Page 45 of Grace's Redemption

She lifts the lid and sat it down on the ground. One by one, she flips through the old photos of me and my mom, the mementos I've saved over the year. She pulls out a tiger-eye marble.

Grace gasps and looks up at me.

"You kept it."

"Of course." The marble rolls around in her palm. "You gave it to me."

"I must have been four years old."

"Coolest present I ever got."

"Why?"

She settled back on my shoulder.

"Because my Gracie gave it to me.

We sat for a long time and watched as the moonlight reflected through the marble.

“Look up there.” I point.

She follows where I point and the moonbeams reflect off the top leaves of the tree and sway slightly in the wind.

“Oh, wow.” She says.

I watch her.

She lowers her gaze.

Her gaze locks on mine for a few seconds. She smiles.

Her smile makes me happy to be alive.

She turns her head up again. I remember everything about the moment. The way Grace smells, the way her curls tickle my chin. The way her little hand feels inside of mine.

I cursed myself for years for not kissing her that night.

“He’s up there, watching over us.” I whisper in her ear. “You get scared Grace come to the tree. Nothing bad could happen here.”

She hugs me, wraps herself around my side and drifts off to sleep. I hold her tight all night and know, without a doubt, she will be mine some day.

Gracie turned toward me.

“Keep going.” I said.

She narrowed her eyes.

We approached the tree. Once we reached it, I let her walk a few more feet.

“That’s far enough.”

She turned around and held her hands up.

“What now?” She asked.

I shut my eyes for a second. I knew she wouldn’t run. I saw it on her face. She accepted her fate. I had to do this clean, no fucking it up.

A tear rolled down my cheek. It surprised me.