Later, as the crowd began to thin, General Warner stood beside me.
“He never told you, did he?” he said softly. “He didn’t want to worry you. But he made sure we knew… just in case.”
“He was everything to us,” I said.
The General nodded. “He was everything to us, too.”
Katie ran over, breathless. “Mom! Did you see me dance?”
I pulled her into a hug. “You were amazing. Your dad would be so proud.”
As we stepped outside into the cold night, she squeezed my hand.
“Can we come again next year?”
I smiled.
“Yes. We’ll be here. And so will Dad.”
Above us, the stars felt brighter somehow. And for the first time since losing him, I understood something clearly.
