get her and they got married. She’s going to live here with all of us now,” Maia explained.
Cristie watched Darcie crying and hugging her mother, but Talie looked up when she heard Maia explaining to Cristie. She lifted a hand and waived at Cristie. Cristie smiled at her and waved back.
“You crying, dude?” Riley asked, looking at Lucas with a raised eyebrow.
“No! I ain’t crying!” Lucas snapped. “And if I was, who’d care anyway. It’s touching!”
Riley laughed as he shoved Lucas.
Finally Darcie got herself under control enough that she could finally look around for Roman. “You promised, and you kept your promise,” she said, blinking her eyes and wiping away the tears that stained her face.
“I did. And I always will,” Roman said.
“You brought my mama home,” Darcie said. “And we’re going to all live here now, right?” she asked, needing reassurance that this changed nothing about her current living situation.
“You’re still going to live across the street with your own room in your own house. The only thing that is going to change is that I’m going to live there, too,” Talie promised.
“That makes me smile, and my heart’s all warm and happy, too,” she said, tuning up to cry again.
“It makes me smile, too,” Talie said.
It took about fifteen minutes for Darcie to finally begin to calm down enough to want to show Talie around. Then she was nonstop look at this, and come see that.
After Darcie and Talie had come back in from the backyard and touring Cristie’s castle and the swimming pool, Roman finally decided enough time had passed with Darcie and Talie speaking and holding onto each other that he could get a hug himself. He turned from his place at the table and held his arms out. “So, do I get a hug for bringing Mama home?” he asked.
“Yes!” Darcie yelled and ran to him.
Roman lifted her onto his lap and hugged her close. “I love you, Darcie. And I love your mama, and we’re a family now. I promise you, nothing will ever hurt our family or separate us again. Okay?” he asked.
Darcie nodded. “Okay,” she said, kissing his cheek.
“And I didn’t forget,” he said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a little plastic bag with a small, silver charm in it.
Darcie’s eye got wide and she grinned as she took it from him. “It’s a heart and it says ‘Mama’,” she said.
“So you can always remember the day Mama came home,” Roman said.
“Thank you, Daddy! I love you.” She kissed his cheek again and he lifted a hand for Talie to join them. Talie walked over and happily took the seat beside them. Roman leaned over and kissed her lips and she kissed him back, twice.
“Makes me want to kiss somebody myself,” Lucas said.
Riley jumped up and moved away from Lucas. “Don’t look at me! I don’t need none of your kisses.”
“Oh, come on, Riley. Just a little kissy-poo,” Lucas teased.
“Nope! Not gonna happen,” Riley insisted, hiding behind Maia.
Maia rolled her eyes. “You see this?” she said to Talie as Talie watched them and chuckled. “They do this all the time. Hope you have a dry sense of humor.”
“I do. And I think it’s great,” Talie answered.
“Good, you’ll fit right in, then.”
“Ya’ll eat on the way in, or ya’ll hungry?” Riley asked.
“Only breakfast as we were leaving. Couple of bagels,” Roman said.
“Bagels? That ain’t no kind of breakfast!” Riley exclaimed.
“I’ve got all kinds of leftovers. Ya’ll keep me company in here and I’ll get them warmed up,” Maia said, starting to take dishes out of the refrigerator.
“Ya’ll hear from Lazarus?” Roman asked.
“Briefly, he said a week or so and he’d be heading back if all still seems clear,” Riley said.
“Saw him at court, he basically said the same thing,” Roman said.
“He was at court?” Riley asked.
“Yeah, he was there to be sure the witnesses against,” he paused and looked down at Darcie who was busy showing Talie how she could draw a horse, to be sure she wasn’t listening, “Frederick,” he whispered, “ didn’t back out of their confessions.”
Talie heard him and her eyes snapped up to meet his.
Roman smiled at her. “He tracked ‘em down, scared the hell out of them and they were happy to tell all they knew.”
Talie nodded and smiled gratefully. “I owe each of you so much,” Talie said.
“Naw, you don’t. All you need to do is love Roman and be happy,” Riley said. “You’re one of us. We take care of our own,” he said