Page 20 of The Light

“So, do you remember the Adventures of Blueberry the Cat?”

I frowned. “That little story you and I worked on together for Hazel Grace’s charity project? Sure. What about it?”

Back in the spring, Fran and I had collaborated on a short story for Liam’s daughter about a cat who got lost in the woods and tries to find her way home. I’d come up with a quirky little story, Fran had done some quick character sketches with his iPad, and when we were done, Liam had printed it and Hazel had personally sold a copy to every man, woman, child, and discerning pet in town in order to raise money for a refugee organization.

“Well, what would you say if I told you I’d talked to Daniel, and then to his agent, who’d recommended a couple other children’s book agents, and I sent the Blueberry book to one of them and they were interested?”

“Wait, what?” My eyes widened in shock beneath his hands and I spun to face him. “You did that? Are you kidding?”

“Nope. They’d like Blueberry to have some continuing adventures. Look at the letter!” His voice nearly vibrated with excitement.

Excitement forme. At this dream of mine, that he’d made come true.

But I didn’t want to look at the letter.

The letter, cool as it was, was secondary.

“Francis Goode. I can’t believe you did that. I can’t believe you eventhoughtto go to all that trouble.”

“It wasn’t any trouble, baby. Not really.” He shook his head like I was missing the point entirely when I was pretty surehewas. “I would do literally anything for you, Mark. I mean that. You know I do.”

And I had to blink back tears, just a little, because Ididknow it… and the knowledge still overwhelmed me sometimes.

Yes, a book deal would be great, if it happened. I knew it was a long shot, but at this point, I firmly believed miracles could happen… and I knew for a fact they happened to me.

But the real miracle was the man in my arms. The man who believed in me and encouraged my dreamsalways. The man who called me his light and made it possible for me to shine. The man who’d given me a dream bigger than anything I’d ever dared to dream on my own: the breathtaking beauty of our everyday life together in this little cabin in the woods, surrounded by people we loved who loved us back.

I resolved then and there that I would never take it for granted for a single day…and I knewthatwas a resolution I could happily stick to.