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the sun was making its way down, casting shadows over the track.
    Their pace wasn’t as fast as it had been before the trip to Mexico, but it felt good. Ashley sucked in a deep breath. She liked the way the cold air filled her lungs. Back when she was pregnant with Cole and later with Devin, she had wondered about the women who said they never felt better than when they were carrying babies. But this pregnancy was different. She was at peace with God and her family, energetic and strong and healthier than ever.
    So maybe this would be the little girl she and Landon had rarely talked about, the one that would complete their family. She was even carrying the baby differently, lower than before. She drew another long breath and glanced at her sister. “You feeling okay?”
    Kari kept walking, but she pressed one hand to the small of her back. “I’m fine. Just tired. I’m not sleeping great.”
    Concern rippled the calm waters in Ashley’s heart. “Just the baby . . . ?”
    “I think so.” Kari made a face. “This one seems to be permanently lodged on my bladder.”
    Ashley didn’t want to pry, but she had to ask. “You and Ryan—everything’s okay with the two of you?”
    “Definitely.” Her eyes softened, and her smile crept up her face. “I love him more now than ever before. He’s busy—coaching football and working on his side business, helping former pro athletes find life after sports. But his first concern is always me. Whether I need help with Jessie and RJ or if I just need an hour nap.” She peeked around the stroller and checked Ryan Junior. Then she looked at Ashley again. “I don’t know what I’d do without that man.”
    Ashley sensed it again, the wonderful feeling that all was right with the world. She felt fantastic, the afternoon air was invigorating, and she and her sister were married to a couple of good guys, men who took their roles seriously, who made life one incredible love story.
    All that, and they were about to have babies at the same time. Ashley looked up, beyond the distant trees to the sky. Thank You, God, for this season in life. You led Kari and me through the storms, and now You’ve blessed us with lives that seem too good to be true. Thank You, God. . . .
    Daughter, in all things I work for the good of those who love Me.
    The verse filled her head sure and clear, and it made Ashley hesitate before moving her feet again. She’d read it before, of course. But mainly in times of trial. So why here, now, in the midst of the happiest time in her life, would that verse be the first to fill her mind?
    Cole and the two girls whizzed past on their bikes, with Cole in the lead.
    Maddie was shouting after him, “We’re still warming up! This isn’t the race, Cole!”
    Ashley watched them, and a chill passed over her arms. Was God trying to tell her something? Was another trial waiting around the bend, or was the verse merely affirmation that after everything she and her sister had been through, this, finally, was the good God had worked out for them?
    “What are you thinking?” Kari’s voice was quiet, thoughtful. These walks did that to both of them—made them think about life, all that had passed and all that lay ahead.
    Ashley found her pace. “The future, I guess.”
    “Me too.” Kari ran her hand over her middle. “I can’t wait to go through the next years together. What a dream.”
    Again Ashley was quiet for a moment. “You ever wonder . . . whether we’ve ridden out the worst trials or whether there are more ahead?”
    “Sometimes.” Kari kept her focus on the distant track. “The other day Jessie asked me about her first daddy, whether she would know him when we all got to heaven.”
    “Hmmm.” Ashley kept her eyes on the kids, now halfway around the black oval. “You don’t talk about Tim much. Does Jessie know the details?”
    “Not everything. Just that before he died, he loved Jesus very much.” Kari straightened her shoulders. “I