Epilogue #2
Ciela and the rest of his S.W.A.T. team were making the rounds of the structures on the toddler playground. They weren't hogging the equipment. Instead, the S.W.A.T. team were helping the other children to climb on and over the features, including the massive caterpillar play structure.
It was... eye-opening to see these highly trained law enforcement officers playing with the toddlers in the play area. Some of them on their knees.
As much as he wanted to laugh at his coworkers, he realized that he wanted to be in the thick of it.
Duval felt Noelle's hand on his lower back. "Go," she lifted her chin in the direction of their daughter, "go wild, McCrae. I know you want to."
Clapping his hands together, he gave Noelle a look, raising his brows at her.
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand for him to go.
* * *
NOELLE
When she reached the table, she found West handing over their daughter to Tracy.
It hadn't taken long for her to realize that the leader of the S.W.A.T. team was a big ol' softy when it came to his wife and daughter.
Tracy saw her coming and gave the bench seat beside her a gentle pat.
Noelle sat down beside her new friend to watch the show unfolding at the toddler play area.
"Look at these nutcases."
Noelle saw Tracy's ear-to-ear smile. "It's pretty strange to see them playing like this."
Tracy shook her head. "You've seen them act like toddlers before," she sighed, "but this time they're not in uniform."
Noelle covered her mouth and tried to smother her smile.
"Don't bother hiding it," Tracy lifted her chin toward the play area and they saw McCrae running slowly across one of the open areas with Ciela tucked under his arm as Dally chased them, his hands held up like claws.
"They're all business when they need to be, but when they can, they're just big kids. "
Noelle leaned an elbow on the table and laid her chin down on the back of that hand. "I can't believe how easily McCrae fit into our lives."
Tracy nodded and reached for the buttons on the front of her blouse as the baby let out a soft, hungry cry. "I fought falling in love with West quite a bit."
Noelle frowned at her words. "You? What happened?"
With the practiced ease of a mother accustomed to hands on care of her baby, Tracy parted the front of her blouse and the baby latched onto her breast.
"My father wasn't just an absentee dad, my mom and I had nothing to do with him for years. He wasn't just married to his job," she explained, "he was obsessed with it. When I met West, I was dead set against dating a man who worked in law enforcement. Even more for a Texas Ranger."
"Ah," Noelle lifted her chin, wondering, "your dad is a Ranger?"
The realization hit Noelle like she'd just run into a clear glass patio door. "Chief Fagan, right?"
Tracy nodded. "Yes."
Noelle nodded. "Your underlying bone structure is similar."
Tracy smiled as she rocked her baby. "Can't deny the DNA..."
"But it looks like West got around those barriers."
"You know it." Tracy grinned. "The more I got to know him, the more I realized that Weston was different than my dad. He was different from a lot of men out there. He's the best man I've ever known... He's the man I can count on, no matter what."
"I think I know how you feel," Noelle's smile softened as watched Duval collapse into the grass with Ciela laughing in his arms.
As Dally loomed over them to 'catch the princess,' Duval wrapped his arms around her and put his much larger form between their daughter and the dragon... or whatever Dally was pretending to be.
She had no doubts that McCrae would do that to protect Ciela without fail.
He'd done the same for her when she had been held hostage by Tony Coolidge.
It was instinct, pure and simple.
McCrae might look stoic when he was at work.
Some even called him gruff or cold, but she knew the man under the carved physique and hard stare. She'd seen him read bedtime stories. She'd seen him clean and bandage a cut with tender care.
And when Ciela was at her most boisterous, demanding to play and climb all over him, he'd born the noise and activity with a warm smile and almost seemed to enjoy the play as much as Ciela did.
"So..." Tracy leaned in with a curious gleam in her eyes, "when is the wedding?"
Noelle bit into her bottom lip and blushed. "We're already married."
Tracy's jaw dropped open.
Before she could say a word about it, Jack flopped down on the grass in front of them. "What's going on?"
Noelle smiled at the S.W.A.T. officer.
Jack was like McCrae in a lot of ways. They were both hard on the outside, but softer on the inside.
"Those assholes wouldn't let me show CeeCee how to kick their asses."
Noelle grimaced before she could hold it back. "W-what?"
Jack shrugged and pulled the elastic out of her hair.
"CeeCee heard that I'm a bouncer. She thought I was some kind of...
of a gymnast or something. I said I'd show her what I do when I work at the bars and Duval threatened to kick my ass if I did.
" Jack rushed on. "He didn't use those words, but I got the gist." She sagged back onto her elbows, pouting as much as Jack could pout.
"I wasn't going to show her how to crack a guy in the nuts or anything like that.
I was just going to show her a few helpful moves if someone tried to grab her up off of the street, you know? Helpful... self-defense stuff."
Noelle couldn't help but smile at that. "We'll talk about that later. I'm sure McCrae jumped to conclusions. He's super protective of her."
Jack grinned at her words. "Super protective is something that man always is. But with CeeCee?" Jack whistled through her teeth. The man is practically a caveman!"
She lifted her chin toward Tracy. "Can you imagine what he's gonna be like when he knocks Noelle up?"
Noelle choked on air. And Jack jumped up to give a soft series of pats on her back.
"Sorry."
Noelle lifted a hand to wave her off. "I... I'm okay. I just..." She tried to think of what to say. They hadn't discussed what to say to people and this day? This day was about Ciela. "I'm not-"
Jack waved her off. "No worries. I talk too much. I say crazy stuff. I'm still surprised West hasn't tried to boot me off of S.W.A.T. yet."