Epilogue 1
Roque
T wo Months Later
The late afternoon sun streamed through the kitchen window of Sayla’s house, catching dust motes in golden light and casting long, warm shadows across the hardwood floors. Outside, the kids’ laughter drifted in through the open back door—Kairo and Kaida racing each other through the garden, their feet pounding over grass, their voices full of joy as Lynyrd and Skynyrd chased them.
Sayla leaned against the counter, sipping from her mug. I could feel her eyes on me before I looked up from the blueprint spread across the table.
“You’re staring,” I pointed out without looking up.
“You’re brooding,” she replied, smirking as she crossed the room and leaned in to peer over my shoulder. “That’s your ‘I have ten things to do, and I’m pretending to only think about one’ face.”
I chuckled, pulling her close with one arm. “You’re not wrong.”
The blueprint in front of me was the near-final draft of the extension that was being added to my house— our house. What’d started as a simple wall rebuild had become something bigger, a home worth restarting in.
“It’s nearly done,” I sighed quietly, running my fingers over the sketched outline of the addition.
Sayla nodded, her cheek resting against my shoulder. “I know. Took longer than we thought, but it’ll be worth it.”
“It will.” I kissed the top of her head and then flipped the page. “The plan is to be out of here in three weeks, maybe four. Final inspections, painting, all the last-minute crap.”
“I’ll miss having you all in this place,” she said. “But I can’t wait for the kids to see their new home.”
Outside, Kaida squealed with laughter as Kairo declared himself the fastest runner in the galaxy. The sound made something warm bloom in my chest.
The kids were thriving again. Back at daycare, with routines, friends, snacks, and naps. Things children were supposed to have—not memories of locked doors and painted windows. They didn’t talk much about what had happened anymore, but when they did, it was in little fragments. And when they looked at me or Sayla, it wasn’t with fear, it was trust.
The legal battles were still in full swing. Griggs, Russo, the corrupt officers, and half a dozen others were all in various stages of indictment and trial. Topper had survived the Hantavirus, sadly, and it’d turned out his criminal buddies were the ones who’d ensured he’d get it by injecting all of the bottles of water in his home with it. He’d also be standing trial for his crimes. Sayla and I would have to testify eventually, but we were removed from the day-to-day chaos for now. The justice system was slow, but it wasmoving, and that mattered.
And Palmerstown was rebuilding. Half the people who Griggs’s schemes had driven out had returned, accepting the town’s offer of restoration and new housing. The corruption had gone deeper than anyone imagined, but Ned, Hurst, and their teams had carved it out at the root. More arrests had followed in surrounding counties, and people slowly began tobreatheagain.
Hope felt real now—not just something whispered in the dark.
Even the CPS representative overseeing my guardianship of the kids had been rattled when they learned what had happened. But with Ned Dahl in our corner—and the mountain of documentation showing how hard we’d fought to keep the kids safe—they backed off.
And now, it was official—Kairo and Kaida were mine. No more paperwork. No more inspections. Just family. The governor had worked hard and made miracles happen for us.
Sayla turned in my arms and looked up at me, brow raised. “You going to tell them?”
“Not yet,” I hedged, smiling a little.
Only a few people knew what I’d decided. Once the house was finished, I was done with the police and done chasing ghosts and politics and red tape. I’d seen enough darkness to last ten lifetimes.
It was time to live a life that didn’t revolve around it.
One filled with morning cartoons and muddy footprints, pancake breakfasts, books read by flashlight under the covers, movie nights with popcorn disasters, and afternoons like this—just the four of us, sun-washed and safe.
“Let’s get you guys home,” Sayla whispered as if reading my mind.
I smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We are home.”
And this time, it was true.
Sayla
Three Weeks Later
The sky was still glowing faintly pink by the time I pulled into Roque’s driveway. My headlights swept across the front of the house— their house, now fully rebuilt, extended, and shining with the quiet promise of a new start. The freshly painted porch railings caught the last of the sunlight, and I sat there for a moment, staring at it.
My chest ached in the best and worst way. We’d gotten here— they’d gotten here—after everything, and I was happy, so happy. But beneath the joy was this soft, slow crack forming down the center of me because they wouldn’t be living with me anymore.
No more sleepy morning cartoons with Kaida curled in my lap or Kairo wandering into the kitchen in oversized socks to ask questions about everything from dinosaurs to dreams. No more toys tucked into the couch cushions or mismatched sippy cups drying by the sink. No more Roque brushing past me in the hallway, his hand trailing across my back without even thinking about it.
This was a good thing. Itwas. But still, it hurt.
I turned off the engine and got out, gripping the little paper bag of their favorite muffins I’d grabbed from the café on the way. The air smelled like grass, sawdust, and the faintest hint of leftover paint.
Roque had asked me to come after work and said he’d grab the kids from daycare since I had to stay late. I’d smiled and agreed, but I’d felt this low hum in my chest all day, like anticipation and dread wound tight together.
The porch steps creaked under my shoes, and I knocked once out of habit, then pushed the door open.
And the second I did?—
“Sayla!” Kaida’s voice rang out like a bell.
She came barreling around the corner, her hair in two tiny puffs and a crooked sticker on her shirt. “Shwek’s there!”
Before I could respond, Kairo appeared behind her, clutching a piece of paper with scribbles and bright colors.
“Sayla, look! I drawed this,” he squealed, running over to show me, his little feet slapping on the hardwood.
I crouched down just in time to catch both of them—Kaida launching into a hug around my neck and Kairo bumping into me with his drawing, already talking over himself. “I drawed it for you.”
That soft, careful boy who used to watch everything like it might vanish was still there, but now he laughed more freely and talked without being asked. He was still serious in the way he looked out for Kaida, still attentive, still him —but he wasn’t holding back anymore.
And that nearly undid me right there on the floor.
I hugged them both tightly, breathing them in. They smelled like home—like apple juice and sunlight.
Roque appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed and that small, crooked smile on his face. The one that always melted me a little.
“Hey,” he greeted, voice low and warm.
I looked up, blinking fast as I smiled. “Hey, it seems like they’ve been waiting for this.”
He nodded. “We all have.”
Kairo tugged on my hand. “See my room. I got a light with stars.”
Kaida was already pulling on my arm, too, nodding furiously.
I laughed and stood, letting them lead me through the house, now rebuilt into something better and stronger. Even if I didn’t live here,part of me always would because some loves didn’t need to be measured by walls or addresses. Some loves justwere.
It still fucking sucked, though.
I was still on the floor with the kids, Kairo proudly waving his drawing in front of me, and Kaida wrapped around my arm when movement in the hallway caught my eye.
Roque stepped out of the living room, and in his arms was?—
“Oh my God ,” I laughed, covering my mouth as I stood. “You got anew dog?”
Then I paused, narrowing my eyes as the squirming, curly-furred creature let out a high-pitched yip and wagged its entire body.
“Or… is it one of your dog-cats?”
Kaida, still hugging my leg, pointed helpfully. “Dog.”
From the hallway, a long, annoyed meow sounded, followed by Dog's slow, dramatic entrance—slinking in like he owned the place and was very unimpressed with all of us.
Roque grinned and crouched, placing the squirmy fluff ball on the floor. The moment its little paws hit the hardwood, the puppylaunchedtoward me like it had already decided I was its person.
“Hi—oh!” I scooped it up just before it face planted into my shoe. The apricot-colored fur stuck out in every direction, soft and curly like someone had tried to brush it and gave up halfway. The puppy licked my face furiously, tail wagging so fast it was a blur.
I laughed, full and loud. “He’s adisaster, I love him.”
Roque stepped closer, hands in his pockets, eyes warm. “He’s going to be a therapy dog for the kids.”
I blinked, looking down at the pup nestled against my chest.
He nodded toward Kaida and Kairo, who were already trying to pet the puppy’s wiggling back legs. “Lynyrd and Skynyrd are great but set in their ways. They love the kids, but they’re not wired to track their moods or respond to emotional changes. I wanted something thatis. A dog that can be trained to recognize when the kids are overwhelmed or anxious, and help ground them.”
I looked back at the little dog in my arms. He had the softest eyes and the biggest paws, and he was a total baby. “What brought this on?”
Roque shrugged slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Saw a post online about a kid and his therapy dog—this goldendoodle— that helped him through panic attacks. I didn’t even finish the video. I just… yeah, I knew I wanted one for the kids.”
My throat tightened. The kids were seeing a therapist about what’d happened, even though they hadn’t had any issues, but I loved that he was prepared for their future like this, too.
He smiled, stepping closer. “He’s already ours, and he knows it.”
The puppy sneezed, then licked my chin again, like he agreed completely.
Kairo giggled and patted the puppy’s ear. “He’s squishy.”
Kaida added, “Smell like peanut butta.”
Roque laughed. “That’s because he fell in his food bowl earlier.”
I shook my head, still smiling. “So, does the new chaos maker have a name?”
Roque raised an eyebrow. “I figured we’d let the kids name him.”
Immediately, Kairo shouted, “Nugget!”
Kaida shouted, “Butta!”
The puppy barked, pissing Dog off enough into leaving the room with a haughty huff.
“What about Zeppelin?” I offered, sticking with the classic rock theme Lynyrd and Skynyrd had already started. “Or Jett, Floyd, Sabbath, maybe even Aero?”
Roque's brows climbed halfway up his forehead. “Have you been thinking about getting a dog?”
I shrugged, trying to look casual as I glanced at the kids. “What can I say, I think in band names.”
Kairo tapped his chin thoughtfully, then looked at Kaida. “I like Zep,” he said softly.
Kaida nodded instantly, clapping her hands like it had been her idea all along. “Zep! Zep!”
Roque chuckled, reaching down to rub the puppy’s fuzzy head. “Zeppelin it is, Zep for short.”
I snuggled the bundle of fluff closer and kissed his soft, warm head. “What breed is he again?”
“Miniature Goldendoodle,” Roque replied, watching me with that easy smile of his.
“How miniature is miniature? I thought Goldendoodles were huge.”
Roque shrugged. “He’ll be as big as he’s gonna be.”
It made absolutely no sense, but also, in a weirdly Roque way, it madeperfectsense.
Then something caught my eye, a glint around the puppy’s neck that was too shiny to be a regular collar tag. I frowned and gently shifted his fur aside to get a better look.
The tag wasn’t blank. Two simple and clear words were etched into it.
Marry Me
My breath caught, and slowly, I looked up.
Roque was no longer standing. He was kneeling on one knee on the floor, his eyes locked on mine with that same soft steadiness that had pulled me in from the beginning. Kairo and Kaida stood on either side of him, both holding small velvet ring boxes like they were guarding treasure. Kairo looked proud, but Kaida looked like she was about to explode with excitement.
I blinked, stunned. “Roque…”
“I was gonna wait until we moved back in,” he said, voice a little rough. “But when I saw you with them, withhim…”—he nodded at the wiggling puppy in my arms— “I just knew. You already love all of us like we’re yours, and we are yours, Sayla. Every day, in every way, if you’ll have us.”
Kairo stepped forward and opened his box with a shaky but determined hand. Inside was the ring—simple, elegant, perfect.
“Will you marry me?” Roque asked.
My eyes burned, my heart was racing, and my whole body felt like it was holding back tears, laughter, and joy all at once.
“Yes,” I whispered. Then louder, with a breathless laugh, “ Yes .”
The kids squealed, Kaida nearly knocking over her brother as she jumped in place. Roque stood and caught me just as I reached him, his arms wrapping around me tightly, with the puppy squirming between us.
I kissed him right there, with the kids giggling, a puppy barking at our knees, and a ring still waiting to be slid onto my hand.
It was imperfect, chaotic, andcompletely us, and it was everything I’d never dared dream of finding. At this stage in my life, I realized that imperfection was our perfection, and I loved it.
Then Kaida came forward and opened her box, showing me the necklace with the three names of my new world. The feeling of being complete reached a new level.