Page 61 of Wired Courage

But she hadn’t promised to keep the Ghost going for him, too. She wasn’t comfortable with his chosen mission; she never had been, though with time she’d come to see and appreciate the utility of it.But right now?“That’s one can of worms you don’t need to open, girlfriend,” Marcella’s voice said in her mind.

She minimized the Ghost icon and it blipped out of view. She powered down the computer, and her eyes dropped to take in Jake’s letter in its sealed envelope, held down by the black velvet ring box.

He’d said the ring was an antique. The corners of the little black box were worn, the velvet rubbed off, testifying to age and sentiment.

She opened a drawer and uncovered a bubble-wrapped envelope. She addressed it to Jake on the Big Island, and slid the box in. It seemed wrong to just throw it in there with no word, so she scribbled on a Post-it:“I wish you every happiness.”She stuck it in with the ring and sealed the envelope before she could change her mind. Nam would know how to get the ring into the mail and insure it.

Jake was a hero. A good man. He deserved to be happy, and she wouldn’t make him happy. She’d always known that, but had hoped, for a little while . . .

Sophie pulled a handful of tissues out of a nearby box and blew her nose. Dabbed her eyes. Got up and drank more water. “Son of a two-headed goat.All this crying. Does nothing! Changes nothing. Useless emotions!”

The soundproofed room didn’t give her back so much as an echo.

She picked up the letter.He had asked her to destroy it without reading it.

Some part of her had always known that Jake needed to be the only man in her life. With Alika as the father of her child and Connor as someone she would always love more than a friend, he had hit a wall. She understood that.

Her fingers played with the edge of the envelope’s flap. Oh, how she missed Jake’s comforting presence, his strong arms, the rumble of his voice in her ear, teasing her. She longed to read his loving words, to feel the incredible feelings he stirred in her one more time. To have been loved the way he’d loved her—what a gift.

But was that what she missed most? How he’d loved her? Or did she miss the man, himself?

She didn’t know the answer, and trying to think about it was making her physically sick. It wasn’t fair to either of them for her to read whatever was written in this letter. She reached under the desk, pulled the shredder forward, and fed the letter in, her vision blurring.

Epilogue

Six months later

Sophie slid her key into the door of Connor’s apartment at the swanky Pendragon Arches building on Oahu. She glanced around out of habit, checking the familiar hallway for danger. Nothing visible but immaculate carpet and spotlighted artworks. The refined surroundings she’d first approached years ago had become familiar in the month she’d been living there, but when she opened the door, a completely new and refurbished interior greeted her.

Anubis, his ears pricked, sat on his haunches. He whined happily at the sight of her, his intelligent eyes bright. She still missed Ginger’s sloppy, rambunctious affection, but as she and Jake had agreed, Ginger and Tank remained together and lived with him on the Big Island.

“Hey boy.” She patted the Doberman’s sleek head and caressed his ears. “Keep a good eye on my girl and Armita today?”

The dog gave a snort, as if to chide her for even asking such a thing.

Armita came out from the bedroom area carrying Momi. The baby reached her arms eagerly for Sophie and grinned, showing off three shiny new teeth. She burbled something that might have been“Mama!”

Sophie’s heart broke into a thousand pieces. “Darling girl!” She embraced Armita and Momi both. “Eight hours feels like forever being away from you.”

Armita stepped back, still holding Momi. “Our girl has something new to demonstrate, Sophie Malee.”

“What is it? Show me!” It seemed as if every day, Momi met some new milestone.

Armita set the baby down on the immaculate, camel-colored carpeting Sophie had chosen to replace the flooring that had been destroyed in an explosion in the apartment’s previous incarnation. The baby, set on all fours, rocked back-and-forth, concentrating. Anubis sat down in front of Momi, giving an encouraging“Woof.”

Momi fastened her gaze on the dog and extended a hand, fingers spread, and shuffled forward on her knees. She did it again on the other side. Anubis moved back, staying just out of reach, and she chortled, speeding up.

“She’s crawling!” Sophie exclaimed. She elbowed Anubis aside and dropped to her knees in front of the baby. “Come to Mama, my pearl.”

Momi giggled, a sound that Sophie knew would be tattooed on her heart forever, and she crawled right up into Sophie’s lap.

Sophie scooped her close. She tickled the baby’s tummy and blew on her neck, and those wonderful giggles filled the whole room.

Was there any love as overwhelming as the love of a mother?The incredible feelings Momi brought up on a daily basis reminded Sophie of her own mother.

Pim Wat had survived her fall, and remained captive in Guantánamo. A picture of her that McDonald had sent during their call that day showed that the broken bones in Pim Wat’s face had not been skillfully set. Her hair had gone white, seemingly overnight, and she had lost an alarming amount of weight as she sank into a catatonic state.

Pim Wat’s beauty was gone, and her deep depression appeared genuine.

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