Epilogue
“Approved!” the judge said, slamming the gavel, emphasizing the judgment.
Mia leapt to her feet, wrapping her arms around Freddy so tightly that he squeaked, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
Evangeline stood with renewed agility, pulling noisemakers from her oversized purse like a magician producing doves.
She blew one, spinning the streamer in her hand gleefully, the sound filling the otherwise quiet, decorous courtroom.
Raffe rose more slowly, also grinning, and placed a reassuring hand on Freddy’s shoulder.
It wasn’t exuberant, it wasn’t loud—it was steady, the quiet presence of a man who had chosen to stand with this boy forever.
Freddy leaned into him instinctively, his smile somehow widening further as he looked up at his now-official father.
Jenny was wiping at her eyes, though she tried to hide it. She pulled Freddy into a hug that nearly swallowed him. “Congratulations,” she whispered, her voice quaking with emotion. Freddy whispered something back and she laughed, hugging him even tighter.
Judge Joe Carson and his assistant, Mary, both clapped, their smiles lighting the room. “Congratulations,” they echoed warmly, clearly savoring the rare opportunity to see something purely good happen in their courtroom.
Evangeline, never one to let a tender moment linger without adding to it, clapped her hands sharply. “Enough tears. We’re going out for pizza! Freddy’s favorite. And no one is allowed to complain about the amount of cheese.” Her grin was triumphant as she looped arms with her great-grandson.
No one argued. They filed out together, the oddest, happiest family, heading to the parking lot where Evangeline began loudly dictating the address of their favorite pizza place. Freddy was already debating toppings with her, his voice bubbling with laughter.
Raffe reached for Mia’s hand, tugging her back gently. She blinked up at him, surprised, her brows lifting in question.
“What’s…?” she started, but her words died when she saw the look in his eyes. That raw, unguarded love.
“Thank you,” he murmured. “I love you more every day.” His gaze drifted to where Freddy and Evangeline walked arm in arm, laughing together. “I didn’t expect to love you, or your grandmother, or Freddy this much. But I do. More than I thought could be possible for me.”
Mia’s throat tightened. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek to his chest. “Is that so?” she whispered, her voice trembling with happiness.
“Yeah,” he murmured, kissing the crown of her head. Then he stroked a reverent hand over her lightly swelling stomach. “And knowing Freddy’s going to be a big brother soon… that’s the cherry on top of our sundae.”
Mia’s eyes misted as she smiled, going up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his.
“You’re pretty amazing too, Agent Moretti,” she teased softly.
Then, with a laugh, she tugged at his hand.
“Now come on. We have to make sure Nonna doesn’t order pineapple pizza.
She doesn’t even like it. She just does it to torture me. ”
Raffe shuddered dramatically. “Pineapple on pizza is a crime.”
“Exactly!” Mia laughed.
Hand in hand, they raced down the courthouse steps, chasing after their laughing family, ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.
A note from Elizabeth
Raffe and Mia’s story was supposed to be a short novella.
When I started writing the plot, Mia was trying to escape her father’s cruelty.
Freddy and Evangaline weren’t in my mind.
And then…things happened. I wish I could tell you how Freddy and the mischievous Evangaline were created, but they just sort of “happened”.
But I absolutely fell in love with both of them.
Freddy’s hope warmed my heart. And Evangaline’s evolution from a lady to a naughty elf made me laugh as I wrote her scenes.
Thank you for coming along on this ride with me! Here's a quick link to the review page. Thank you in advance!