Epilogue
Three Months Later
Franny was in the bakery talking to Albennie and Lia over coffee, marveling inwardly at how much Albennie looked like her old self. Even though she’d only been kidnapped a few days, she’d come back looking skinny and haunted.
These days, she looked like she had before. Strong and sure and happy.
She didn’t talk about the kidnapping, and the police still only knew that whatever Albennie had been involved in was related to a federal case, but the people who’d wanted her were all behind bars. Where they belonged.
As long as she was safe, that was what mattered.
So life was good, and Franny knew how to appreciate that. Especially with her book almost done.
The bell on the door jangled and all three women looked to see Royal striding in. He wasn’t in uniform, but he had his serious cop expression on.
“God, he’s hot,” Albennie muttered before he made it over to them.
“I know,” Franny said with a grin. “And all mine.” He even spent most nights at her place now. He volunteered for the Hope Town sector whenever he had the chance.
Three months had been exactly what Franny had always hoped a real, adult relationship might be like.
Not perfect, not always romantic. Solid.
Real. Nothing she could write in a book because it was cooking meals together or drinking their coffee or arguing on which team had the better starting rotation.
They were building something like her cousins had with their significant others, and that filled Franny with all kinds of hope.
“Bragger,” Lia muttered. “Except who wants a cop?”
Before Franny could answer that, Royal linked his arm with hers. No greeting. Just: “We have to go.”
“Where?” she asked as he pulled her along, a little worry fluttering low in her stomach.
“Brooke’s having the baby.”
“Oh!” Worry turned to excitement. Except…she shouldn’t be coming with. She’d spent more time with Brooke and Zeke since she and Royal had been dating, but this was still…a family thing.
“Brooke probably doesn’t want non-family in her hospital room. It’s a sacred place, Royal.”
“Zeke said it was okay. His brother and sister are going to be there with their kids and everything. I can’t face a baby alone, Franny. She’s going to want me to hold it.”
“Him, Royal. The baby is a boy.”
“Right, right. See, that’s why I need you.
” She liked seeing him flustered, because he only ever was about truly wonderful things.
And she thought…maybe someday they’d get to a point where good things and babies and building families didn’t fluster him so much, and she wanted to be around to see that.
Maybe she had lots of dreams about the future, but she didn’t need everything to happen at once or quickly. In fact, it was nice to just enjoy dating somebody. While Rosalie grew her baby, and Audra planned her wedding, Franny was getting to know her boyfriend.
And apparently his new nephew.
ROYAL WAS GLAD he’d dragged Franny along, because he didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do in the waiting room, waiting for updates.
But Franny chatted with Zeke’s family and in-laws.
She entertained Zeke’s brother’s toddler and had a very serious discussion about Taylor Swift with his brother-in-law’s teenager.
Because she just had a way about her.
When Zeke came out to the waiting room, everyone was desperate for an update.
“Baby’s here,” he said, raking a hand through his hair like he couldn’t quite believe he’d said those words.
“Brooke’s…amazing. Everything’s great. She wants to see Royal first.” Zeke looked as unsteady and winded as Royal had ever seen him—and he’d seen him face down men with guns.
“You come on too, Franny. We’ll do the families one at a time. ”
Royal didn’t stiffen at the word families like he once had. Maybe Franny wasn’t his family, but he liked where they were going. And luckily, in the moment, he could focus more on other people’s babies than his own stuff.
Zeke led them down a hall and into a room. Royal immediately crossed to his sister sitting in the hospital bed, a little bundle wrapped in her arms.
Everything that had been stacked against them from the start didn’t matter now. She’d brought life into this world. His sister was a mother, and he knew she’d be the best one in the world.
Brooke smiled at him, tears in her eyes. “Well, hello, Uncle Royal.”
“Heya, Chick.” He pressed an uncharacteristic kiss to her forehead, relieved she looked happy and whole. He peered down at the little baby and its—his—red and scrunched-up face.
“Royal.”
He looked back at Franny’s tight voice. She was looking at some little card on the bassinet thingy. He squinted at the card. It read It’s A Boy, and then underneath had all the pertinent details written out.
Like name. “Campbell Royal Daniels.” He looked back at his sister, emotion clogging his throat. “Hell, Chick. What did you do that for?”
“Because our names mean something. Something good now. Because we fought for it. And I hope he never has to fight for anything,” she said, looking down at the tiny baby in her arms. “But if he does, he’ll have some fine examples.
” She smiled up at him, tears glimmering in her eyes. “Now sit down so you can hold him.”
“I told you she’d make me,” Royal muttered to Franny as they moved over to a little bench under the window. He was unsteady, unmoored and so…damn happy.
Yeah, their names meant something now. Something good. Something brave.
Zeke brought the bundle over and Franny instructed Royal how to hold his arms. The baby was so tiny. A little fluff of nothing. And yet the biggest, brightest thing in the world. His little nephew.
“Oh, Brooke, isn’t he just the handsomest little thing?” Franny said, running a finger along one of the little wrinkles on his forehead.
“Yes,” Brooke said emphatically.
They stayed a little while. Royal was happy to hand the baby back to Brooke. He was determined to be a damn good uncle and involved as hell, but…maybe a little less hands on until the baby firmed up a little bit.
He walked out of the hospital hand in hand with Franny. “Thanks for coming with me. The moral support was appreciated. But now you have to be there every time I’m forced to hold him before he gets old enough for that not to be terrifying.”
She smiled at him. “Anytime.”
They reached his car, but he didn’t let her go. In the fading autumn light, he kept her hand in his. She looked up at him quizzically.
There were better ways to do it, to say it, but it was this moment that gave him the courage he’d been lacking for a while now. That his sister had built a family. That he’d…come to this moment. Where he had a life and some peace and too much good to deserve.
But that just meant he had to take it. “Franny, I love you.”
She looked up at him, didn’t say anything right away. Sometimes he thought he knew exactly what was going on in her head, and sometimes he didn’t have a clue.
As the silence stretched out, he didn’t have a damn clue. Especially when a little nervous flutter started up in his chest.
“Well?” he finally demanded, because what the hell? Why had he done this in a hospital parking lot? He should have planned it out. He should have… Made sure she was going to say something back.
But she just stared at him. “Well what?”
“Aren’t you going to say something?”
She inhaled, then slowly let the breath out, still staring at him with all that vibrant green. “I was trying to think of…the right thing to say.”
“It’s pretty damn simple, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and no.” She reached up, put her hands on his cheeks, like she was about to let him down gently, and he didn’t know what the hell to do with that.
Well, he’d… He’d figure out a way to fix it. He could be patient. Maybe she wasn’t ready yet, and that was okay. It would be okay. He’d make it okay.
“You are my hero,” she said very seriously.
“I hate it when you say that,” he muttered, trying to move his head out of her grasp, but she held firm.
“I know. But I don’t think you’ll hate this. I love you too, Royal.” She pushed up onto her toes and pressed her mouth to his. It was a sweet kiss, and he could have deepened it, but… He pulled away.
“What the hell did you put me through the ringer for?”
She laughed, and he loved the sound of it. Loved her. Even if she had just about scared him to death.
“I wasn’t trying to. I was trying to enjoy the moment. Commit it to memory. Savor.”
He grunted in irritation, but she kept her arms around his neck and that wasn’t irritating at all.
“Just think, when Campbell is like fifteen, I’ll be able to say, your uncle told me he loved me for the first time the day you were born. And then, because he’ll be a teenager, he’ll be like, ‘ew, gross, why would you tell me that?’ And we’ll both have a good laugh.”
Royal couldn’t imagine anything fifteen years down the line. Certainly not that little wisp of a baby being a teenage boy, but he liked the part where Franny was by his side still. Laughing.
Yeah, that was pretty much perfect.