“It doesn’t change my mind that a nonviolent world is the best world, but there are times when it’s necessary.” She would do anything to protect her child.
There was the sound of tires crunching in the snow and Nell felt her heart flutter.
Holly was on her feet in an instant. “They’re here. Give me Poppy and get up carefully.”
Holly should be studying nursing because she’d been all over her like one. Nell could already feel tears welling as she looked down at her baby. “Daddy’s home.”
Poppy gave her that smile that everyone claimed was actually gas, but Nell knew better. She passed her over to Holly and got to her feet as quickly as she could. Holly had been right about moving as much as possible. She was already walking better, and it was a good thing because she really wanted to run.
Tears were pouring down her face because she could feel him. She wasn’t sure why or how, but she could feel him close, and it was like she was warm again.
Stef was opening the door and then Henry was walking through, and he only had eyes for her.
“Nell. Nell, baby, I’m so sorry,” he was saying as he moved to her.
She shook her head and then she was in his arms. “No. I’m sorry. I should have understood. It doesn’t matter. You’re all right.”
She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating.
Henry stroked her hair. “I thought I wasn’t going to see you again. You did so good, baby. You did exactly what you should have.”
She sniffled and pulled back because they weren’t complete. Holly came forward and then Henry’s eyes went wide and he held out his arms.
“God, I thought I wasn’t going to see her again.” He took their daughter into his arms, cradling her gently.
“She missed her father,” Nell whispered.
“John Bishop has a kid. I never thought I would see the day.” Tennessee Smith stood in the hall, a smile on his face.
He wasn’t alone. They’d dropped Kayla off in LA, but Ian and Ten had chosen to stay and take Henry all the way home before making their way back to Dallas.
“I’m Henry Flanders,” Henry insisted.
This was what they needed to get right. “You’re both, and you need to feel free to be both, Henry. You’re the sum of all your parts, and ignoring the John Bishop part of your life didn’t work for us. You have to be okay with all of yourself, or how can we teach the same to Poppy?”
“I can work on that. I want her to be happy.” He drew Nell close. “I want you to be happy.”
He said it in an almost questioning way, as if he would walk away if she told him that was what it took for her to be happy.
That was the furthest thing from the truth. She needed him—all of him. “Seeing you safe makes me so happy. Having you home makes me the happiest. Don’t ever leave again.”
His lips kicked up. “I didn’t mean to leave this time.”
She glanced over at Ian. “Is it over?”
The big man gave her a nod. “We had a good talk and everyone’s agreed that Henry knows nothing.”
Everyone thought she was naïve. “Did you at least kill them in a humane fashion?”
It was Ian’s turn to grin. “If by humane you mean did I kill a dude, take his balls, and turn them into a chew toy for my dog, then yes.” He brightened. “Hey, when you think about it, I reduced human garbage. I reused some body parts and I totally recycled because there’s a bunch of ground that got some human fertilizer.”
She wasn’t sure Ian got the point, but she smiled anyway.
Henry winced. “Sorry about that, baby.”
She wasn’t. “Can we go home now?”
He kissed her forehead. “There is nothing I want more.”
She sighed in relief. It was time to finally bring their daughter home.
Spring
Epilogue
May had come and she was back where she’d been before, although this time she wasn’t the one lying in a hospital bed, staring down at a newborn.
“I can’t believe I have a baby.” Holly stared at her daughter. Little Amelia Burke-Markov had a single curl of dark hair on the top of her head. She was adorable, and her two dads already doted on her.
Of course one of them had delivered her despite the fact that he shouldn’t have. Caleb had upgraded both of the rooms in the clinic that was now rated as a small hospital.
“She’s so beautiful.”
Life seemed beautiful right now. Poppy was sleeping through the night and she and Henry were…they were playing again. Oh, they often got interrupted, but they weren’t going to let that part of their relationship go.
After all, they’d learned that they could get through anything as long as they were together.
The door opened and Laura walked through, Sierra in a sling around her body and a bag from Stella’s in her hand. “Did you hear that big guy who helped save Henry bought Hiram’s old place?”
Henry had made that happen. “Yes, Ian’s not planning on staying here all the time, but he’s bringing his family up this summer. He’s got two girls and two boys. His wife seems nice. They got a membership to Mountain and Valley.”
She missed going up to the retreat, but that time would come again. She had no doubt. For now she would sink into being Poppy’s mom and enjoying this time of her life.
Laura set their lunch down and frowned Nell’s way. “I heard he’s already put in for a permit to build on to the cabin.”
Nell gasped. “That cabin is a historical landmark.”
“No, it isn’t,” Holly corrected. “It’s kind of rundown.”
It was lovingly used, and Ian should be able to see that. “It is the home of the first mayor of Bliss and should be honored as such. And if you believe Hiram, it’s where the great battle
