Chapter Twenty-Five
Harlow
They carried the last few boxes out of the elevator and into Vanek’s room.
No, she corrected herself. Into their room. She was officially moving in, and it was now their place, no longer just his. Which is why there was now a wonderfully fluffy pillow on the bed. Vanek had grumbled about it for days, but she’d not relented. Not even after finding it hidden away in the corner of a closet after he’d claimed not to know where it was.
She loved her stubborn dragon, but he would just have to accept some realities.
“Okay, where does all this stuff go?” he asked, taking out knickknacks and the like, spreading them across the bed.
“Those go on that shelf in the main area that I had you set aside,” she said, pointing at a trio of reindeer. “Those two can probably stay boxed.”
“What’s this?” he asked, still unpacking.
Harlow looked up, her breath catching in her throat. In his hands was a worn envelope, the coloring turned from white to yellow with age. On the front of it was the simple scrawled word in a handwriting she recognized.
Harlow.
She shook her head, looking away as her eyes watered up. How had that made its way in there? She’d thought it was safely buried away somewhere.
Vanek came over to sit next to her. “Harlow? What is it?”
“It’s from my father,” she said, furiously blinking back the tears.
“Oh. Oh,” he said again as the importance of it registered. “Are you going to open it?”
Harlow went to shake her head negatively, but something stopped her. After all these years she’d avoided acknowledging the contents of the letter. She’d run and run, never settling down, never opening herself up to the pain. Never wanting to give him the chance to explain himself for leaving her behind.
But that was before. Now she had Vanek, her dragon mate, and her life was changing.
“Okay,” she said hoarsely, fingers moving unfeeling as she gently opened the old paper, careful not to rip the letter within.
The paper was old and crinkling, the lettering faded with age, but still legible.
Dearest Harlow,
I know this must be tough for you to understand, with me leaving like this, but I want you to know that it’s not because of you. My heart aches at the thought of the separation of the next four years, but I need you to know that this is something I have to do. I cannot simply sit by any longer and not do my part.
You’re probably too young to remember Uncle Ben. He was my brother, and he was killed six months ago by cowardly attackers, attackers who dislike our country and our way of life. They struck at innocent civilians, and many of them perished. I have to do something, Harlow, in his name, and the name of all those who died. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re older I promise I’ll talk about it with you until you get it.
For now, know that I’m not leaving forever. I’m coming back home to you and Mom. We are still a family, and after my four years are up, I’m going to be home forever with the two of you. You are more important to me than anything else, and I’m not going to miss your life as you grow up. I promise to come back. I’ll be there when you graduate high school. And college, if you choose. I’ll be there to walk you down the aisle, my love, if that day comes.
I love you, Harlow. I hope you can forgive me one day.
Xoxo
Daddy
The tears were falling freely now, and Vanek took the letter from her numb fingers before they could ruin the ink. Great heaving sobs racked her body.
“He wasn’t going to go,” she cried, almost wailing at the pain in her heart. “He was coming back.”
Vanek for his part said nothing, and just held her tight as her agony soaked his shirt.
“He was coming back. All these years,” she said, each word a challenge to get out. “I hated him. Loathed him for leaving us, for choosing a life of a soldier over us. And now I find out that he didn’t want it after all?”
She collapsed into more tears as hatred welled up. No longer was it directed at him, however, but at herself.
“How could I have done this to him?” she whispered.
“Hush,” Vanek said, his fingers caressing the side of her head as she stared into the abyss. “It’s going to be okay. I guarantee he understands. It’s not too late, Harlow.”
She sniffed hard, her nose stuffy and starting to run. “Not too late for what?”
Vanek kissed her forehead gently. “To forgive him.”
“I do, Vanek,” she said. “I do.”
I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m so sorry. All these years I hated you for leaving us, but I get it now. I do. It’s not your fault you didn’t come home. You wanted to, and I know that now. I forgive you.
Almost as soon as she thought it, a great wave of relief rushed through her, like trees sighing after a strong breeze faded away, letting them stand tall and straight again. Her heart beat with joy, and somewhere above she saw her father smiling down on her, waiting until the day he could
“I love you, Dad,” she said out loud as Vanek held her tight.
There had been a gaping hole in her life for so long, but now, now it seemed filled once more by the giant of a man at her side.
I know you wish you could be there, but trust me Dad, Vanek is going to take care of me just the way you’d want a man to. Rest easily, I’ll see you again someday.
She sat there for a long time, Vanek by her side, neither of them saying anything. They didn’t need to.
Eventually she slipped off into sleep, dreaming of parades and floats, and sitting atop the shoulders of her father as he laughed along with her.
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This concludes Dragon Devotion, Crimson Dragons Book 3.
I hope you enjoyed the adventure. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the book, anywhere from characters, to plot, to even the formatting of the book itself. I appreciate all feedback, whether it be reviews, on Facebook or via my website!
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