Ross spread the blanket out on the sand and anchored it with a cooler on one corner and his shoes on the opposite. Puck kicked off his sneakers, lifted Addie to his shoulders, and headed for the water. Addie laughed and pounded her hands on his head as they traipsed across the sand.

“Hey, wait! It’s warm here on the beach, but I bet that water’s cold. When you stick her feet into that, she’ll scream bloody murder!”

Puck dismissed Ross’s worries and carried Addie to the edge of the water. She wore a bright floral bathing suit with a ruffle around her waist. When Puck spotted it in the department store, Ross said, “It’s too girlie. Let’s look for something else.”

“But she is a girl.”

“Okay, but we’re not going to make her drown in pink ruffles and ribbons for the rest of her life.”

As Puck paid for the bathing suit, he said, “I think one dad is running away with his thoughts. It’s one suit, and I think it’s cute.”

Puck held tight around Addie’s waist and slowly lowered her until her feet dangled in the water. She giggled and kicked while the water splashed around them.

“Do you like that, Princess?”

He pulled her up and then lowered her again, and she laughed louder. When her feet hit the sand on the bottom, she wobbled but soon stood with only light support from Puck.

“Look at you! You’ll be running up and down the beach soon.”

A few minutes later, Puck sat on the sand and spread his legs wide. He played in the shallow water with Addie. She splashed by pounding the flat palms of her hands in the water while he gently pushed water toward her with his fingertips.

Ross sat on the blanket and watched from a distance, but he decided that he couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t stay alone on the beach. Ross jogged across the sand and asked, “Can I play, too?”

“There’s plenty of Lake Michigan to go around.”

“I never knew it was this beautiful.” As Ross sat in the shallow water beside Puck, he yelped, “This water is cold! The two of you must be cold-blooded.”

“Oh, get over it. Addie’s a tough girl. She could handle it. You won’t even notice in a few minutes.”

Puck was right. A few minutes later, they were all splashing with each other. Puck lay back on the sand letting the gentle waves lap up against his legs. He held Addie up with her feet bouncing against his belly.

Ross said, “You know what? I wouldn’t have believed it a year ago, but now I think dreams come true.”

“I think you’re right, but first you need to know what the dreams are.” Puck sat up, and he let Addie sit on the sand at the edge of the water. She looked content for a few seconds before splashing her palms into the water and laughing as the droplets landed on a surprised Ross.

“I look at you and Addie, and I think about all of our friends at home, and it feels like all my dreams are coming true. Every single one of them.”

Puck rubbed Addie’s back. “I think at first after Miranda died, I forgot how to dream. I spent that first couple of months behaving like a robot. I took care of Addie, and I didn’t do anything else. When I slept, it was like I was curled up in a black box of nothingness except for the few nightmares. I saw Miranda lying in that hospital bed way too many times in my dreams.”

Ross reached out for a hug and nearly crushed Addie between them. “Do you have dreams now?”

“Oh all the time,” said Puck.

“What do you dream about?”

“Addie growing up. I dream about all three of us in our own house. I dream about working all around the house on little projects. I dream about trips like this. I have a special dream where you’re wearing a handsome black tux.”

Ross blushed. “I wonder what that one’s about.”

“I had a great dream about Miranda three nights ago. I meant to tell you, but then it was time to feed Addie, and the day was off and running. Most of the time I forget the details of my dreams pretty fast, but not this one. I think it will stick with me.”

Ross stopped splashing in the water with Addie. “What was it about? Is it okay if I ask? I know that I’m nosy all the time.”

“Of course. I would never hide my dreams from you. Anyway, I was eating dinner at the table with you and Addie. She was laughing and pounding her hands in her high chair making a general mess of everything. You were trying to feed her some kind of mushy green baby food. It was like everyday life until Miranda appeared.”

“She joined us during dinner? Wow, what happened?”

“She leaned over and kissed Addie on her cheek. I started to speak to introduce her to you, but Miranda held up a hand to stop me.”

“Did I say anything?”

“You kept your attention on Addie. It was like you didn’t know Miranda was there.”

Ross asked, “What else did she do? Anything?”

“After she held up her hand, she stepped over to me, and she leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, too. I could feel it. I wasn’t like when you can push your hand through something in a dream, and it’s not really there. I could feel her lips on my face. I think it was the first time I’ve ever felt any physical contact in a dream with Miranda since she died.”

Ross started to reach out for a hug again, but Puck waved him off. “I’m okay. I’m almost finished with the story, too. Then we can go get some ice cream and let Addie smear it all over her face.” He laughed softly.

“How did it end?”

“After she kissed me, she backed up a few steps. I watched her staring at all three of us. She smiled. It was a relaxed smile, and it calmed me down. Without thinking, almost automatically, I reached my left hand out across the table to curl my fingers together with your right hand. I held my right hand against Addie’s cheek and looked at Miranda.”

“Wow, that sounds intense. I’m getting goosebumps on my arms.”

Puck shook his head. “No, I was completely relaxed. As I looked at Miranda, she nodded. She stepped backward about another ten feet, and then she waved. I knew she was saying goodbye. Okay, thinking about that part gives me goosebumps, too. Look.”

Ross reached out and rubbed Puck’s forearm.

“Then she faded. She didn’t walk away. She faded into the wall or something.”

“Did you cry?”

“I wasn’t sad. That wasn’t the mood. It wasn’t like a final goodbye. It was more like she was saying you’ve got things to do with the people you love, and I’ll see you later. You squeezed my hand in the dream, and I woke up.”

“That’s beautiful.”

“It was. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better dream.”