Five Years Later
"Fer-daddy! Fer-daddy, look what I drew!"
Asher looked up from his laptop to see five-year-old Kai barreling toward him, a piece of paper clutched in his small hands. His son's dark hair—so much like Kael's it sometimes hurt to look at—was sticking up in every direction, and there was what appeared to be marker all over his face.
"Let me see, sweetheart." Asher set aside his work and pulled Kai onto his lap.
The drawing was, generously speaking, abstract. A collection of stick figures that might have been people, surrounded by colorful scribbles.
"It's our family!" Kai announced proudly. "That's you, and that's me, and that's Lily, and that's Grandpa and Grand-fer!"
"It's beautiful, baby. Should we put it on the fridge?"
"Yes!" Kai squirmed down and ran toward the kitchen. "Lily! Come see my drawing!"
A smaller, gentler voice called back. "Coming!"
