“You sure about this?” He eyed Magic from under the bill of his ball cap.
Doc cleared her throat and sipped her drink before staring at the ground.
Magic nodded. “This is the way we fix the past, Owyn. I’m sure. And I want you with me on this.”
Owyn kept rasping his hands together, clearly overcoming some internal struggle. He glanced at Doc, frowning hard enough to make shadows on his face.
It seemed like forever, but finally he nodded.
Magic breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then. It’s settled. Ouachita has a new way of doing things.”
Sounds of agreement filled the circle around the fire, and Magic looked on. These were good people. He didn’t know what the future held for them and the lodge, but he knew it would be better than their past.
And that was the beauty of living. No matter where you came from or what you’d been through, there was always a chance for more. A sorry, a second chance at redemption, a change for the better. There was no limit as long as you kept breathing.
As long as you kept breathing.
He held out his hand to Josie and she fit her palm in his where it belonged.
“For Mandi,” she whispered, and he couldn’t love her more.
“For Mandi.”