Page 79 of The Summer We Mended
Blaze stood up quickly and crossed over to her, his arms wrapping tightly around her neck.Nora joined them seconds later.Anna held them both, her arms full of the weight that kept her grounded.
For a long while, they sat there like that, all three wrapped in the kind of embrace that speaks without words.That breathes strength and steadiness into the fragile cracks.
Anna didn’t cry.Not yet.
Later, after the twins had been bathed and tucked into bed, after she’d told the lighthouse story again and smoothed down their hair and kissed their cheeks goodnight, Anna slipped out the back door.
The cool night air wrapped around her, salt-laced and familiar.She moved barefoot down the weathered steps that led to the beach, the sand cool against her skin.The moon hung high and round above the ocean, casting a silver glow across the restless waves.
She walked to the edge of the surf and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest.Her arms wrapped tightly around them as her eyes fixed on the horizon.
That’s where he was.Somewhere beyond the horizon, alive.That was what she had to believe.
The dam finally broke.Tears spilled quietly, no sobs, no sounds, just hot, heavy drops that rolled down her cheeks and soaked into the fabric of her sweatshirt.
She’d been strong all day.For the kids.For herself.For the man she loved who was out there somewhere, hopefully looking at the same moon and thinking of her.
She tilted her head back, looking up at the stars.“You better come back to us,” she whispered.“You better fight your way home.”
The wind responded with a gentle gust, as if the night itself was offering comfort.
Anna sat there for a long time, letting her thoughts drift with the tide.
She remembered the last time they’d walked Buckroe Beach together, the day he found out about the deployment.They’d been running around preparing, but Luke wanted to take a break, take a minute for the four of them to be together at their favorite spot.Buckroe Beach was about five miles from the base and a place they went as often as possible.That day he’d picked her up and spun her around, laughing as she squealed.The twins had chased the waves down the shoreline, their giggles like music.He’d kissed her forehead and promised he’d be back before she knew it.
She held onto that memory like a lighthouse in the storm.
Eventually, the tears stopped.Not because the ache was gone, but because there was no more room for it tonight.
She stood slowly, brushing the sand from her legs.The moonlight lit her path back up the steps and into the house where her children slept soundly, trusting in the world she worked so hard to keep steady.
She closed and locked the door behind her, pausing to listen to the gentle hush of waves in the distance.
Another day was coming.And she would face it: strong, steady, and with hope.Because that’s what he’d need to come home to and what they all needed to believe in.And she would not let go.
The next morning dawned soft and pink, sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains in the kitchen.Anna stood at the stove, flipping pancakes while the smell of coffee drifted through the air.
The twins stumbled in, sleepy-eyed but smiling.
“Morning, Mommy,” Nora mumbled.
Blaze climbed onto a stool, rubbing his eyes.“Did you dream about Daddy?”
Anna smiled gently.“I did.He was safe.And he missed us.”
They nodded, content with that answer.
After breakfast, Lily helped the kids with their homework while Anna sat at the kitchen table with her phone, waiting for the clock to hit nine.Right on the dot, she called the liaison’s number.
“Lieutenant Morris,” came the voice on the other end.
“It’s Anna Caldwell.Any updates?”
He was kind, professional.“No change this morning, ma’am.Search-and-rescue operations are still active in the region.I’ll notify you immediately with any developments.”
She thanked him and hung up.
The kids played outside later with Max, while Tom and her mother worked on the yard.Anna tidied the living room, trying to do something to clear her head and keep herself busy at the same time.Lily walked into the house with a giant basket of fruit.
