committed.
In his bedroom, he sprawled on the bed until the right spot left him feeling like a starfish lying on a cloud.
He took the familiar steps, one by one, until another realm opened, and he stepped with fake confidence into the unknown.
Unsure of what to expect, he was unprepared to find his way blocked. The entrance to his vision cave was right there in front of him but out of reach. Something prevented him from moving forward.
A large stone appeared. He sat upon it and waited. Waited for what he sensed moving in the deep haze to be revealed.
Nothing happened. He was stuck.
Time crept by. Eventually, he had the sensation of a hand upon his shoulder. He reached up but felt nothing. Disappointment stabbed him in the chest.
“Oh, Arnie.” The voice speaking was familiar now. The sound echoed in his vision cave and made him shudder.
The gentleness and love in his mother’s voice took away his breath.
“You won’t find what you seek this way. Look closer.”
The voice trailed off to a whisper of nothing. He contemplated what “look closer” meant.
In no hurry to be on his way, he waited a little bit longer because after all, one never knew what might occur. Maybe Merlin would reveal his big, bad self so Arnie could write a book about it and become famous.
The legendary wizard didn’t make an appearance, but a glowing golden angel did. She floated by and stopped. He was sure the golden angel giggled.
Arnie blinked, or he imagined he blinked. The angel smiled. She twinkled her fingers, and said, “Hi.”
He tried to answer, but she raised her hand and blew something in his direction. Colors swirled. He was inside a pulse of energy.
“See you soon.”
“No. Wait,” he cried out. “Who are you?”
The angel giggled again. “Gotta go. It’s my time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nine fourteen,” she whispered before everything went dark.
Feeling as though he fell from a great height, Arnie reconnected with the real world when his body jerked to life.
He sat straight up, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Every square inch of his body felt like it had been pressed between the rollers of a wringer.
Rolling off the bed to stand, his eyes caught the clock on his bedside table. The digital display read twelve fourteen. His mind did the calculation automatically.
It was nine fourteen in California.
An enormous arrangement of pink flowers filled her vision when Summer’s eyes opened. She’d dozed off after she and the baby were moved from delivery to a private room. The last thing she expected was Reed at her bedside.
“Hey, twerp. Sorry I missed the big entrance, but after Bud called, it took me a while to get here.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “She’s beautiful, Summer. How are you doing?”
She grimaced. “I’ll let you know when I come back into my body.”
“Now that the little one is here safe and sound, I just gotta tell you I’m going to kill that motherfucker when I find him.”
“You can’t,” she scolded. “No matter what else, he’s her daddy.”
Reed straightened and looked into the bassinet. Summer understood his anger, but Ari sort of changed everything.
“Bring her to me.”
She watched her stoic big brother melt like butter when he held the precious pink bundle and exclaimed with wonder in his voice. “She’s so little.”
“Ergh.” She snorted. “Tell that to my hoo-ha. Not so little considering the mechanics at work.”
She might as well have been speaking Latin because he didn’t hear her. He was too busy falling in love at first sight—uncle style. Letting him have all the time in the world, she watched with a heart full of love as they bonded.
“Hey, there, Arianne. I’m Uncle Reed. Welcome to the world. There’s a whole bunch of really cool people who love you and your mom, and I just want you to know straight off that if the going ever gets tough, I’m here for you. Okay?”
He kissed Ari’s little face. Summer etched the sight in her memory.
Time held no meaning as her beautiful child and complicated brother began the journey of a lifetime. Reed reacted with astonished delight when Ari opened her eyes as he wove an engaging tale about the Warren ancestors. He went on and on about their dad and how he lost his father when he was just seven.
For the first time, she also heard the full history of their granddad, Harmon Warren. As was common for young men of his generation, Harmon was ROTC in college and took his civilian