I sat up in bed, a smile on my face. My heart pounded with excitement. Sunlight, not moonbeams, shone through the window. I'd slept past dawn these last few months. Instead of Daddy dying, I'd dreamed of driving across the wild west with Tyler in his bright orange Mustang convertible.

The National Park pamphlets Tyler had given me were now as worn as the 21 questions we'd passed back and forth in school. We'd mapped out our entire road trip across the continental United States with push pins at the must-see sights. So much for spontaneity.

I jumped out of bed and quickly completed my morning routine, being careful not to wake Hannah. I descended the stairs, grabbed a live pink rose from the crystal vase on the kitchen table, and put the wet stem behind my ear. I burst out the back door and decided to take the long route around town to burn off all my excess energy.

I jogged to the end of the block, turned left on to Pear Avenue, and then right to King Street. Enjoying the warm sun on my face and the steady beat of my feet on the street, I sprinted past the small brick church that my family faithfully attended every Sunday and through the empty parking lots of the junior and senior high schools. I couldn't wait to attend the winter formal with Tyler on Saturday. Shawn had asked Melaney, but she hadn't said yes. Yet.

After checking both ways, I crossed Mahogany Street and then trekked up the steep hill and down the dirt trail through the woods, taking deep breaths of the fresh morning air. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting golden speckles on me and the ground. At the elementary school, I followed the gravel path next to the winding creek through the park past the tennis courts and the baseball fields and past three blocks of houses to Harmony Cemetery where Daddy was buried ten years ago.

"Hi, Daddy." I plucked the pink rose from my hair and placed the flower in the granite vase. "We finally got our justice. The man who switched the blood results was fired and charged with tampering with evidence yesterday, but Mrs. Price won't be arrested. I should've read ahead in my business law textbook. The statute of limitations for manslaughter is nine years."

I took a deep breath in and out, slowly exhaling all the air from my lungs. "I wanted her to go to jail for killing you, but at least she's in rehab, thanks to Tyler. I hope she gets better for his sake." I knelt in front of Daddy's headstone and traced the name etched in the polished gray marble: James Allen Austine. Born on August 8. Died on December 18. Today was the tenth anniversary of his death. "I'm trying to forgive her, and I'm trying to forget about the crash, so I can move on."

Memories of the day Daddy died came flooding back, but only the good ones. Catching snowflakes on my tongue. Hopping into Daddy's pumpkin-orange Camero. Feeling like a princess in Cinderella's carriage. Daddy telling me not to forget him.

I'd kept my promise.

I missed my daddy, but I was blessed beyond measure to have my hybrid family, my best friends, and my boyfriend in my life.

"I love you, Daddy. No matter how much I dream about a happy ever after with Tyler, I'll always forever remember you."

Holding on tight to the happy memories, I leaned down and inhaled the sweet scent of the pink rose. Forgiveness was much sweeter than revenge. I stood up straight and headed home, leaving the painful past behind and looking forward to my hopeful future.