Epilogue
TWO YEARS LATER
They say time heals all wounds.
Time had changed me. The knocked-knee kid who carried a mountain of hurt on his shoulders had grown up, become a man and a father. I still had my ghosts, but they no longer haunted me like they once did. I had a home now, a family, and a kind of peace I never thought I’d find.
That’s what time had given me.
But it hadn’t done anything for the old creek where Aiden and I used to fish. It looked just like it did the day I lost him.
The water still rolled over the smooth stones, bubbling and twirling like it had a life of its own.
The trees didn’t seem quite as tall as they used to be, but they still shaded the bank.
The wind rustled through leaves, and somewhere off in the distance, a mockingbird was carrying on like it wasn’t happy that I was encroaching on his territory.
He didn’t have to worry. I wouldn’t be there for long.
I glanced down at my son, sleeping against my chest.
I couldn’t look at him without smiling. He was barely three weeks old and had a head full of dark hair that refused to lie flat no matter how many times Brooke tried to smooth it down.
His little fists were balled up under his chin like he was preparing to take on the world, and every now and then, he’d stretch and squirm, making me wonder if he was about to cry.
But he never did.
He was the best baby, and with each sleepy sigh, I wondered how something so small could completely own my heart. I brushed the pad of my thumb across his little, round cheek and had to swallow the emotion building inside of me.
He had Brooke’s nose and her freckles, and deep blue eyes like his sister and me.
He scrunched up his face, and my breath caught when the corner of his mouth lifted into the tiniest crooked grin.
It was the same lopsided smile my brother used to flash whenever he was about to talk me into something we weren’t supposed to.
“Well, how about that.” I swallowed. “You sure picked a good time to do that.”
The little guy stretched again, completely unaware he'd just proven I’d made the right choice when I’d named him Aiden.
I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before saying, “We did everything together.
If there was trouble to find, we found it.
If there was a creek to fish in or a tree to climb, we were already halfway up it before Mom knew we were gone. He was fearless."
I chuckled, and the mockingbird didn’t like it.
He started to squall again, but I ignored him. “He loved with everything he had. I hope you’ve got that, along with that smile… I hope you grow up loving folks the way he did. I hope you make the world better than the way you found it.”
He yawned so wide it made me laugh.
“Okay. Okay. Enough of me and my yammering.” I let out a deep breath. “I just wanted you to know that you’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. Not because anybody expects you to be your uncle, but because the world could always use another man with a heart like his.”
A breeze rustled through the leaves, and I couldn’t help but wonder if my brother was standing there next to us, listening to every word I’d said. I had no doubt he’d give me hell for it, but he’d do it knowing I’d meant every word.
“Brayden!” Brooke called out, pulling me from my thoughts. “Dinner’s ready!”
I turned and found her standing at the edge of the yard with Anslee balanced on one hip. When I started toward them, they both waved. I waved back, while trying to shield Aiden from the tall grass. Mom came up behind them and rested her arm on Brooke’s shoulder. Her eyes met mine, and she smiled.
A real one.
I saw it more often now, and it did my old heart good.
As I got closer, I spotted Pop stepping out onto the porch with a pitcher of lemonade in one hand and a tray of burgers in the other. Mom rushed over to help him. Yeah, some things never changed.
But thank God, some things did.
I tucked Aiden a little closer against my chest.
“Come on, buddy.” I smiled as I continued up to the front porch where our family was waiting. “Let’s go home.”
The End