My chest pressed full.
Overflowed.
I swept her up and pressed my nose into the soft curls of her dark brown hair.
Hyacinth and magnolia leaves.
Just like her mother who gazed over at us.
My heart squeezed and devotion pumped through my bloodstream.
I held our daughter tight as I stared at my wife.
My world.
My gravity.
My soul’s destination.
“Come here,” I rumbled to Aster.
A soft smile filled her face as she edged over the grass on her bare feet, the woman looking at me with those eyes that slayed me through.
With joy and peace.
Her love so fierce for the little girl I held in my arms.
Our hope complete.
“What, you want to find me, too?” she teased.
Happiness bounded around us.
This place that’d become our home.
I tucked Aster to my chest, our daughter squeezed between us in this never-ending embrace.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to Aster’s forehead. “Oh, Little Star, no matter where you go, I will always find you.”
The End