“No,” I said. “Let’s name it after Evelyn. She is the reason we fought so hard.”

“I’ll start drafting the incorporation papers tonight,” Naomi said, smiling.

I thanked her and climbed back into the sedan.

The sergeant drove me back to the hospital.

The maternity ward was quiet when I arrived, the halls dimly lit for the evening shift.

I walked into the nursery, my boots clicking softly on the linoleum.

Evelyn was awake, her tiny fists waving in the air.

The nurse smiled at me as I approached the crib.

“She’s been waiting for you, Colonel,” the nurse whispered.

I picked her up, holding her close to my chest, breathing in her sweet, clean scent.

“We’re safe now,” I whispered to her. “Nobody is going to take anything from us again.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out, assuming it was Naomi with a confirmation of the legal filing.

Instead, it was an alert from the secure military line.

A number I didn’t recognize, but with a military country code from overseas.

I swiped the screen.