“Hey, Mom, Dad. Do you think you can get the kids home safely?” I ask, knowing I can’t, and won’t, abandon this sweet child clinging to my hands like I’m his lifeline.
“Of course, honey. Is everything alright?” She looks at everyone.
“It will be,” I tell her. “We’ll make it okay.” Arsen nods at me. Kol’s on his phone in the corner, looking angrier with each passing minute.
As Arsen talks with Kol, Ember and I take Jacob out front to say goodbye to the parents that brought their kids as we wait on what the next move is.
It takes another six hours before we find out that Jacob’s mother has indeed left town. Signed over all of her rights to the boy to the state and wiped her hands clean of him. After speaking with social services, as well as his kindergarten teacher, we discovered he lived in a home of abuse and drugs. That, in some ways, he’s better off that she left him with us than at home by himself.
It doesn’t make what she did right, but at least, we can help.
“He can come home with us,” Arsen says as we leave Jacob to sleep in Arsen’s childhood bed, shocking me.
“Home?” I croak. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.
“With us,” he reiterates.
“We could do that?” My eyes are misty with tears.
“We have a meeting with his social worker first thing in the morning.” He grins at me.
I walk up to him, unable to contain my excitement, and wrap my arms around his waist. “I love you so much, Arsen. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”
He doesn’t say anything, and when I pull away, he drops to one knee, a gorgeous princess-cut diamond with a white gold band in his fingers. “Marina Parks, it’s not too soon. It’s just right. You and me? We’re solid. We’re everything. I love you. Until the end of time, I will, and nothing will ever change that. Jacob will be icing on our cake. Will you marry me?”
Speechless, I don’t know what to say. Tears are running down my face when a little hand grips mine from behind. Looking down, I see Jacob smiling, even though his world has fallen out from under him today.
“Say yes already!” I hear shouted from the bottom of the stairs by multiple voices.
“How could I say anything else?” I tell him, and he stands, placing the ring on my finger and lifting me in his arms. A deep kiss is dropped on my lips, and for the first time in my life, I feel complete. I feel like I’m finally living the life I’m meant to have.
“She said yes!” I hear Jacob yell to the nosy nellies, and cheers, louder than the performance, fill the entire house with so much love.
Epilogue
Arsen
One year later.
“Fuck yeah!” I scream into the bullpen. Every officer and criminal stops in their tracks to stare at me. Without answer, I holler to my captain, “Cap, I’m going home!”
His head pops out of his office as I pass, and he asks, “It came?”
“It fucking came!”
“Then get your ass home, boy!”
Without further prompting, I race out of the building and head for my truck to get home to my blushing bride.
Marina and I tied the knot six weeks ago in a small ceremony in her hometown. I had wanted to whisk her away to City Hall the second she said yes, but she insisted we were only going to be married once, and she wanted it to be perfect. As far as I was concerned, she was there, so it already was.
I quickly gave in when she and Ember pulled the tears card. Ironically, they vanished as soon as I agreed. The two were closer than best friends now. They told each other everything, which was why I had this news delivered to my office. Marina and I needed to learn the decision together.
Ember and Kol could damn well wait this time.
Pulling into the driveway of our new house, I run up the back steps, not shocked at the image before me as I enter through the back door.
“Great fucking news!” I call before either oc