’t have to go kick him out of my territory. Or worse, pee on his leg.”
She giggled, then Jack announced their arrival. The bus parked, and as the group climbed out, gathering near the trailhead, Rarity heard a snap behind her. She turned to look and saw a doe with threebabies in the clearing ahead. They were watching the newcomers with big eyes. Family was everything. The family you were born into and the family you built. That was what Kevin never understood. She’d built her own family here in Sedona. A group that would stand by her through thick and thin.
“Are you ready?” Archer asked as she watched the family of deer walk out into the woods andover the hill.
“I should be asking you that.” Rarity turned back and looked at her group. Dana was right behind them with the box that held Caleb Ender’s ashes. The man might not have lived a perfect life, but he’d loved his children. And they were settinghim free today.
An eagle cried from the sky as it passed over the solemn group as they made their way to say goodbye and start a new future. One in a world without Caleb Ender.