Epilogue

The garden at the Hale estate was filled with life and warmth, something that would have been impossible to imagine a year ago. Strings of colorful lights hung between the trees. A long table overflowed with simple but tempting food. At the center of it all stood a lion-shaped cake. It leaned a little to one side, but it had been made with love by Grandma Karen.

At the heart of that small universe, on a soft blanket, lay Ethan, a six-month-old baby lion. He was dressed in a fuzzy ...