Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
The curtain to the back yanks open, War filling the space, only momentarily before Tova is pushing him out of the way, Zero right behind her, going for Cosima.
"I had it under control," Cosima tells Zero.
"I miss everything," Tova huffs.
“I’ll get this.” Rochelle pulls the curtain back into place. The sales lady appears unfazed by this and doesn’t utter a word as Rochelle closes the curtain.
“That’s a lot of blood.” Tova presses her hands to her cheeks. I wiggle, and Ronan places me back on my feet but doesn’t release his hold on me. I don’t want him to either. We might be safe, but my mind is still catching up to all of this.
“I think the blood makes the dress better.” Cosima shrugs, smirking. I swear it’s like déjà vu. I know one thing for certain: We girls will never be allowed to go on a shopping trip together again.
“Is everyone okay?” I turn my attention to Ronan. His big hand cups my cheek.
“Yes, you did it. You caught him.”
“We did it.” A sweet ache forms in my chest.
We, I, was part of a team, a family. One that will always be at my side. It hits me that when I marry Ronan, both Cosima and Tova will be my sisters. All of them will truly be my family.
I am done hiding and running. I’m a Marino now. The way Ronan and I found each other may be a little crazy. But you know what they say, Finders Keepers. I am Ronan’s, and he is mine from now until eternity.
Epilogue
RONAN
MANY YEARS LATER
If I thought I had my hands full with my wife, then I’m in over my head now. Our baby girl is a mini Ellie but more rough and tumble around the edges. That much is clear with how she is already doing coding projects with her mom that I still can’t understand and then rolling around in the dirt with the cousins.
She is a clone of her mother with her wild red curls and freckled cheeks, but there is me in there too. That protectiveness I always have over the two of them she too has over all of her family members. Even if it means whacking a few of her boy cousins with a stick to get them to break up one of their fights, and she is only four.
Mackenzie is going to be a beautiful handful, that’s for sure. She’s been that from the start. I don’t care what any of them say, Mackenzie is the brightest and smartest out of all of the kids. Ellie agrees, and this is why we only have her and have no plans for a second child. Why would we when we have perfection already?
I brush a curl out of her face. Mackenzie is pretending to be sound asleep with her head on my chest. Not sure I can handle a second child. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking loved seeing Ellie pregnant and seeing that first sonogram. Until she started getting further along.
Then I was consumed with worry over childbirth and the pain. My little fox hates pain, and there are a million things that could happen. For once the tables had turned, and I was the one barely keeping my shit together while Ellie was as cool as a cucumber. Even when she was in labor. I swear there isn’t a thing my wife can’t do.
I slowly stand, sticking with the charade of Mackenzie being heavily asleep, and carry her over to her bed. When I reach to pull the blanket over her, I see one eye pop open but quickly close. I don’t smile, allowing her to think that she's pulled one over on me. I’m sure she’s up to something, and soon enough we will all find out what it is.
“Night, sweetheart.” I kiss her forehead before exiting her bedroom to head back downstairs. We are at the farm this week, and it appears we will be staying out here more often. We built a house out on the land.
Sure, we could have stayed in the main house; it's big enough, but Ellie and I enjoy our space and alone time. We also have a place in the city that gets used less and less. Ellie might not be hiding from the world anymore, but she still has her father in her. Who also will come out to the house and stay for visits. He’s not a fan of the city at all.
The last time he went into the city was when I handed Nick over to him. Not sure how it all played out, but Nick ended up dying in a car accident not long after. Frank didn’t give me details, and I didn’t ask. That's one of the things I like about Frank: Neither of us will push for more information than is necessary. If you want to give it, you will.