Miss Thompson caught her in the act, tucked snugly in bed, and insisted she get some proper sleep. With a compliant nod, the little munchkin agreed.
But as soon as Miss Thompson left, she burrowed under the covers again, secretly chatting away on her phone.
Roxanne was at her wit's end with the little rascal.
No wonder she could fall asleep so deeply without even having dinner.
Calling her name wouldn't stir her; she was a little sleeping beauty through and through.
Watching the drool escape the corner of her mouth and soak into the pink pillowcase, Roxanne chuckled and shook her head.
Beside her, Harrison was filled with nothing but adoration for his daughter in his eyes.
At the moment their gazes met, a silent understanding passed between them.
Harrison seemed to have a thousand words to say, yet he felt words were inadequate to express his complex mix of guilt, satisfaction, and bliss.
"Roxanne, thank you. Thank you for everything you endured to keep our little girl with us. I was such a fool back then."
A warm smile spread across Roxanne's face as she tucked the blanket around the munchkin and turned to him.
"Harrison, let's leave the past where it belongs. We don't need to dredge up old wounds."
Life is so fleeting – a mere thirty thousand days if we're lucky to reach a century.
With a serious illness, or an accident, it could all be over, and we would have to say goodbye to this world and those we hold dear.
She refused to live with regrets.
Life was too short to dwell on pain.
It wasn't that she'd forgotten the hurt, but that she chose to live joyfully.
And now, with Angela happily nestled between her parents, what wasn't to cherish?
Above all, she loved Harrison.
And he loved her.
In this hectic journey of life, to have met and loved someone was a blessing beyond measure.
She refused to spend her days in fear, evasion, or anxiety.
Even if the future held no fairy-tale ending, at least for now, she and Harrison were together.
After the plane crash scare, she realized how precious every connection was – to have had it at all was a tremendous joy.
"Harrison, let's not talk about the past anymore."
"Roxanne." Harrison began.
She knew what he was about to say. Raising a finger to his lips, she silenced him, "Don't say thank you. My forgiveness wasn't given lightly. It was for the best – for you, for me, and for Angela. No thanks are necessary."
Harrison kissed her fingertip tenderly, and with a sigh, he pulled her into his embrace. "Roxanne, I'm not hungry for dinner anymore; I just want you."
"But I'm starving," Roxanne pushed back and headed downstairs to the kitchen while teasing him.
"I'm going to boil some pasta. If you don't want dinner, you can go hungry," she said playfully.
Harrison trailed after her. "Let me cook tonight."
She always made pasta for him, but for tonight, he wanted to return the favor.
Although he wasn't a maestro in the kitchen, he had watched her enough times to replicate her simple yet delicious egg pasta.
In no time, two bowls of steaming egg pasta were ready.
Harrison carried the bowls to the dining table, and sat across from Roxanne.
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