Chapter 46
ALICE
Late Summer
The sun’s just slipped behind the hills, and the sky’s caught in that soft stretch of twilight where everything glows rose and lavender. Inside, the world is peaceful.
Stella lies between us on a soft blanket, reaching for her little feet in the air. We’re upstairs in the observatory, all three of us curled up in a pile of pillows and blankets under the dome. The telescope’s pushed aside tonight, the stars free to shine down on us to admire their handiwork.
One of the windows is cracked open, letting in the song of crickets, the soft evening breeze rustling through the trees.
Kodiak rests back against the curve of the window seat. My legs are draped over his lap, and his hand rests on my shin, thumb brushing circles there like he doesn’t even know he’s doing it.
“Tell her the story,” I whisper, and that soft, crooked smile finds its way across his lips.
“You wanna hear a tale?” he asks Stella, who kicks in reply. He lifts his head up toward the sky above us, stars pricking through the deepening dusk.
He begins, voice deep and warm:
“Once upon a time, there was a bear who lived up in the stars. He was big and ornery and didn’t much care for people. He liked the mountains and whiskey and playin’ cards. Despite what some folks might have you believe, he ain’t never paid for the company of a woman.”
He winks, and I give him a chiding nudge. “Kodiak.”
“Oh, come on. She don’t know what I’m talkin’ about.”
“Finish the story.”
“The bear was always runnin’. From the law, from the past. Maybe even from himself.”
I watch Stella’s eyes go wide, little chest rising and falling with each breath.
“Then one day, the bear met a fine little lamb. Pretty as can be. And gentle too. But she wasn’t all soft like folks expected. She was clever. And brave. She helped that bear trick the hunters into thinkin’ they’d caught him. But really, the lamb and the bear just disappeared into the trees.”
His hand moves gently over Stella’s belly.
“And in those woods, they made a life. A good life. And after a while, they had themselves a little one. Half bear, half lamb. Fierce and gentle. Strong and kind. And they didn’t need much. They had a warm fire and soft quilts and stars overhead.”
He leans down and presses a kiss to Stella’s forehead.
“And even though they loved lookin’ up at the sky, they weren’t waitin’ for anything to save ’em. They knew they were already safe. Here on earth. Together.”
Kodiak turns to me. “Ain’t that right, Momma?”
I nod, voice caught in my throat.
Outside, the stars burn bright.
And for the first time in a long, long while, I don’t wish for anything at all.
I already have it.
THE END