A Hawk in the Night

Epilogue

(Nighthawk's POV)

5 years later.....

            I laughed as Marcie jumped on the bed, waking me up.

            "Get up, dad! It's Christmas!" she squealed with happiness. I got up and followed her downstairs. Donna and Olivia were already downstairs.

            "Merry Christmas everybody," I said as I saw them sitting around the tree. I sat down and watched them open gifts, and smiled contentedly while sipping my coffee. Did I still miss Ashla? Of course I did, but I learned I had to move on. I learned I could not shut off my emotions and shut out the world like I did after Charlie died. About a year after Ashla died I met Donna. About six months later we got engaged, and then two months after that we were married. We had our own little family. Olivia was three and Marcie just recently turned two. I smiled at their joy. This is what Ashla would want, I thought. She would want me to be happy. I smiled at that thought and at the thought of living the rest of my life with my beautiful family, and knowing that with them, there was only one thing I would be, and that was happy.