Epilogue #2
I was headed to the break room, desperate for a cup of coffee. We had been out on a call, and when we got back to the fire station, I’d cleaned my gear and showered. We’d missed lunch, so I was hoping there would be some sandwiches waiting.
Martha waved me over, and I walked closer.
“Just a sec,” she said into the phone and handed it to me. “I think this is yours.”
Confused, I took it. “Hello.”
“Officer Thorne, it’s Lila.”
“It’s not officer,” I corrected her for the hundredth time. “Just Jesse is fine, Lila.”
“You have a burglar.”
“What?”
“Someone is trying to get into your house.”
“Are you sure it’s not my wife?” I asked her. Lila got confused sometimes, even though she knew Casey, who often brought her soup and baked goods.
“I don’t think your wife needs a ladder to get into the house.”
“A ladder?”
“Yeah. Someone’s been up and down the ladder for hours, pulling rope with them.”
“Pulling rope,” I repeated slowly.
What the hell?
“It lights up,” she said.
My breath caught. Rope that lights up. As in Christmas lights.
As in the Christmas lights Casey got so excited over and ordered.
Burglar, my ass.
“Thanks, Lila. I’ll take care of it.”
Chief Fleming came out of his office. “Casey at it again?”
I rolled my eyes. She was a legend here.
Breaking in the first day, the tree incident, the time she decided she could hang another set of wind chimes outside the window by stretching really far and almost falling out of the window.
I’d barely caught her, grabbing her pant leg as she began to go over the ledge.
I would never forget the sight of my wife disappearing through the open window.
I thought she’d learned her lesson.
“I have to go help.”
Chief grinned. “Let’s take the truck. I can get you there faster, and since it’s electric, she won’t hear you coming. I want to see the Jesse and Casey show.”
I tried not to laugh. What a show it was.
“Done.”
We pulled up to the house, Casey not even looking since the truck was almost silent. She was climbing onto the porch roof, a string of lights clutched in her hand. The porch was fully lit up, telling me she’d been busy.
Chief chuckled. “Determined.”
“Fucking stubborn.”
He clapped my shoulder. “That’s what you get for falling for an independent woman.”
We got out of the truck and walked across the street. Chief waited as I climbed the ladder.
I reached the top, meeting Casey’s guilt-filled expression and wide eyes. She didn’t reply to my question.
“Casey?” I demanded. “Tell me you’re not up on the roof hanging lights when there is a threat of freezing rain, you’re alone, and you are strictly forbidden to climb ladders.”
“I’m not up on the roof hanging lights or any of the other things you said.”
Below me, Chief chuckled. I glared at her.
“I, ah, I didn’t hear you,” she said. “I’m almost done.”
“No. You are done. Give me the lights.”
“I only have the gable…” She trailed off. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“The kind of surprise I like from you is a pot roast with extra gravy.” I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “Or finding you naked in our bed. Not on a roof.”
“At least I’m not naked,” she quipped.
Once again, Chief started to chuckle.
“Who is that?” she asked, obviously too afraid to peer down.
“My boss.”
“Oh shit,” she whispered, handing me the lights.
I dropped them down and held out my hands. “I got you. Come to me.”
She let me pull her to the edge. “Can you step on the ladder, or should I carry you?”
“Um…”
“Carry, it is,” I snapped. “Close your eyes.” I reached over, wrapping an arm around her, and hoisted her onto my shoulder.
“Good form,” the chief called.
“This feels familiar,” she complained. “I still don’t like it.”
“You’re lucky the chief is here, or I’d smack your ass.”
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said merrily.
I climbed down and set her on her feet. She swayed a little, and I put my arm around her, pulling her close. “Jesus, Casey, you’ll be the death of me. I’ll put up the damn lights tomorrow!”
“I wanted to surprise you,” she insisted.
“How’d that work for you?” I snarled.
Chief laughed. “Don’t be too hard on her.
I remember when the missus and I were first married.
She wanted to decorate everything. She coerced the guys at my station into bringing the truck around for a smoke alarm check, then had them hanging lights on the evergreen tree out front using the ladder.
I came home to find four guys in my tree and lights everywhere. ”
Casey’s eyes went wide, and she looked at the evergreen by the driveway. “That would look?—”
I cut her off, swinging her back on my shoulder. “Nope. Not happening,” I growled. Ignoring her indignant gasp, I shook the chief’s hand. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
“Stay here. I’ll send the boys home with your truck. I think you have enough to deal with here.” He guffawed again. “Lou taught this one well.”
He stepped into his truck, still laughing, and drove away.
I swatted Casey’s ass. “You are such trouble, and I’m angry.”
I turned and headed for the house. I swatted her again. “You never learn. You could have been hurt.”
She stayed silent, but I felt her shiver.
In the house, I stood her on her feet. “What were you thinking?” I raged.
“I just wanted to surprise you. I knew I shouldn’t have gone up just before you got here. I was trying to figure out how to get down when you showed up.”
That dampened my anger a little.
She lifted her eyes to mine. “All I felt was relief when I heard your voice. I knew I was safe then.”
All my ire dissipated at the sound of her confession. I pulled her into my arms. “I almost had a heart attack when I saw you.”
“How did you know?”
“Lila called.”
She sniffed. “I’m not making her soup anymore.”
I smiled into her hair, knowing she would.
“I’m sorry.”
I pulled back and kissed her head. “No more. I’ll finish the lights. It’ll take me ten minutes.”
She smiled. “Really? Oh, I love you!” She flung her arms around my neck.
“But I’m hungry,” I griped.
“I’ll go make you sandwiches while you do the lights. And fresh coffee.”
“Cookies?”
“Yes.”
I turned and headed out, then stopped. I was supposed to be angry. Yelling. Laying down the law. Not going and finishing the lights. I turned back and looked at her. “Did you just play me?”
She smiled. “I love you. About that tree?—”
“Not happening!” I roared and stomped out.
I cursed all the way up the ladder, knowing that very soon, in the near future, I’d be hanging lights in that fucking tree.
Because if I didn’t, she would. And God knew what would happen then.
But I was making the chief help me.
Payback was a bitch.
Two years later
My phone buzzed with a text, and I grinned as I read it.
I need ice cream.
My pixie always needed ice cream these days.
I swung into the grocery store parking lot and texted her back.
Anything else?
Her reply was swift.
Some spicy Doritos would be good.
I laughed as I slid from the new SUV. Her cravings were wild and changed daily. Ice cream and Doritos were a better combination than the peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Sort of. As long as she didn’t use the chips as a spoon with the ice cream. I shuddered thinking about it.
On it.
Bag in hand, I got home, admiring the house as I pulled up. It happened every time. It was even better than I had imagined it when I had bought it from Lou. The double doors were welcoming, the porch back to one long expanse.
And of course, the wind chimes that hung on either side of the steps, singing their song, as my wife called it.
Inside, I stopped in the central hall, dropping my keys in the bowl.
Above the table was the picture of Lou and Gerard that Casey had redone.
In the corner behind glass were their wedding rings.
Casey had artfully placed the smaller ring inside the larger one and added some wild flowers from the garden to set them off. It was sentimental and perfect.
I turned at the sound of the little thumps, smiling as our latest additions to the house tore through the living room to greet me.
Because why not adopt a new kitten and a puppy weeks before a baby was set to arrive?
Wojo barked, excited and overstimulated as usual, his tail going so fast he was almost toppling over.
Catfish, or Fish, as we called her, trotted behind him, never far from his side.
She was solid gray with a white stripe on her face, giving her a comical look.
Wojo was a mixed breed. Small, covered in gold fuzz, and talked a lot.
They’d been brought up in the same house and put up for adoption at the local pet place.
Casey saw them, fell in love, and because it appeared I couldn’t deny my pregnant wife anything, they became ours since Casey couldn’t bear to separate them.
Barney and Miller accepted them easily enough, and now we had a partial cast from the ’70s sitcom, with Wojciehowicz being represented by a furry, yappy little dog and Fish by a slow-moving gray cat.
The names were Casey’s idea and, again, no was an impossibility. Besides, it was rather cute.
I bent and scratched ears and tummies, then headed to the kitchen, knowing my wife would be there, waiting.
She was at the table, her feet propped up, bowl ready. I bent and kissed her, then sat on the chair, lifting her feet to my lap. I tried not to react as she scooped ice cream, then did use the spicy chips as a spoon, biting into the strange concoction and sighing in happiness.
“I can get you a spoon,” I offered dryly, knowing she would refuse it.
“No. This is delicious. You should try it!”
“I think I’ll pass.” I rubbed her arch, and she moaned in appreciation.
“How’s our girl?” I asked, leaning over and pressing a hand to her well-rounded stomach, hoping to feel a kick.
“Happy,” she replied, indicating the bowl in front of her. “So happy.”
I laughed, and below my palm, I felt movement.
“Do that again,” Casey encouraged me.
I did, and once again, I felt the press of a foot or hand.
“She likes your laugh.”
I winked at her. “She better get used to my scowl. I’m going to be a tough parent.”
Casey lifted her eyebrows. “Ha!” she snorted. “Right.”
Just then, a loud crash came from the living room.
“What now?” Casey muttered, not looking concerned.
“Sounded like the end table.”
She nodded, continuing to scoop chocolate-cherry ice cream into her mouth and munching the Dorito spoon.
Neither of us was particularly concerned.
Everything edible was locked away or up high.
Breakable items were out of reach. We’d replaced expensive wooden pieces with plastic until the “babies” calmed down.
We learned quickly they’d decided “chase each other” was a great game, and it didn’t matter what piece of furniture they had to push out of the way to beat whoever was chasing them.
Usually, it was Miller, Barney watching from the back of the sofa, a look of boredom on his face.
He preferred sleeping and snuggling to frantic exercise.
“I finished putting all her clothes in her room,” Casey said, finally finished with her snack.
I put away the ice cream and helped her from her chair. “Show me. Then you can have a nap.”
“Will you lie down with me?”
“Yes.”
Four weeks later, I held my daughter. Small, red-faced, and not happy to be out in the big world, she emitted shrill cries that hurt my heart. She quieted as I held her, staring down at the miracle we’d made. Casey was exhausted but smiling, looking at us from her bed.
“She’s perfect, Pix,” I murmured, bending over to kiss her. “So are you.”
She grimaced, and I helped her shift. “I feel bloated and ugh. But happy.”
Our daughter pursed her lips as her eyes shut, her little cooing noises making me smile.
“We have to name her.”
“Thorne Jr.”
I frowned. “Not sure she suits that.”
“I dunno,” Casey muttered. “She’s done nothing but scowl since she was born. I’m not sure how I am going to handle a mini-you.”
I chuckled.
“She even looks like you.”
She did have my coloring, although I hoped her eyes stayed blue and her hair darkened like Casey’s. She was surprisingly long for a baby, and I wondered if she would be tall.
“You were thinking Daisy. I kinda like that.”
She smiled. “It would be pretty. Daisy Thorne.”
“What about Daisy Luella Thorne?” I asked gently, knowing my wife would be emotional. “After the woman who brought us together.”
As I suspected, tears welled in her eyes, but Casey smiled. “I’d like that.”
I slid our daughter into her arms and sat beside her, one hand covering Daisy, the other holding my wife’s hand.
“Welcome, Daisy Luella. You are already so loved.”
And for the first time, she smiled.
It might have been gas, but I decided it was a smile.
And I was sticking to that decision.
Thank you so much for reading MY FAVORITE HERO.