Chapter 30
Oliver stood outside the dorm door as Charity said good night to Ramzi and Kofi. The day had been exhausting, and he wanted to get her tucked in as much as she wanted to ensure the boys were all right. Oliver had seen the way Ramzi and Kofi handled themselves as they gave their statements to Agent Meckle and the police. He’d also witnessed how they’d been attentive to the needs of the other kids taken from the Halstons’ house before social services assumed responsibility for those who were underage. He’d already let both boys know how proud he was of them.
He and Leo had reported back to Carson, and he was glad to let the Keepers know that the boys and Charity were fine other than some bruises. He was shocked when Ramzi told him that Charity had leaped on Cory’s back and clawed him. In truth, the emotion he felt then was a whirl of pride, fear, and the need to wrap her up and keep her safe.
As Charity joined him in the hall, George patted her arm. “Helen and I will keep a close eye on them, but I think they’ll sleep just fine. Now, you go do the same.”
Nodding, Oliver led her through the center and up to her apartment.
“I’m not sure I can sleep,” she moaned as he nudged her into the shower.
“Then I’ll just have to make sure you do,” he promised, gaining a smile from her as he stepped into the small shower with her.
As he washed her off, he clocked every bruise, wishing he could shoot Cory all over again. Holding in his anger, he focused on lathering her body and hair. Once rinsed off, she was yawning. They lay together, and he pulled the covers over them.
She rolled toward him, her eyes barely open. “I really want you to make sure I sleep well.”
“Babe, you’re exhausted?—”
“Not too exhausted,” she protested.
Holding her gaze in the moonlight, he grinned. “Well, okay. Looks like I have a job to do.” He rolled over, settling his hips between her open thighs. Kissing her deeply, he shifted upward, his body reacting to hers. They moved as one until they came simultaneously, their bodies and minds in sync. And it felt like he’d found home.
* * *
Three Months Later
Oliver carried the last box from the U-Haul into the house, setting it down in the living room. At least it will be a living room once all the boxes are unpacked so that he can actually sit on the furniture. Looking around, he grinned. Oh, yeah… sit on the furniture... feet on the coffee table… eyes on the TV. He heard Charity’s and Natalie’s laughter coming from the kitchen and shook his head as his grin widened. Sit on the furniture with Charity… her head on my shoulder and her feet resting over my legs propped on the coffee table.The TV on but our eyes on each other. He liked that image much better.
Leo walked back into the house and clapped Oliver on the shoulder. “Did you hear about Landon?”
Oliver shook his head.
“He told Carson he’s taking time off from the FBI.”
Tilting his head to the side, Oliver asked, “What’s he going to do?”
“Carson told him to take a vacation. Get away. Spend some time out in nature and get his career re-centered. Someplace like Montana.”
Oliver stared at his brother, knowing more was being said than the actual words. And he figured he would find out when the time was right. “Well then, I hope he finds what he needs to.”
Leo nodded and looked out at the now empty trailer in the driveway. “Don’t worry about this. I’ll take care of it.”
“You don’t have to take it back to the rental place,” Oliver protested.
“No worries,” Leo said, then grinned. “Plus, I’ll use it as a chance to go to that dumpling restaurant that Natalie loves, so I get brownie points for taking her there.”
Laughing, Oliver asked, “Is that her new craving?”
“Bro, I can’t keep up with her cravings!”
“I heard that!” Natalie called from the kitchen.
The two brothers lifted their eyebrows as they glanced at each other. The expression mimicked the same one they’d often shared as kids when their mom called from the kitchen, having overheard their conversations.
“Come on, babe,” Leo called out. “We gotta take the trailer back and get you some dumplings!”
Oliver smiled as his sister-in-law entered the living room, her arm looped through Charity’s. He couldn’t deny that Natalie glowed, something he teased her about. But right now, in truth, Charity held his gaze captive by walking toward him through their house.
She slipped underneath his arm and smiled up at him. “Why do you have such a smile on your face?”
“What’s not to smile about? Bought a house. Moved in. Ready for all the good things in life to keep happening.”
“That’s a really good answer.” She laughed.
He bent to kiss her smiling lips before they walked Leo and Natalie outside. After hugs and goodbyes that seemed almost overkill, considering they would see each other often, they waved as Leo and Natalie drove down the street.
Standing on the front porch with Charity still tucked underneath his arm, he glanced around the older neighborhood. A neighborhood that was familiar to him.
Three months ago, when Charity was safe in his arms after he’d heard her screams as he raced toward the Halstons’ house, he vowed not to waste another moment. Some people would call it hasty. But he knew what he felt. Home, to him, was going to be wherever Charity was. When he asked if she would consider moving in together, she simply smiled and replied, “I want home to be with you.”
As they looked for a house to buy, he spent almost every night at her apartment, occasionally crashing at Leo’s. They had get-togethers with his parents, who adored her, parties with the Keepers, and lots of times just cuddled up in her little living room. He’d spent weekends at the center, getting closer to Ramzi and Kofi, and getting to know some other youth staying there.
One evening, when he and Charity sat in Leo’s backyard, Natalie looked over and said, “In case you’re interested, I have a real estate lead for you.”
He’d bemoaned not being able to find exactly what they were looking for, so he was willing to take any lead his sister-in-law thought was good.
Three months later, he and Charity stood on the front porch of the house they bought. A modest two-story brick colonial with a white picket fence.
As he looked across the street and down three houses, Leo and Natalie’s house stood, ready to welcome their baby. He couldn’t think of a better home or neighborhood for him and Charity to live in, one day raise kids in, and he hoped, to grow old in.
While Charity now had to drive thirty minutes to work instead of just walking down the steps, she found a young couple, both social workers, who were thrilled to take over her apartment at the center. She now used her commute to listen to audiobooks and sip her coffee out of a new collection of travel mugs with ridiculous sayings.
Months ago, when he left the Army, if someone had asked him to describe home, he would’ve snorted, rolled his eyes, and given a lame description. But now, as he walked inside with Charity under his arm, Blessing’s words still remained in his mind.
“...good food and warmth, the touch of a friendly hand, and a talk beside the fire. It is the time for home.”
* * *
Three Years Later
Oliver parked outside Bright Future’s Home, barely having time to appreciate the changes. Charity was able to increase the number of youth she could assist when the city donated the neighboring building. Bright Futures now included medical services and drug counseling.
The front door opened, and he watched as his wife pushed through the doors, her beautiful face made even more beautiful by the wide smile on her lips as her gaze met his.
They’d married two years ago in a small ceremony. Since his mom had been thrilled to plan Leo and Natalie’s wedding, she was also excited to step in to assist in planning for his wedding. He and Charity had exchanged vows in a simple ceremony at the base of the lighthouse, with the sun setting over the water crashing against the rocks below.
Now, he hopped out and hurried around the front of his SUV to open her door. She immediately moved into his arms, and he bent to kiss her before assisting her into the passenger seat. He chuckled as her body vibrated and knew it was with excitement for where they were having their anniversary dinner.
It didn’t take long to drive to their destination. Parking, he helped her out of their SUV and walked her up the steps. Standing outside the door, he lifted his hand to knock, but the door swung open almost instantly. The scent of roasted meat and homemade bread wafted past, tickling his senses and causing Charity’s stomach to growl.
Laughing, he glanced down and squeezed her shoulders. “Skipped lunch?”
She crinkled her nose as she nodded, and then, as the door opened, she hurried inside the apartment. Oliver grinned as she threw her arms around the much larger man, offering a heartfelt hug.
“Kofi!” she cried. Then seeing the other young man move out of the kitchen, she hurried to him. “Ramzi!”
Oliver stepped in, following with heartfelt handshakes. Kofi was still wearing his uniform, Burrows Electrical emblazoned over the chest pocket. “I just got home, but Ramzi has everything under control. Give me a couple of minutes, and I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.” With a nod, he turned and headed toward the back of the apartment.
Turning back to Ramzi, Charity looped her arm through his, and they walked into the kitchen together.
Oliver took a moment to look around the apartment. It was small but had two bedrooms, and the rent was affordable, even being in a decent part of town. That was the one thing Oliver had insisted on when he helped the two find a place to live. The last thing he wanted was for them to be taken advantage of again. But he should’ve known both boys had their heads on straight when it came to what they wanted for their future.
Kofi and Ramzi stayed at the center until Kofi completed his GED, then completed his electricity certification and interned with Tricia. She hired him immediately, and he continued his electrical studies while earning money.
As soon as he’d obtained his GED, Kofi had lived in an efficiency apartment near the center, and Ramzi had moved in with him. Charity had fears for them, but both boys had said they didn’t want to take up a spot at the center that someone else could use. With close supervision, they made it work.
Having moved into the larger apartment a few months ago, Ramzi was almost ready to graduate from high school, including the culinary arts certification he’d received at vocational classes. He worked part-time in a restaurant and was planning on attending a culinary school after graduation.
As Oliver’s gaze shifted around the room, he noted there weren’t a lot of decorations in the apartment, but on the wall close to their television was a framed photo—a beautiful picture of him and Charity, flanked by Kofi and Ramzi with the sunset in the background. The boys had been thrilled to be invited to their wedding, and Charity had insisted on the photographer taking their picture.
Deciding to follow his nose, he walked over to the kitchen counter to see Charity bending over one of the pots on the stove, tasting Ramzi”s sauce. The young chef’s face was bright, and she had a wide smile as she declared it the best she had ever had. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned as Kofi, freshly showered and wearing jeans and a T-shirt, walked up behind him. A satisfied smile settled on his lips as Kofi gazed at Charity and Ramzi.
“Life treating you good?” Oliver asked.
“Couldn’t be better,” he said. “I have my brother, we’ve got a place to live, I have a girl I’m asking out for the weekend, and I have the best friends a man could ever want in you and Charity.”
Soon, the four of them were seated at the table, sharing a meal, stories, and laughter. Once again, he found himself at home. It wasn’t just where he and Charity lived—it was in his friends’ houses, with his parents, at the center, and even with coworkers in the compound under the lighthouse.
As he lay in bed that night, his mind was filled with the blessings he’d been given.
“Hey, you okay?” Charity whispered, drawing his attention back to the biggest blessing he’d received.
He grinned as he rolled closer and kissed her, finding home was even in her lips. “Oh, yeah. Life with you, good friends, and great jobs… damn near perfect.”
“Hmm,” she murmured against his lips. “Just near perfect? I’ll bet I can make it more perfect.”
Waggling his eyebrows, he pulled her closer. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. In about eight months.”
He blinked, staring down at her smile that had grown wider. Suddenly, understanding hit him. “Shit.” He rolled off her quickly. “You’re pregnant? Really?”
She laughed and pulled him back to her. “Don’t worry. You can’t squish the little bean just yet.”
As their lips melded in celebration, he knew that home would now include wherever their family was together.
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