The Lucky One

by Nicholas Sparks

  Zeus wandered here and there, sniffing and exploring as he usually did. Ben trailed behind, as he had ever since Zeus had arrived. Ben had always loved the dog, but after Zeus had saved him in the river, it had become impossible to separate them. Zeus seemed to recognize what he had done--or at least, that was the only way Beth could explain it--and in the dog's mind, they were now bound together. At night, he slept in the hallway outside of Ben's room. Stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night, Beth often spotted Zeus near the bed, checking up on his beloved companion as he slept.

  Loss was complicated, and she and Ben both struggled with its aftereffects. She felt sometimes that their memories wreaked havoc with their grieving, for despite the heroism that marked their ordeal, their reminiscences were not always rosy. But when all was said and done, Keith Clayton would be remembered by her with unequivocal gratitude. She could never forget how he'd carried her when she fell that day. Or that in the end, he'd died trying to save their son.

  That counted for something. That counted for a lot, and despite his other failings, that would always be how she chose to remember him. She hoped for Ben's sake that he would also come to remember him that way, without guilt and with the certain knowledge of Keith's love for him, so elusive in his life to that point.

  As for her, Logan would be waiting when she got back home. He'd offered to go with her to the cemetery, but somehow she knew he hadn't really wanted to go. It was the weekend, and he preferred to spend the morning puttering around the grounds in solitude, repairing things and working on Ben's new tree house in the backyard. Later, they planned to decorate the Christmas tree. She was getting used to his rhythms and his moods, recognizing the quiet signals that telegraphed who he was. Good and bad, strengths and faults, he was hers forever.

  As she pulled into the driveway, she spotted Logan coming down the steps from the house, and she waved.

  She was his forever, too--imperfect as she was. Take it or leave it, she thought. She was who she was.

  As Logan walked toward her, he smiled as if reading her mind and opened his arms.