him. “You are mad. You will get happ-y.”
Ryan lifted his arms for Cash to take him. Cash held him close to his chest for a moment, stroking his head, and then sat next to me. We stared at each other for a minute, getting lost in all we had, before we both grinned.
The marauder was still stealing my fucking breath. Maybe because I had nothing else for him to steal. He had me, all of me, for the rest of my life.
“Here,” CeeCee said, shoving a piece of paper at me. I looked away from Cash to take it. She’d drawn four dragons, all different, but each one represented each one of us.
Under Cash’s dragon, the scariest one, the name said Daddy Cash. Under Ryan’s was Baby Brother Ryan. Under hers, it said, Big Sister CeeCee. Under mine, it said simply, Mom.
My eyes rose slowly to meet hers.
She shrugged. “We are a famil-y. I pick you as my mom. And—” she touched Cash’s shoulder “—Daddy Cash.”
Cash’s face lit up when he smiled. “Has a nice ring to it.”
I pulled Connolly to my chest, crying into her hair but laughing at the same time. “I pick you as my baby girl,” I said, kissing her on the head even harder. “And you as my baby boy!” I tickled Ryan on his belly and his shoulders came up, his nose wrinkling, as he laughed.
“Me,” Cash said, pointing to his chest. “Do you pick me?”
“As long as we both shall live,” I said, placing my hand against his heart. He set his over mine, pressing it even harder against him. “You bled for this—for me. You conquered my heart. You can write that on your stone.”
Ryan tugged on the chain around my neck, gazing at the pendant. His eyes narrowed for a second, before he took his finger and tried to stick it where the little lock would go. His nail came between the crevices that would open the locket to reveal what was inside of the heart.
And it did. It opened.
A simple gold ring fell into my lap, one that was too big for my finger. I held it up, looking through it, letting the sun move through the everlasting circle.
“‘You proved me wrong,’” I said, reading the inscription.
“You did, my darlin’.” He grinned at me, but there was nothing cocky about it. For the first time, it touched his eyes. “You proved me wrong. You prove me wrong. Every day.”
“You love me,” I breathed out.
“More than life itself.” He looked me in the eye and then turned his eyes to Connolly Kelly. “More than life itself.” He looked at Ryan Kelly. “More than life itself.”
I took his hand and slipped the band on his ring finger. “A leash on a tiger,” I said.
“Grand,” he said. “Just fu—” CeeCee put her hand over his mouth, and he pretended to bite her. She laughed and moved it. “Just grand. You’ll never lead me astray.”
We kissed and then started dinner.
Epilogue
Cash
Two Years Later
“Get the door!”
I grinned at my wife before I went to answer it. Ryan was on her shoulders, hitting at the balloon animal she had around her head, laughing his ass off. Her hair was full of glitter, and she had a tigress painted on her cheek. Connolly ran around with her friends, hyped up on too much sugar.
I had warned my wife about the dangers of sugar and kids mixing, but she ate it with them, so she said there was no excuse not to give it to them. She was of the mind that we should practice what we preach.
The grin was still on my face when I opened the door. It fell when I was faced with three people.
“We were in the neighborhood.” Killian shrugged. “Thought we’d stop by for my niece’s birthday party.” He was wedged between his wife and Saoirse.
“This house is invite-only,” I said.
“We have an invite,” Kill said, looking behind me.
I turned and found Father Flanagan, but he shook his head. He didn’t invite them. I’d told him about the situation with Saoirse after what had happened to my wife and me at the cemetery. He was as shocked as I was that Saoirse was still alive, and that Killian hadn’t told him. When I asked him if he was mad or was going to hold a grudge, he told me no.
“Holding a grudge only turns you bitter,” he’d said, “because only you can live with you. I’m not the one to judge.” He pointed up