Page 52 of The Marine's Homecoming

"Calvin Dorsey," the first deputy says when he reaches us, "you're under arrest. Please place your hands behind your back."

Dorsey sets the lemonade cup on the railing carefully, like he's putting down a drink at a party, then turns and places his handsbehind his back as they read him his rights and cuff him. I stand back gloating, feeling confident that this was the right move, and all I can think about is how glad I am that the man is getting locked up.

Dorsey looks at me over his shoulder as they walk him up the pier. I hold his stare until he turns away. The deputies put him in the back of an unmarked car at the far end of the parking lot and the car pulls onto the main road.

I stand at the end of the pier watching Hannah jog up. She's panting when she finally stops next to me. "Did they just—" she starts.

"They got him," I say. "It's done."

She holds both hands over her mouth as her eyes well up and then drapes her arms around my torso. I pull her close and rest my chin on top of her head.

"It's over," she says into my shirt.

"It's over," I repeat, wondering what we're supposed to do now. I've heard of relationships that are pulled together through trauma and this is definitely one. But what do we do now that the trauma is over?

When she pulls back her cheeks are wet but she's smiling. She wipes her face with the back of her hand. "Come on," she says, grabbing my hand. "People are going to want to talk to you."

She's right. Word has already spread across this small town festival, with varying degrees of accuracy. Tank meets us first and wraps me in a bear hug that makes my ribs creak.

"I knew that guy was dirty," Tank says, holding me at arm's length. "I told you, didn't I?"

"You sure did, Tank," I say, though he's not the one who made me believe this. I already knew it in my gut, but I'm grateful for good friends who help me see the light.

Margaret has that look of gratitude and joy on her face. Mr. Brooks stands with her holding a birdhouse, but his expression is somber. It feels so good, yet so painful, to stand in front of them knowing our past. It almost feels wrong to ask them to give me their approval to be with Hannah after what happened with Nick.

"Luke," Margaret says, taking both my hands. Her eyes are wet and her chin is trembling. "Thank you for protecting my daughter and this town."

"It was the right thing to do, Mrs. Brooks," I say.

"It was more than that and you know it," she says, squeezing my hands. She's right. I would've done this anyway, but knowing Hannah was here meant I knew I couldn’t fail. Hannah means everything to me now.

Mr. Brooks steps forward and extends his hand. I take it thinking he just wants a shake, but he holds it firmly instead. "You're a good man, Luke," he says. "I haven't always thought that. I want to be honest with you about that." He holds my eyes. "But I was wrong, and I'm man enough to say it."

My throat constricts and I have to look at the ground for a second. "That means more to me than you know, sir," I say, letting go of his hand.

"You know," Mr. Brooks says, turning the birdhouse over in his hands, "I've been thinking about the new pier. Margaret and I have been talking about it. That waterfront's going to bring in a lot of business now that it's at full capacity."

"It certainly will," I say.

"We've been kicking around the idea of opening something down there," he says. "Maybe a small restaurant, or a market where the fishing boats can sell their catch directly to tourists." He looks at Hannah. "Your mother and I have some savings put away. With the festival showing what this town can do, it feels like the right time."

Hannah's hand tightens on my arm. "Dad, are you serious?" she asks.

"I'm always serious about business, sweetheart," he says. He holds up the birdhouse and looks at it. "If I can spot craftsmanship in a birdhouse, I can certainly spot an opportunity on a brand-new pier."

Margaret laughs and shakes her head at him. "He's been talking about this for two weeks," she tells us. "I told him to wait until after the festival."

"It is after the festival," Mr. Brooks says. "Technically, we're still at the festival, but the hard part is over."

"We'd love to have you on the pier, Mr. Brooks," I say. "Whatever you want to set up, we'll make it work." This makes my heart swell. Knowing I've had even a small part in helping Nick's dad want to jump back into business again feels like a miracle. I'd say we've come full circle.

He smiles at me. "Call me Rick," he says.

"Rick," I say, and I shake his hand one more time.

When I look at Hannah, she's got tears on her cheeks but she's beaming. Margaret wraps an arm around her daughter. Richard tucks the birdhouse under his arm and looks out over the pier,probably already picking out where he wants his new venture to be located, and inside I'm a wash of emotion. I feel exhausted by it all. I just want to take Hannah to my home and hold her until we both fall asleep.

I take one more look out across the festival grounds and know how proud Nick would be if he were here. I know life hasn't been easy but I'm doing it, and I'm making things right. Now if I can just convince Hannah that being with me is what she wants, I'll have made the progress I hoped to make.