Epilogue
Madison
“I’m flying!”
She opened her eyes and shielded them from the bright sun. It was chilly outside with summer ending and autumn beginning, but the sun was still warm.
“Mom, I’m flying!” James called out. “Push me higher so she can see, Uncle Murdock!”
Murdock was pushing the boys on the newly installed swingset that looked more like a training ground than anything else. Murdock and Wyatt had insisted that the boys would love it, and they’d been right.
Their only concession had been the smaller equipment specifically for the baby and a hammock that Ellie had wanted to read in.
“Any higher and you’ll need a chute,” Murdock grumbled.
“Hey, Dad, can we have smores now?” Jackson called from the dirt.
Kyle looked at Maddy and she could see the pride on his face as Jack called him Dad. Ellie and Jack had both started that shortly after Kyle had started spending the majority of his time at their house—as much as he could anyway while still being there for the guys.
Madison felt a profound sense of responsibility towards these men who had become like family to her. She resolved to keep trying, to find ways to reach out to them, to help them heal.
She loved them, not just as protectors or friends, but as brothers.
“Aw, let ‘em have the smores,” Helen said, breaking her chain of thought and waving her hand dismissively. “They’re just baby teeth, they’ll fall out anyway.”
Maddy grimaced and shook her head at Kyle. “They’re on the counter if you want to go get them.”
They were at McClellan’s Hope for a few days as Kyle had some meetings lined up with business owners in town, including Christian, about setting up jobs for the guys who might want to work.
John added more hardwood to the fire, and she caught him staring into it a little too often this afternoon. He seemed a bit more zoned out these last few weeks, and even though he was generally happy and easygoing, she knew he was dealing with something that he hadn’t spoken to her about.
Kyle hadn’t been able to get it out of him yet either, and he was worried.
Murdock and Wyatt traded places, with Wyatt pushing Jackson, and as James pedaled by on his bike, Murdock lifted him off. The bike crashed to the ground and Murdock carried the boy off into the house, protesting.
“Should I be worried?” she asked Kyle.
“Nah, Murdock and Helen bought the kids Nerf guns to tide them over until they are old enough to shoot real ones.”
Maddy shook her head. “Couldn’t they just, I don’t know, play with Legos or make mud castles or something?”
John looked at her like she was crazy. “Are you joking? Legos aren’t even in the same league as Nerf guns.”
“Whatever,” she said.
Kyle set the tray of dessert down and picked Emmie up from her stroller.
Madison’s heart warmed as he blew on her chubby baby cheeks and made her laugh. Helen sipped her beer and smiled. “Now that’s a fine man right there. It’s lucky for you that I’m old, otherwise I might have gotten to him first.”
“Are you supposed to be drinking?” Maddy asked her.
The old woman laughed. “Pshaw, that doctor doesn’t know anything. You know what he said to me? He said I need to exercise more and eat healthier! I tell you what, I’m thinking about going somewhere else. He can’t be more than thirty. I doubt he knows what he’s talking about.”
John laughed and started cooking marshmallows, and soon, the boys and Ellie ran back out shooting everything in sight with soft neon-green darts.
“Kids, don’t forget, your Momma and the baby are neutral. No shooting,” Murdock warned.
“Yes, sir,” Ellie said, and then James shot him in the side of the head, making the big man pause.
Everyone froze.
“I’m going to get you for that,” he growled, chasing after the cackling boy.
Kyle sat beside her on the chair, his hand on her knee. “Maddy, I’ve been thinking…I want to adopt them after we get married. If that’s okay with you.”
Grinning, she teased, “Is that your idea of a romantic marriage proposal?”
Kyle looked slightly sheepish, a blush creeping up his cheeks. “I guess I didn’t exactly ask, did I?” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
She laughed, the sound light and joyful. “Nope.”
Nearby, Helen, who had been sipping her beer and enjoying the scene, chimed in. “Better make it a real doozy of a proposal to make up for this presumption, young man,” she said with a wink.
Kyle smiled, nodding in agreement. “I promise, it’ll be something special, something just for us.”
She smiled, her heart more full than she could ever explain to him. “That would be more than okay.”
He picked up her hand and kissed it, and they watched their family enjoy the last of the summer sun.
Aiden wheeled up beside them, his face splitting into a grin. ”You know, I”m thinking of setting up an obstacle course for the kids next week. Give them a taste of the Special Forces life. Might be a good time to practice with my legs outside in the grass.”
Neil, who had been helping Wyatt with the last of the s”mores, chuckled. ”You do realize they”re just kids, right? Maybe start them off with something less... intense?”
Jace, coming back from smoking a cigarette, disagreed. ”Nah, let”s go all out. I bet Ellie can outmaneuver all of us in a week”s time.”
“Speak for yourself there handsome,” Helen said. “I’m still as spry as ever…if you catch my drift.”
Maddy winced and Jace snorted, shaking his head.
As the evening wore on, the kids eventually tired of their Nerf escapades and gathered around the fire, eagerly listening to Aiden”s exaggerated tales of his military exploits, Neil”s stories of survival in the wilderness, and Jace”s rare but captivating accounts of his trips all over the world.
In these moments, with laughter and stories under the stars, Madison felt a profound sense of gratitude.
They had all come through so much, and now, here they were, surrounded by love, laughter, and a sense of security that only a family—whether by blood or by bond—could provide.