He picked up Pepper and put his arm around Nadine. Kayleen pulled Dana against her and they held on to each other…a family at last.
“I’m so happy,” Kayleen told him.
“As am I. Perhaps not as quick a learner as you would like.”
“You figured it out.”
“Only because you had the strength to leave me. You will always do the right thing, won’t you?”
“I’ll try.”
He kissed her again, then frowned. “Why do you cry?”
“I’m not.”
She touched her cheek and felt wetness. But it was cold, not warm and wasn’t a tear.
Pepper shrieked. “It’s snowing. As’ad, you brought the snow machine to the desert!”
“I did not. There is no way to power it out here.”
Kayleen looked up. Snow fell from a clear sky. Perfect snow. Miracle snow. Christmas snow.
He set Pepper on the ground. She joined her sisters and the other children, running around, trying to catch snowflakes in their hands and on their tongues. As’ad pulled Kayleen close.
“You must promise to never leave me again,” he said. “I would not survive it.”
“As you will never leave me.”
He laughed. “Where else would I want to be? I have you.”
“For always,” she told him.
“Yes,” he promised. “For always.”
Love burned hot and bright in his eyes. Love that filled the empty space inside of her and told her she had finally, finally found her way home.