Alika was working with his physical therapist, learning to tie a shoelace one-handed.

“Be patient. Make a loop. Pin the lace to your shoe with your thumb. Use your fingers to circle the lace around and through the loop.”

“I can just get Velcro shoes,” Alika grumbled.

Sandy Pitman, his physical therapist, quirked a brow. “You never know when you’ll have to tie something.”

Alika kept swinging his stump arm forward. He could still feel the arm as if it were there, could not stop the impulse of his ghost hand from trying to assist. The fingers of his right hand fumbled and felt too large for the task, but he’d just seen the PT perform it one-handed, so it could be done.

Alika persisted, but finally, when he tugged on the tail of the lace, the whole thing melted into a tangle. He swore. “This shouldn’t be so freakin’ hard. A kid can do this. I want to punch something.”

“We’ll get to the punching bag later. Your reward for getting this figured out.” The attractive female PT had been in Iraq, and she was missing both legs from the knees down. Alika couldn’t even grumble that the woman didn’t understand his struggle, his anger, the way even the simplest things that a child could perform had become difficult challenges—when watching Sandy arrange herself to stand gave him a zing of compassion.

Alika’s phone, stashed in the loose pocket of his workout shorts, vibrated. He didn’t usually answer it during therapy, but he needed a break. “Excuse me.”

He straightened up and walked away, feeling a flicker of gratitude that he could still do that, that at least his legs were strong and whole. “Alika here.”

“Alika, it’s Sophie. I have news about the paternity test.” Sophie’s voice was flat, uninflected.

Alika froze. Trust Sophie to cut to the chase without even a greeting!

Sophie’s pregnancy news had been too difficult to assimilate in the midst of his personal turmoil; he’d managed to compartmentalize it and put it out of his mind. The only thing he’d been really clear on when Sophie visited was that, while he’d always care for her as a friend, he wasn’t “in love” with her since the bomb had blown them apart.

He felt bad he’d almost forgotten about the situation. “Are you all right? Feeling okay?”

“I am fine.” She paused. “And you’re the father.”

“What?” Alika put his ghost arm out to grab the wall and ended up crashing into it. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m afraid not. The clinic says it’s a 98% probability that we’re having a child together.” Sophie sounded stiff, wooden, how she got when she was struggling or uncomfortable. “But like I told you. You aren’t obligated. This is my baby and I’ll raise it and care for it myself.”

A powerful wave of emotion blasted through Alika at those words. “No way are you shutting me out.”

Not like his dad had done to his mom, refusing even to acknowledge that Alika was his son. This was a chance to do things the way he wished they’d been done for him. The irony that Alika had accidentally fathered a child, when he’d so hated being a bastard himself, made him rub his eyes, overwhelmed.

Sophie drew a shuddering breath. “Are you telling me you want to be involved?”

“Hell yes. What do you need? Say the word. Want to stay here, at my house? My family and I would love to have you. I showed you the room you and the baby can have.” Alika straightened up from the wall. “We’re doing this together. I might only have one arm, but that arm can still hold a baby.”

Sophie sniffed audibly. “I appreciate that. I don’t need anything, but I do need someone to talk over all the decisions I have to make. Like what kind of doctor to get, and what kind of delivery to have.” Her voice trailed off. “There’s a lot to learn.”

“I admit I’m no expert on pregnancy and parenting. I’ll have to get some books and read up on it. But I’ll do whatever I can to help and support you.”

“Thanks, Alika. It’s been hard dealing with this alone.”

“Jake? He’s not…there for you?” It felt awkward to ask Sophie about her relationship with the man she’d chosen over him—but it didn’t even sting this time. Hopefully, Jake would step up. Sophie needed someone to love on her through this, and it wasn’t going to be him.

“Jake’s had a hard time with the idea that he might not be the baby’s father. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get past this. You being the father, I mean.” Sophie’s voice wobbled.

“Ah, shit.” Alika waved Sandy away as the PT approached, mouthing “emergency” as he strode to the back door of his home gym. Once outside, he took a restorative look at the beautiful backdrop of Namolokama, Mamaloa, and Hihimanu, the three stunning green mountains that cupped Hanalei Bay in their arms. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I hope you guys can work it out. We never talked about it, but my feelings changed after the bomb.”

“I knew things were different between us when I saw you on Kaua`i. Not that the arm thing mattered to me. It wasn’t that.”

“I know it wasn’t. It was the whole situation.” Alika rubbed his eyes again. “Did you know I had a ring in my pocket when I met you in your dad’s lobby? I was going to ask you to marry me. I thought I’d wait until we were on the elevator and then I’d pop the question when we were alone.” He hadn’t meant to tell her that. Ever. Strangely, it didn’t hurt to do so now.

“Oh, Alika.” Sophie’s voice had gone thick and husky.

“What would you have answered?”

“No. No, I can’t marry you. That’s what I would have said.” Sophie was definitely crying. “I think I’m in love with Jake.”

“And yet here we are. Having a child together.” He sighed. “I’ll still marry you—for the child’s sake. If you want to.”

“No, Alika. But thanks. This is so sad.” The phone line crackled as Sophie sniffled. “I’m in the park with the dogs, sitting on a bench. People are looking at me, and I just want to blow my nose on my shirt.”

“If you were here, I’d give you my best one-armed hug.”

“And I’m sure it’s better than most men’s two-armed hugs.” She sighed. “I’ll call you, because I’m going to have to pick a delivery team, and I need help with that.”

“You know my number. Tattoo it on your forehead.”

“I don’t think so. Phone numbers change too often.”

Alika laughed. “You crack me up. Always so literal. I’m going to be a dad, Sophie.” Joy bloomed somewhere deep inside him. “I’m going to be a dad!”

“And I’m going to be a mother. It’s still hard to believe, even though I’ve seen the baby on a sonogram. I’ll send you the photo.”

Alika’s heart speeded up at the thought of actually seeing his child. “Is it a girl or a boy?”

“I asked not to know. I want to be surprised. I hope that’s okay.”

“I’d like that, too. And I can’t wait to see the photo.”

A comfortable silence stretched between them. Alika shut his eyes, feeling the warm breeze, listening to the rattle of the coconut palm fronds, the shush of the wind in the bamboo landscaping around the pool. His mom and grandma were going to go apeshit with excitement. They wouldn’t care that he and Sophie weren’t together as long as everyone was getting along and the baby was healthy. “I want you and Jake to work things out. Tell Jake that from me, will you?”

“I wish I didn’t have to tell him this news,” Sophie whispered. “I don’t know how he’s going to take it.”

“I want you to be happy, but if Jake can’t see how lucky he is, then we’re better off without him.”

“I’m happy about the baby, regardless,” Sophie said.

“Me too. Let’s do this. Let’s figure out how to be parents.”